Barack Obama, Democrats' rising star

0 Comments | AFP, December, 2006

MANCHESTER, United States (AFP) — Barack Obama won his first term in the US Senate in 2004. Now, many in the Democratic Party think he could be the next president. And while the 2008 election may still be two years off, Obama, America's only black senator, is enjoying a meteoric rise through the party.

The former civil rights lawyer paid his maiden visit to New Hampshire at the weekend and got the kind of reception usually reserved for celebrities. While the northeastern state may be small, it carries disproportionate influence for its size, being the first to host the primary elections come early 2008 and give early indications of who the front-runners are. More than 2,000 people attended two sell-out events, a book signing and a party rally, both marked by standing...