Barack Obama announces presidential run

A crowd estimated at between 15,000 and 17,000 braved frigid temperatures Saturday to watch United States Senator Barack Obama announce his candidacy for president in the town where he started his politcal career.

Obama served seven years in the Illinois state senate before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 2004.

He delivered a speech in his usual rousing style focusing on his abilities as a unifier, and highlighting his relative lack of Washington experience as an asset.

A nomination or election would be a first for an African American. In his speech he also highlighted another famous president from Illinois, Abraham Lincoln, who had even less experience than Obama and who also played the role of unifier.

U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) waves to the crowd with his family after formally announcing his campaign for U.S. President in the 2008 election during a campaign rally in front of the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Illinois, February 10, 2007. From left to right, four-year-old daughter Sasha, Senator Obama, eight-year-old daughter Malia, and wife Michelle. REUTERS/John Gress via Yahoo News.

Barack Obama Official Campaign Website