Obama: Not ‘the un-Hillary’

[Placebo]

Saying he finds himself at "an interesting moment in time," U.S. Sen. Barack Obama said today he believes he would be a "viable candidate" if he runs for the presidency but said he is not going to let public hype dictate his decision.

Meeting for more than an hour with the Tribune editorial board, Obama (D-Ill.) also said he has no interest in being "the un-Hillary" — a reference to Democrats who may be looking to coalesce around a single opponent to challenge New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is considered the early front-runner for the 2008 Democratic nomination.

Neither Clinton or Obama has announced a presidential bid. Obama, a Chicagoan who was elected to the Senate in 2004, said he expects to announce a decision next month after a family vacation in Hawaii.

Obama said he has been "flattered" by the attention he has been receiving, but also said he realized that hype was "transitory" and that he would face extreme levels of scrutiny in a presidential run.

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[Hatalles]

1. I think Obama is a lock for a VERY strong VP candidate.

The only problem would be finding a Presidential candidate who wouldn't be overshadowed by him.

... paging Mr. Gore, Mr. Gore, please. :) Clark would be a solid choice too for President.