Obama makes it officialAssociated PressSpringfield, Ill. — Barack Obama announced his bid for president Saturday, a black man evoking Abraham Lincoln's ability to unite a nation and a Democrat portraying himself as a fresh face capable of leading a new generation.
"Let us transform this nation," he told thousands shivering in the cold at the campaign's kickoff.
Mr. Obama, 45, is the youngest candidate in the Democrats' 2008 primary field dominated by front-runner Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and filled with more experienced lawmakers.
In an address from the state capital where he began his elective career 10 years ago, the first-term U.S. senator sought to distinguish himself as a staunch opponent of the Iraq war and a White House hopeful whose lack of political experience is an asset.
"I know I haven't spent a lot of time learning the ways of Washington. But I've been there long enough to know that the ways of Washington must change," Mr. Obama said to some of the loudest applause of his 20-minute speech.
Mr. Obama is looking to cap his remarkable, rapid rise to prominence with the biggest political prize of all — the presidency. His elective career began just 10 years ago in the Illinois Legislature. He lost a bid for a U.S. House seat, then won the Senate seat in 2004, a relatively smooth election made easier by GOP stumbles.
In his speech, Obama did not mention his roots as the son of a man from Kenya and a woman from Kansas, his childhood in Hawaii and Indonesia or the history he would make if elected. That compelling biography has turned him into a political celebrity.
Instead, he focused on his life in Illinois over the past two decades, beginning with a job as a community organizer with a $13,000-a-year salary that strengthened his Christian faith. He said the struggles he saw people face inspired him to get a law degree and run for the state legislature, where he served eight years.
He tied his announcement to the legacy of Lincoln, announcing from the building where the future 16th president served in the state Legislature.
"We can build a more hopeful America. And that is why, in the shadow of the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln once called on a house divided to stand together, where common hopes and common dreams still live, I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for President of the United States of America," Mr. Obama said. His voice rose to a shout as he spoke over the cheers from thousands who braved temperatures in the teens.
"I know it's a little chilly, but I'm fired up," Mr. Obama said as he took the podium with his wife Michelle and daughters Malia, 8, and Sasha, 5, with U2's "City of Blinding Lights" blaring on the speakers.
After the speech, the family, several dozen members of the media and the new campaign staff boarded a plane — "Obama One," a flight attendant called it — for Iowa, where Democrats are scheduled to have the first chance to vote for the nominee.
The senator and his wife greeted reporters in the back of the plane, but Mr. Obama insisted he just wanted to say hello and didn't want to be quoted.
His first Iowa event was a town hall meeting in a packed high school gym in Cedar Rapids, where he removed his suit jacket because he said he was warm with his long underwear on. "No whistling," he joked.
Mr. Obama spoke for an hour but only had time to take five questions from the audience, covering foreign affairs, defense and education. The audience groaned when he said he had to leave, but he promised to return.
"There was a big crowd today," he said. "But let's face it, the novelty's going to wear off."
Mr. Obama gained national recognition with the publication of two best-selling books, "Dreams From My Father" and "The Audacity of Hope," and by delivering the keynote address at the Democratic National Convention in 2004 — the same year he was elected to the Senate. His optimistic message and personal story immediately sparked talk of his White House potential.
Brenda and Michael Talkington, who live near Muncie, Ind., said they have never been involved in a political campaign, but both were laid off from jobs with a lighting company and plan to volunteer for Obama. They got up at 4:30 a.m. to make the speech.
"He makes you feel like it is possible to change things," Brenda Talkington said.
She seemed to be reading from Obama's playbook.
He spoke of reshaping the economy for the digital age, investing in education, protecting employee benefits, insuring those who do not have health care, ending poverty, weaning America from foreign oil and fighting terrorism while rebuilding global alliances. But he said the first priority must be to end the war in Iraq.
"It's time to admit that no amount of American lives can resolve the political disagreement that lies at the heart of someone else's civil war," he said. He noted that he was against the invasion from the start.
Mr. Obama talked how previous generations have brought change — fighting off colonizers, slavery and the Great Depression, welcoming immigrants, building railroads and landing a man on the moon.
"Each and every time, a new generation has risen up and done what's needed to be done," he said. "Today we are called once more — and it is time for our generation to answer that call."
Mr. Obama said it is because of Lincoln that Americans of every race face the challenges of the 21st century together.
"The life of a tall, gangly, self-made Springfield lawyer tells us that a different future is possible," Mr. Obama said.
"He tells us that there is power in words. He tells us that there is power in conviction. That beneath all the differences of race and region, faith and station, we are one people. He tells us that there is power in hope."
Associated Press writers Deanna Bellandi and John O'Connor contributed to this report.
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