Obama Vaults Into Democratic Top Tier

Democratic Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois speaks at a scholarship breakfast Monday, Jan. 15, 2007, in Chicago. On Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2007, Obama announced his intentions to file a presidential exploratory committee on his Web site, the initial step in a bid that could make him the nation's first black to occupy the White House. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast) (Charles Rex Arbogast - AP)

NEW YORK -- Sen. Barack Obama's entry into the presidential race vaults him into the Democratic top tier, heady company that invites comparisons to two battle-tested veterans _ Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and John Edwards.

Clinton, who is expected to enter the race within days, remains the prohibitive front-runner, with more than $14 million in the bank, a huge database of supporters and an experienced team of advisers. Among them is her husband, Bill, the former two-term president.

Edwards is the 2004 vice presidential nominee and former North Carolina senator who has polled well in the early voting state of Iowa. A supporter of the 2002 resolution authorizing force in Iraq, he has recanted his vote and recently demanded that his Senate rivals such as Obama and Clinton block funds for President Bush's troop increase.

Unencumbered by the Senate and its votes, Edwards has the time to campaign and the inclination to challenge his Democratic opponents.

In announcing his presidential exploratory committee Tuesday, Obama brings a thin resume based on just two years in the Senate and a hefty dose of political celebrity stemming from best-selling books, paparazzi bathing suit shots in glossy weeklies and his status as an Oprah Winfrey favorite.

"Barack is in a unique category _ he's young, fresh, exciting and has the ability to energize the party," said Donna Brazile, a longtime Democratic activist who ran Al Gore's presidential campaign in 2000.

But, Brazile noted, "People admire Edwards for talking about poverty, something that needs to be on the national agenda. And Hillary Clinton is on a first-name basis with everyone in America, and consistently ranks as one of the most admired women in the country."

The former first lady and New York senator also has weathered years of personal scrutiny that Obama has not begun to face.

Clinton has called Obama "terrific" and an "exciting personality," but has also gently jabbed at his lack of experience.

"I think what's important is whoever the next president is has to hit the ground running," she said last month.

Other Democrats in the field include Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut, former Gov. Tom Vilsack of Iowa and Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich. Sen. Joe Biden has discussed his candidacy. Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry is considering another run, and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is expected to announce his plans by the end of the month.

Within minutes of Obama's announcement, Clinton canceled a planned news conference on her trip to Iraq, saying a New York colleague couldn't attend. Aides promised it would be rescheduled.