WASHINGTON — A new memoir by Illinois' junior senator, Barack Obama, sets out a lofty political vision that is sure to further speculation he is contemplating a bid for the White House.

"The Audacity of Hope" offers readers — and voters across the nation — an upbeat view of the country's potential and a political biography that concentrates on the senator's core values while providing a broad sense of how he would handle the great issues of the moment.

Obama, a Democrat who graduated from Punahou School, does not directly address the possibility of a presidential campaign, much less the timing of a run. But Obama's telling of his political life clearly signals possible plans for greater deeds ahead.

He includes his first glimpse of the White House — in 1984, while working as a community organizer at City College of New York, during a trip to Washington to deliver petitions against student aid cuts proposed by the Reagan administration.

And he closes the book describing a habit of early evening runs during which he writes that he sometimes stops at the Lincoln Memorial.

"In that place, I think about America and those who built it," Obama writes. "It is that process I wish to be a part of. My heart is filled with love for this country."

The book, which goes on sale Tuesday, takes its title from a line in his well-received address to the 2004 Democratic National Convention. It's part of a package of books for which he received a $1.9 million advance. The book follows his best-selling 1995 autobiography, "Dreams From My Father."

The memoir follows many of the conventions of a campaign biography, describing the senator's political journey with a blend of anecdotes and discussion of his principles.

"I find myself returning again and again to my mother's simple principle — 'How would that make you feel' — as a guidepost for my politics," Obama writes.

"As a country, we seem to be suffering from an empathy deficit," he continues, citing underfunded schools and highly paid CEOs who cut health benefits for workers. "A stronger sense of empathy would tilt the balance of our current politics in favor of those people who are struggling in this society."