A Search for Self in Obama’s Hawaii Childhood
New York Times - New York,NY,USA
Barack Obama, third from left at rear, in 1972 with his fifth-grade class in a photograph from Na Opio, the yearbook of the Punahou School. …

Barack Obama, third from top left, Punahou School, 1972
courtesy of the AP

The political narrative of Mr. Obama was written about 4,500 miles and a cultural universe away from here, largely in Illinois. But the seeds of his racial consciousness, its attendant alienation and political curiosity appear to have been planted in Hawaii.

There was, by the description of his classmates, coaches and teachers, their Barry, the one who still looks remarkably like the picture in his yearbook, smiling under his Afro, or posing somewhat stiffly with other children under a sign “Mixed Races of America.”

That Barry had a confident gait, a cheerful smile and a B average.

“He had the same exact mannerisms then as he does now,” said Eric Kusunoki, Mr. Obama’s homeroom teacher at the Punahou School. “When he walked up to give that speech at the Democratic convention, we recognized him right away by the way he walked. He was well liked by everybody, a very charismatic guy.”

Obama Brings Substance to His Message of Hope
Bay Area Indymedia - San Francisco,CA,USA
A diverse crowd of 10000 people attended a rally at Oakland City Hall on March 17 to hear presidential candidate Barack Obama – confirming his status as the …

While he sounded the theme of hope that has become the staple of his campaign speeches (and reminded the crowd that he had always opposed the War in Iraq), Obama also made some concrete policy-based pledges on health care, education and the environment – and spoke about his prior legislative accomplishments. He did this to address the biggest criticism of his campaign – that it is big on hope, but short on substance.

“He was very impassioned, very enthusiastic and very progressive,” said Sara Heller of Oakland, who had come to learn more about the candidate that has generated buzz and momentum. Still, she wasn’t ready to jump on his campaign’s bandwagon – at least not yet. “I’d like to read more about him,” she said.

We Asked And You Delivered! (Obama Edition)
SFist - San Francisco,CA,USA
We sent out a plea for pictures from yesterday’s Barack Obama rally in Oakland and all you awesome readers who went sent along some amazing pictures. …

Excitement surrounds Denver Obama rally Sunday (includes video which plays almost like a campaign commerical)
cw2.com - Denver,CO,USA
Barack Obama’s Sunday appearance in Denver, his first as an official Democratic presidential candidate for 2008. Supporters waited for more than three hours …

Supporters waited for more than three hours on the street outside the Sherman Street Event Complex and then inside its second floor ballroom before the upstart from Illinois emerged from between a parted navy curtain and took the stage to thunderous applause.

"Some people have it and some people don’t," said Mary Johnson, who was among the first in line for the event. "And he has it."

Obama greeted warmly at famous NH site
Boston Globe - Boston,MA,USA
CLAREMONT, NH –Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama had little difficulty winning over the audience at a senior center made famous by the husband …

Obama Beware. "It’s Gonna Be Whispers and Rumors"
News Hounds - Newport Beach,CA,USA
Barack Obama last January, the Senator from Illinois cut them off at the knees, refusing their reporters access to himself and his family. …

After FOX News scurrilously attacked Sen. Barack Obama last January, the Senator from Illinois cut them off at the knees, refusing their reporters access to himself and his family. True to form, that hasn’t stopped FOX’s lackeys from poor-mouthing Obama and "suggesting" through innuendo that it’s the Clinton camp that’s responsible for leaking the nasty little details that the various hosts, panelists and guests subtly bleed out a little bit at a time. This is the classic "divide & conquer" tactic. It muddies the waters, sows suspicion and, if successful, leaves one’s enemy in a demoralized, confused state.

Pro-Obama ‘Hillary 1984′ Ad a ‘Watershed’
The Daily Reel - Los Angeles,CA,USA
Barack Obama that has gone viral. "Hillary 1984" takes the classic Ridley Scott Super Bowl commercial from Apple Computer, and reconfigures it to show Sen. …

Bill Burton, a spokesman for Obama, said he is aware of the "Hillary 1984" video and has gotten calls from reporters on it — but he insisted that the campaign is not connected to it. "It’s somebody else’s creation," he said, declining to comment on the ad’s biting content.

Burton said he doesn’t know who created the spot, but it shows "there is a lot of energy for Sen. Obama on the Web, in communities all over the country … and frankly, that energy will manifest itself in a lot of ways."

But in the weeks since its early March debut, the expertly created video remix — called a mashup in blogosphere circles — has "changed the zone" between political campaigns, their followers and the Internet, said Simon Rosenberg, president of the Washington-based New Democrat Network, an influential party advocacy group based in Washington, D.C.

With presidential campaigns now poised to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in advertising that will blanket television before November 2008, this seemingly home-produced video — created with software and a laptop, and likely without the benefit of a team of expensive political consultants — opens a new window, Rosenberg said. It has dramatized a brave new world in which passionate activists outside the structure of traditional campaigns have the power to shape the message — even for a presidential candidate.

Blogger Spotlight: Students for Barack Obama
National Journal - Washington,DC,USA
Alex Locke of Students for Barack Obama closes off our unofficial WH ‘08 blog tour. On Monday we begin our tour of California tipping things off with …

US must continue piling pressure on Mugabe By Senator Barack Obama
Saylac.com - Djibouti
By Senator Barack Obama. WASHINGTON, DC - Mr President, the events of the last few days in Zimbabwe are outrageous and warrant universal condemnation. …

Mr. President, the United States must continue to stand strongly against the Mugabe government’s abuses of power in Zimbabwe. We must join with our European allies, the United Nations, and – most importantly – the countries and institutions of the region to press for positive change in Zimbabwe. That means a peaceful democratic transition in 2008, and support for economic growth and opportunity – including the lifting of sanctions – once the dark cloud of Mugabe’s rule is lifted, and Zimbabweans are able again to reach for the new horizon they deserve.

I call on President Mugabe to immediately release all political detainees and repeal the ban on political rallies, to end the use of violence and torture in the jails, permit a free media and abide by the rule of law. His government must also urgently address the humanitarian crisis that has put the mass of his population in dire need of assistance.

Zimbabwe is a nation rich in history and rich in resources. Its talented people have known great hardship just as they have achieved great heights. When Robert Mugabe became president over a quarter century ago, there was great hope. Zimbabwe had emerged from British rule, claiming its freedom and its future for itself.

Sadly, the freedom and opportunity for which Zimbabweans fought have been eclipsed in the last decade by repression and uncertainty. Instead of peaceful self-determination, we see Zimbabweans intimidated and beaten in the streets. Instead of the responsible management of Zimbabwe’s state institutions, we see state-sanctioned corruption, violence and property seizures. Instead of economic self-sufficiency, we see what was once one of Africa’s most promising economies in a free-fall.

Yet I am confident that the people of Zimbabwe will once again claim for themselves a better future. As they seek to hold their leaders accountable, as they try to rebuild their lives and their country, they must know that they have a strong and steady friend in the United States. The events of the last few days – and the Mugabe regime – must belong to the past, and the United States must work with the international community to help all Zimbabweans forge a better future.