Weekend Warriors Battle for White House
Feb 9, 2007— -- The first caucus and primary contests are more than 10 months away, but from Iowa to New Hampshire and as far away as California, the race for the White House is in full sprint this weekend.
For the crowded 2008 presidential field -- chockful of candidates with day jobs -- weekend travel is critical to attracting support and donors, not to mention making headlines in politically strategic states.
The marquee event of the weekend is likely to come Saturday, when Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., takes the stage in Springfield, Ill. -- where he served as a state senator -- and formally launches his much-anticipated bid to become the nation's first black president.
In a speech from the historic Old State Capitol, with echoes of Abraham Lincoln, Obama will have a large audience as he presents himself to a nation that is much more familiar with his chief Democratic rivals, Sen. Hillary Clinton D-N.Y., and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards.
It is a critical opportunity in Obama's quest to build upon his "rock star" entry into national politics and articulate a specific vision for the country.
After the announcement, Obama heads to Iowa, home to the first-in-the-nation caucuses, where he holds a town hall meeting in Cedar Rapids and a meet-and-greet in Waterloo.
They'll be no rest Sunday either as he stumps at Iowa State University, attends a hometown campaign rally in Chicago and appears on the CBS News magazine "60 Minutes."
Clinton, Obama's main rival for the 2008 Democratic nomination, makes her own headlines this weekend, traveling to New Hampshire for the first time in more than 10 years.
The former first lady was originally scheduled to visit the Granite State last weekend but canceled after the death of her stepfather-in-law.
For Clinton, who is coming off a week of key fundraising meetings in Washington, her visit is an opportunity to do some retail politics in the critical first-in-the nation primary state.
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