Barack Obama: 'I'm Running For President'

“The time for that politics is over. Itis through. It’s time to turn the page.”

Illinois Senator Barack Obama seeks to become the first black president of The United States. He formally announced this morning that he’s entering the presidential race at the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Ill.

Said Obama: “We can build a more hopeful America. And that is why, in the shadow of the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln once called on a divided house to stand together, where common hopes and common dreams still live, I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for president of the United States.”

Obama trails in most national polls only to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Also pictured: Wife Michelle and daughters (l-r) Sasha, 5, and Malia, 7.