Obama Works the House

May 8, 2008, 12:52 pm | by David M. Herszenhorn

In the great hunt for superdelegates, there’s no better place to look than the floor of the House, and Senator Barack Obama dove right into a sea of them on Thursday morning, shaking hands, clapping backs, doling out hugs and even doing a little curtsy before Representative John M. Spratt Jr. of South Carolina, the chairman of the Budget Committee.

Mr. Obama, who worked the chamber for more than 45 minutes, and even got some handshakes from Republicans, insisted that he just stopped by to say hello, to update his supporters and answer questions for any Democrats who might remain undecided.

“What do you think, I was going after superdelegates?” Mr. Obama joked after leaving the chamber.

But after his commanding victory over Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton in North Carolina, and his strong showing in Indiana, Mr. Obama’s triumphant visit to the House floor had all the buzz and excitement of a victory lap.

While Mrs. Clinton has met with superdelegates away from the Capitol since Tuesdays results, a sign of her struggle among Democratic party leaders, Mr. Obama returned with all the subtlety of a rock star.

He started out, shortly before 11 a.m. in the corner of the room with the Pennsylvania delegation including Representative John P. Murtha, of Pennsylvania who has endorsed Mrs. Clinton.

He then moved down the aisle swarmed by well-wishers, through the throng of lawmakers who were milling about for votes on housing legislation. All the while, he was flanked by Representative Steven R. Rothman of New Jersey, who seemed to be serving as bodyguard and ambassador for Mr. Obama who spring-boarded into the Senate without ever serving in the House.

Among the crowd was Mr. Spratt, now in his 13th term, who met on Wednesday with Mrs. Clinton at the Democratic National Committee headquarters and told her that he could not support her because his state had voted overwhelmingly for Mr. Obama.

Standing before Mr. Spratt, Mr. Obama dropped to a bended knee, in what seemed to be some sort of genuflection.

Mr. Obama made his way into the well of the chamber, at one point stopping by Representative Yvette Clarke of Brooklyn, who showed him a copy of New York Daily News, which on Thursday ran his photo on the front page with the headline “It’s His Party.”

Teenage House pages, and some visiting children of lawmakers, squirmed through the crowd to say hello. Mr. Obama then walked up the center aisle of the chamber, where he was even greeted by Republicans including Jerry Lewis and Dana Rohrabacher, both of California, and he even got a warm greeting from Representative Barbara Cubin, Republican of Wyoming, a state whose caucus Mr. Obama won by a comfortable margin.

And while Mr. Obama has largely portrayed himself as an outsider, an agent of change compared to Mrs. Clinton or the presumptive Republican nominee, Senator John McCain, he seemed perfectly at home in the House chamber, barely looking up as the crowd of Democrats shouted “Aye” on a vote.

He chatted with Representative Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, the majority leader, said hello to Representative Chris Van Hollen, the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and greeted Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, who was not in the chamber for most of Mr. Obama’s visit. None of them have officially endorsed.

As Mr. Obama made his way back down the center aisle, Representative Ray H. LaHood, Republican of Illinois, who is retiring after his seventh term, gave chase, and grabbed Mr. Obama’s arm. The senator turned and gave Mr. LaHood a hug.

After leaving the chamber, Mr. Obama posed for a photograph and then made his way back across the Capitol surrounded by a crowd of reporters and photographers, pushing his way forward into the Rotunda, as dumbstruck tourists realized there was something more exciting to look at than the statues and the paintings on the wall. They cheered and shouted.

As he walked, Mr. Obama insisted that the Democratic race would continue. He said he expected Mrs. Clinton to win West Virginia and Kentucky and described her leads in those states as “insurmountable.” He said: “My goal is to bring the party together as soon as possible.