Sen. Obama tries to reassure Jewish voters…
jewishinstlouis.org - St. Louis,MO,USA
WASHINGTON - US Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on Tuesday tried to reassure Jewish voters concerned about his Muslim ties that he has …

"If I go to Jakarta and address the largest Muslim country on earth, I can say, `Apa kabar,’ - you know, `How are you doing?’ - and they can recognize that I understand their common humanity," Obama said. "That is a strength, and it allows me to say things to them that other presidents might not be able to say. And that’s part of what’s promising, I think, about this presidency."

Barack Obama Fires Back at Rudy Giuliani for Terrorist Comment
My Fox Colorado.com - Denver,CO,USA
Barack Obama accused Rudy Guiliani of "fear-mongering" over the Republican’s comment that America could face a major terrorist attack if a democrat is …

WASHINGTON  –  Democrat Barack Obama fired back at Republican presidential candidate  Rudy Giuliani Wednesday for his comment that the United States could face another disastrous terrorism attack if a Democrat is elected president in 2008.

Obama, an Illinois senator, said the man who served as New York mayor’s during the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks should not be making the serious threat that faces the country into "the punchline of another political attack."

"Rudy Giuliani today has taken the politics of fear to a new low and I believe Americans are ready to reject those kind of politics," Obama said in a statement. "America’s mayor should know that when it comes to 9-11 and fighting terrorists, America is united. We know we can win this war based on shared purpose, not the same divisive politics that question your patriotism if you dare to question failed policies that have made us less secure."

Clinton loses black leaders to Obama charm offensive
Belfast Telegraph - Belfast,UK
When a mobile phone started to ring on the podium as Senator Barack Obama was addressing members of the National Action Network in New York a few days ago, …

Signs that black elected officials in the state are drifting into the Obama camp come as his campaign continues to build momentum. In the first quarter of this year he matched Mrs Clinton in raising funds, while a new poll released on Monday showed him dead-even with her nationally for the first time.

Loyalty among black leaders in the state can be traced back to the high popularity of President Bill Clinton in the African American community, but the sudden rise of Mr Obama appears to be stirring a degree of ethnic pride and excitement that is straining those old assumptions.

"I would have supported Hillary if it were not for Barack Obama," Adam Clayton Powell IV of the state assembly told The New York Times. "He can identify with my African American community in a way that no other candidate can." Jeffrion Aubry, also an assemblyman, concurred: "His presence as a legitimate politician at a national level brings a certain pride. It makes you have to make a choice."

Obama to Israel: Status quo failing
Jerusalem Post - Jerusalem,Israel
Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama said Tuesday that America needs to ask Israel to help change the status quo in its conflict with the …

"The United States government and an Obama presidency cannot ask Israel to take risks with respect to its security," he told the crowd of Democratic activists and campaign contributors. "But it can ask Israel to say that it is still possible for us to allow more than just this status quo of fear, terror, division. That can’t be our long-term aspiration."

Freshman senator Barack Obama’s appeal to change the status quo of American politics has propelled him into the top tier of Democratic presidential contenders, and he evinced the same optimism on the intractable Israeli-Palestinian issue.

It’s important to be "hard-headed and clear-eyed about the dangers" in the Middle East, Obama said.

"We also have to recognize that the status quo is not inevitable, that we can aspire to something greater," he continued, "we should want to have that difficult, tough discussion…about how we’re going to arrive at what I think everybody wants, which is two states living side by side in peace and security."

4/24: Why Obama Will Win
National Journal - Washington,DC,USA
Barack Obama’s (D-IL) 4/22 address to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs was received warmly, but not enthusiastically, by the netroots. …

Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-IL) 4/22 address to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs was received warmly, but not enthusiastically, by the netroots. They liked his emphasis on the need to solve global problems by cooperation and leadership and his de-emphasis on the threat terrorism poses. But they didn’t like his plans to leave some forces in Iraq or his call for a larger military. MyDD’s Matt Stoller said the speech was straight "from the Clinton playbook."

And that’s exactly why Obama will win the Dem nod. Whether its his rock-star quality or ‘03 anti-war position, whatever the reason, the netroots just trust him more on foreign policy even if his actual positions are indistinguishable from Sen. Hillary Clinton’s (D-NY). So even though Matthew Yglesias says "the idea of maintaining a semi-permanent counterterrorism force in Iraq is a very bad idea" he’s still eager to give Obama some "wiggle room" on the issue since he’s "pretty confident that Barack Obama and his team would exercise good judgment in this matter." With his anti-war credentials beyond reproach, Obama will have way more flexibility to appeal to undecided primary voters as events in Iraq unfold.