Obama Seeks Support On Clinton Turf

Senator Obama ventured onto Senator Clinton's home turf yesterday, appearing in New York City to address a conference convened by Rev. Jesse Jackson that only hours earlier had heard from Senator Clinton.

The two Democrats, one from Illinois and one from New York, are both considering presidential campaigns.

"There's been some talk about me, and I've been keeping a low profile over the last couple of weeks," Mr. Obama said last night, addressing about 1,000 black businesspersons at the Sheraton New York.

"If I'm on the cover of Ebony this month, it's not because of me, it's because of a whole bunch of folks who did the work to put me there," Mr. Obama said, crediting Rev. Jackson with breaking the path for him.

"I would not be here the same way that many of the businesses would not be here, had it not been for 1984, had it not been for 1988," Mr. Obama said, referring to Rev. Jackson's two bids for the Democratic presidential nomination, and to the summit's goal of pushing Wall Street businesses to invest in America's urban areas. "We may not have had all the opportunities, but we've got the talent, we've got the smarts, we've got the determination, we've got the passion, and most of all maybe we've got the memories of what it's like to be on the outside looking in."

Ms. Clinton appeared earlier in the day at a breakfast forum, and Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, who last month announced his plans to make a bid for the White House, also stopped by the summit to outline a plan for withdrawing troops from Iraq.

Making his first public address since taking over as chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, Senator Christopher Dodd of Connecticut pointed to an economic gap that "still exists for far too many." Mr. Obama praised Mr. Dodd, who is also expected to announce his bid to for the Democratic presidential nomination, as an "outstanding senator and colleague."