Harvard Experiences Sculpt Obama Appeal

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- The hair, now closely cropped, was a short Afro. He dressed in a leather coat and high-ankle boots, not the conservative business suits and power ties that fill his wardrobe today.

And dinner, most nights, was at the C'est Bon sandwich shop in Harvard Square, not the rubber-chicken circuit in Washington.

Yet as a student at Harvard Law School from 1988 to 1991, Sen. Barack Obama displayed the traits _ and attracted the same kind of following and accolades _ that have made him a leading contender for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination.

And for anyone who doubts whether a senator little more than two years removed from the Illinois Legislature can win the presidency, let alone become the first black chief executive, some of those around this high temple of legal thought believe they have already seen the future.


Article Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/26/AR2007012600970.html