"Barack should run for President... it may not be personally convenient for him, but the times will never again so completely require the gifts that he possesses. Whether you're liberal or conservative, you should hope Barack Obama runs for President."
David Brooks, NY Times 10/19/06


"He's a liberal, but not a screechy partisan. Indeed, he seems obsessively eager to find common ground with conservatives...Obama's personal appeal is made manifest when he steps down from the podium and is swamped by well-wishers of all ages and hues."
Joe Klein, Time Magazine cover piece entitled Why Barack
Obama Could be THE NEXT PRESIDENT 10/23/06

"His service in the Illinois Senate and the U.S, Senate earned the respect of his colleagues on both sides of the aisle. He brings people together to find consensus and to find solutions to our problems. He is a different kind of political leader; He is a peacemaker."
Newton Minnow, Chicago Tribune 10/20/06

"It's a no brainer...of course he should run...The question is whether Mr. Obama will stick up for his core principles when tested and get others to follow him. That's why it is important to remember that on one true test for his party, Iraq, he was consistent from the start...he repeatedly questioned the rationale for the war before it began."
Frank Rich, NY Times 10/22/06