Oprah in Des Moines

[babylonsister]

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/08/oprah-in-des-moines/

Oprah in Des Moines
Jeff Zeleny




DES MOINES – “Oh my goodness,” Oprah Winfrey said. “At last, I’m here.”

With those seven words here today, Ms. Winfrey stepped into American politics as she has never done before, opening a three-state tour in her quest to support the presidential bid of Senator Barack Obama.

“For the very first time in my life, I feel compelled to stand up and speak out for the man who I believe has a new vision for America,” Ms. Winfrey said, speaking over more than 10,000 screaming admirers. “I am not here to tell you what to think. I am here to ask you to think – seriously.”

As she strode onto the stage at the Iowa Events Center in downtown Des Moines, she waved and looked momentarily taken aback by the size of the crowd, the largest to assemble this year in a state awash in presidential politics. From the moment she started her 17-minute address, she declared that she was uncertain of the true power of her endorsement, saying: “I don’t know about all that.”

“I am so tired of politics. That’s why you seldom see politicians on my show, because we only have an hour,” Ms. Winfrey said. “When you listen to Barack Obama, when you really hear him, you witness a very rare thing, you witness a politician who has an ear for eloquence and a tongue dipped in the unvarnished truth.”

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http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/08/oprah-in-des-moines/