Senator to interns: Go for government jobs

As part of an effort to beef up federal recruitment, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., on Wednesday asked a crowd of 2,000 interns in Washington to consider federal service.

"[Government offers] the possibility for us to engage in the process not of perfecting the world, but improving it," Obama said. "Government is one of the most important vehicles by which we do it."

Obama asked the interns, who are working in federal agencies, on Capitol Hill, for nonprofits, and in the private sector, to consider what they were willing to sacrifice for the benefit of their community.

"A big bank account, a fancy house," Obama said. "These things are nice, but in the end they show a poverty of ambition."

Obama, along with Meet the Press moderator Tim Russert, spoke in the Warner Theatre in downtown Washington at the fourth annual summer intern event sponsored by the Partnership for Public Service, whose president Max Stier touted the senator as the country's next John F. Kennedy in his ability to inspire Americans to public service.

Even as he encouraged public service, Obama spoke about the failures of government, such as the federal response to Hurricane Katrina.

"Actually having a federal government that is competent enough to make sure people aren't stranded on rooftops for three days is a good thing," Obama said.

But the senator talked in only vague terms about how to achieve that.

"We've got a bureaucracy and a government structure that really hasn't been updated since the '30s and '40s," Obama said. Americans need to "work hard to redesign government so we get more bang for the buck."

Obama, who received a standing ovation from the young audience when he walked onstage, garnered another round of applause when he mentioned debt relief for college loans. Obama suggested a year or two of mandatory national service be tied to loan forgiveness.

The event is the latest effort from the Partnership for Public Service, a nonprofit advocacy group devoted to encouraging young people to work for the federal government. Last week, the organization announced a new recruitment campaign targeting college campuses, inspired by a survey of students' perspectives on federal service.

The partnership also released a job search guide Wednesday that listed the top 10 reasons to seek government employment, including the opportunity to work in a place that values diversity, earn pay that is "better than you think," advance quickly and make a difference. The guide also contains tips for government interviews and job opportunities organized by major.