Obama's Housing Plan for Veterans
MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) -- Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama on Friday said he would unveil a housing program for veterans aimed at keeping them off the streets when their service is completed.
The Illinois senator told The Associated Press he would introduce legislation Monday that he calls Homes for Heroes. The plan would establish grant and voucher programs to encourage development of affordable housing targeted for veterans.
"Veterans are far more likely to be homeless than non-veterans and part of it is because we're not providing services to them as they transition out of the service," Obama said in an interview before a campaign rally. "Part of it is because there is just not enough affordable housing."
The Department of Veterans Affairs estimates as many as 200,000 are living on the streets or in shelters and perhaps twice as many are homeless at some in the course of a year.
Obama, a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, concluded a three-day trip to Iowa by touring the Iowa Veterans Home and focusing on veterans issues.
He has walked a fine line on the issue, mixing his opposition to the war in Iraq with support for the troops.
"During the course of this war, one of the things I think we did learn from Vietnam was that whether you are for or against a war, everyone has to honor and respect the service and sacrifice of the troops," Obama said.
Obama said the government spends billions to prosecute the war but has consistently shortchanged programs for veterans, who should be a top priority.
"We haven't always done that in our federal budget," said Obama. "During the course of this war the VA has consistently low-balled their requests for funding."
In addition to problems like substance abuse, Obama said the lack of affordable housing has been a consistent problem for veterans. He said his legislation would address that shortfall.
"What we've done is we've increased voucher programs, we're encouraging grants and loans for non-profits to build affordable housing for veterans," said Obama.
Obama said he chose to visit the Iowa Veterans Home because of its solid reputation. The center is essentially a state-financed retirement home for veterans.
"The fact that you have an outstanding veterans home that's state run here, I think that has to be the model for how the federal VA system is run, as well as how states around the country ought to be operating," said Obama. "We wanted to highlight what a good-quality veterans home looks like to make sure that's the standard by which the VA system is operated."
In his three days in Iowa, Obama has often focused on veterans. At each of his stops he's held meetings -- usually in private -- with small groups of veterans, and he packed more than 250 people into a VFW Hall in tiny Dakota City on Thursday.
"It's to say thank you for their service," Obama said. "I reminded them that my grandfather served in World War II."
Speaking at a noisy campaign rally at a community college, Obama said his latest trip to Iowa demonstrates his grassroots campaign plan.
"This is my 20th county I have visited in Iowa since I announced," said Obama. "At this pace, by the end of the year I will have gotten to every county."
Obama said his status coming from neighboring Illinois gives him an edge in Iowa, where precinct caucuses launch the presidential nominating process.
"I feel like I'm home," said Obama. "Illinois is basically Iowa and then we have Chicago."
Showing posts with label Iowa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Iowa. Show all posts
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Barack Obama in Iowa: War Hindering Domestic Agenda
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Saturday it will be difficult to make progress on important domestic issues until the Iraq war has ended.
The Illinois senator cited health care, education and other concerns and said most Democratic candidates have similar goals, with differences only in the details.
"None of these things we are going to be able to do effectively until we bring this war in Iraq to a close," Obama told about 2,000 people in a town hall-style meeting.
The appearance marked the beginning of a two-day trip to heavily Republican western Iowa. Obama drew the loudest applause when he emphasized his opposition to the war.
Most polls have shown Obama and New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton atop the Democratic party's 2008 field, and the campaigns have squabbled at a distance over the war.
Clinton's allies say Obama has voted for spending bills to finance the war, and that can be equated to support. Obama rejected that charge.
"Even if I'm against the war, we need to make sure the troops have the armor they need," Obama said.
Obama said he would have voted against the initial $87 billion to pay for the war because it included $20 billion in reconstruction money that was certain to be wasted because of the chaos in Iraq.
"This is a recipe for disaster," said Obama. "How do you send $20 billion to a government that isn't a government?"
Clinton voted to authorize the use of force in Iraq in 2002 but has said she would not have done so if she had known then what she knows now. Obama, who was not in Congress in 2002, said he opposed the war from the beginning.
"We've got a war that should never have been authorized and should never have been waged," Obama said. "It's a war that's left us less safe and damaged our standing in the world and it's a war we need to end."
Obama said he is pushing legislation for a gradual troop withdrawal.
"There is no military solution to the problems in Iraq," he said. "There are political problems between the warring factions there."
On immigration, Obama said he favors a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants already in the United States, though he would require them to pay a penalty and "get to the back of the line."
"After all, they have broken the law," he said.
Though Obama is in his first term in the Senate, he rejected suggestions that he needs more experience before running for president.
"I've only been in Washington for a few years, but I've been there long enough to know that Washington needs to change," Obama said.
Obama's next appearance, in Onawa, was streamed on the campaign's Web site. Aides said the event was seen at 5,000 house parties in all 50 states, including gatherings in all 99 Iowa counties.
Obama's wife, Michelle, watched from a house party in Des Moines. On her first solo campaign trip on behalf of her husband, she only briefly discussed politics with a crowd of largely black supporters who had gathered for the rally in the home of Willie Glanton, Iowa's first black legislator.
During a 15-minute speech, she focused on her upbringing in a working-class family on Chicago's south side and her subsequent marriage to Barack Obama.
She said voters should elect him as their next president for his integrity, his guts and the fact that "this brother is smart."
"Politics turns away good people. If you got sense, don't do this," Michelle Obama said. "But I'm not just here as the wife of a candidate, but I'm here as woman, a mother, a professional, a citizen desperate for something to change."
Link
The Illinois senator cited health care, education and other concerns and said most Democratic candidates have similar goals, with differences only in the details.
"None of these things we are going to be able to do effectively until we bring this war in Iraq to a close," Obama told about 2,000 people in a town hall-style meeting.
The appearance marked the beginning of a two-day trip to heavily Republican western Iowa. Obama drew the loudest applause when he emphasized his opposition to the war.
Most polls have shown Obama and New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton atop the Democratic party's 2008 field, and the campaigns have squabbled at a distance over the war.
Clinton's allies say Obama has voted for spending bills to finance the war, and that can be equated to support. Obama rejected that charge.
"Even if I'm against the war, we need to make sure the troops have the armor they need," Obama said.
Obama said he would have voted against the initial $87 billion to pay for the war because it included $20 billion in reconstruction money that was certain to be wasted because of the chaos in Iraq.
"This is a recipe for disaster," said Obama. "How do you send $20 billion to a government that isn't a government?"
Clinton voted to authorize the use of force in Iraq in 2002 but has said she would not have done so if she had known then what she knows now. Obama, who was not in Congress in 2002, said he opposed the war from the beginning.
"We've got a war that should never have been authorized and should never have been waged," Obama said. "It's a war that's left us less safe and damaged our standing in the world and it's a war we need to end."
Obama said he is pushing legislation for a gradual troop withdrawal.
"There is no military solution to the problems in Iraq," he said. "There are political problems between the warring factions there."
On immigration, Obama said he favors a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants already in the United States, though he would require them to pay a penalty and "get to the back of the line."
"After all, they have broken the law," he said.
Though Obama is in his first term in the Senate, he rejected suggestions that he needs more experience before running for president.
"I've only been in Washington for a few years, but I've been there long enough to know that Washington needs to change," Obama said.
Obama's next appearance, in Onawa, was streamed on the campaign's Web site. Aides said the event was seen at 5,000 house parties in all 50 states, including gatherings in all 99 Iowa counties.
Obama's wife, Michelle, watched from a house party in Des Moines. On her first solo campaign trip on behalf of her husband, she only briefly discussed politics with a crowd of largely black supporters who had gathered for the rally in the home of Willie Glanton, Iowa's first black legislator.
During a 15-minute speech, she focused on her upbringing in a working-class family on Chicago's south side and her subsequent marriage to Barack Obama.
She said voters should elect him as their next president for his integrity, his guts and the fact that "this brother is smart."
"Politics turns away good people. If you got sense, don't do this," Michelle Obama said. "But I'm not just here as the wife of a candidate, but I'm here as woman, a mother, a professional, a citizen desperate for something to change."
Link
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Obama in Iowa Next Sunday
Obama Visit
As the days get closer to next year's Iowa caucus, A democratic front-runner is making his way to Siouxland.
On the heels of the second Iowa visit from his top opposition, Morningside College in Sioux City is setting the stage for U.S Senator Barack Obama's visit to Siouxland. The Illinois Democrat is scheduled to talk with folks at Morningside's Allee Gymnasium on Sunday, April 1.
His speech is set to start at 3 p.m.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Barack Obama Clarifies Iraq Position in Iowa
Obama says he's always opposed the war
DES MOINES -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama told reporters Wednesday he has been against the Iraq war from the start, countering questions from the campaign of Sen. Hillary Clinton in recent days about the sincerity of his opposition.
On a conference call with reporters Wednesday, Obama said he didn't know what would be gained from the parsing of his position of the war.
"I think that my position on the war has been consistent. It has been unequivocal, and that's the only presentation that I've made during the course of this campaign," Obama said.
Obama denied that his support in the Senate for funding the war undermines the idea he is a longtime opponent, arguing troops had to be adequately protected.
"I've always been clear and consistent on the notion that we should not get in there, that once we were in there, then we had to make the best of a bad situation," Obama said.
Obama has called for a phased withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq beginning on May 1, with a goal of having troops out by the end of March 2008.
His early campaign rallies have brought their biggest applause when he talks about a war "that should have never been authorized."
Obama was not yet a member of the Senate when the vote was taken in 2002 authorizing force in Iraq, but he said Wednesday he would have voted against it.
"I am certain that I would have voted to oppose this war," Obama said. He said intelligence showing Saddam Hussein did not, in fact, have weapons of mass destruction was available at the time the vote was taken.
"There was a lot of ambiguity in the case that the (Bush) administration was making," Obama said, noting that dissenting voices in the intelligence community had been widely reported in the media.
Obama was careful not to directly criticize Clinton or Sen. John Edwards, both of whom voted in favor of the resolution authorizing force in Iraq and are his top rivals in the Democratic presidential primary.
"I prefer not to, you know, state it in the negative. I'm, I think, making an affirmative statement about my judgment when it came to this critical issue," Obama said.
Obama on Wednesday also pointed to his 2002 speech at an anti-war rally in Chicago, which he said has turned out to be a "fairly accurate assessment of the consequences of invading."
According to a speech text provided by the campaign, Obama outlined the dangers of military action in Iraq.
"That's what I'm opposed to," he said at the time. "A dumb war. A rash war. A war based not on reason but on passion, not on principle but on politics."
Clinton spokesman Mark Daley declined to directly respond to Obama's claim he has been unequivocal on the war.
"Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama have had the same voting record in Congress on Iraq, and they are united in the need to bring an end to the war," Daley said. "As Democrats, our shared beliefs are much greater than our differences."
State Sen. Joe Bolkcom, a Democrat from Iowa City, said it remains to be seen whether Iowa caucus-goers will hold it against Clinton and Edwards for their votes authorizing the use of force.
"I'm interested in who's got the best plan to get us out of Iraq, and bring our soldiers and troops home n get them out of harm's way," said Bolkcom, who is undecided whom he will support in the Iowa caucuses.
Charlotte Eby can be reached at (515) 243-0138 or {M3chareby@aol.com.
DES MOINES -- Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama told reporters Wednesday he has been against the Iraq war from the start, countering questions from the campaign of Sen. Hillary Clinton in recent days about the sincerity of his opposition.
On a conference call with reporters Wednesday, Obama said he didn't know what would be gained from the parsing of his position of the war.
"I think that my position on the war has been consistent. It has been unequivocal, and that's the only presentation that I've made during the course of this campaign," Obama said.
Obama denied that his support in the Senate for funding the war undermines the idea he is a longtime opponent, arguing troops had to be adequately protected.
"I've always been clear and consistent on the notion that we should not get in there, that once we were in there, then we had to make the best of a bad situation," Obama said.
Obama has called for a phased withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq beginning on May 1, with a goal of having troops out by the end of March 2008.
His early campaign rallies have brought their biggest applause when he talks about a war "that should have never been authorized."
Obama was not yet a member of the Senate when the vote was taken in 2002 authorizing force in Iraq, but he said Wednesday he would have voted against it.
"I am certain that I would have voted to oppose this war," Obama said. He said intelligence showing Saddam Hussein did not, in fact, have weapons of mass destruction was available at the time the vote was taken.
"There was a lot of ambiguity in the case that the (Bush) administration was making," Obama said, noting that dissenting voices in the intelligence community had been widely reported in the media.
Obama was careful not to directly criticize Clinton or Sen. John Edwards, both of whom voted in favor of the resolution authorizing force in Iraq and are his top rivals in the Democratic presidential primary.
"I prefer not to, you know, state it in the negative. I'm, I think, making an affirmative statement about my judgment when it came to this critical issue," Obama said.
Obama on Wednesday also pointed to his 2002 speech at an anti-war rally in Chicago, which he said has turned out to be a "fairly accurate assessment of the consequences of invading."
According to a speech text provided by the campaign, Obama outlined the dangers of military action in Iraq.
"That's what I'm opposed to," he said at the time. "A dumb war. A rash war. A war based not on reason but on passion, not on principle but on politics."
Clinton spokesman Mark Daley declined to directly respond to Obama's claim he has been unequivocal on the war.
"Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama have had the same voting record in Congress on Iraq, and they are united in the need to bring an end to the war," Daley said. "As Democrats, our shared beliefs are much greater than our differences."
State Sen. Joe Bolkcom, a Democrat from Iowa City, said it remains to be seen whether Iowa caucus-goers will hold it against Clinton and Edwards for their votes authorizing the use of force.
"I'm interested in who's got the best plan to get us out of Iraq, and bring our soldiers and troops home n get them out of harm's way," said Bolkcom, who is undecided whom he will support in the Iowa caucuses.
Charlotte Eby can be reached at (515) 243-0138 or {M3chareby@aol.com.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Barack Obama has the Smarts to Listen to College Students and Veteran Field Organizers
March 14, 2007
DES MOINES -- Just after his presidential announcement in Springfield, Barack Obama winged his way to Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He spoke at John F. Kennedy High School, and when the speech ended and a few hands were shaken, he and his wife, Michelle, were whisked away. They scooted aboard a yellow school bus full of college-aged Democrats. The Obamas spent an hour driving with the 25 students from 10 Iowa colleges, chewing over policy issues such as the war in Iraq and munching on trail mix.The students had expected to meet with one of Obama's aides and were stunned when they got the real deal. "The cool thing about it was that it was the day he announced and after all the people he could have had meetings with, he was meeting us, college Democrats," recalls Patrick Rynard of Drake University.
When the ride ended at Waterloo, Rynard passed Obama a binder of suggestions about how to woo the student vote. Later, an Obama aide flashed Rynard's binder, then coyly wouldn't tell anyone what was in it.
Scholarly adviceA few phone calls led me to Rynard, president of the College Democrats of Iowa, and he wasn't loath to talk about his advice to Obama when we met on the Drake campus Monday. The thoughtful 21-year-old political science senior has spent a lot of time figuring out how to organize students. His directives to Obama come from three years of intense involvement with the Drake Democrats, volunteering with John Kerry and a stint in Gov. Tom Vilsack's office.
He has seen how powerful student support in Iowa can be and recalls how the vote of Grinnell College students had a sobering effect on incumbent Republican state Rep. Danny Carroll, who was trounced in last November's election by Democrat Eric Palmer.
"Grinnell," says Rynard, "is a perfect example of how a college organization can have a big, big impact on an election."
Some of the advice he gave Obama's team goes like this:
• Don't send in a field worker to organize the campus. Let student Democrats do it themselves. "If you leave the student leaders on campus and not make them interns or volunteers, you'll get them turning out 10 times the number of volunteers," Rynard says.
• Avoid colleges (such as William Penn) where apathy rules. Stick to places such as Iowa State, the University of Iowa and Drake, where students are politically engaged.
During the 2004 Iowa caucuses, Rynard was one of Kerry's drivers and he knew during the last few weeks that Howard Dean was doomed and Kerry was going to make it. "The media was saying Dean had momentum but I watched Kerry working his heart out, and the crowds began to grow, and people became more receptive." Dean had organized students to hit the phones but Kerry had a stronger field team.
'More exciting than classes'Obama has learned from this and hired field staff in Iowa and is setting up offices around the state, including one in the trendy East Village area of Des Moines.
Still, it will be a hard slog as every single Democratic and Republican candidate hits Iowa to campaign for money and caucus support. The recent visits by Obama, Hillary Clinton and Bill Richardson have caused Rynard to skip some classes lately: "This is way more exciting than classes and way more practical."
However, his lecture this Monday after we meet is Presentational Speaking and he won't miss it. Knowing how to present in front of a large group is way de rigeur for a future campaign adviser.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Barack Obama Electrified Crown in Clinton, Iowa
Obama electrifies Clinton crowd
By Danica BakerThe Clinton Herald
Herald Staff Writer
CLINTON — Hundreds of area residents packed the Clinton Community College auditorium and overflowed into a lecture hall to hear Sen. Barack Obama, D–Ill., speak on Saturday afternoon.
The standing-room-only crowd of more than 300 people hushed as Dr. Don Flory and his wife, Marcia, addressed the crowd, noting many had inquired as to how the couple was fortunate enough to have the front row seat.
“We’re here today because our youngest son is in the U.S. Army Infantry,” Marcia said to thunderous applause. “Thank you. We appreciate your support, as our troops do as well.”
She said her son, Zack, has served in the military for the past three years, but his tour was extended indefinitely because of the stop-loss policy. She remarked while the soldiers have state of the art equipment, there are many basic supplies they ask for, such as latex gloves because it is common for the soldiers while on patrol to have to handle victims bodies. Marcia said Zack has asked for binoculars “so he can see the snipers” and Nomex gloves and hoods as protection from fuel bombs and flash burns. She noted the community has been generous to supply drives, recently donating enough to send 20,000 pairs of latex gloves to soldiers overseas.
Don Flory added that as a machine gunner in Baghdad, his son has been involved in intense fighting, both reported in the media and some that has gone unreported.
“He has seen buddies killed and maimed, and dozens more civilians suffer a similar fate,” Don said. “His private question to us has been ‘why are we the soldiers asked to sacrifice for a civil war?’”
With that, the Florys introduced Obama. Obama thanked the crowd for coming and said the country has some real challenges facing it, citing a broken health care system, inadequate education system, absence of an energy policy and an economy that is leaving many people behind.
Obama garnered resounding applause when he said, “Finally, we’ve got a war that never should have been fought, should never have been authorized.”
He continued, “Our troops have done everything we’ve asked of them. They’ve performed magnificently. The failure has been in a civilian leadership that has not given them a mission in which they can succeed.”
“We cannot have our people policing a sectarian civil war,” he added. “We have now spent over a half trillion dollars, we have close to 3,200 lives that have been lost. We are seeing as much instability as there’s ever been in the Middle East. We are less safe that we were before the war started. It is time to bring our troops home.”
Obama said he has a specific plan to bring the troops home and introduced a bill a few weeks prior to that effect, detailing a plan to start bringing troops home as of May 1 with the goal of having all troops home by March 31, 2008. He remarked that one thing that could be done right is treating veterans properly when they return home, including medical care and smoothing the transition back into the workforce. Obama noted that is not being done now and said it is shameful.
“We can do better. I think we have higher expectations of ourselves as a nation and as a people,” he said.
He said politics has become petty and small with people more focused on making negative attacks then on discovering common ground.
Obama said he is proud of his record in bringing people to work together and remarked that he cannot help affect some of the changes needed without the support of the American people.
“This is going to be an election for change,” Obama continued. “And you are going to be the agents of change. I hope this campaign becomes a vehicle for your hopes and your dreams, because if that happens, I’m absolutely convinced that nobody can stop us.”
After his remarks, Obama met with area residents, shaking hands and letting many people take pictures. His communications director, Tommy Vietor, said the success of events such as the one held in Clinton is attributable to the volunteers who put so much work into planning and details. He commended volunteers and the community for showing such an active interest and genuine concern.
Obama then walked to the lecture hall where more than 100 people listened to the talk in an overflow area. Again, he took time to meet with as many citizens as possible. He later said it is very important to him to meet with the public and hear their concerns.
In response to criticism that he doesn’t have enough experience, Obama replied he thinks people usually mean that he hasn’t been in Washington that long.
“I’ve been in Washington long enough to know that Washington needs to change and that’s part of the reason we’re running this campaign,” the candidate said.
Barack Obama in Iowa Talking About the Middle East
Obama Urges More Compassion in Mideast
Muscatine, Ia. - Illinois Sen. Barack Obama on Sunday told a small group of Iowa Democrats that U.S. policy in the Middle East can be compassionate as well as tough - while he also provided these influential voices in the leadoff caucus state with an up-close view of him as a presidential candidate.
Obama told the Muscatine-area party activists that he supports relaxing restrictions on aid to the Palestinian people. He said they have suffered the most as a result of stalled peace efforts with Israel.
"Nobody is suffering more than the Palestinian people," Obama said while on the final leg of his weekend trip to eastern Iowa.
"If we could get some movement among Palestinian leadership, what I'd like to see is a loosening up of some of the restrictions on providing aid directly to the Palestinian people," he added.
Obama was responding to a question by Sue Dravis, one of about 40 party leaders who met with him privately before a forum at West Middle School.
The session in the school library - while more than 1,000 waited for Obama in the gymnasium down the hall - gave a glimpse of the candidate few Americans have seen, despite the intense media exposure he has attracted.
Since launching his campaign a month ago, Obama has headlined events around the nation and in key states such as Iowa. He has drawn large crowds of political activists and people hoping for a closer look at the candidate.
His third trip to Iowa was no different, with capacity crowds meeting him in Dubuque, Clinton and Davenport on Saturday.
The turnout at Obama's campaign events has prompted questions about how the political celebrity will campaign for support in Iowa, where caucus backing often is earned through direct contact.
"After some of the initial novelty of the campaign fades off, as we enter the summer months, we're going to have the opportunity to campaign in that fashion," Obama said in a Des Moines Register interview.
Obama has tried to incorporate more intimate sessions with key party leaders in Iowa, as he did at each of his stops Saturday, as well as before his event later Sunday in Burlington.
In the Muscatine school library, Obama shook hands and posed for pictures for about half of the 30 minutes he spent with the group. He took questions for the remaining 15 minutes.
Clara Oleson, a longtime Democratic caucus activist from Springdale, said the idea of pulling him aside before the larger public event was a creative way to attempt to work in some retail politics.
"This is a very interesting approach. He's attracting crowds, so they have to find a way to get him some time with the party leaders," said Oleson, a retired workplace rights advocate.
Obama's short round of questions with the group touched on health care, immigration and Dravis' question on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Dravis, a member of the Muscatine County Democratic Central Committee, said that Obama "did a very nice job" answering her question, and that his position represents "a good first step" in solving the complex problems in the Middle East.
Israel's survival as a powerful democratic ally in the Middle East must remain a top priority, Obama said.
"There is also no doubt that we have a huge strategic stake in bringing about a peaceful resolution to the conflict," he said. But the United States cannot broker that resolution until the Palestinian government recognizes the nation of Israel.
The Palestinian Authority is controlled by Hamas, a political party that does not recognize Israel's sovereignty and is listed by several countries - including the United States - as a terrorist organization. The United States and other nations imposed restrictions on aid when Hamas gained power last year.
In the meantime, the suffering of the Palestinians could be eased if their government renounces terrorism, Obama said. "I think you can get a sympathetic perspective" from the United States and its allies.
Thursday, March 8, 2007
Barack Obama in Iowa this Weekend
Obama Campaign: U.S. Senator Barack Obama to Visit Dubuque , Clinton , Davenport , Muscatine and Burlington
3/6/2007
Contact: Tommy Vietor, (515) 883-2008 or (202) 997-3462
Obama’s Visit Will Focus on the Challenges Posed by the War in Iraq
DES MOINES – U.S. Senator Barack Obama’s Iowa campaign announced today that he will visit Dubuque , Clinton , Davenport , Muscatine and Burlington on Saturday, March 10th and Sunday, March 11th. Obama’s visit will focus on the challenges posed to our country by the war in Iraq .
Below are the cities Obama is visiting as well as approximate times. More logistical information, including site and ticket locations, will be made available later this week.
Saturday, March 10
Midday Town hall meeting in Dubuque
Afternoon Meet the candidate event in Clinton
Evening Rally in Davenport
Sunday, March 11
Morning Meet the candidate event in Muscatine
Afternoon Meet the candidate event in Burlington
3/6/2007
Contact: Tommy Vietor, (515) 883-2008 or (202) 997-3462
Obama’s Visit Will Focus on the Challenges Posed by the War in Iraq
DES MOINES – U.S. Senator Barack Obama’s Iowa campaign announced today that he will visit Dubuque , Clinton , Davenport , Muscatine and Burlington on Saturday, March 10th and Sunday, March 11th. Obama’s visit will focus on the challenges posed to our country by the war in Iraq .
Below are the cities Obama is visiting as well as approximate times. More logistical information, including site and ticket locations, will be made available later this week.
Saturday, March 10
Midday Town hall meeting in Dubuque
Afternoon Meet the candidate event in Clinton
Evening Rally in Davenport
Sunday, March 11
Morning Meet the candidate event in Muscatine
Afternoon Meet the candidate event in Burlington
Harkins Says Picture with Obama a Coincidence
Radio Iowa News
Harkin says picture with Obama coincidence, not endorsement
Thursday, March 8, 2007, 11:07 AM
By Matt Kelley
Iowa Senator Tom Harkin was photographed at a private fundraiser in Boston earlier this week with Illinois Senator Barack Obama, a Democratic presidential candidate. Harkin had been supporting former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack for president, but Vilsack has dropped out. Harkin says his appearance with Obama was coincidence, not an endorsement.
Harkin says "I happened to be at a fundraising event for myself in Boston. It happened to be in the same building on the same floor down the hall from where Barack Obama was having his event. Barack just simply found out I was down the hall and came down to stick his head in my door, so to speak, and say 'hi' to the people who were there and, of course, cameras were clicking and took pictures and that's all there was to it."
Harkin says he's focused on his own re-election in 2008 and, as for the presidency, says "I don't have a horse in this race."
Harkin says picture with Obama coincidence, not endorsement
Thursday, March 8, 2007, 11:07 AM
By Matt Kelley
Iowa Senator Tom Harkin was photographed at a private fundraiser in Boston earlier this week with Illinois Senator Barack Obama, a Democratic presidential candidate. Harkin had been supporting former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack for president, but Vilsack has dropped out. Harkin says his appearance with Obama was coincidence, not an endorsement.
Harkin says "I happened to be at a fundraising event for myself in Boston. It happened to be in the same building on the same floor down the hall from where Barack Obama was having his event. Barack just simply found out I was down the hall and came down to stick his head in my door, so to speak, and say 'hi' to the people who were there and, of course, cameras were clicking and took pictures and that's all there was to it."
Harkin says he's focused on his own re-election in 2008 and, as for the presidency, says "I don't have a horse in this race."
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