Yes, An Obama Candidacy Is For Real
Political Washington is fast waking up to the possibility that Sen. Barack Obama's presidential explorations are, in fact, serious.
The oft-cited reasons why people "know" he's not running include: obviously, he wants to be the Alpha Dog in the Democratic Party, not president. Or: his wife Michelle is dead set against a presidential run. Or: Robert Gibbs, Obama's communications director, has somehow orchestrated a public relations campaign to sell his boss's books.
Ignore all of that.
Without getting into the man's skull, a sober assessment of the available evidence suggests that Obama is seriously debating whether to enter the race.
Here's what we know:
## Several of Obama's senior advisers have spent the past few weeks sketching out what an Obama campaign would look like, who it might employ, how it might differ from conventional campaigns, and where it might go. Those plans, according to Democrats close to Obama, have not been operationalized.
## Obama's advisers have reached out to several major professional fundraisers, including DSCC finance director Julianna Smoot, and have brainstormed about other talent they might hire.
## But "no person in any orbit of Barack Obama has been asked to do any specific or non specific job in a future political endeavor" says Robert Gibbs, his communications director. Some Democrats are circulating the rumor that strategist David Plouffe is ready to move to Chicago to be the campaign manager. Not true, says Plouffe. In fact, he's soon headed for a vacation.
## Some folks on the outer periphery of Obama's universe are thinking about the Chicago apartment hunt.
## Since the election, Obama has made a circuit through official Democratic provinces, calling labor leaders, aides to other presidential candidates, donors and lawmakers. He asks earnest questions about the mechanics of a run. He asks questions about how to protect his family with the brutal pace of a campaign. Obama doesn't make an "ask" at these meetings, according to several participants. He does not request a formal or informal committment from his interlocutors.
## He'll make his first, post-election stop in New Hampshire on Dec. 10, when he will l be the NH Dems' "special guest" for the party's "2006 Election Celebration" in Manchester.
Here's what we don't know: Is Obama's wife Michelle fully on board? She has expressed to friends her fears about her husband's safety. At the same time, it's impossible to imagine that Barack Obama would be testing the waters as deeply as he is without Michelle Obama's consent. [MARC AMBINDER]
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