Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois

Sen. Barack Obama got a rock star's reception Saturday at a venue that's usually much less welcoming of Democrats - the Texas Capitol.

Several hundred people filled the Texas House chamber to hear the possible presidential candidate speak at the 11th annual Texas Book Festival.

Much of the crowd shrieked and jumped to its feet when Obama walked in through a side door. Outside, another couple hundred people waited up to five hours to get his autograph.

Obama is promoting his latest book, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream. The Illinois Democrat is the nation's only black senator.

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	Senatorial visit News 8 Austin's Allison Toepperwein reports from the Texas Capitol.

"That idea, that sense of hopefulness, that audacity, I think has sometimes been lost in the last decade or so. We've replaced it with a politics of cynicism," he said.

Obama created a stir last Sunday when he acknowledged he was considering a run for president in 2008. But he told Texans on Saturday his family comes first.

"Obviously, any decisions I make about any higher office are deeply colored by that decision. Because my little girls, they can break my heart," he said.

The Texas Book Festival was started by first lady Laura Bush when her husband was governor and raises money for public libraries.

About 180 authors, including children's author Louis Sachar, Univision reporter Maria Elena Salinas and novelist, playwright and political pundit Gore Vidal are expected to attend the free weekend festival.

	Scholarship winners
H-E-B announced the two grand prize winners of its statewide Read, Write, Connect short story contest at the Texas Book Fair. The prize was a college education. Jenna Walsh of San Antonio and Deborah Gonzalez of Houston each received a check for $60,000 to cover four years of tuition at a college of their choice. "It's definitely a blessing. I don't have to worry about paying for my school and it's definitely an ease on my parents, so I'm very grateful,” Gonzalez said. The winners were selected from 2,000 entries. Walsh's story, Life in Shadow, deals with a child coming to grips with the harshness of the world around her. Gonzalez' story was called Abuelo the Eagle and was inspired by her grandfather. The stories will be published in the December issue of Texas Monthly.