The Associated Press
Sunday, May 13, 2007; 9:06 PM

WASHINGTON -- Democrat Barack Obama said Sunday he was reluctant to ask for Secret Service protection this early in the 2008 presidential race.

"I'm not an entourage guy. You know, up until recently, I was still taking my wife Michelle's grocery list and going to the grocery store once in awhile," the Illinois senator said.

Obama, who is black, acknowledged that some of the threats against him were racially motivated.

"You know, I don't spend a lot of time thinking about it or considering the details of this, but just to broaden the issue, are there people who would be troubled with an African-American president? Yes," he said. "Are there folks who might not vote for me because I'm African-American? No doubt."

But Obama said that if he doesn't win, it will not be because of the color of his skin.

"It's going to be because I didn't project a vision of leadership that gave people confidence. It's going to be because of something I didn't do as opposed to because I'm African-American," he said.

On affirmative action, Obama, a Harvard Law School graduate, said he thinks that someday when his two young daughters apply to college, they "should probably be treated by any admissions officer as folks who are pretty advantaged" and there is nothing wrong with that.

"I think that we should take into account white kids who have been disadvantaged and been brought up in poverty and shown themselves to have what it takes to succeed," he added. "There are a lot of African-American kids who are still struggling."

Obama said that "if we have done what needs to be done to ensure that kids who are qualified to go to college can afford it, that affirmative action becomes a diminishing tool for us to achieve racial equality in this society."

His comments came in an interview broadcast Sunday on "This Week" on ABC.

___

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel says the Republican party has been led astray by "isolationist insulationists" and it may be time for an independent presidential ticket _ perhaps with the names Bloomberg and Hagel on it.

Hagel, a lifelong Republican who has been a frequent critic of the Iraq war, said Sunday he will decide about running by late summer after determining where he can best play a role to "make a better world."

After dining recently with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is also considering a run for president as an independent, Hagel said people might want to consider the two on a ticket.

"We didn't make any deals. But I think Mayor Bloomberg is the kind of individual who should seriously think about this," Hagel said.

"It's a great country to think about _ a New York boy and a Nebraska boy to be teamed up leading this nation," he said.

Hagel said it was time for the political system to be shaken up with a third-party candidacy. He explained that the GOP is no longer the party of "Eisenhower, of Goldwater, of Reagan," but rather a group hijacked by "single-minded, almost isolationist insulationists, power-projectors."

"I think the elections next year for president and other offices will be settled on the basis of what America will be looking at and wanting and demanding _ honest, competent, accountable leadership," Hagel said.

"This country is in trouble. The world is in trouble. And we need some new, fresh, independent ideas to lead this country forward," he said.

Hagel spoke on "Face the Nation" on CBS.

___

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani says he feels "very, very passionate" about abortion and opposes picking Supreme Court nominees based on their view of the ruling that legalized abortion.

"My view is that there shouldn't be a litmus test on Roe against Wade," the former New York City mayor said. "I'm going to select strict constructionist judges. They're free to take a look at Roe against Wade, take a look at the limitations, but I believe I should leave it to them to decide that."

Giuliani repeatedly has defended his positions, which have been criticized as contradictory, on late-term abortion, public funding for abortions and the Roe v. Wade decision.

"I'm very, very passionate about the issue of abortion," he said. "I oppose it. That's a principle I've held forever, and I'll hold it forever. That's not going to change. But I also believe that in a society like ours, where people have very, very different consciences about this, it's best to respect each others' differences and allow for choice."

For GOP conservatives who could determine the outcome in the primaries, opposition to abortion has been a litmus test. Giuliani's support for abortion rights has drawn criticism from some in the party.

One president rival, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, has drawn complaints for his switch from supporting abortion rights to opposing the procedure. Another GOP rival, Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback, has said that an abortion-rights Republican would have trouble winning the nomination.

Giuliani's interview on "Fox New Sunday" was broadcast Sunday.

___

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) _ Elizabeth Edwards urged Meredith College graduates on Sunday to live deliberately, saying that they will never know when they might, like her, have to face their own mortality.

Edwards, wife of Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, learned about two months ago that her cancer had returned in an incurable form. Her cancer is being treated while her husband's campaign continues.

Before the diagnosis, Edwards said she had a different outlook.

"I was content to let each day play out in whatever way it would. I had goals and activities, but I don't think I let them define me," she said.

The medical diagnosis gave Edwards the chance to think about "the story" she wanted to leave behind, she told the graduates.

"You're young. Maybe there'll be time for a do-over if you don't get it right the first time, but there are no guarantees. There will come a time, as it might have come for me, when there is no time left for do-overs."

Edwards, who lives in Chapel Hill, agreed to give the commencement address even before her husband had declared his candidacy for the White House.

___

Associated Press Writer Elizabeth Dunbar contributed to this report from Raleigh, N.C.