Obama Thanks Illinois In Letter As Senate Resignation Takes Effect

Washington, D.C. (AHN) - In a letter to the people of Illinois published as his resignation from the Senate took effect, President-elect Barack Obama thanked his "beloved home" for giving him the "best education" he ever had" and that made his life in public service "possible."

"More than two decades ago, I arrived in Illinois as a young man eager to do my part in building a better America," Obama wrote. "On the South Side of Chicago, I worked with families who had lost jobs and lost hope when the local steel plant closed. It wasn't easy, but we slowly rebuilt those neighborhoods one block at a time, and in the process I received the best education I ever had."

"It was in Springfield, in the heartland of America, where I saw all that is America converge -- farmers and teachers, businessmen and laborers, all of them with a story to tell, all of them seeking a seat at the table, all of them clamoring to be heard. It was there that I learned to disagree without being disagreeable; to seek compromise while holding fast to those principles that can never be compromised, and to always assume the best in people instead of the worst," he said.

"Later, when I made the decision to run for the United States Senate, the core decency and generosity of the American people is exactly what I saw as I traveled across our great state -- from Chicago to Cairo; from Decatur to Quincy," the President-elect added.

Obama announced last Thursday that he would resign as freshman senator from Illinois on Sunday. His resignation took effect nearly two weeks after he became the first Democrat to win more than 51 percent of the popular vote since 1964.

He will be sworn in on Jan. 20, 2009 as the 44th U.S. president. His inauguration will also commemorate the 200th anniversary of Abraham Lincoln's birth by having as its theme words from the the Gettysburg address, "A New Birth of Freedom."

In his letter on Sunday, the president-elect also said, "The challenges we face as a nation are now more numerous and difficult than when I first arrived in Chicago, but I have no doubt that we can meet them. For throughout my years in Illinois, I have heard hope as often as I have heard heartache. Where I have seen struggle, I have seen great strength. And in a state as broad and diverse in background and belief as any in our nation, I have found a spirit of unity and purpose that can steer us through the most troubled waters."

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich is expected to appoint a replacement for Obama in the Senate. Rep. Danny Davis (D-IL) formally launched his bid for the post the same day of the letter's publication. The 67-year old African-American lawmaker said in a statement, according to the Chicago Tribune, "This is a day for which I have been preparing all of my life."

Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL), who was a national co-chairman of the Obama campaign and son of Rev. Jesse Jackson, issued a statement before the election saying he would be "honored and humbled" to be Obama's successor but that "in the end, the decision rests with Gov. Blagojevich.'

Other names that have been reported as contenders for the seat are Rep. Janice Schakowsky (D-IL), the U.S. House chief deputy whip, and Illinois Veterans Affairs department director Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq war veteran who was the Democratic candidate for the seat of U.S. Rep. Henry Hyde (R-IL) in 2006.