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Quoted By: >>672471
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6349081.stm
He began his official campaign with a call for the Iraq war to end, saying US troops must withdraw by March 2008.
Mr Obama, 45, is considered by many to be the first African-American candidate with a realistic chance of winning.
He, along with Senator Hillary Clinton, is leading the race for the Democratic Party's nomination for the 2008 vote.
A large crowd of supporters braved the sub-zero temperatures in Springfield, Illinois to watch Mr Obama make his announcement.
He spoke to the crowd of his working life in the state over the last 20 years, first as a community worker, then as a civil rights lawyer and finally as a US senator.
He said it was the lessons learnt watching the daily struggles many faced that had ignited in him a desire for change.
"That is why, in the shadow of the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln once called on a divided house to stand together, where common hopes and common dreams still live, I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for president of the United States," Mr Obama said.
He began his official campaign with a call for the Iraq war to end, saying US troops must withdraw by March 2008.
Mr Obama, 45, is considered by many to be the first African-American candidate with a realistic chance of winning.
He, along with Senator Hillary Clinton, is leading the race for the Democratic Party's nomination for the 2008 vote.
A large crowd of supporters braved the sub-zero temperatures in Springfield, Illinois to watch Mr Obama make his announcement.
He spoke to the crowd of his working life in the state over the last 20 years, first as a community worker, then as a civil rights lawyer and finally as a US senator.
He said it was the lessons learnt watching the daily struggles many faced that had ignited in him a desire for change.
"That is why, in the shadow of the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln once called on a divided house to stand together, where common hopes and common dreams still live, I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for president of the United States," Mr Obama said.
