Obama Downplays Campaign's Racial Factor

WASHINGTON - Democrat Barack Obama said Sunday he was reluctant to ask for Secret Service protection this early in the 2008 presidential race.

"I'm not an entourage guy. You know, up until recently, I was still taking my wife Michelle's grocery list and going to the grocery store once in awhile," the Illinois senator said.

Obama, who is black, acknowledged that some of the threats against him were racially motivated.

"You know, I don't spend a lot of time thinking about it or considering the details of this, but just to broaden the issue, are there people who would be troubled with an African-American president? Yes," he said. "Are there folks who might not vote for me because I'm African-American? No doubt."

But Obama said that if he doesn't win, it will not be because of the color of his skin.

"It's going to be because I didn't project a vision of leadership that gave people confidence. It's going to be because of something I didn't do as opposed to because I'm African-American," he said.

On affirmative action, Obama, a Harvard Law School graduate, said he thinks that someday when his two young daughters apply to college, they "should probably be treated by any admissions officer as folks who are pretty advantaged" and there is nothing wrong with that.

"I think that we should take into account white kids who have been disadvantaged and been brought up in poverty and shown themselves to have what it takes to succeed," he added. "There are a lot of African-American kids who are still struggling."

Obama said that "if we have done what needs to be done to ensure that kids who are qualified to go to college can afford it, that affirmative action becomes a diminishing tool for us to achieve racial equality in this society."

His comments came in an interview broadcast Sunday on "This Week" on ABC.

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WASHINGTON (AP) - Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani reaffirmed his "passionate" support for abortion rights and argued against picking Supreme Court nominees based on their view of the ruling that legalized abortion.

"My view is that there shouldn't be a litmus test on Roe against Wade," the former New York City mayor said. "I'm going to select strict constructionist judges. They're free to take a look at Roe against Wade, take a look at the limitations, but I believe I should leave it to them to decide that."

Giuliani repeatedly has defended his positions, which have been criticized as contradictory, on late-term abortion, public funding for abortions and the Roe v. Wade decision.

"I'm very, very passionate about the issue of abortion," he said. "I oppose it. That's a principle I've held forever, and I'll hold it forever. That's not going to change. But I also believe that in a society like ours, where people have very, very consciences about this, it's best to respect each others' differences and allow for choice."

For GOP conservatives who could determine the outcome in the primaries, opposition to abortion has been a litmus test. Giuliani's support for abortion rights has drawn criticism from some in the party.

One president rival, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, has drawn complaints for his switch from supporting abortion rights to opposing the procedure. Another GOP rival, Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback, has said that an abortion-rights Republican would have trouble winning the nomination.

Giuliani's interview on "Fox New Sunday" was broadcast Sunday.