Obama Appeals for Calm in Kenya
By Shailagh Murray
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Sen. Barack Obama took a break from campaigning today to appeal for calm in Kenya, where more than 300 people have died in the violent uprising that followed a controversial presidential election on Sunday. Obama's late father was from Kenya, and he often cites his ties to Africa as one of the factors that informs his world view.
Obama spoke to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice about the Kenyan crisis on Tuesday evening, and today, in Davenport, he read a statement on Voice of America Worldwide English radio. Here's an excerpt:
"Despite irregularities in the vote tabulation, now is not the time to throw that strong democracy away," Obama said. He urged President Mwai Kibaki, who won narrowly re-election under a cloud of suspicion, along with opposition leaders, "to come together and to start a political process to address peacefully the controversies that divide them."
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/01/02/obama_appeals_for_calm_in_keny.html