I think an Obama 2008 run would be ill-advised. First, he would have to face a few different big guns with a lot of money (Clinton, Bayh, Richardson, possibly Warner). Clinton will have her long running donars and support, Bayh will have a lot of DLC midwest support, Richardson will have a lot of latino and governor money, and Warner will be “the Southerner,” unless Edwards can make a resurgence. You have a least 3 people (C, B and R) who will have been planning a run for a while and who, in a strange sense, will have paid their dues etc. Obama would simply appear overzealous and underqualified, despite his talent as a communicator and his intellect.
Plus, he’s only 42. He’s got a while to wait, let him spend some time building up a better resume on foreign policy and whatnot. There’s no way in hell he looses that seat in Illinois, so I think he should be smart and patient and then kick some serious ass and get us 8 years.

http://www.belgraviadispatch.com/archives/004296.html

Obama sounds excellent. If he keeps getting such good press, would a 2008 primary run be out of the question? JFK had the same type of energetic aura and ran as a first term Senator. I think it would work too, because I don’t see the Republicans with anyone comparable to line up against him. I understand H. Clinton needs her time in the sun, but it could cost the Dems four more years in the WH (although she’s not doing a bad job “reinventing” or at least modifying her message lately). And there’s no guarantee that Obama will still be around in 2012, or that he’ll have the same aura around him…although it is premature to think that the aura will last until even 2008.