Obama-Sharpton Fooferaw

CBS' Marcia Kramer is reporting on a brewing fight between presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and NYC-based power broker Al Sharpton:

With the race for the Democratic presidential nomination already in high gear, the Reverend Al Sharpton jumped into the fray today with some tough criticism for Senator Barack Obama. The outspoken reverend offered the harsh comments to Obama just as he looked to build support for his candidacy in the black community.

"Why shouldn't the black community ask questions? Are we now being told, 'You all just shut up?'" Sharpton told CBS 2's Marcia Kramer Monday. "Senator Obama and I agree that the war is wrong, but then I want to know why he went to Connecticut and helped [Sen. Joseph] Lieberman, the biggest supporter of the war."

Sharpton also questioned why Obama supports "tort reform, which hurts police brutality victims."…

"I'm not going to be cajoled or intimidated by any candidate not for my support," Sharpton said.

More here. It's unclear whether/how much Sharpton matters at all these days, but he may well swing a few dollars away or toward some of the Dem candidates, esp. in the the NY area in the early stages.