Obama for America

Sen. Richard Lugar, R-IN, commends Sen. Barack Obama in this column by Brian Howey, publisher of The Howey Political Report, the weekly briefing on Indiana politics: 

Lugar's 'recruitment' and education of Sen. Obama

Some snippets from the column:

Shortly after Barack Obama was elected to the U.S. Senate in an Illinois landslide in November 2004, he picked up a ringing phone and heard the voice of Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Dick Lugar.

"I called him," Lugar said Tuesday. "I always intend to recruit the strongest candidates to the Foreign Relations Committee on both sides. He said he was interested, but he wasn't sure he could get a seat." 

When Sen. Jon Corzine left the Senate for the New Jersey governorship, there were 10 Republicans and 8 Democrats. Sen. Obama got the 8th Democratic position and the opportunity to study under the Republican Lugar, one of the truly legendary Congressional figures on the world scene.

"I was impressed by his diligence and the quality of his questions," Lugar said of the freshman Democrat. He posses a "broad scope."

"This [Lugar and Obama's trip to Russia in 2005 to survey weapons of mass destruction] was the forerunner to the Lugar-Obama Act that dealt with weapons of all sorts," Lugar said. "It passed on the final day of the 109th Congress. It's listed by Barack as one of his substantive accomplishments."
Has Sen. Obama quizzed Lugar on his own presidential campaign waged in 1995-96? "No, he hasn't," Lugar said. "We haven't sat down."

Lugar, however, appears to have made an impact on Sen. Obama. In his presidential announcement speech in Springfield last weekend, Obama made reference to only two political figures: Lincoln and Lugar.

When you look at Obama, do you see a future president?

"In fairness to Barack, who are the alternatives?" Lugar asked. "Among Democrats, he's a very competitive person. I think he has the potential to be a good president."

Lugar continued: "The first question asked by skeptics is whether he has enough experience. Six years in the Illinois legislature and now three in Congress. Does that prepare someone? Probably not, but the same question could be raised about any of the 20 people running. Look at President Bush, who had six years as an executive as governor of Texas. He hardly had any foreign policy experience, which has become the defining part of his presidency. For better or worse, he was clearly limited."