US: Barack Obama, the only African-American in the United States Senate, has acknowledged that he is considering a run for the presidency in 2008. The Illinois Democrat said that earlier commitments to remain in the Senate for a full six-year term had been overtaken by events.
"Given the responses that I've been getting over the last several months, I have thought about the possibility. But I have not thought about it with the seriousness and depth that I think is required . . . I would say I am still at the point where I have not made a decision to pursue higher office. But it is true that I have thought about it over the last several months," he said.
Mr Obama, who became a political star when he gave a widely acclaimed speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, is touring the US to support Democratic candidates and promote his book The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream.
Hillary Clinton remains the frontrunner to win the Democratic presidential nomination, but Mr Obama is viewed by some Democrats as the most promising moderate candidate following the withdrawal of former Virginia governor Mark Warner.
Ms Clinton said at the weekend that she had thought about running for president but insisted that she has yet to decide what to do. "I'm not looking past this election - I can't make a decision now," she said.
Ms Clinton, who is defending her New York Senate seat next month, was speaking during a debate with Republican challenger John Spencer.
Ms Clinton has a massive lead in opinion polls and Mr Spencer has complained that the Republican party has abandoned him and starved his campaign of cash. Ms Clinton has raised almost $50 million (€39.6 million) and anything she does not spend on the current campaign can be used to fund a presidential campaign.
Presidential candidates from both parties are expected to declare their intentions shortly after next month's elections. Other Democratic hopefuls may include former vice-presidential candidate John Edwards, Indiana senator Evan Bayh and defeated presidential candidates John Kerry and Al Gore.
John McCain is the favourite to win the Republican nomination.