Al Sharpton Blasts Barack Obama

The Rev. Al Sharpton is working behind the scenes to sabotage the presidential hopes of Sen. Barack Obama.

"He’s saying that Obama never did anything for the community, never worked with anybody from the community, that nobody knows the people around him, that he’s a candidate driven by white leadership,” a prominent black activist told the New York Post.

Another activist said: "It’s driving Al crazy that Obama is as impressive and popular as he is, and he’s not happy about it. Sharpton is just terrified of being overshadowed by someone of Obama’s class and character.”

Sharpton ran for the Democratic nomination for president in 2004 and "had wanted to run again in 2008,” a source close to Sharpton told the Post. "But now that Obama is a serious candidate in the race, that has become impossible.”

At a major fund-raising event in New York on Friday night, "every prominent name in the black community, with the exception of elected officials and Al Sharpton, was part of it,” one Democratic official told the Post.

Obama’s candidacy has also tarnished the hopes of another Democratic presidential candidate – Sen. Hillary Clinton.

"The plan was for Hillary to be the glamour candidate who would start the race with the votes of African-Americans and Hispanics already in the bag,” the official said.

"That clearly hasn’t happened.” Obama’s candidacy has "taken the steam” out of Clinton’s support among African-American voters.”