Obama 'Thinking About It'

Barack Obama looks as if he's going to run for the 2008 Democratic Presidential nomination, even thought he hasn't actually come out and actually said so. But he certainly is sounding like a candidate.

During his much-publicized "Obama-mania" visit on Dec. 10, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama looked, acted and sounded like a Presidential candidate when he spoke to 1,500 people at a state Democratic Party rally in downtown Manchester, [NH].

So it was no surprise to New Hampshire yesterday that Obama announced the formation of an exploratory committee to raise money in preparation for a Presidential run.

Officially, he is not a candidate, but his point man in New Hampshire says it's just a formality.

"I think today was the first step toward an official candidacy," said lobbyist Jim Demers, a former state representative, who said he expects to be an unpaid volunteer for Obama in the First-in-the-Nation Primary state.

It's also been reported that Obama has pulled even with Hillary Clinton amongst likely New Hampshire Democratic voters.

The field is starting to fill out here in New Hampshire as more potential candidates contemplate a run for the White House.