If you haven’t seen Adam Connor’s (of RunObama.com and MyDD) excellent write-up of a meeting a few days ago between Obama and some representatives of a few of the draft Obama groups, you really must.

It includes some great responses from Obama that are of interest to all of us who’re trying to figure out our roles as grassroots supporters. Connor writes…

After our introductions the Senator opened up the floor (or more accurately, the table) and lead a discussion about the things that we thought his campaign should be doing and how to best build a grassroots campaign structure since, he noted, the draft groups had been doing it for longer then his campaign had been.

One of my impressions that stands out most from the meeting was the Senator’s candor. I can’t think of any candidate that I’ve ever met who would sit down and not just go through the motions, but actually engage in a frank discussion about campaign structure and integration, to best harness all the energy out there surrounding him. At times you could almost see the community organizer within him come out as he discussed his vision of "marshaling the grassroots energy."

Perhaps one of the most telling statement he made was when he said "can’t run this campaign on sheer kinetic energy" and that the crowds and excitement are difficult to sustain and shouldn’t be the sole focus of the campaign. He was looking for a way to channel that energy into giving his supporters "a real ownership" in the campaign. He said that the campaign was still working on getting in touch with all of the support groups that had popped up before his announcement and was still working on getting set up, so he asked for patience.

Read the whole thing.

And now, the Link Party…

Right behind Obama stands Peoria native
Peoria Journal Star - Peoria,IL,USA
But you haven’t heard much about the skinny kid with a funny name who grew up in Peoria and his role in the making of Barack Obama. …

Obama fits that description, Raja says. He’s "genuine and sincere," not given to "sound-bite" positioning. His "keen intellect" comes with "a wide knowledge base about important topics of concern" that enables him to talk about issues in length and depth. His character and integrity are outstanding. Then there’s his "personal charisma. … You spend just a half hour with him, and you have the sense he’s a born leader."

…

Those who want to know how a President Obama would be likely to make decisions will find his approach to policy development insightful. Consider, for example, his effort to transform his belief in universal health-care coverage to practical policy.

"Barack said, ‘We need to draft some kind of position paper on what it is I would support as a U.S. senator and what it is I would try to pass legislation on and how I would go about addressing the problem of health-care coverage and the uninsured,’ " Raja recalls. To do that, Raja sought experts to help define the scope of the problem and potential solutions. Once the policy team members decided which ideas they could support, they approached Obama, who then "weighed in on what he felt comfortable with. … People underestimate his executive skills. He is able to digest information very quickly. He likes and wants a wide variety of viewpoints, but once he’s digested them, he makes decisions very quickly."

Obama supported by Brown basketball coach, his brother-in-law
Boston Globe - Boston,MA,USA
PROVIDENCE, RI –Craig Robinson believes you can tell a lot about a guy by how he plays basketball, which is why he liked Barack Obama long before the …

"Madrassa" redux? Gibson cited dubious tabloid article to smear …
Media Matters for America - Washington,DC,USA
Barack Obama (D-IL) presented a false picture of his father, Barack Obama Sr., in his memoir Dreams From My Father (Crown, July 1995). …

Obama’s Wife Sheds Former Skepticism
CBS News - New York City,NY,USA
Barack Obama, running for president _ not because she didn’t think he’d make a great candidate, but because she wasn’t sure that politics was the best way …

Obama: Change federal homeland funding formula
Wilmington Morning Star - Wilmington,NC,USA
Washington | Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama wants to change the government’s formula for giving states money for homeland security. …

Obama Introduces Bill to Rank State Election Practices and Performance
VoteTrustUSA, CA - Mar 3, 2007
US Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) today introduced the Voter Advocate and Democracy Index Act (S. 737) to help inform voters and state officials about the …

FEC Ruling Assists Barack Obama
Free Internet Press - New York,NY,USA
Barack Obama (D-Illinois) will be permitted to collect money for a potential general election presidential campaign without foreclosing the possibility that …

Obama on Iran: Take off the kid gloves
Chicago Sun-Times - Chicago,IL,USA
Barack Obama said Friday the use of military force should not be taken off the table when dealing with Iran, which he called "a threat to all of us." …

Obama supports Israel. Period.
Ha’aretz - Tel Aviv,Israel
Barack Obama’s big speech on Israel is now over, and as expected, the candidate made no secret of his support and dedication to the special relationship …

Obama leads labor rally
Chicago Sun-Times - Chicago,IL,USA
Barack Obama pledged Saturday that the Senate would pass a bill making it easier for workers to start unions against companies’ wishes, but acknowledged it …

Obama ancestors owned slaves, a researcher finds
Boston Globe - Boston,MA,USA
Senator Barack Obama, shaking hands with supporters in Chicago last week, had ancestors on both sides of the Civil War. …