Prospects From the IVY LEAGUE who could be drafted or signed as free
agents in 2007-By Bill Chachkes (the Draftnik)
Everyone knows or seems to know the players available for this draft
from the big named schools, but what about the "Unknowns", the
"Sleepers". These are the players who are good enough to play
somewhere, who could make a roster if they were to have a chance.
As i spent the 2006 college football season on the inside of IVY
League Football, i got to focus on these players who otherwise might
not get a mention by most outlets. While they are not ranked in order,
DeOssie and McCarthy stand out as two of the better prospects at their
positions in ALL of college football, Artis is versatile, Mizell and
Fuseiler add senior depth to the skill positions they play, and
Terrell displays the ability to be a quality QB at the next level. All
16 players deserve a mention if for no other reason then they helped
elevate their teams level of play.
1)LB Zak DeOssie(6'4"240)-The premier defensive player in The Ivy the
last 2 years-he's every bit the player his dad Steve was(Cowboys &
Giants) and them some. Great Moves toward the ball most times but can
look out of place in open space. Excellent Tackler, a tireless worker
and very bright.Will find himself on an NFL roster in 07.
2) J.J. Artis-DB-Princeton(6'0"195) The Leader of the Tigers
Defense-Helped earn the team it's first IVY title since 1964. Was in a
3 way tie for the team lead with 3 int's. Very fluid runner in the
open field. Might be able to convert to FS. Very good cover skills.
Doesn't get turned around easily by opposing WR's. able to take on
bigger WR's and bring them down in the open field.
3) Chris Mizell-TE-Penn(6"4" 250) This quiet powerhouse of a young man
was the team's best downfield blocker the last two years. He had 31
grabs for 292 yards with a 9.4 Yards per catch avg. Played HS Ball at
NYC's Horace Mann, one of the best private school football programs in
the northeast. Soft Hands, but could use work on deep routes.
4) Ed McCarthy-OL-Yale(6'5" 302) Easily the Best OL in the ivy this
year. Ed has been Honored by the National Football Foudation, named to
the Walter Camp 1-AA All America Team, American Football Coaches Assn.
1-AA Team, and won the Boston Gridiron club's "Swede Nelson" award. Ed
also has football in his Family DNA, as his Dad also played at Yale
and had a brief stint in the NFL. The Bulldogs led the ivy in Rushing
with over 200 yds. avg per game, as McCarthy led the way blocking.
5) Matt Barsamian-OL-Columbia(6'5"282) Can play every position on the
line, but would best be suited to play Guard or Center at the next
level. Can also long snap. Great footwork and knows how to keep his
hands from getting him into trouble. Good leader, was one of team
co-captains in 05 and 06. Could make a team based on his special teams
contribution.
6) Jeff Terrell-QB-Princeton(6'3"220) Terrell has passed for nearly
4,500 yards the last two seasons, and rushed for nearly 800 yards as
well. A gunslinger with a strong arm, he's not afraid to pull it down
and run or take a sack if need be.Great passing accuracy and tight
spiral. Lead his team to a share of the 2006 Ivy title and has
compiled 16 out of 20 wins the last two years.
7) Ryan Fuseiler-WR/TE-Dartmouth(6'5"228) This is the next Colston, no
doubt. Smooth routes, great hands, good footwork. Not afraid to go
over the middle and take a hit going for the ball.Very hard to tackle
afterthe catch. Not Blessed with blazing speed,but has a burst after
the catch and could clock a sub 4.5 40 time with a good personal
training coach. If he's not on a roster in 07, someone isn't watching
enough tape.
8) Joe Sandberg-RB-Penn(6'0"200) This is a no nonsense young man who
gets the job done. 210 attempts in 10 games with 1,042 net yards
rushing, a 5.0 yd. per carry average and 104.2 yds. per game. A strait
forward runner between the tackles who doesn't have many moves, but
hits the open hole with a nice burst. Also has good hands as a
receiver out of the backfield. Might have wound up a Cowboy if
Parcells had stayed, as he hails from Parcells hometown(Oradell NJ)
and Played HS ball at Bergen Catholic.
9) Tad Crawford-DB-Columbia(6'3" 196) Tad posted his second 100+
Tackle season in a row, and earned all Ivy Honors for the second time
as well, Very "ball aware", very good coverage skills. Could play in
nickel or dime situations. Very fast and hard to tackle after an
interception. Could also play specials as a gunner or return man.
another player who belongs on a roster at the next level.
10) Mike Berg-DL-Harvard(6'2.5" 268) A unanimous all Ivy selection for
the second year, Berg is a fierce competitior and a penetrating
defensive lineman. Not only did Harvard lead the nation in sacks, the
average rushing attempt vs their defense was less then 2 yards per
carry! Controls the "Pit" with his dominating play, and seems to play
bigger then he actually is. Second on the team in sacks over his four
years.
And 6 more....Frank Fernandez(OC) and Clifton Dawson(RB) of Harvard,
Colin MDonough(P) of Princeton, Brian Fairbanks(DL) and Sean
Estrada(OL) from Penn, and Adam Brekke(LB) of Columbia
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Former U.S Senator Tom Daschle Endorses Barack Obama - Tells CNN's Wolf Blitzer Obama Connects With Young People
I just watched the CNN Situation Room telecast where former U.S. Senator Tom Daschle appeared in an interview with host Wolf Blitzer and said that he's backing Senator Barack Obama for President because he "has a unique ability to connect with people, especially young people."
(Tom Daschle's pictured with blogger Kendall Church , -- one of the young people Tom may have been thinking of -- who he stopped to take a photo with at the Wright Brothers Memorial Dinner in 2003)
Daschle went on to compare Obama's popularity and candidacy to something not seen since the 60s. In response to Blitzer's question that Daschle's support was a rejection of the other candidates, Daschle disagreed with that assessment. Instead, he offered that his was not a repudiation of the other candidates, but an effort to lend support to Senator Obama.
It's becoming very clear to me that Senator Obama's candidacy does remind many of the kind of 60s idealism that was energized by a war no one wants America to be in, misplaced priorities at home, and the perfect messenger -- Obama -- that many want to really behind.
Hillary Problems - Judicial Watch Claims Hillary Clinton Illegally Obtained Files On Political Opponents
Wow. This is getting deeper, the anti-Hillary news. And While I'm not anti-Hillary, I'm certainly pro-Barack and am concerned that the Clinton camp's wrongly attacking Barack Obama , almost portraying him as their enemy.
And according to the website Judicial Watch, we all know what Hillary does to her enemies. The site explains:
"In the early 1990’s, President and Hillary Clinton violated the privacy rights of their perceived political enemies by wrongly accessing and misusing the FBI files of the Reagan and first Bush Administration staffers, among others. Over 900 files were illegally gathered. This scandal became known as “Filegate.”
In an effort to discredit the women who charged President Clinton with sexual misconduct, personal files and papers were illegally obtained and released. The courts found, under the Privacy Act, that privacy of Linda Tripp and Kathleen Willey had been violated.
When faced with discovery, the Clinton-Gore White House further compounded their legal troubles by launching a cover-up and failing to turn over documents as required by subpoena. (Learn more about White House E-mail Scandal.)
Through pre-trial discovery, Judicial Watch was able to link Mrs. Clinton directly to the center of the Filegate controversy.
That was then, I can understand why Hillary would want to strike back. The question is does the Clinton campaign still have the files and have they honed and refined their practice of gathering negative information to focus on people like Senator Obama?
This is the question Senator Clinton must answer.
Oakland Raiders Head Coach Lane Kiffin Gives New Life To WR Jerry Porter and WR Randy Moss
Contrary to reports, Oakland Raiders new Head Coach Lane Kiffin does not have a bad relationship with WR Randy Moss and has given WR Jerry Porter a new lease on his playing life, causing Porter to say he's excited. This is good news for the Raiders and is hopefully a sign of things to come.
A new day for Porter, Raiders
Outcast receiver excited to be playing under new coach Kiffin
By Bill SolidaySTAFF WRITER - OAKLAND TRIBUNE
Article Last Updated: 02/22/2007 09:21:01 AM PST
Peace with Jerry Porter certainly wasn't about to happen in Art Shell's time, but it already appears to have been achieved under new Raiders coach Lane Kiffin.
The two parties appear to have kissed and made up.
Porter, banished to the status of a fifth wheel for nearly all the 2006 season by Shell, is by all appearances, back in the good graces of the organization and vice versa.
That became apparent in a brief and unusual press release from the club Wednesday in which Porter was quoted as saying he has changed his number — and apparently his tune — and is once again "excited" to be a Raider.
He will now wear Tim Brown's old number (81) instead of his old one (84).
"I am truly honored and excited about changing my number to 81," Porter was quoted as saying. "For me, the new number represents a new start, a new beginning and new attitude."
Since being drafted by the Raiders in the second round of the 2000 draft, Porter has worn No. 84. The honor Porter to which refers is the retired club receiving leader and Porter confidante.
After a much-publicized falling out with Shell over his offseason workout agenda in the first meeting of the two a year ago, Porter, 28,from Sports 1
became the team's invisible man.
He caught only one pass for 19 yards and did not start a single game after starting 31 of 32 games the previous two seasons. He was the team's receiving leader both of those years, hauling in 64 and 76 passes for
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998 and 942 yards and scoring 14 touchdowns.
But after the argument with Shell, with his being thrown out of the coach's office and subsequently either benched, suspended or inactive for all but four games, there was no denying the team missed him.
Replacement Alvis Whitted had only 27 catches for 299 yards and no touchdowns as the Raiders finished last in the league in offense and next-to-last in passing.
In 2006, Porter was inactive for nine games, suspended for two, on injured reserve for one and appeared in four games with no starts.
His lone catch came against Pittsburgh, the week after spending two weeks on the suspended list. The club had originally suspended him for four weeks for conduct deemed detrimental to the team, but it was cut in half on an appeal.
From the time of the blowup with Shell, Porter made his desire to be traded quite clear. With the advent of Shell's dismissal and the hiring of Kiffin, that no longer appears to be the case.
"I've had multiple meetings with coach Kiffin, and I am very excited about the direction of our team and especially our offense," Porter said. "I can't wait to get started."
The apparent resolution of Porter's desire to be traded now poses the question of what happens with the other Raiders starting receiver — Randy Moss.
Like Porter, Moss was critical of Shell's offense and hinted he, too, would have no objections to leaving Oakland. Moss had the least productive season of his career with 42 catches for 553 yards and three touchdowns while missing three games.
Kiffin, in an interview with ESPN radio Wednesday, hinted that the Moss situation also appeared headed in a positive direction.
"We had a great conversation," Kiffin told ESPN. "I am excited about Randy. Randy said he was excited about being here. We are looking forward to working together."
When Moss left Minnesota to join the Raiders as a free agent in 2005, he gave up his usual No. 84 in deference to Porter, switching to No. 18. He now has an opportunity to reclaim his old number.
The significance of Porter taking Brown's old number was not lost on Brown.
"He wanted to do it the year I left (2003), but it was too soon," Brown said. "I talked to him yesterday, and he feels some people might trip, but it's been four years since I had that jersey on.
"Obviously this is a sign of respect for him to want to change ... so I look for him to do a lot of things different than he's done in the past."
Brown also said he made one thing clear, telling Porter, "I can't stop you from doing it, but you have to understand, if you put that jersey on, people are going to expect certain things."
But the retired Raiders great added: "I think this will be a good change for him. Hopefully, when he thinks about acting like a nut, he'll remember the number, and maybe that will be enough to keep him in line. I don't foresee that happening, though. I think the problem was Art, and now that situation is not there. It's a new beginning for him."
Staff writer Jerry McDonald contributed to this
report.
What's your take on where No. 81 Jerry Porter and the Raiders now stand? And where do you think this leaves Randy Moss? Include your first/last name and your city, and send comments (50-100 words) to Turn2@angnewspapers.com.
Hillary Clinton's Staffers Jealous Of Barack Obama's Rise - NY Times
Wow. Just when you'd think we'd have a peaceful presidential campaign, a war of words explodes in full. Senator Hillary Clinton and former President Bill Clinton were rocked by negative comments from Hollywood Mogul David Geffen, who on Monday hosted a dinner party for Senator Barack Obama and raised $1.3 million for the presidential candidate.
According to the New York Times, and The Washington Post , Mr. Geffen said the Clintons lie “with such ease, it’s troubling” and that the Clinton political operation “is going to be very unpleasant and unattractive and effective.” The Times reports that Mr. Geffen called Mr. Clinton a “reckless guy” who had not changed in the last six years, and suggested that Mrs. Clinton was too scripted.
What's bothersome is the Clinton campaign is blaming Senator Obama for remarks he didn't make. They're also calling for the Senator to return the money Geffen donated.
They must be totally nuts. Plus, they're letting it be known that they're a bit envious of Obama's rise to fame and popularity. That can only hurt, not help, the Clinton campaign. Even if it wasn't Obama who made the statements, Senator Clinton herself has seemed to react to them as coming from Obama, when they did not. Thus, becoming the adversary of a rising star can only harm her own efforts -- best to back off.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Jets make moves
Newsday's Tom Rock brings us more news from Gang Green
Jets re-sign Poteat; Barlow let go
BY TOM ROCK
tom.rock@newsday.com
February 21, 2007, 9:31 PM EST
Anyone who paid attention to the final quarter of the Jets' season would not be surprised by the moves the team made Wednesday, re-signing cornerback Hank Poteat and releasing running back Kevan Barlow.
Poteat went from training camp casualty, cut just before the regular season, to starting right cornerback for the final six regular-season games and the playoffs. Eligible to become an unrestricted free agent next month, Poteat signed a one-year deal worth $635,000.
In contrast, Barlow was brought in late in training camp as a possible successor to Curtis Martin; the Jets traded a fourth-round draft pick to the 49ers to get him after a deal for the Browns' Lee Suggs fell through. But Barlow was inactive in five of the last six games, a decision Jets coach Eric Mangini pointed out had nothing to do with injury.
Barlow ran for only 370 yards on 131 carries but managed six touchdowns. His best game as a Jet was a 75-yard effort in the mud in a November win over the Patriots, but he had only 30 carries after that.
The Jets, already a healthy $25 million or so under the salary cap, will avoid the $3.25 million Barlow was due to earn in 2007 but still will be docked two-thirds of the guaranteed million dollars they gave him in a restructuring in September, according to a source.
The Jets also released offensive lineman Trey Teague, who was signed last spring to help replace Kevin Mawae at center but broke an ankle in minicamp and never played a down. They signed safety Raymond Ventrone to a reserve/future contract.
The team also made a formal announcement regarding several previously reported coaching changes, most notably naming former Patriots receivers coach Mike Daboll as quarterbacks coach. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer handled those duties last season, and Daboll, who was close with Mangini in New England, could become the Jets' offensive coordinator if and when Schottenheimer leaves for a head coaching opportunity.
and my View: Barlow was slow to learn the system and would have only been a minor contributor to the offense at best.
still, he came east with great promise, and his next stop will be?? Teauge never got off on the right foot(Ohhhh my bad!)
so to speak, he never recovered from the broken ankle even though he worked very hard. Truth is, Nick Mangold will be the Jets center for the next decade+ if he stays healthy. Tannenbaum is making all the right moves here.
Jets re-sign Poteat; Barlow let go
BY TOM ROCK
tom.rock@newsday.com
February 21, 2007, 9:31 PM EST
Anyone who paid attention to the final quarter of the Jets' season would not be surprised by the moves the team made Wednesday, re-signing cornerback Hank Poteat and releasing running back Kevan Barlow.
Poteat went from training camp casualty, cut just before the regular season, to starting right cornerback for the final six regular-season games and the playoffs. Eligible to become an unrestricted free agent next month, Poteat signed a one-year deal worth $635,000.
In contrast, Barlow was brought in late in training camp as a possible successor to Curtis Martin; the Jets traded a fourth-round draft pick to the 49ers to get him after a deal for the Browns' Lee Suggs fell through. But Barlow was inactive in five of the last six games, a decision Jets coach Eric Mangini pointed out had nothing to do with injury.
Barlow ran for only 370 yards on 131 carries but managed six touchdowns. His best game as a Jet was a 75-yard effort in the mud in a November win over the Patriots, but he had only 30 carries after that.
The Jets, already a healthy $25 million or so under the salary cap, will avoid the $3.25 million Barlow was due to earn in 2007 but still will be docked two-thirds of the guaranteed million dollars they gave him in a restructuring in September, according to a source.
The Jets also released offensive lineman Trey Teague, who was signed last spring to help replace Kevin Mawae at center but broke an ankle in minicamp and never played a down. They signed safety Raymond Ventrone to a reserve/future contract.
The team also made a formal announcement regarding several previously reported coaching changes, most notably naming former Patriots receivers coach Mike Daboll as quarterbacks coach. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer handled those duties last season, and Daboll, who was close with Mangini in New England, could become the Jets' offensive coordinator if and when Schottenheimer leaves for a head coaching opportunity.
and my View: Barlow was slow to learn the system and would have only been a minor contributor to the offense at best.
still, he came east with great promise, and his next stop will be?? Teauge never got off on the right foot(Ohhhh my bad!)
so to speak, he never recovered from the broken ankle even though he worked very hard. Truth is, Nick Mangold will be the Jets center for the next decade+ if he stays healthy. Tannenbaum is making all the right moves here.
Barack Obama In Los Angeles - SF Chronicle - Carla Marinucci
Los Angeles eagerly embraces Obama
Presidential hopeful addresses black community, then schmoozes with Hollywood elite
Carla Marinucci, Chronicle Political Writer
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
(02-21) 04:00 PST Los Angeles -- Illinois Sen. Barack Obama brought his campaign to the heart of the city's African American community Tuesday, drawing thousands of enthusiastic supporters eager for a first look at the black man looking to be president.
Emboldened by the air of excitement filling the park in the city's Crenshaw district, the Democratic hopeful moved beyond the stump speech he made in San Francisco on Monday night and touched on front-burner issues for this urban community: education, health care, the number of black men in the prison system and the sense that the country's African American communities have been overlooked by the Bush administration.
"Yes, we can gather up all those young men who are languishing in jail ... and we can say to those young men, we're not going to give up on you,'' Obama said, as people in the crowd hollered. "That's right."
The event in South Los Angeles brought out an estimated 7,000 people, including hordes of uniformed school kids from the neighborhood. Many of the people lined up hours before Obama arrived, giving the event the energized feel of a campaign rally just weeks before the presidential election and not a year before the primary.
At times, Obama's talk took on the cadences and themes of a revival-tent sermon. The world, he told the crowd, "may have its problems ... but what God wants us to do is to help close that gap, not just with words, but with deeds."
Those deeds, he said, include rebuilding the heavily black city of New Orleans, devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
"Yes, we can rebuild New Orleans,'' he said, pledging that "something like this will never happen again, because we are part of a single American family.''
While the speech was long on vision and short on specific plans, he ignited the crowd, which chanted "Obama, Obama," as he took the stage.
Many in the crowd challenged the notion that Obama, the son of a black father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas, has not worked hard enough to woo African American voters and would suffer politically by not having a connection to the same slavery roots as most black Americans.
"Some black leaders say he's not black enough - and I don't know why,'' said Algene Moore, 71, a retired African American vocational instructor from Baldwin Hills. She said that while she appreciated the campaign of New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Democratic front runner, Obama's effort as a serious African American contender for the Democratic nomination felt like history in the making.
"I have been waiting a long time for this ... a long time,'' she said with a broad smile. "I say, at long last.''
Tuesday's schedule was a tale of two worlds for Obama, as he followed the South Los Angeles rally with a glitzy fundraiser among Hollywood royalty at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where he was expected to collect $1 million for his presidential campaign.
Even with the $2,300 price tag, the maximum amount that can be donated to a presidential primary candidate, the event was considered a hot ticket in a town usually jaded by hot tickets.
A parade of movie industry glitterati jostled to meet the candidate as curiosity seekers filled the hotel lobby and the sidewalk around it. Making their way into the ballroom were actors Eddie Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Jennifer Anniston, Ben Stiller and his wife, Christine Taylor, along with a gaggle of other celebrities, including producer Norman Lear and director Ron Howard.
But an even more exclusive event followed -- a late-night dinner at the Beverly Hills mansion of Dreamworks executive David Geffen.
While Obama and his young campaign continue to enjoy a high-profile honeymoon with voters intrigued by his celebrity and with media looking for the next big political thing, cracks in the nothing-but-good-news facade have begun to appear.
The senator is flying from California directly to Iowa, skipping a labor forum in Carson City, Nev., this afternoon that features all the other Democratic candidates. That has prompted some critics to suggest that Obama, who was elected to the Senate in 2004, might be unprepared to answer detailed questions about policy issues like health care and the war on terror.
Obama said he had made previous plans to be in Iowa and promised to return for a future Nevada Democratic candidates' debate.
The senator also was the subject of an investigative piece in the Los Angeles Times this week, which suggested that he has taken too much credit for projects to rid Chicago public housing of asbestos in his days as a community activist.
Obama's campaign refuted the story, saying that organizers, and early newspaper accounts, agreed with the candidate's recollections -- and that, in any case, he never tried to take undue credit.
"There are two elements to deal with in running for president,'' said Bill Whalen, a research fellow with the Hoover Institution at Stanford. "That is that the media will build him up until he is seen as the cure for cancer -- then they will attempt to paper cut him and study every word, and try to punch a hole in him.'' That, he said is "an unfortunate product of the way politics is being done in this country.''
Mary Hughes, a Democratic consultant in San Francisco, after watching Obama Monday in San Francisco, said that as a candidate, Obama "demands consideration ... because of his willingness to speak plainly" and "a natural big-heartedness, and he has an extraordinary (life) experience which touches almost everyone.''
But he will also have to compete for the Democratic nomination in an unusual year, one in which the three top contenders "encompass issues of gender, race and class'' -- with Clinton being the first major female candidate for president, Obama representing change as a leading African American contender and former Sen. John Edwards, the son of a mill worker who has gone on to become a successful trial lawyer and legislator, raising issues of poverty and class.
Presidential hopeful addresses black community, then schmoozes with Hollywood elite
Carla Marinucci, Chronicle Political Writer
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
(02-21) 04:00 PST Los Angeles -- Illinois Sen. Barack Obama brought his campaign to the heart of the city's African American community Tuesday, drawing thousands of enthusiastic supporters eager for a first look at the black man looking to be president.
Emboldened by the air of excitement filling the park in the city's Crenshaw district, the Democratic hopeful moved beyond the stump speech he made in San Francisco on Monday night and touched on front-burner issues for this urban community: education, health care, the number of black men in the prison system and the sense that the country's African American communities have been overlooked by the Bush administration.
"Yes, we can gather up all those young men who are languishing in jail ... and we can say to those young men, we're not going to give up on you,'' Obama said, as people in the crowd hollered. "That's right."
The event in South Los Angeles brought out an estimated 7,000 people, including hordes of uniformed school kids from the neighborhood. Many of the people lined up hours before Obama arrived, giving the event the energized feel of a campaign rally just weeks before the presidential election and not a year before the primary.
At times, Obama's talk took on the cadences and themes of a revival-tent sermon. The world, he told the crowd, "may have its problems ... but what God wants us to do is to help close that gap, not just with words, but with deeds."
Those deeds, he said, include rebuilding the heavily black city of New Orleans, devastated by Hurricane Katrina.
"Yes, we can rebuild New Orleans,'' he said, pledging that "something like this will never happen again, because we are part of a single American family.''
While the speech was long on vision and short on specific plans, he ignited the crowd, which chanted "Obama, Obama," as he took the stage.
Many in the crowd challenged the notion that Obama, the son of a black father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas, has not worked hard enough to woo African American voters and would suffer politically by not having a connection to the same slavery roots as most black Americans.
"Some black leaders say he's not black enough - and I don't know why,'' said Algene Moore, 71, a retired African American vocational instructor from Baldwin Hills. She said that while she appreciated the campaign of New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the Democratic front runner, Obama's effort as a serious African American contender for the Democratic nomination felt like history in the making.
"I have been waiting a long time for this ... a long time,'' she said with a broad smile. "I say, at long last.''
Tuesday's schedule was a tale of two worlds for Obama, as he followed the South Los Angeles rally with a glitzy fundraiser among Hollywood royalty at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, where he was expected to collect $1 million for his presidential campaign.
Even with the $2,300 price tag, the maximum amount that can be donated to a presidential primary candidate, the event was considered a hot ticket in a town usually jaded by hot tickets.
A parade of movie industry glitterati jostled to meet the candidate as curiosity seekers filled the hotel lobby and the sidewalk around it. Making their way into the ballroom were actors Eddie Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Jennifer Anniston, Ben Stiller and his wife, Christine Taylor, along with a gaggle of other celebrities, including producer Norman Lear and director Ron Howard.
But an even more exclusive event followed -- a late-night dinner at the Beverly Hills mansion of Dreamworks executive David Geffen.
While Obama and his young campaign continue to enjoy a high-profile honeymoon with voters intrigued by his celebrity and with media looking for the next big political thing, cracks in the nothing-but-good-news facade have begun to appear.
The senator is flying from California directly to Iowa, skipping a labor forum in Carson City, Nev., this afternoon that features all the other Democratic candidates. That has prompted some critics to suggest that Obama, who was elected to the Senate in 2004, might be unprepared to answer detailed questions about policy issues like health care and the war on terror.
Obama said he had made previous plans to be in Iowa and promised to return for a future Nevada Democratic candidates' debate.
The senator also was the subject of an investigative piece in the Los Angeles Times this week, which suggested that he has taken too much credit for projects to rid Chicago public housing of asbestos in his days as a community activist.
Obama's campaign refuted the story, saying that organizers, and early newspaper accounts, agreed with the candidate's recollections -- and that, in any case, he never tried to take undue credit.
"There are two elements to deal with in running for president,'' said Bill Whalen, a research fellow with the Hoover Institution at Stanford. "That is that the media will build him up until he is seen as the cure for cancer -- then they will attempt to paper cut him and study every word, and try to punch a hole in him.'' That, he said is "an unfortunate product of the way politics is being done in this country.''
Mary Hughes, a Democratic consultant in San Francisco, after watching Obama Monday in San Francisco, said that as a candidate, Obama "demands consideration ... because of his willingness to speak plainly" and "a natural big-heartedness, and he has an extraordinary (life) experience which touches almost everyone.''
But he will also have to compete for the Democratic nomination in an unusual year, one in which the three top contenders "encompass issues of gender, race and class'' -- with Clinton being the first major female candidate for president, Obama representing change as a leading African American contender and former Sen. John Edwards, the son of a mill worker who has gone on to become a successful trial lawyer and legislator, raising issues of poverty and class.
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