By HOLLY RAMER
The Associated Press
Saturday, December 9, 2006; 12:09 AM

CONCORD, N.H. -- First there was Clinton time. Now there's Obama time. Democratic Sen. Barack Obama, who is weighing a White House bid, said Friday his own political clock kept him from traveling to New Hampshire, the critical first primary state.

The freshman Illinois senator makes his first foray to the state on Sunday for a sold-out event celebrating Democratic wins in last month's elections.

"The whole prospect of a presidential race for me is not something I've engineered. I was on a different internal clock," Obama said in a telephone interview. "It's only been in the last couple of months that the amount of interest in a potential candidacy reached the point where I had to consider seriously."

Obama won raves for his speech at the Democratic National Convention in 2004, the year he won his Senate seat. He has enjoyed a wave of publicity and drawn huge crowds in promoting his best-selling book, "The Audacity of Hope." He'll sign copies on Sunday before speaking at the party event.

Democrats have plenty to celebrate. Gov. John Lynch won re-election by a record margin, and the party took control of both houses of the legislature, the two U.S. House seats and the Executive Council, which reviews contracts and nominations.

Obama's aides expect him to disclose his intentions about a presidential run within weeks.

During his presidency, Bill Clinton had a penchant for running late for events, prompting jokes about Clinton time.

Should he decide to run, Obama said he looks forward to the rigorous questions for which New Hampshire voters are known.

"I love retail politics," he said. "Though you never know whether you're ready for anything until you do it. I certainly enjoy sitting in folks' living rooms, hearing about what's important to them."

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NEW YORK (AP) _ Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's New York colleague, Chuck Schumer, has told Clinton he will support her if she decides, as expected, to run for president.

Schumer spokeswoman Risa Heller said the two lawmakers met for breakfast Thursday morning and had a "warm and comprehensive" discussion of Clinton's political plans.

"At the meeting, Senator Schumer told Senator Clinton that should she decide to run in 2008 for the presidency that she would have his full, enthusiastic support," Heller said in a statement.

Schumer, a member of the Senate leadership as the chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, saw his stock in the party soar last month as Democrats captured six GOP-held seats and seized majority control.

"We are thrilled that Senator Schumer is offering his strong support if Hillary decides to run for president," Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson said.

Schumer and Clinton have worked closely together since 2000, when Clinton, then first lady, won election to the Senate despite never having lived in New York.

Recently, Clinton aides recruited Schumer's longtime spokesman, Phil Singer, to join Clinton's nascent presidential effort.

Clinton, who cruised to re-election in New York last month, has not yet publicly declared her candidacy for president. But in recent weeks, she's begun building a campaign team and reaching out to Democrats in New York, Washington and in states with early contests such as Iowa and New Hampshire.

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NEW YORK (AP) _ New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who repeatedly denies he's running for president, clearly enjoys the song and dance of speculation.

The Republican billionaire dressed up as Bruce Springsteen and entertained guests at a holiday party with a rendition of "Born to Run."

Dressed in a white T-shirt, jeans with a red bandanna over a mullet wig, Bloomberg and his backup band of deputy mayors and senior staffers performed the song at Thursday night's party, with lyrics that fantasize about him launching an independent candidacy and winning the White House.

"I say 'Next stop: Washington!' Cause folks like us, baby we were born to run. We'll win, you'll see, and beat the GOP and Democrats," they sang, according to those present.

The group, who called themselves Mike Bloomsteen and the Bullpen Band, jammed on inflatable toy saxophones and guitars during the musical portions of the hit song. The party was for City Hall staff and was not open to the media.

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CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) _ Sen. Christopher Dodd edged closer to officially declaring he is running for president Friday at a Harvard University student-sponsored forum for potential candidates in 2008.

"You're not that far from New Hampshire. I'd like to sign you up," said Dodd, alluding to the first-in-the-nation primary election state while he posed for pictures with students after the session.

Dodd, D-Conn., accused President Bush of failing to work with the rest of the world when it comes to environmental policies and fighting terrorism.

"This mentality of unilateralism is very, very dangerous. If I am nominated and elected, that will change dramatically," he said.

So far, only Gov. Tom Vilsack of Iowa, a Democrat, has officially declared his candidacy.

Dodd, 62, is serving his fifth term in the Senate and would be up for re-election in 2010. His father, Thomas J. Dodd, also was a senator from Connecticut.

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Associated Press writers Beth Fouhy and Sara Kugler in New York and David Webber in Cambridge, Mass., contributed to this report.