Barack Obama Creates Exploratory Committee

It's like baseball. Tony Gwynn just got into the Hall of Fame so let's use him as an example: Tony Gwynn is expected to play today. Tony Gwynn is in the lineup. Tony Gwynn is getting his bat out of the rack. Tony Gwynnn is on the steps of the dugout. Tony Gwynn is in the batter's circle. Tony Gwynn is at the plate and now officially in the game. Creating an exploratory committee is pretty much being on the steps of the dugout and that's where Barack Obama is at the moment.

Here's Bill Lambrecht of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in the Kansas City Star on Senator Obama's announcement:

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama's newly formed presidential exploratory committee will work to build anticipation for what is likely to be full-blown candidacy for the Democratic nomination while gathering financial commitments for next year's fast-breaking primary season.

With primaries and caucuses bunched earlier than ever next year, a presidential aspirant might need as much as $40 million to $50 million to compete just through next January, predicted Steve Elmendorf, a senior adviser to two Democratic presidential hopefuls in 2004.

(snip)

Obama's inexperience is viewed as a possible obstacle in the race, particularly if national security emerges as a principal issue in 2008.

By the same token, Obama would hope to deploy his freshness and lack of involvement in questionable Washington decision-making as an asset.

"Challenging as they are, it's not the magnitude of our problems that concerns me the most. It's the smallness of our politics," Obama said in his statement Tuesday.

"America's faced big problems before. But today, our leaders in Washington seem incapable of working together in a practical, common-sense way. Politics has become so bitter and partisan, so gummed up by money and influence, that we can't tackle the big problems that demand solutions," he added.

If we stay with the baseball analogy, Barack Obama has proven he can get hits in the big leagues, but he needs to convince people that he can hit a home run and win the game, meaning the White House.