DETROIT
Presidential hopeful Barack Obama drew the loudest cheers of
the eight Democratic candidates at a civil rights forum as he assailed the Bush
administration’s record on race relations.
The candidates shared the stage Thursday at the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s 98th annual convention.
Obama, seeking to become the first black president, drew the strongest applause
from the 3,000 people at the event.
“I know what you know, which is that despite all the
progress that has been made we still have more work to do,” said the
first-term Illinois senator.
Black voters are a core party constituency. Candidates are
in a fierce struggle to capture their support and are refusing to cede it to
Obama. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the front-runner, enjoys strong support in the
black community and is married to former President Clinton, who was wildly
popular among black voters. John Edwards has won praise from black leaders for
his commitment to fighting poverty.
After the forum, microphones picked up Clinton and Edwards
discussing their desire to limit future joint appearances to exclude some
rivals lower in the crowded field. “We should try to have a more serious
and a smaller group,” Edwards said.
Clinton agreed. “We’ve got to cut the number. …
They’re not serious,” she said, then thanked Obama and Ohio Rep. Dennis
Kucinich as they walked by. Turning back to Edwards, she added that she thought
their campaigns had already tried to limit the debates and “we’ve gotta
get back to it.”
