Barack Obama, one of the most talked about figures in U.S politics, says he has filed paperwork that will allow him to raise funds for a presidential campaign in 2008.

The 45-year-old Illinois Democratic senator — who is little more than two years into his term —  announced on his website Tuesday his intentions to file a presidential exploratory committee.

Senator Barack Obama, speaking at the Democratic National Convention in 2004, is known for his opposition to the Iraq war. He's taking aim at the U.S. presidency.
(Ron Edmonds/Associated Press)

"The decisions that have been made in Washington these past six years, and the problems that have been ignored, have put our country in a precarious place," Obama said in a video statement on his website.

With the initial step, Obama begins his bid to become the first black president of the United States. Obama was born in Hawaii in 1961 to a Kenyan father and a white Kansas mother, and has said he identifies himself as African-American.

He would enter the race as the candidate with the least political experience, but also as one of the leading contenders with a high profile and immense popularity for his speaking style and vocal opposition to the Iraq war.  

Senator joins crowded field

The CBC's Henry Champ in Washington said Obama's strength is his ability to make a personal connection with audiences across the country.

"I've seen him in action, in rooms where he literally takes the oxygen out of the air," Champ said Tuesday. "He's that dynamic."

Obama joins a crowded field of candidates either already in the 2008 race or considering running, including Republican Senators John McCain and Sam Brownback, former Democratic vice-presidential candidate John Edwards and New York Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton — perhaps Obama's chief rival for the Democratic nomination.

Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, Connecticut Senator Chris Dodd and Ohio Representative Dennis Kucinich have also announced bids or exploratory committees. Others mentioned as possible candidates include former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani, and former presidential candidates John Kerry and Al Gore.

"[B]efore I committed myself and my family to this race, I wanted to be sure that this was right for us and, more importantly, right for the country," Obama said.

In a short period, Obama has risen from relative obscurity to become a key spokesman for the Democrats, as was seen last week in his many media appearances immediately after President George W. Bush announced his change of strategy in Iraq.

"I didn't expect to find myself in this position a year ago," he said. "I've been struck by how hungry we all are for a different kind of politics.

Obama is a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School, where he was the first African-American elected editor of the Harvard Law Review.

He moved to Chicago, joined a law firm and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago's Law School.

He also helped local churches establish job training programs for residents of poor neighbourhoods and organized a major voter registration drive in the 1992 election.

Obama said he would announce more about his plans in Chicago on Feb. 10.

With files from the Associated Press