Democratic Senator Barack Obama announced today that he is filing the papers to form his presidential exploratory committee. The move brings Obama a step closer to a run in the 2008 election. In a YouTube video e-mailed to supporters and featured on his website, Obama said
Running for the presidency is a profound decision – a decision no one
should make on the basis of media hype or personal ambition alone – and
so before I committed myself and my family to this race, I wanted to be
sure that this was right for us and, more importantly, right for the
country.
Obama will travel the country speaking with people about challenges, opportunities, and "the role that a presidential
campaign might play in bringing our country together."
Afterwards, Obama said he would announce his final decision on February 10th in his home state of Illinois.
Stating that Bush administration had left America in "a precarious place," Obama denounced the the Iraq war, disappearing pensions, and the rising costs of health care and education.
Yet despite these problems, Obama insisted that Washington’s biggest issue was its divisiveness. Politics has become "so bitter and partisan, so gummed up by money and influence, that we can’t tackle the big problems that demand solutions," said Obama. Analysts say Obama is portraying his lack of experience as an asset that insulates him from the political game.
Complete Transcript of Obama’s Statement.