Obama and Brody File in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
November 6, 2007
Iowa. Iowa. Iowa. Got the point? The big three on the Democratic side have been here this week. I'm writing this from Cedar Rapids, Iowa where Barack Obama held a town hall meeting Tuesday night. Hillary Clinton was in Iowa Tuesday as well and John Edwards has been in Iowa the last few days too. Folks, for Obama and Edwards it is Iowa or bust.
So with that backdrop, Obama came here to Cedar Rapids to kick off a 5 day tour called, "Change We Can Believe In" Obama needs to hope that the national numbers change more than anything else right now. For him, it begins in Iowa.
Obama needs to prove to Iowans that this race is not over. He needs to say forget the national polls. Just pay attention to Iowa. He's right. If he can somehow break through in Iowa, the race changes. The polls here in the Hawkeye state are very close so it's not out of the question by any means.
Tuesday night, Obama came here sounding serious and with a purpose. I've seen him speak before but Tuesday he had a little more bounce in his step. He was louder and even more energetic. He knows the time is now. With the Caucuses set for January 3, that leaves precious few days here in Iowa to pull ahead.
In his town hall speech he spent a good deal of time talking about how he'll be a President who will have good judgment and character and how he'll bring people together. It wouldn't be a Barack Obama stump speech without letting the crowd know that he's tired of George W. Bush, tired of what he calls "Scooter Libby justice" and "Karl Rove politics" and how he's tired of a war that should have never been waged.
But everyone was waiting to see if he was going to go on the attack against the frontrunner, Hilary Clinton. He's been more aggressively recently but in the speech before the town hall Q and A he didn't go after her.There was a quick reference to her flip flops but he didn't call her out by name. But that changed in his wrap up comments where he brought up her name a few times by saying that he can bring the country together and she can't.
For more on the event, click the link below to read more from my colleague and political producer Robin Mazyck who's on the road with me.
We'll be on the road with Obama all day Wednesday. Check back for further reports.
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