Intelligencer

Obama for Ireland?

DEMOCRATIC presidential contender Senator Barack Obama is likely to visit Ireland on an upcoming European trip, according to sources in his campaign. The news comes as details of an outreach to Irish supporters of Senator Hillary Clinton has became known.

This week a senior Obama advisor met with a major Clinton Irish supporter from Washington, D.C. in order to begin a process that the Obama campaign hopes will result in Clinton's Irish supporters lining up with their candidate.

At the meeting concern was expressed that among ethnic voters, many Irish and Italian Americans supporters of Clinton will desert the Democratic Party and vote for Senator John McCain.

"All the other ethnic groups appear to be coming in strong behind Obama but not the Irish or Italian," said the Clinton supporter who attended the get together.

With that in mind, a European trip by Obama that would take in both countries was put forward as a very likely first step in bringing Irish and Italian support behind the Obama run for president.

Obama would likely visit Dublin and possibly Belfast and Moneygall, the small Offaly town where his ancestor, Falmuth Kearney, sailed from in 1850. Among the issues that Obama would emphasize on such a trip would be to pay homage to the Celtic Tiger, lavish praise on the peace process and the role that President Bill Clinton and George Mitchell played, and announce a commitment to a special envoy such as President George W. Bush has kept in place.

In Offaly, no doubt he would speak about the importance of the Irish who emigrated to America and all that they achieved there.

Of course, the new Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister), Brian Cowen, is also from the region, which makes for a great photo opportunity.

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Nster.com