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#REDIRECT ]
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{{Infobox Senator<!-- please do not edit infobox; it is now correct -->
| name = Barack Obama<!-- PLEASE DO NOT EDIT THIS NAME; SEE TALK ARCHIVES - In Misplaced Pages, the intro paragraph usually has the full legal name while the info box has the name as the person is commonly known or as they sign it. See Bill Clinton for an example. -->
| image name = ObamaBarack.jpg
| jr/sr = Junior Senator
| state = ]<!-- please leave this alone -->
| term_start = ] ]
| alongside = Richard Durbin
| preceded = ]
| succeeded =
| state_senate2 = Illinois
| district2 = 13th
| term_start2 = 1997
| term_end2 = 2004
| preceded2 =
| succeeded2 = ]
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1961|08|4}}
| birth_place = ], ], ]
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality = ]
| party = ]
| spouse = ]
| relations =
| children =
| residence =
| alma_mater = ],</br> ]
| occupation =
| profession =
| religion = ] (])
| signature = Barack Obama signature.png
| website =
| footnotes =
}}
'''Barack Obama''' ({{pronEng|bəˈɹɑːk oʊˈbɑːmə}};<ref>
{{cite news | title=How to Pronounce Barack Obama | url=http://inogolo.com/pronunciation/d455/Barack_Obama | work=Inoglo | accessdate=2008-01-14}} For more about Obama's middle name and its use by political opponents and the media, see: {{cite news | first=David | last=Wallis | title=Goood: Barack Obama and the History of Good Middle Names in Politics | date=] ] | url=http://www.slate.com/id/2155434/pagenum/all/ | work=Slate | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> born ] ]) is the ] ] from ] and a leading candidate for the ] nomination in the ].<ref name=BBC20070210>{{cite news | title=Obama Launches Presidential Bid | date=] ] | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6349081.stm | work=BBC News | accessdate=2008-01-14}} at Brightcove.com.</ref><ref>For national polling data, see: {{cite news | url=http://www.pollingreport.com/wh08dem.htm | title=White House 2008: Democratic Nomination | work=Polling Report | accessdate=2008-01-14}}{{cite news | title=2008 National Democratic Presidential Primary | url=http://www.pollster.com/08-US-Dem-Pres-Primary.php | work=Pollster.com | accessdate=2008-01-14}}
</ref> <!--

The following sentence is a compromise that was reached at the talk page (see the archives). Please do not modify it without discussion.

-->The ] lists him as the fifth ] Senator in ], the third to have been popularly elected, and the only African American currently serving in the Senate.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/history/h_multi_sections_and_teasers/Photo_Exhibit_African_American_Senators.htm | title=Breaking New Ground: African American Senators |work=U.S. Senate Historical Office | accessdate=2008-01-29}}</ref>

Obama was born in ] to a black ] father and a white ] mother. He lived most of his early life in the U.S. state of ]. From ages six to ten, he lived in ], ] with his mother and Indonesian stepfather. A graduate of ] and ], Obama worked as a ], ] ], and ] ] before running for ] and serving in the ] from 1997 to 2004. After an unsuccessful bid for a seat in the ] in 2000, he announced his campaign for U.S. Senate in 2003.

The following year, while still an Illinois ], Obama delivered the keynote address at the ].<ref>
{{cite news | first=Randal C | last=Archibold | title=The Illinois Candidate; Day After, Keynote Speaker Finds Admirers Everywhere | date=] ] | url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A03E7DB103DF93AA15754C0A9629C8B63 | work=New York Times | accessdate=2008-01-14}}
</ref> He was elected to the U.S. Senate in November 2004 with 70% of the vote.<ref name=2004genelection>
{{cite news |title=America Votes 2004: U.S. Senate / Illinois | url =http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/IL/S/01/index.html | work =CNN | accessdate=2008-01-14}}
</ref> As a member of the Democratic minority in the ], Obama co-sponsored legislation for controlling ]s and for promoting ] in public life; in addition, he made official trips to ], the ], and ]. In the ], he has sponsored legislation on ] and ], ], ], and care for returned ] personnel.

Since announcing his ] in February 2007, Obama has emphasized ending the ], increasing ], and providing ] as major priorities.<ref>
{{cite news | title=Barack Obama on the Issues: What Would Be Your Top Three Overall Priorities If Elected? | url=http://projects.washingtonpost.com/2008-presidential-candidates/issues/candidates/barack-obama/#top-priorities | work=Washington Post | accessdate=2008-01-14}} See also: {{cite news | first=Michael | last=Falcone | title=Obama's 'One Thing' | date=] ] | url=http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/21/obamas-one-thing/ | work=New York Times | accessdate=2008-01-14}}
</ref> He married in 1992 and has two daughters. He has written two bestselling books: a memoir of his youth titled '']'', and '']'', a personal commentary on U.S. politics.<ref>
{{cite news | first=Carol | last=Memmott | title=Obama's Books Drive Talk of '08 Presidential Run | date=] ] | url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2007-01-29-obama-prez-books_x.htm | work=USA Today | accessdate=2008-01-14}}
</ref>

==Early life and career==
{{seealso|Dreams from My Father}}
<!-- please do not edit the way his name is rendered in this first sentence; see Talk -->
Obama was born on ] ] in ], ] to Barack Obama, Sr. (born in ], ], of ] ethnicity) and ] (born in ], ]).<ref>{{cite news | title=Meet Barack | url=http://www.barackobama.com/about/ | work=BarackObama.com | accessdate=2008-01-04}} {{cite news | title=Saving the World in His Spare Time | date=] ] | url=http://www.economist.com/world/na/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10498963&CFID=10486835&CFTOKEN=e3e42d3f4995ef60-DABCCCC1-B27C-BB00-0127FF9D64797FC4 | work=The Economist | accessdate=2008-02-02}} See also: Obama (1995), Chapter 1.</ref> Throughout his early years, he was commonly known at home and school as "Barry".<ref>{{cite news | first=Kirsten | last=Scharnberg | coauthors=Kim Barker | title=The Not-So-Simple Story of Barack Obama's Youth | date=] ] | url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-070325obama-youth-story,0,5069625.story | work=Chicago Tribune | accessdate=2008-01-14}} </ref> Obama's parents met while both were attending the ], where his father was enrolled as a ].<ref>Obama (1995), pp. 9–10. For book excerpts, see {{cite news | title=Barack Obama: Creation of Tales|date=] ] | url=http://www.nationmedia.com/EastAfrican/01112004/Features/PA2-2212.html | work=East African | accessdate=2008-01-04}}</ref> They separated when he was two years old and later divorced.<ref>Obama (1995), pp. 125–126. See also: {{cite news | first=Tim | last=Jones | title=Obama's Mom: Not Just a Girl from Kansas | date=] ] | url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-0703270151mar27,1,3372079.story?coll=chi-news-hed | work=Chicago Tribune | accessdate=2008-01-04}}</ref> His father went to ] to pursue ] studies, then returned to Kenya, where he died in an auto accident in 1982.<ref name=ObamaSr> {{cite news | first=Kevin | last=Merida | title=The Ghost of a Father | date=] ] | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2007/12/13/ST2007121301893.html | work=Washington Post | accessdate=2008-01-04}} See also: {{cite news | first=Philip | last=Ochieng | title=From Home Squared to the US Senate: How Barack Obama Was Lost and Found | date] ] | url=http://www.nationmedia.com/EastAfrican/01112004/Features/PA2-11.html | work=East African | accessdate=2008-01-04}} Obama (1995), pp. 5–11 and 62–71. In August 2006, Obama flew his wife and two daughters from Chicago to join him in a visit to his father's birthplace, a village near ] in rural western Kenya. {{cite news | first=Nico | last=Gnecchi | title=Obama Receives Hero's Welcome at His Family's Ancestral Village in Kenya | date=] ] | url=http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2006-08/2006-08-27-voa17.cfm | work=Voice of America | accessdate=2008-01-04}} See also: {{cite news | first=Ellis | last=Cose | title=Walking the World Stage | date=] ] | url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/45558 | work=Newsweek | accessdate=2008-01-04}} {{cite news | first=Michela | last=Wrong | title=Africa: Kenya Glimpses a New Kind of Hero | date=] ] | url=http://www.newstatesman.com/200609110024 | work=New Statesman | accessdate=2008-01-04}}</ref> His mother married another foreign student, Lolo Soetoro, and the family moved to Soetoro's home country of ] in 1967.<ref>Obama's stepfather and Ann Dunham divorced in the late 1970s, and he died of a liver ailment in 1987. {{cite news | first=Scott | last=Fornek | title=Lolo Soetoro | date=] ] | url=http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/familytree/545455,BSX-News-wotreegg09.stng | work=Chicago Sun-Times | accessdate=2008-01-04}} They had one daughter together, Maya Soetoro, Obama's half-sister. On his father's side, Obama has two half-sisters and five surviving half-brothers. {{cite news | first=Michael | last=Sheridan | coauthors=Sarah Baxter | title=Secrets of Obama Family Unlocked | date=] ] | url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article1267352.ece | work=Sunday Times (UK) | accessdate=2008-01-04}} See also: Obama (1995), Chapter 2 and Chapters 15–19 (Part 3: Kenya).</ref> Obama attended local schools in ] from ages 6 to 10, where classes were taught in the ].<ref>{{cite news | first=Kirsten | last=Scharnberg | coauthors=Kim Barker | title=The Not-So-Simple Story of Barack Obama's Youth | date=] ] | url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-070325obama-youth-story,0,5069625.story | work=Chicago Tribune | accessdate=2008-01-04}} See also: {{cite news | first=Kim | last=Barker | title=Obama Madrassa Myth Debunked | date=] ] | url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-070325obama-islam-story,0,7180545.story | work=Chicago Tribune | accessdate=2008-01-04}} {{cite news | first=Trish | last=Anderton | title=Obama's Jakarta Trail | date=June 2007 | url=http://www.thejakartapost.com/weekender/6reporter.asp | work=Jakarta Post | accessdate=2008-01-04}} See also: Obama (1995), p. 154, and Obama (2006), p. 274.</ref><ref>Citing comments made by Indonesia's ambassador to the U.S., ''TIME'' magazine reported in December 2007 that Obama "still speaks passable Bahasa, the language spoken in Indonesia and Malaysia." {{cite news |first=Jay |last=Newton-Small |title=Obama's Foreign-Policy Problem |url=http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1695803,00.html |work=TIME |date=] ] |accessdate=2008-01-03}}</ref> He then returned to Honolulu to live with his maternal grandparents, Madelyn and Stanley Dunham, while attending ] from the fifth grade until his graduation in 1979.<ref>Obama writes: "For my grandparents, my admission into Punahou Academy heralded the start of something grand, an elevation in the family status that they took great pains to let everyone know." Obama (1995), Chapters 3 and 4. See also: {{cite news | first=B. J | last=Reyes | title=Punahou Left Lasting Impression on Obama | date=] ] | url=http://starbulletin.com/2007/02/08/news/story02.html | work=Honolulu Star-Bulletin | accessdate=2008-01-04}} </ref> Obama's mother died of ] a few months after the publication of his 1995 ], '']''.<ref>Obama (1995), Preface to the 2004 Edition, p. xi. See also: {{cite news | first=Julia | last=Suryakusuma | title=Obama for President... of Indonesia | date=] ] | work=Jakarta Post | url=http://www.thejakartapost.com/yesterdaydetail.asp?fileid=20061129.F03 | accessdate=2008-01-04}}</ref>

In the memoir, Obama describes his experiences growing up in his mother's ] family. His knowledge about his African father, who returned once for a brief visit in 1971, came mainly through family stories and photographs.<ref name=ObamaSr /> Of his early childhood, Obama writes: "That my father looked nothing like the people around me—that he was black as pitch, my mother white as milk—barely registered in my mind."<ref>Obama (1995), pp. 9–10.</ref> The book describes his struggles as a young adult to reconcile social perceptions of his ] heritage.<ref>Obama (1995), Chapters 4 and 5. See also: {{cite news | first=Richard A | last=Serrano | title=Obama's Peers Didn't See His Angst | format=paid archive | date=] ] | url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/1230439131.html?dids=1230439131:1230439131&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Mar+11%2C+2007&author=Richard+A.+Serrano&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&edition=&startpage=A.20&desc=THE+NATION | work=Los Angeles Times | accessdate=2008-01-04}}</ref> He wrote that he used ], ], and ] during his teenage years to "push questions of who I was out of my mind".<ref>{{cite news | title=Obama Gets Blunt with N.H. Students | date=] ] | publisher=Boston Globe | url=http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/11/21/obama_gets_blunt_with_nh_students/ | work=Associated Press | accessdate=2008-01-04}} In ''Dreams from My Father'', Obama writes: "Pot had helped, and booze; maybe a little blow when you could afford it." Obama (1995), pp. 93–94. For analysis of the political impact of the quote and Obama's more recent admission that he smoked marijuana as a teenager ("When I was a kid, I inhaled."), see: {{cite news | first=Lois | last=Romano | title=Effect of Obama's Candor Remains to Be Seen | date=] ] | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/02/AR2007010201359.html | work=Washington Post | accessdate=2008-01-04}} {{cite news | first=Katharine Q | last=Seelye | title=Obama Offers More Variations From the Norm | date=] ] | url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D07E2DB173FF937A15753C1A9609C8B63&sec=&spon=&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink | work=New York Times | accessdate=2008-01-04}}</ref>

After high school, Obama moved to ], where he studied at ] for two years.<ref>{{cite news | title=Oxy Remembers "Barry" Obama '83 | date=] ] | url=http://www.oxy.edu/x2526.xml | work =Occidental College | accessdate=2008-01-04}} See also: {{cite news | first=Larry | last=Gordon | title=Occidental Recalls 'Barry' Obama | format=paid archive | date=] ] | url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/1204378961.html?dids=1204378961:1204378961&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jan+29%2C+2007&author=Larry+Gordon&pub=Los+Angeles+Times&edition=&startpage=B.1 | work=Los Angeles Times | accessdate=2008-01-04}}</ref> He then transferred to ] in ], where he majored in ] with a specialization in ].<ref name='CCTJan05'>{{cite news | first=Shira | last=Boss-Bicak | title=Barack Obama ’83: Is He the New Face of The Democratic Party? | date=January 2005 | url=http://www.college.columbia.edu/cct/jan05/cover.php | work=Columbia College Today|accessdate=2008-01-04}}</ref> Obama received his ] degree in 1983, then worked at ] and ] before moving to ] to take a job as a ].<ref>{{cite news | first=Janny | last=Scott | title=Obama's Account of New York Years Often Differs from What Others Say | date=] ] | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/30/us/politics/30obama.html | work=New York Times | accessdate=2008-01-04}} See also: Obama (1995), pp. 135–139.</ref> As Director of the Developing Communities Project, he worked with low-income residents in Chicago's ] community and the ] public housing development.<ref>{{cite news | first=Bob | last=Secter | coauthors=John McCormick | title=Portrait of a Pragmatist | date=] ] | url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0703300121mar30,1,282774.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed | work=Chicago Tribune | accessdate=2008-01-04}} See also: {{cite news | first=Ryan | last=Lizza | title=The Agitator: Barack Obama's Unlikely Political Education | format=alternate link | date=] ] | url=http://www.pickensdemocrats.org/info/TheAgitator_070319.htm | work =New Republic | accessdate=2008-01-04}}</ref> He entered ] in 1988.<ref>{{cite news | first=Michael | last=Levenson | coauthors= Jonathan Saltzman | title=At Harvard Law, a Unifying Voice | date=] ] | url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/01/28/at_harvard_law_a_unifying_voice/?page=full | work=Boston Globe | accessdate=2008-01-04}} See also: {{cite news | first=John | last=Heilemann | title=When They Were Young | date=] ] | url=http://nymag.com/news/features/39321/ | work=New York Magazine | accessdate=2008-01-04}}</ref> In 1990, ''The New York Times'' reported his election as the '']'s'' "first black president in its 104-year history".<ref>{{cite news | first=Fox | last=Butterfield | title=First Black Elected to Head Harvard's Law Review | date=] ] | url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE2DC1631F935A35751C0A966958260&n=Top%2FReference%2FTimes%20Topics%2FPeople%2FO%2FObama%2C%20Barack | work=New York Times | accessdate=2008-01-04}} See also: {{cite news | first=Jodi | last=Kantor | title=In Law School, Obama Found Political Voice | date=] ] | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/us/politics/28obama.html | work=New York Times | accessdate=2008-01-04}}</ref> He completed his ] degree '']'' in 1991.<ref name=CV>{{cite news | url=http://www.law.uchicago.edu/faculty/obama/cv.html | title=Curriculum Vitae | work=University of Chicago Law School | accessdate=2008-01-04}}</ref> On returning to Chicago, Obama directed a ].<ref name=CV /> As an associate ] with Miner, Barnhill & Galland from 1993 to 1996, he represented community organizers, ] claims, and ] cases.<ref>{{cite news | title=Law Graduate Obama Got His Start in Civil Rights Practice | date=] ] | publisher=International Herald Tribune | url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/20/america/NA-POL-US-Obama-Attorney-at-Law.php | work=Associated Press | accessdate=2008-01-04}}</ref> He was a lecturer of ] at the ] ] from 1993 until his election to the U.S. Senate in 2004.<ref>{{cite news | first=Abdon M | last=Pallasch | title=Professor Obama was a Listener, Students Say | date=] ] | url=http://www.suntimes.com/news/elections/253391,CST-NWS-prof12.article | work=Chicago Sun-Times | accessdate=2008-01-04}}</ref>

==State legislature==
In 1996, Obama was elected to the ] to serve the state's 13th District in the ] neighborhood of ].<ref>{{cite news | first=David | last=Jackson | coauthors= Ray Long | title=Obama Knows His Way Around a Ballot | date=] ] | url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-070403obama-ballot,1,57567.story | work=Chicago Tribune | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> In 2000, he made an unsuccessful Democratic primary run for the ] seat held by four-term ] candidate ].<ref>{{cite news | first=Janny | last=Scott | title=A Streetwise Veteran Schooled Young Obama | date=] ] | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/09/us/politics/09obama.html | work=New York Times | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> He was reelected to the Illinois Senate in 1998 and 2002, officially resigning in November 2004 following his election to the U.S. Senate.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.senatedem.state.il.us/obama/index.html |title=13th District: Barack Obama | format=archive | accessdate=2008-01-14 | date=] ] | work=Illinois State Senate Democrats | archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20000824102110/http://www.senatedem.state.il.us/obama/index.html |archivedate=2000-08-24 }} {{cite news | url=http://www.senatedem.state.il.us/obama/index.html | title=13th District: Barack Obama | format=archive | accessdate=2008-01-14 |date=] ] |work=Illinois State Senate Democrats | archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20041009213335/http://www.senatedem.state.il.us/obama/index.html | archivedate=2004-10-09}} {{cite news | first=Jodi S | last=Cohen | title=Obama's Springfield Seat Goes to Lawyer | date=] ] | url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/731233451.html?dids=731233451:731233451&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT | format=paid archive | work=Chicago Tribune | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> As a state legislator, Obama gained ] support for legislation reforming ] and ] laws.<ref>{{cite news | first=Peter | last=Slevin | title=Obama Forged Political Mettle in Illinois Capitol | date=], ] | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/08/AR2007020802262.html | work=Washington Post | accessdate=2008-01-14}} See also: {{cite news | title=Obama Record May Be Gold Mine for Critics | date=] ] | publisher=CBS News | url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/17/politics/main2369157.shtml | work=Associated Press | accessdate=2008-01-14}} {{cite news | title=In-Depth Look at Obama's Political Career | date=], ] | publisher=Chicago Tribune | url=http://video.chicagotribune.com/global/video/popup/pop_player.asp?clipid1=1226539 | work=CLTV | format=video | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> He sponsored a law enhancing ]s for low-income workers, negotiated ], and promoted increased subsidies for ].<ref name=Scott20070730>{{cite news | first=Janny | last=Scott | title=In Illinois, Obama Proved Pragmatic and Shrewd | date=] ] | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/30/us/politics/30obama.html | work=New York Times | accessdate=2008-01-14}} See also: {{cite news | first=Rick | last=Pearson | coauthors=Ray Long | title=Careful Steps, Looking Ahead | date=] ] | url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-0705030101may03,1,7439904.story | work=Chicago Tribune | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> Obama also led the passage of legislation mandating videotaping of homicide interrogations, and a law to monitor ] by requiring police to record the race of drivers they stopped.<ref name=Scott20070730 /> During his 2004 general election campaign for U.S. Senate, he won the endorsement of the Illinois ], whose president credited Obama for his active engagement with police organizations in enacting ] reforms.<ref>{{cite news | first=Sam | last=Youngman | coauthors= and Aaron Blake | title=Obama’s Crime Votes Are Fodder for Rivals | date=] ] | url=http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/obamas-crime-votes-are-fodder-for-rivals-2007-03-13.html | work=The Hill | accessdate=2008-01-14}} See also: {{cite news | title=US Presidential Candidate Obama Cites Work on State Death Penalty Reforms | date=] ] | publisher=International Herald Tribune | url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/11/12/america/NA-POL-US-Obama-Death-Penalty.php | work=Associated Press | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> He was criticized by rival ] candidates in the Democratic primary and by his Republican ] opponent in the general election for a series of "present" or "no" votes on ] and ] issues.<ref>{{cite news | first=Eric | last=Zorn | title=Disparagement of Obama Votes Doesn't Hold Up | archiveurl=http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2007/12/disparagement-o.html | archivedate=2007-12-04 | date=] ] | url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/573751701.html?dids=573751701:573751701&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT | work=Chicago Tribune | accessdate=2008-01-14}} {{cite news | title=Keyes Assails Obama's Abortion Views | date=] ] | publisher=MSNBC | url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5654128/ | work=Associated Press | accessdate=2008-01-14}} See also: {{cite news | first=Sam | last=Youngman | title=Abortion Foes Target Obama Because of His Vote Record on Illinois Legislation | date=] ] | url=http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/abortion-foes-target-obama-because-of-his-vote-record-on-illinois-legislation-2007-02-15.html | work=The Hill | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref>

==Keynote address at 2004 Democratic National Convention==
{{seealso|2004 Democratic National Convention}}

Obama wrote and delivered the keynote address at the ] in ], ], while still serving as a ].<ref>For details about the speech's genesis and delivery, see: {{cite news | first=Shira | last=Boss-Bicak | title=Barack Obama ’83: Is He the New Face of The Democratic Party? | date=January 2005 | url =http://www.college.columbia.edu/cct/jan05/cover.php | work =Columbia College Today| accessdate =2008-01-14}} See also: {{cite news | first=David | last=Bernstein| title=The Speech | date=June 2007| url=http://www.chicagomag.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=8642F5EFCEA14A939100AB7214F31861&nm=Archives&type=PubPagi&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle+Title&mid=61BFC65300D24DB58350C761094153A1&tier=4&id=864D9B81ECE746529042D982A9FED8A3 | work=Chicago Magazine| accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> After describing his maternal grandfather's experiences as a ] veteran and a beneficiary of the ] ] and ] programs, Obama said:

<blockquote>No, people don't expect government to solve all their problems. But they sense, deep in their bones, that with just a change in priorities, we can make sure that every child in America has a decent shot at life, and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all. They know we can do better. And they want that choice.<ref name=keynote>{{cite news | first=Barack | last=Obama | title=Keynote Address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention | date=] ] | url=http://www.barackobama.com/2004/07/27/keynote_address_at_the_2004_de.php | work=BarackObama.com | accessdate=2008-01-14}} at Brightcove.TV.</ref></blockquote>

Questioning the ] management of the ], Obama spoke of an enlisted ], Corporal Seamus Ahern from ], ], asking, "Are we serving Seamus as well as he is serving us?" He continued:
<blockquote>When we send our young men and women into harm's way, we have a solemn obligation not to fudge the numbers or shade the truth about why they're going, to care for their families while they're gone, to tend to the soldiers upon their return, and to never ever go to war without enough troops to win the war, secure the peace, and earn the respect of the world.<ref name=keynote/></blockquote>

Finally, he spoke for national unity:

<blockquote>The pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into ]; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I've got news for them, too. We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don't like federal agents poking around our libraries in the Red States. We coach ] in the Blue States and have gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported it. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.<ref name=keynote/></blockquote>

The speech was Obama's introduction to most of America. Its enthusiastic reception at the convention and widespread coverage by national media gave him instant celebrity status.<ref>{{cite news | first=Richard | last=Wolf | title=Illinois' Obama Revisits Idea of 2008 Run for White House | date=] ] | url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-10-22-obama-president_x.htm | work=USA Today | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref>

==Senate campaign==
{{Main|United States Senate election in Illinois, 2004}}

In 2003, Obama began his run for the U.S. Senate ] vacated by ]. In early opinion polls leading up to the Democratic ], Obama trailed ] businessman ] and Illinois ] ].<ref name=Mendell20040317>{{cite news | first=David | last=Mendell | title=Obama Routs Democratic Foes; Ryan Tops Crowded GOP Field|date=], ] | url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/specials/elections/chi-0403170332mar17,1,1737252.story?coll=chi-news-hed | work=Chicago Tribune | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> However, Hull's popularity declined following allegations of ].<ref name=Mendell20040317 /> Obama's candidacy was boosted by an advertising campaign featuring images of the late Chicago Mayor ] and the late U.S. Senator ]; the support of Simon's daughter; and political endorsements by the '']'' and '']''.<ref>{{cite news | first=Scott | last=Fornek | title=Obama's Appeal Spans Racial Lines | date=], ] | publisher=at Find Articles | url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20040318/ai_n12537351 | work =Chicago Sun-Times | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref>{{dead link|date=February 2008}}<ref>{{cite news | first=Christopher | last=Hayes | title=Check Bounce | date=] ] | url=http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=express&s=hayes031704 | work=TNR Online | accessdate=2008-01-14}}{{dead link|date=February 2008}} ()</ref> Obama received over 52% of the vote in the March 2004 primary, emerging 29% ahead of his nearest Democratic rival.<ref>{{cite news | first=Monica | last=Davey | title=From Crowded Field, Democrats Choose State Legislator to Seek Senate Seat | date=] ] | url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9400E4D61431F934A25750C0A9629C8B63 | work =New York Times | accessdate=2008-01-14}} See also: {{cite news | first=John S | last=Jackson | title=The Making of a Senator: Barack Obama and the 2004 Illinois Senate Race | date=August 2006 | publisher= Southern Illinois University | url =http://www.siu.edu/~ppi/PDF/papers/Obama.pdf | work =Occasional Paper of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> His opponent in the general election was expected to be ] primary winner ]. However, Ryan withdrew from the race in June 2004, following public disclosure of ] divorce records containing sexual allegations by Ryan's ex-wife, actress ].<ref>{{cite news | title=Ryan Drops Out of Senate race in Illinois | date=], ] | url =http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/06/25/il.ryan/ | work =CNN | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> In August 2004, with less than three months to go before election day, ] accepted the Illinois Republican Party's nomination to replace Ryan.<ref>{{cite news | first=Maura Kelly | last=Lannan | title=Alan Keyes Enters U.S. Senate Race in Illinois Against Rising Democratic Star | date=], ] | publisher=Union-Tribune (San Diego) | url =http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/20040809-0849-illinoissenate.html | work =Associated Press | accessdate = 2008-01-14}}</ref> A long-time resident of ], Keyes established legal residency in Illinois with the nomination.<ref>{{cite news | first=Ford | last=Liam | coauthors= David Mendell | title=Keyes Sets Up House in Cal City | date=], ] | url =http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/specials/elections/chi-0408130201aug13,1,7640082.story | work =Chicago Tribune | accessdate = 2008-01-14}}</ref> Through three televised debates, Obama and Keyes expressed opposing views on ], ], ], ]s, and ]s.<ref>For debate transcripts and video, see ''Alan Keyes Archives'': {{cite web|url=http://www.keyesarchives.com/transcript.php?id=367 |title=Alan Keyes and Barack Obama debate, hosted by Illinois Radio Network |date=] ]}} {{cite web|url=http://www.keyesarchives.com/transcript.php?id=370 |title=U.S. Senate debate sponsored by the League of Women Voters in Illinois |date=] ]}} {{cite web|url=http://www.keyesarchives.com/transcript.php?id=373 |title=Debate sponsored by WTTW and the City Club of Chicago |accessdate=2008-01-14 |date=] ]}}</ref> In the November 2004 general election, Obama received 70% of the vote to Keyes's 27%, the largest electoral victory in Illinois history.<ref>{{cite news | title=America Votes 2004: U.S. Senate / Illinois | url =http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/IL/S/01/index.html | work =CNN | accessdate = 2008-01-14}} {{cite news | first=Peter | last=Slevin | title=For Obama, a Handsome Payoff in Political Gambles | date=] ] | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/12/AR2007111201945.html | work=Washington Post | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref>

==Senate career==
Obama was sworn in as a senator on ] ].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://obama.senate.gov/about/ | title=About Barack Obama | accessdate=2008-01-14 | work=Barack Obama U.S. Senate Office}}</ref> Although a newcomer to Washington, he recruited a team of established, high-level advisers devoted to broad themes that exceeded the usual requirements of an incoming first-term senator.<ref>{{cite news | first=Charles | last=Babington | coauthors=Shailagh Murray | title=For Now, an Unofficial Rivalry | date=] ] | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/07/AR2006120701755.html | work=Washington Post | accessdate=2008-01-21}} {{cite news | first=Mike | last=Dorning | title=Obama's Policy Team Loaded with All-Stars | date=] ] | url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-obama_mon_nusep17,1,4819101,full.story | work=Chicago Tribune | accessdate=2008-01-21}}</ref> Obama hired ], a 30-year veteran of national politics and former chief of staff to Senate Democratic Leader ], as his chief of staff, and economist ], former deputy chief of staff to Secretary of the Treasury ], as his policy director.<ref>{{cite news | first=Jodi | last=Enda | title=Great Expectations | date=] ] | url=http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?articleId=10828 | work=The American Prospect | accessdate=2008-01-14}} {{cite news | first=Perry | last=Bacon Jr. | title=The Outsider's Insider | date=] ] | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/26/AR2007082601446.html | work=Washington Post | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> His key foreign policy advisers include ], author on human rights and genocide, and former ] officials ] and ].<ref>{{cite news | first=James | last=Traub | title=Is (His) Biography (Our) Destiny? | date=] ] | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/04/magazine/04obama-t.html | work=New York Times | accessdate=2008-01-14}} {{cite news | first=Neil | last=King | title=Obama Tones Foreign-Policy Muscle | date=] ] | url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118895877299317784.html | work=Wall Street Journal | accessdate=2008-01-14}} {{cite news | first=Lynn | last=Sweet | title=Obama Taps Influential Foreign Policy Experts | date=] ] | url=http://www.suntimes.com/news/sweet/379187,CST-EDT-sweet10.article | work=Chicago Sun-Times | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> Obama holds assignments on the Senate Committees for ]; ]; ]; and ], and he is a member of the ].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://obama.senate.gov/committees/ | title=Committee Assignments | accessdate=2008-01-14 | work=Barack Obama U.S. Senate Office}} {{cite news | title=Member Info | url=http://www.house.gov/kilpatrick/cbc/member_info.html | work=Congressional Black Caucus | accessdate=2008-01-14}} See also: {{cite news | first=Jeff | last=Zeleny | title=When It Comes to Race, Obama Makes His Point—With Subtlety | date=] ] | url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-050626obama-race,1,7205709.story | work=Chicago Tribune | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> Obama has consistently opposed the ].

===109th Congress===
] (]-]) and Obama discuss the ].<ref>{{cite news | title=President Bush Signs Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act | date=] ] | url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/09/20060926.html | work=White House | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref>]]

Obama took an active role in the Senate's drive for improved ] and ]. In 2005, he co-sponsored the "]" introduced by Sen. ] (]-]).<ref>{{cite news | first=109th Congress, 1st Session | last=U.S. Senate | title=S. 1033, Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act | date=] ] | url=http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:SN01033: | work=Thomas | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> He later added three amendments to the "]", which passed the Senate in May 2006, but failed to gain majority support in the ].<ref>{{cite news | title=Immigration Bill Divides House, Senate | date=] ] | url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-09-22-immigration_x.htm | work=USA Today | accessdate=2008-01-14}} See also: {{cite news | url=http://obama.senate.gov/press/060525-obama_statement_on_senate_passage_of_immigration_reform_bill/index.html | title=Obama Statement on Senate Passage of Immigration Reform Bill | date=] ] | work=Barack Obama U.S. Senate Office | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> In September 2006, Obama supported a related bill, the ], authorizing construction of fencing and other security improvements along the ].<ref>{{cite news | title=Latinos Upset Obama Voted for Border Fence | date=] ] | url=http://cbs2chicago.com/local/local_story_324192245.html | work=CBS 2 (Chicago) | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> President Bush signed the Secure Fence Act into law in October 2006, calling it "an important step toward immigration reform."<ref>{{cite news | title=President Bush Signs Secure Fence Act | date=] ] | url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/10/20061026.html | work=White House | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref>

Partnering first with Sen. ] (]-]), and then with Sen. ] (]-]), Obama successfully introduced two initiatives bearing his name. "Lugar-Obama" expands the ] concept to ]s, including ] and ]s.<ref>{{cite news | first=109th Congress, 2nd Session | last=U.S. Senate | title=S. 2566, Cooperative Proliferation Detection, Interdiction Assistance, and Conventional Threat Reduction Act of 2006 | date=] ] | url=http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:SN02566: | work=Thomas | accessdate=2008-01-14}} See also: {{cite news | first=Richard G. | last=Lugar | coauthors=Barack Obama | title=Junkyard Dogs of War | date=] ] | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/02/AR2005120201509.html | work=Washington Post | accessdate=2008-01-14}} {{cite news | url=http://obama.senate.gov/press/070111-lugar-obama_non/ | title= Lugar-Obama Nonproliferation Legislation Signed into Law by the President | date=] ] | work=Richard Lugar U.S. Senate Office | accessdate=2008-01-14}} The Lugar-Obama initiative subsequently received $48 million in funding. {{cite news | url=http://lugar.senate.gov/press/record.cfm?id=278019 | title=Obama, Lugar Secure Funding for Implementation of Nonproliferation Law | work=Richard Lugar U.S. Senate Office | date=] ] | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> The "]" provides for a web site, managed by the ], listing all organizations receiving Federal funds from 2007 onward, and providing breakdowns by the agency allocating the funds, the dollar amount given, and the purpose of the grant or contract.<ref>{{cite news | first=109th Congress, 2nd Session | last=U.S. Senate | title=S. 2590, Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 | date=] ] | url=http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:SN02590: | work=Thomas | accessdate=2008-01-14}} {{cite news | title=President Bush Signs Coburn-Obama Transparency Act | date=] ] | url=http://coburn.senate.gov/ffm/index.cfm?FuseAction=LegislativeFloorAction.Home&ContentRecord_id=eb582f19-802a-23ad-41db-7a7cb464cfdb | work=Tom Coburn U.S. Senate Office | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> In December 2006, President Bush signed into law the "] Relief, Security, and Democracy Promotion Act," marking the first federal legislation to be enacted with Obama as its primary sponsor.<ref>{{cite news | first=109th Congress, 2nd Session | last=U.S. Senate | title=S. 2125, Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief, Security, and Democracy Promotion Act | date=] ] | url=http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:SN02125: | work=Thomas | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref>

As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Obama made official trips to Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. In August 2005, he traveled to ], ], and ]. The trip focused on strategies to control the world's supply of ], ], and ] as a first defense against potential ] attacks.<ref>{{cite news | first=Christina | last=Larson | title=Hoosier Daddy: What Rising Democratic Star Barack Obama Can Learn from an Old Lion of the GOP | date=September 2006 | url=http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2006/0609.larson.html | work=Washington Monthly | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> Following meetings with ] in ] and ] in January 2006, Obama visited ], ], and the ]. At a meeting with ] students two weeks before ] won the ], Obama warned that "the U.S. will never recognize winning Hamas candidates unless the group renounces its fundamental mission to eliminate Israel."<ref>{{cite news | first=Chuck | last=Goudie | title=Obama Meets with Arafat's Successor | date=], ] | url =http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=local&id=3806933 | work=ABC 7 News (Chicago) | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> He left for his third official trip in August 2006, traveling to ], ], ], ] and ]. In a nationally televised speech at the ], he spoke forcefully on the influence of ethnic rivalries and ].<ref>{{cite news | title=Obama Slates Kenya for Fraud | date=], ] | url=http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_1989646,00.html | work=News24.com | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> The speech touched off a public debate among rival leaders, some formally challenging Obama's remarks as unfair and improper, others defending his positions.<ref>{{cite news | first=Chris | last=Wamalwa | title=Envoy Hits at Obama Over Graft Remark | date=], ] | url =http://www.eastandard.net/archives/cl/hm_news/news.php?articleid=1143957666 | work=The Standard (Nairobi) | accessdate=2008-01-14}} {{cite news | first=Vincent | last=Moracha | coauthors= Mangoa Mosota | title=Leaders Support Obama on Graft Claims | date=], ] | url=http://www.eastandard.net/archives/cl/hm_news/news.php?articleid=1143957752 | work =The Standard (Nairobi) | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref>

===110th Congress===
In the first month of the newly Democratic-controlled ], Obama worked with ] (]–]) to eliminate gifts of travel on corporate jets by ] to members of Congress and require disclosure of ] under the "]", which was signed into law in September 2007.<ref>{{cite news | first=Nathaniel | last=Weixel | title=Feingold, Obama Go After Corporate Jet Travel | date=] ] | url=http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/feingold-obama-go-after-corporate-jet-travel-2007-11-15.html | work=The Hill | accessdate=2008-01-14}} {{cite news | first=Nathaniel | last=Weixel | title=Lawmakers Press FEC on Bundling Regulation | date=] ] | url=http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/lawmakers-press-fec-on-bundling-regulation-2007-12-05.html | work=The Hill | accessdate=2008-01-14}} See also: {{cite news | title=Federal Election Commission Announces Plans to Issue New Regulations to Implement the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act of 2007 | date=] ] | publisher=Federal Election Commission | url=http://www.fec.gov/press/press2007/20070924travel.shtml | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> He joined ] (]-]) in sponsoring ], a bill to criminalize deceptive practices in federal elections, including fraudulent flyers and automated phone calls, as witnessed in the ].<ref>{{cite news | first=Seth | last=Stern | title=Obama-Schumer Bill Proposal Would Criminalize Voter Intimidation | date=] ] | publisher=New York Times | url=http://www.nytimes.com/cq/2007/01/31/cq_2213.html | work=CQPolitics.com | accessdate=2008-01-14}} {{cite news | first=110th Congress, 1st Session | last=U.S. Senate | title=S. 453, Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act of 2007 | date=] ] | url=http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:SN00453: | work=Thomas | accessdate=2008-01-14}} See also: {{cite news | title=Honesty in Elections | date=] ] | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/31/opinion/31wed1.html | work=New York Times | format=editorial | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> Obama's ] initiatives scored pluses and minuses with ], who welcomed his sponsorship with ] (]-]) of a ] bill to reduce ] emissions by two-thirds by 2050, but were skeptical of his support for a bill promoting ] production.<ref>{{cite news | first=Hebert | last=H. Josef | title=Congress Begins Tackling Climate Issues | date=] ] | publisher=CBS News | url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/29/ap/politics/mainD8MV8LBG0.shtml | work=Associated Press | accessdate=2008-01-14}} {{cite news | first=Elizabeth | last=Williamson | title=The Green Gripe With Obama: Liquefied Coal Is Still... Coal | date=] ] | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/09/AR2007010901503.html | work=Washington Post | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> Obama also introduced the "]", a bill to cap troop levels in Iraq, begin phased redeployment, and remove all combat brigades from Iraq before April 2008.<ref>{{cite news | first=E. Kasak | last=Krystin | title=Obama Introduces Measure to Bring Troops Home |date=] ] | publisher=nwi.com | url =http://nwitimes.com/articles/2007/02/07/news/illiana/doc65cc98d8dc6506b28625727b0011edb5.txt | work=Medill News Service | accessdate=2008-01-14}} {{cite news | first=110th Congress, 1st Session | last=U.S. Senate | title=S. 433, Iraq War De-Escalation Act of 2007 | date=] ] | url=http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:SN00433: | work=Thomas | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref>

Later in 2007, Obama sponsored with ] (]-]) an amendment to the 2008 ] adding safeguards for personality disorder ]s, and calling for a review by the ] following reports that the procedure had been used inappropriately to reduce government costs.<ref>{{cite news | title=Obama, Bond Hail New Safeguards on Military Personality Disorder Discharges, Urge Further Action | date=] ] | url=http://bond.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressRoom.NewsReleases&ContentRecord_id=5C1EBFEB-1321-0E36-BA7D-04630AEFAD31 | work =Kit Bond U.S. Senate Office | accessdate=2008-01-14}} See also: {{cite news | first=Philip | last=Dine | title=Bond Calls for Review of Military Discharges | date=] ] | url =http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/washington/story/1FB9AF3F22D30D72862573A300150578?OpenDocument | work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref>{{dead link|date=February 2008}} He sponsored the "Iran Sanctions Enabling Act" supporting divestment of state pension funds from Iran's oil and gas industry,<ref>{{cite news | first=110th Congress, 1st Session | last=U.S. Senate | title=S. 1430, Iran Sanctions Enabling Act | date=] ] | url =http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:SN01430: | work=Thomas | accessdate=2008-01-14}} See also: {{cite news | first=Adam | last=Graham-Silverman | title=Despite Flurry of Action in House, Congress Unlikely to Act Against Iran | date=] ] | url =http://public.cq.com/docs/cqt/news110-000002583189.html | work=CQ Today | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> and joined ] (]-]) in introducing legislation to reduce risks of ]. A provision from the Obama-Hagel bill was passed by Congress in December 2007 as an amendment to the State-Foreign Operations appropriations bill.<ref>{{cite news | title=Obama, Schiff Provision to Create Nuclear Threat Reduction Plan Approved | date=] ] | url=http://obama.senate.gov/press/071220-obama_schiff_pr/ | work=Barack Obama U.S. Senate Office | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> Obama also sponsored a Senate amendment to the ] (SCHIP) to provide one year of job protection for family members caring for soldiers with combat-related injuries.<ref>{{cite news | title=Senate Passes Obama, McCaskill Legislation to Provide Safety Net for Families of Wounded Service Members | date=] ] | url=http://obama.senate.gov/press/070802-senate_passes_o_1/ | work=Barack Obama U.S. Senate Office |accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> After passing both houses of Congress with bipartisan majorities, SCHIP was ] by President Bush in early October 2007, a move Obama said "shows a callousness of priorities that is offensive to the ideals we hold as Americans."<ref>{{cite news | first=Tony | last=Pugh | coauthors=Margaret Talev | title=Battles Set After Health Bill Veto | date=] ] | url=http://www.philly.com/inquirer/front_page/20071004_Battles_set_after_health_bill_veto.html | work=Philadelphia Inquirer | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref>

==Presidential campaign==
{{main|Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2008}}
{{Future election candidate|section|Obama, Barack}}
], ].<ref>For other photos of this event, see: {{cite news | url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/barackobamadotcom/sets/72157594528136270/show/ | title=Presidential Campaign Announcement | accessdate=2008-01-14 |date=] ] | format=photo gallery | work=Barack Obama, Flickr}}</ref>]]

In February 2007, standing before the ] building in ], ], Obama announced his candidacy for the ].<ref name=BBC20070210>{{cite news | title=Obama Launches Presidential Bid | date=] ] | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6349081.stm | work=BBC News | accessdate=2008-01-14}} at Brightcove.TV.</ref> Describing his working life in Illinois, and symbolically linking his presidential campaign to ] 1858 ] speech, Obama said: "That is why, in the shadow of the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln once called on a house divided to stand together, where common hopes and common dreams still live, I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for President of the United States of America."<ref>{{cite news | title=Presidential Campaign Announcement | format=video | date=] ] | publisher=Brightcove.TV | url=http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=494649996&channel=353512430 | work=Obama for America | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> Speaking at a ] meeting one week before the February announcement, Obama called for putting an end to ]. "This can't be about who digs up more skeletons on who, who makes the fewest slip-ups on the campaign trail," he said. "We owe it to the American people to do more than that."<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.democrats.org/a/2007/02/barack_obama.php |title=Barack Obama at the DNC Winter 2007 Meeting | format=video | date=] ] | work=Democratic National Committee | accessdate=2008-01-14}} Full text from . Retrieved on ]. See also: {{cite news | first=Paul | last=Harris | title=The Obama Revolution | date=] ] | url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,,2005508,00.html | work=Guardian Unlimited | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref>

Obama's campaign raised ]58 million during the first half of 2007, topping all other candidates and exceeding previous records for the first six months of any year before an election year.<ref>{{cite news | first=Jim | last=Malone | title=Obama Fundraising Suggests Close Race for Party Nomination | date=] ] | url=http://www.voanews.com/english/2007-07-02-voa52.cfm | work=Voice of America | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> Small donors, those contributing in increments of less than $200, accounted for $16.4 million of Obama's record-breaking total, more than for any other Democratic candidate.<ref>{{cite news | first=Jeanne | last=Cummings | title=Small Donors Rewrite Fundraising Handbook | date=] ] | url=http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=3ECB3515-3048-5C12-004D622CB6F4E214 | work=Politico | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> His campaign reported adding 108,000 new donors through third quarter fundraising, for a total of 365,000 individual contributors in the first nine months.<ref>{{cite news | first=Michael | last=Cooper | coauthors=Aron Pilhofer | title=Democratic Candidates Keep Outraising Republicans | date=] ] | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/16/us/politics/16donate.html | work=New York Times | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> Amid concerns for his safety as the first black candidate seen as having a viable chance of being elected president, the U.S. government assigned ] protection to Obama 18&nbsp;months before the general election.<ref>{{cite news | first=Helen | last=Kennedy | title=Obama Gets Earliest-Ever Secret Service Detail | date=] ] | url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/wn_report/2007/05/04/2007-05-04_raising_his_guard.html | work=New York Daily News | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref>

With two months remaining before the ] and ], and national ]s showing him trailing ], Obama began directly charging his top rival with failing to clearly state her political positions.<ref>{{cite news | first=Jay | last=Newton-Small | title=Obama (Sort of) Takes the Gloves Off | date=] ] | url=http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1677121,00.html | work=Time | accessdate=2008-01-14}} {{cite news | first=Adam | last=Nagourney | coauthors=Jeff Zeleny | title=Obama Rolls Out Aggressive Approach to Clinton's Campaign | date=] ] | url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/10/28/america/obama.php | work =International Herald Tribune | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> Campaigning in Iowa, he told the ''Washington Post'' that as the Democratic nominee he would draw more support than Clinton from ] and Republican voters in the general election.<ref>{{cite news | first=Dan | last=Balz | coauthors=Shailagh Murray | title=On Campaign Bus, Obama Opens Up About Challengers | date=] ] | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/08/AR2007110802459.html | work=Washington Post | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> At Iowa's ] fundraising dinner in November 2007, he expanded the theme, saying that his presidency would "bring the country together in a new majority" to seek solutions to long-standing problems.<ref>{{cite news | title=Remarks of Senator Barack Obama: Iowa Jefferson-Jackson Dinner | date=] ] | url=http://www.barackobama.com/2007/11/10/remarks_of_senator_barack_obam_33.php | work =BarackObama.com | accessdate=2008-01-14}} ''C-SPAN'' at ''YouTube''.</ref> In January 2008, Obama won the Iowa caucus with 37.58% support, ahead of 29.75% for ] and 29.47% for Clinton.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iowacaucusresults.com/|title=www.iowacaucusresults.com/<!--INSERT TITLE-->}}</ref> His Iowa lead was boosted by majority support from a record turnout of voters under 30 years old, most of them first-time caucus goers.<ref>{{cite news | first=James | last=Montgomery | coauthors=Kim Stolz | title=Barack Obama, Mike Huckabee's Iowa Caucus Wins Are Largely Thanks To Young Voters | date=] ] | url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1579042/20080104/index.jhtml | work=MTV | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> Five days later, Clinton won the New Hampshire primary with 39% of the vote to Obama's 37%.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://edition.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/primaries/results/state/#val=NH | title=Election Center 2008: Primary Results for New Hampshire | work=CNN | date=] ] | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref>

On January 26, 2008, Barack Obama defeated top rival Hillary Clinton in the ]. Fox News says, "Returns showed Clinton leading former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards for second place, but Obama held on to a gaping lead. The final results had Obama with 55%, Clinton with 27% and Edwards with 18%."<ref>{{cite news | url=http://youdecide08.foxnews.com/2008/01/26/obama-pulls-big-victory-out-of-south-carolina/ | title=FOXNews You Decide! 2008: Primary Results for South Carolina | work=FOXNews | date=] ] | accessdate=2008-01-26}}</ref>

On the two days following the Democratic primary, Obama raised $7 million (USD) while Hillary Clinton loaned herself $5 million (USD). This is in addition to the $32 million (USD) raised by Obama, compared to the $13 million raised by Hillary in January.<ref>http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-02-07-voa44.cfm</ref>

==Political advocacy==
{{seealso|Political positions of Barack Obama}}
] on ] ].<ref>{{cite news | first=Jessica | last=Foster | title=Obama Impresses Crowd at CCU | date= ] ] | publisher=MyrtleBeachOnline | url =http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/politics/story/167479.html | work =Sun News | accessdate = 2008-01-14 | }}{{dead link|date=February 2008}} at Brightcove.TV.</ref>]]

On the role of government in economic affairs, Obama has written: "We should be asking ourselves what mix of policies will lead to a dynamic ] and widespread economic security, entrepreneurial innovation and ] we should be guided by what works."<ref>Obama (2006), p. 159.</ref> Speaking before the ] in April 2005, he defended the ] social welfare policies of ], associating Republican proposals to establish private accounts for ] with ].<ref>{{cite news | first=Ben A. | last=Franklin | title=The Fifth Black Senator in U.S. History Makes F.D.R. His Icon | date=] ] | url=http://www.washingtonspectator.com/articles/20050601obama_1.cfm | work =Washington Spectator | accessdate = 2008-01-14 | }}</ref> In the aftermath of ], Obama spoke out against government indifference to growing economic class divisions, calling on both political parties to take action to restore the ] for the poor.<ref>{{cite news | first=Jeff | last=Zeleny | title=Judicious Obama Turns Up Volume | date=] ] | url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-0509120140sep12,1,5984193.story?coll=chi-news-hed | work=Chicago Tribune | accessdate = 2008-01-14}}</ref> Shortly before announcing his presidential campaign, Obama told the health care advocacy group ]: "I am absolutely determined that by the end of the first term of the next president, we should have universal health care in this country."<ref>{{cite news | first=Nedra | last=Pickler | title=Obama Calls for Universal Health Care within Six Years | date=] ] | publisher=Union-Tribune (San Diego) | url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/20070125-1240-democrats-healthcare.html | work=Associated Press | accessdate=2008-01-14}} Obama's campaign published a detailed health care reform plan in May 2007. {{cite news | first=Karen | last=Tumulty | title=Obama Channels Hillary on Health Care | date=] ] | url=http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1626105,00.html | work=Time | accessdate=2008-01-14}} See also: {{cite news | url=http://www.barackobama.com/issues/healthcare/ | title=Creating a Healthcare System that Works | accessdate=2008-01-14 | work=BarackObama.com }}</ref>

Meeting with ] employees in November 2007, Obama pledged to appoint a ] to oversee the U.S. government's management of ] resources and promote wider access to government information and decision making.<ref>{{cite news | first=Laura | last=Kurtzman | coauthors= | title=Obama Talks to the Tech Crowd at Google Town Hall | date=] ] | publisher=SFGate.com | url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/11/14/politics/p182411S74.DTL | work=Associated Press | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> Reaffirming his commitment to ] legislation, Obama said "once providers start to privilege some applications or web sites over others, then the smaller voices get squeezed out, and we all lose."<ref>{{cite news | first=Roy | last=Mark | title=Obama Promises Federal Technology Czar | date=] ] | url=http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,2217653,00.asp | work=eWeek | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> Campaigning in New Hampshire, he announced an $18&nbsp;billion plan for investments in early childhood education, math and science education, and expanded summer learning opportunities.<ref>{{cite news | first=Shira | last=Schoenberg | title=Obama Shares School Plan | date=] ] | url=http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071121/NEWS01/711210347/1043 | work=Concord Monitor | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> Obama's campaign distinguished his proposals to reward teachers for performance from traditional ] systems, assuring unions that changes would be pursued through the ] process.<ref>{{cite news | first=Teddy | last=Davis | coauthors=Sunlen Miller | title=Obama Bucks Party Line on Education | date=] ] | url=http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Story?id=3894699 | work=ABC News | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref>

At the ] in September 2007, he blamed ] for distorting the ]. "We are taxing income from work at nearly twice the level that we're taxing gains for investors," Obama said. "We've lost the balance between work and wealth."<ref>{{cite news | title=A Speech On the Economy, Opportunity and Tax Policy with Senator Barack Obama | date=] ] | url=http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/events/obama.cfm | work=Tax Policy Center | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> His plan would eliminate taxes for senior citizens with incomes of less than $50,000 a year, repeal tax cuts said to favor the wealthy, close corporate tax loopholes and restrict offshore ]s, and simplify filing of income tax returns by pre-filling wage and bank information already collected by the ].<ref>{{cite news | title=Obama Tax Plan: $80 Billion in Cuts, Five-Minute Filings | date=] ] | url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/09/18/obama.taxplan/ | work=CNN | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> Announcing his presidential campaign's energy plan in October 2007, Obama said: "Businesses don’t own the sky, the public does, and if we want them to stop polluting it, we have to put a price on all pollution." He proposed a ] auction system to restrict carbon emissions and a 10&nbsp;year program of investments in new energy sources to reduce U.S. dependence on imported oil.<ref>{{cite news | first=Jeff | last=Zeleny | title=Obama Proposes Capping Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Making Polluters Pay | date=] ] | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/09/us/politics/09obama.html | work=New York Times | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref>

Obama was an early critic of ] policies on ].<!--
--><ref>{{cite news |author=Strausberg, Chinta |date=] ] |work=] |page=1 |title=Opposition to war mounts |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-220062931.html |format=paid archive |accessdate=2008-02-03}}<br />
{{cite news |author=Strausberg, Chinta |date=] ] |work=] |page=3 |title=Blacks, whites unite in anti-war efforts |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-687705761.html |format=paid archive |accessdate=2008-02-03}}</ref> On ], ], the day ] and ] agreed on a ] ] the ],<!--
--><ref>{{cite news |author=Tackett, Michael |date=] ] |work=] |page=1 |title=Bush, House OK Iraq deal; Congress marches with Bush |url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/203569641.html?dids=203569641:203569641&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT |format=paid archive |accessdate=2008-02-03}}<br />
{{cite news |author=Associated Press |date=] ] |work=] |page=1 |title=Congress lines up behind Bush; Representatives, White House agree on resolution allowing the U.S. to attack Iraq; Senate is expected to get on board within the next few days |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CSTB&p_theme=cstb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_dispstring=headline(Congress%20lines%20up%20behind%20Bush)%20AND%20date(all)&p_field_advanced-0=title&p_text_advanced-0=(Congress%20lines%20up%20behind%20Bush)&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no |format=paid archive |accessdate=2008-02-03}}</ref> Obama addressed the first high-profile Chicago ] in ],<!--
--><ref>{{cite news |author=Glauber, Bill |date=] ] |work=] |page=1 |title=War protesters gentler, but passion still burns |url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/203569621.html?dids=203569621:203569621&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT |format=paid archive |accessdate=2008-02-03}}<br />
{{cite news |author=Sweeney, Annie |date=] ] |work=] |page=22 |title=Lunch-hour crowd debates war issue; Jackson headlines protest of possible strike against Iraq |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CSTB&p_theme=cstb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_dispstring=headline(Lunch-hour%20crowd%20debates%20war%20issue)%20AND%20date(all)&p_field_advanced-0=title&p_text_advanced-0=(Lunch-hour%20crowd%20debates%20war%20issue)&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no |format=paid archive |accessdate=2008-02-03}}<br />
{{cite news |author=Strausberg, Chinta |date=] ] |work=] |page=1 |title=War with Iraq undermines U.N. |url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-220379051.html |accessdate=2008-02-03}}<br />
{{cite news |author=Bryant, Greg; Vaughn, Jane B. |date=] ] |work=] |page=8 |title=300 attend rally against Iraq war |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=ADHB&p_theme=adhb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_text_search-0=300%20AND%20attend%20AND%20rally%20AND%20against%20AND%20Iraq%20AND%20war&s_dispstring=300%20attend%20rally%20against%20Iraq%20war%20AND%20date(10/3/2002%20to%2010/3/2002)&p_field_date-0=YMD_date&p_params_date-0=date:B,E&p_text_date-0=10/3/2002%20to%2010/3/2002)&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no |format=paid archive |accessdate=2008-02-03}}<br />
{{cite news |author=Bryant, Greg |date=] ] |publisher=] |title=300 protesters rally to oppose war with Iraq |url=http://mesh.medill.northwestern.edu/mnschicago/archives/2002/10/300_protesters.html |accessdate=2008-02-03}}<br />
{{cite book |author=Mendell, David |date=] ] |title=Obama : From Promise to Power |chapter=Chapter 12. The Consultant |location=New York |publisher=] |isbn=0-06-085820-6 |url=http://browseinside.harpercollins.com/index.aspx?isbn13=9780060858209 |pages=pp. 172–7 |accessdate=2008-02-03}}</ref> saying: <blockquote>I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of ]. I am not opposed to all wars. I'm opposed to dumb wars.<ref>{{cite news |author=Obama, Barack |date=] ] |title=Remarks of Illinois State Sen. Barack Obama Against Going to War with Iraq |url=http://www.barackobama.com/2002/10/02/remarks_of_illinois_state_sen.php |publisher=BarackObama.com |accessdate=2008-02-03}}</ref></blockquote>

Obama sought to make his early public opposition to the Iraq War before it started a major issue, to distinguish himself from his Democratic primary rivals in his 2004 U.S. Senate campaign who supported the resolution authorizing the Iraq War,<!--
--><ref>{{cite news |author=McCormick, John |date=] ] |title=Senate hopefuls abound for '04; Forum attracts 9 for Fitzgerald post |work=] |page=1 (Metro section) |url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/358199331.html?dids=358199331:358199331&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT |format=paid archive |accessdate=2008-02-03}}<br />
{{cite news |author=Chase, John; Mendell, David |date=] ] |title=Senate candidates divided over Iraq; 5 Democrats hit Bush on policy |work=] |page=1 (Metro section) |url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/528231411.html?dids=528231411:528231411&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT |format=paid archive |accessdate=2008-02-03}}</ref>
and in his 2008 U.S. Presidential campaign to distinguish himself from four Democratic primary rivals who voted for the resolution authorizing the Iraq War (], ], ], and ]).<!--
--><ref>{{cite news |author=McCormick, John; Dorning, Mike |date=] ] |work=] |page=7 |title=Obama marks '02 war speech - Contender highlights his early opposition in effort to distinguish him from his rivals |url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/1351610621.html?dids=1351610621:1351610621&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT |format=paid archive |accessdate=2008-02-03}}<br />
{{cite news |author=Pallasch, Abdon M. |date=] ] |work=] |page=26 |title=Obama touts anti-war cred - Kicks off tour 5 years after speech critical of going to Iraq |url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CSTB&p_theme=cstb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_dispstring=headline(Obama%20touts%20anti-war%20cred)%20AND%20date(all)&p_field_advanced-0=title&p_text_advanced-0=(Obama%20touts%20anti-war%20cred)&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no |format=paid archive |accessdate=2008-02-03}}</ref>

Speaking to the ] in November 2006, Obama called for a "phased redeployment of U.S. troops from Iraq" and an opening of diplomatic dialogue with ] and ].<ref>For audio and text, see: {{cite news | first=Barack | last=Obama | title=A Way Forward in Iraq | date=] ] | url=http://www.thechicagocouncil.org/hottopics_details.php?hottopics_id=52 | work=Chicago Council on Global Affairs | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> In a March 2007 speech to ], a pro-Israel ], he said that while the U.S. "should take no option, including military action, off the table, sustained and aggressive diplomacy combined with tough sanctions should be our primary means to prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons."<ref>{{cite news | first=Barack | last=Obama | title=AIPAC Policy Forum Remarks | date=] ] | url=http://obama.senate.gov/speech/070302-aipac_policy_fo/index.php | work=Barack Obama U.S. Senate Office | accessdate=2008-01-30}} For Obama's 2004 Senate campaign remarks on possible missile strikes against Iran, see: {{cite news | last=Mendell | first=David | title=Obama Would Consider Missile Strikes on Iran | format=paid archive | date=] ] | publisher=Chicago Tribune | url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/699578571.html?dids=699578571:699578571&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> Detailing his strategy for fighting ] in August 2007, Obama said "it was a terrible mistake to fail to act" against a 2005 meeting of al-Qaeda leaders that U.S. intelligence had confirmed to be taking place in Pakistan's ]. He said that as president he would not miss a similar opportunity, even without the support of the Pakistani government.<ref>{{cite news | title=Obama Warns Pakistan on Al-Qaeda | date=] ] | url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6926663.stm | work=BBC News | accessdate=2008-01-14}} For video and text of the speech, see: {{cite news | title=Policy Address on Terrorism by The Honorable Barack Obama, United States Senator from Illinois | date=] ] | url=http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=events.event&event_id=269510 | work=Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars | accessdate=2008-01-30}} For details of the aborted 2005 military operation, see {{cite news | first=Mark | last=Mazzetti | title=Rumsfeld Called Off 2005 Plan to Capture Top Qaeda Figures | date=] ] | url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/07/08/news/qaeda.php | work=International Herald Tribune | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref>

] rally at the ] in ] on ] ].<ref>{{cite news | first=Kasie | last=Hunt | title=Celebrities, Activists Rally Against Darfur Genocide | date=] ] | url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-04-30-darfurrally_x.htm | work =USA Today | accessdate=2008-01-14}} For excerpts from Obama's speech, see: {{cite news | title=More Must Be Done in Darfur | date=] ] | url=http://blog.thehill.com/2006/04/30/more-must-be-done-in-darfur/ | work =The Hill | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref>]]

In a December 2005 ''Washington Post'' opinion column, and at the ] rally in April 2006, Obama called for more assertive action to oppose ] in the ] of ].<ref>{{cite news | first=Barack | last=Obama | coauthors=Sam Brownback | title=Policy Adrift on Darfur | date=] ] | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/26/AR2005122600547.html | work=Washington Post | accessdate=2008-01-14}} {{cite news | first=Jim | last=Doyle | title=Tens of Thousands Rally for Darfur | date=] ] | url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/05/01/MNGFBIIFOA1.DTL | work=San Francisco Chronicle | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> He has ] $180,000 in personal holdings of Sudan-related stock, and has urged divestment from companies doing business in Iran.<ref>{{cite news | first=Jim | last=Kuhnhenn | title=Giuliani, Edwards Have Sudan Holdings | date=] ] | publisher=SFGate.com | url=http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/05/17/politics/p171906D95.DTL | work=Associated Press | accessdate=2008-01-14}} {{cite news | first=Barack | last=Obama | title=Hit Iran Where It Hurts | date=] ] | url=http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2007/08/30/2007-08-30_hit_iran_where_it_hurts.html | work=New York Daily News | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> In the July-August 2007 issue of '']'', Obama called for an outward looking post-Iraq War foreign policy and the renewal of American military, diplomatic, and moral leadership in the world. Saying "we can neither retreat from the world nor try to bully it into submission," he called on Americans to "lead the world, by deed and by example."<ref>{{cite news | first=Barack | last=Obama | title=Renewing American Leadership | date=July-August 2007 | url=http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20070701faessay86401/barack-obama/renewing-american-leadership.html | work=Foreign Affairs | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref>

Obama has encouraged Democrats to reach out to ] and other religious people, saying, "if we truly hope to speak to people where they’re at—to communicate our hopes and values in a way that’s relevant to their own—we cannot abandon the field of religious discourse."<ref>{{cite news | first=Michael | last=Lerner | title=U.S. Senator Barack Obama Critiques Democrats' Religiophobia | date=] ] | url=http://www.tikkun.org/rabbi_lerner/news_item.2006-07-02.3949597607 | work=Tikkun Magazine | accessdate=2008-01-14}} {{cite web|url=http://www.beliefnet.com/story/194/story_19473_1.html | title=Sen. Barack Obama: Call to Renewal Keynote Address | date=] ] | work=Beliefnet | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> In December 2006, he joined Sen. ] (]-]) at the "Global Summit on ] and the Church" organized by church leaders Kay and ].<ref>{{cite news | first=Manda | last=Gibson | title=At Global AIDS Summit, Churches Challenged to Take the Lead | date=] ] | url=http://www.purposedriven.com/en-US/HIVAIDSCommunity/StartingAMinistry/churches_challenged_to_take_the_lead.htm | work=PurposeDriven.com | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> Together with Warren and Brownback, Obama took an HIV test, as he had done in Kenya less than four months earlier.<ref>{{cite news | title=Screaming Crowds Welcome U.S. Senator 'Home' | date=], ] | url=http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/africa/08/26/kenya.obama/index.html | work=CNN | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> He encouraged "others in public life to do the same" to show "there is no shame in going for an HIV test."<ref>{{cite news | first=Barack | last=Obama | title=Race Against Time—World AIDS Day Speech | date=] ] | url =http://obama.senate.gov/speech/061201-race_against_time_-_world_aids_day_speech/index.html | work=Obama U.S. Senate Office | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> Before the conference, 18&nbsp;] groups published an ] stating, in reference to Obama's support for ]: "In the strongest possible terms, we oppose Rick Warren's decision to ignore Senator Obama's clear ] stance and invite him to ] anyway."<ref> {{cite news | title=Rick Warren/Barack Obama AIDS Partnership Must End, Say Pro-Life Groups | date=] ] | url=http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/791771591.html | work=Christian Newswire Press Release | accessdate=2008-01-14}} See also: {{cite news | first=David | last=Van Biema | title=The Real Losers in the Obama-Warren Controversy | date=] ] | url=http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1565076,00.html | work=Time | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> Addressing over 8,000 ] members in June 2007, Obama challenged "so-called leaders of the Christian Right" for being "all too eager to exploit what divides us."<ref>{{cite news | title=Barack Obama: Faith Has Been 'Hijacked' | date=] ] | publisher=CBS News | url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/24/politics/main2971556.shtml | work=Associated Press | accessdate = 2008-01-14 | }} See also: {{cite news | first=David | last=Brody | title=Obama to CBN News: We're No Longer Just a Christian Nation | date=] ] | url=http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/204016.aspx | work=Christian Broadcasting Network | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref>

==Personal life==
] with U.S. military service members from ] during his visit at ], ], on ] ]]]
Obama met his wife, ], in 1988 when he was employed as a summer associate at the Chicago law firm of ].<ref>Obama (2006), pp. 327–332. See also: {{cite news | first=Eric | last=Tucker | title=Family Ties: Brown Coach, Barack Obama | date=] ] | publisher=ABC News | url=http://www.abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory?id=2916437 | work =Associated Press | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> Assigned for three months as Obama's advisor at the firm, Robinson joined him at group social functions, but declined his initial offers to ].<ref>Obama (2006), p. 329.</ref> They began dating later that summer, became engaged in 1991, and were married in October 1992.<ref>{{cite news | first=Scott | last=Fornek | title=Michelle Obama: 'He Swept Me Off My Feet' | date=] ] | url=http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/585261,CST-NWS-wedding03.stng | work=Chicago Sun-Times | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> The couple's first daughter, Malia Ann, was born in 1998, followed by a second daughter, Natasha ("Sasha"), in 2001.<ref>Obama (1995), p. 440, and Obama (2006), pp. 339–340. See also: {{cite news | first=Rosalind | last=Rossi | title=The Woman Behind Obama | date=] ] | url=http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/221458,CST-NWS-mich21.article | work=Chicago Sun-Times | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> Applying the proceeds of a $2&nbsp;million book deal, the family paid off debts in 2005 and moved from a ] condominium to their current $1.6-million house in neighboring ].<ref>{{cite news | first=Jeff | last=Zeleny | title=The First Time Around: Sen. Obama's Freshman Year | date=] ] | url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-051224obama,1,1815354.story | work=Chicago Tribune | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> The house purchase and subsequent acquisition of an adjoining strip of land drew media scrutiny in November 2006
and in January 2008<ref>{{cite news | title=How Much Did an Accused Political Fixer Raise for Obama? | date=] ] | url=http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4192358&page=1 |accessdate=2008-02-08}}</ref>
because of financial links with controversial Illinois businessman ].<ref>{{cite news | first=Peter | last=Slevin | title=Obama Says He Regrets Land Deal With Fundraiser | date=] ] | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/16/AR2006121600729.html | work=Washington Post | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
| author = Jeff Coen and John Chase
| title = Tony Rezko arrested, sources say
| publisher = ]
| date = 2008-01-28
| accessdate = 2008-01-28
| url = http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-rezko-arrested_webjan29,1,6986321.story }}</ref>

Obama plays ], a sport he participated in as a member of his high school's varsity team.<ref>{{cite news | first=Jodi | last=Kantor | title=One Place Where Obama Goes Elbow to Elbow | date=] ] | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/01/us/politics/01hoops.html | work=New York Times | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | first=Neal Karlinsky | last=Dan Morris | title=The 'Rat-Ballers': Obama's High School Crew | publisher=ABC News | url =http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=3095109 | work=Nightline | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> Before announcing his presidential candidacy, he began a well-publicized effort to ]. "I've never been a heavy smoker," Obama told the ''Chicago Tribune''. "I've quit periodically over the last several years. I've got an ironclad demand from my wife that in the stresses of the campaign I do not succumb. I've been chewing ] strenuously."<ref> {{cite news | first=Christi | last=Parsons | title=Obama Launches an '07 Campaign—To Quit Smoking | date=] ] | url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-0702060167feb06,0,373462.story | work=Chicago Tribune | accessdate=2008-01-14}} </ref> Replying to an ''Associated Press'' survey of 2008 presidential candidates' personal tastes, he specified "]" as his alternate career choice and "]" as his favorite meal to cook.<ref>{{cite news | title=Questions for the Candidates | date=] ] | publisher=USA Today | url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2007-05-17-2380332271_x.htm | work =Associated Press | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> Asked to name a "hidden talent," Obama answered: "I'm a pretty good ] player."<ref>{{cite news | title=Gambling Buddies: Obama Flush with Poker Prowess | date=] ] | publisher=CNN | url =http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/09/24/obama.poker.ap/index.html | work=Associated Press | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref>

A theme of Obama's keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, and the title of his 2006 book, ''The Audacity of Hope'', was inspired by his pastor, Rev. ].<ref>{{cite news | first=Jodi | last=Kantor | title=A Candidate, His Minister and the Search for Faith | date=] ] | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/30/us/politics/30obama.html | work =New York Times | accessdate=2008-01-14}} See also: Obama (1995), pp. 292–295.</ref> In Chapter 6 of the book, titled "Faith," Obama writes that he "was not raised in a religious household." He describes his mother, raised by non-religious parents, as detached from religion, yet "in many ways the most spiritually awakened person that I have ever known." He describes his Kenyan father as "raised a ]," but a "confirmed atheist" by the time his parents met, and his Indonesian stepfather as "a man who saw religion as not particularly useful." The chapter details how Obama, in his twenties, while working with local churches as a ], came to understand "the power of the African American religious tradition to spur social change." Obama writes: "It was because of these newfound understandings—that religious commitment did not require me to suspend critical thinking, disengage from the battle for economic and social justice, or otherwise retreat from the world that I knew and loved—that I was finally able to walk down the aisle of ] one day and be baptized."<ref>Obama (2006), pp. 202–208. Portions excerpted in: {{cite news | first=Barack | last=Obama | title=My Spiritual Journey | date=] ] | url =http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1546579,00.html | work=TIME | accessdate=2008-01-14}} See also: {{cite news | first=J. Bennett | last=Guess | title=Barack Obama, Candidate for President, is 'UCC' | date=] ] | url=http://www.ucc.org/news/barack-obama-candidate.html | work=United Church News | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> He has been a member of Trinity United Church of Christ for over twenty years.

As of March 2007, '']'' estimated that Barack Obama was the least wealthy of the major 2008 Presidential candidates, with a net worth of between $1 and $2.5 million, depending on the ultimate sales figures for Obama's book ''The Audacity of Hope''.<ref>{{cite news| publisher='']''| author=Zachary A. Goldfarb | date=2007-3-24| title=Measuring Wealth of the '08 Candidates| url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/24/AR2007032400305_pf.html}}</ref>

==Books==
]'']]
Obama has written two bestselling books. The first, '']'', was published after his graduation from law school and before running for public office. In it he recalls his childhood in ] and ], college years in ] and ], and his employment as a community organizer in ] in the 1980s. The book's last chapters describe his first visit to Kenya, a journey to connect with his ] family and heritage. In his preface to the 2004 revised edition, Obama explains that he had hoped the story of his family "might speak in some way to the fissures of race that have characterized the American experience, as well as the fluid state of identity—the leaps through time, the collision of cultures—that mark our modern life."<ref>Obama (1995), p. vii.</ref> ''Time'' magazine's ] wrote that the book "may be the best-written memoir ever produced by an American politician."<ref>{{cite news | last=Klein | first=Joe | title=The Fresh Face | date=] ] | work=Time | url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1546362,00.html | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> The ] edition earned Obama the 2006 ].<ref>{{cite news | first=Brooks | last=Boliek | title=Sen. Obama Finally Gets His Grammy | date=], ] | url=http://www.entertainment-news.org/breaking/54592/sen-obama-finally-gets-his-grammy.html | work=Reuters/Hollywood Reporter | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref>

His second book, '']'', was published in October 2006, three weeks before the 2006 midterm election. It was an immediate bestseller and rose to the top of the ] by early November 2006.<ref>{{cite news | first=Julie | last=Bosman | title=Obama’s New Book Is a Surprise Best Seller | date=] ] | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/09/books/09obam.html | work=New York Times | accessdate=2008-01-14}} </ref> The ''Chicago Tribune'' credits the large crowds that gathered at book signings with influencing Obama's decision to run for president.<ref>{{cite news | first=Mike | last=Dorning | coauthors= Christi Parsons | title=Carefully Crafting the Obama 'Brand' | date=] ] | url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-obama_senate_recordjun12,1,48733.story | work=Chicago Tribune | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> Former presidential candidate ] describes the book as Obama's "thesis submission" for the U.S. presidency: "It presents a man of relative youth yet maturity, a wise observer of the human condition, a figure who possesses perseverance and writing skills that have flashes of grandeur."<ref>{{cite news | first=Gary | last=Hart | title=American Idol | date=] ] | url =http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D02E1D61531F937A15751C1A9609C8B63 | work=New York Times | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> Reviewer ] writes that it does not contain "boldly innovative policy prescriptions that will lead the Democrats out of their wilderness," but does show Obama's potential to "construct a new politics that is progressive but grounded in civic traditions that speak to a wider range of Americans."<ref>{{cite news | first=Michael | last=Tomasky | title=The Phenomenon | date=] ] | publisher=Internet Archive | url=http://web.archive.org/web/20070401154934/http://www.nybooks.com/articles/19651 | work=New York Review of Books | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> An Italian translation was published in April 2007 with a preface by ], Mayor of ] and leader of Italy's ].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://store.libreriarizzoli.it/4DLink/4DAction/MostraScheda?Codice=978881701658 | title=L’Audacia Della Speranza. Il Sogno Americano Per Un Mondo Nuovo | accessdate=2008-01-14 | work=Libreria Rizzoli }}</ref> Spanish and German editions were published in June 2007.<ref>{{cite news | first=Annelena | last=Lobb | title=Obama, en Español | date=] ] | url =http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2007/06/19/obama-en-espanol/ | work=Wall Street Journal Online | accessdate = 2008-01-14}} {{cite news | title=Riemann - Barack Obama - Hoffnung wagen | date=June 2007 | publisher=Riemann | url =http://www.randomhouse.de/book/edition.jsp?edi=248620 | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref>

==Cultural and political image==
], ], on ] ].<ref>{{cite news | first=Wayne | last=Slater | title=Obama Reels in Austin Crowd | date=] ] | url =http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/022407dntexobama.10794.html | work =Dallas Morning News | accessdate = 2008-01-14 }} See also: {{cite news | first=Philip | last=Elliott | title=Obama Measuring Campaign Success not Just in Cash, but Crowds Too | date=] ] | publisher=Boston Globe | url =http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/05/28/obama_measuring_campaign_success_not_just_in_cash_but_crowds_too/ | work =Associated Press | accessdate = 2008-01-14 }}</ref>]]

Supporters and critics have likened Obama's popular image to a cultural ], a neutral persona on whom people can project their personal histories and aspirations.<ref name='ref name=Enda2006'>{{cite news | first=Jodi | last=Enda | title=Great Expectations | date=] ] | url =http://www.prospect.org/web/page.ww?section=root&name=ViewPrint&articleId=10828 | work =The American Prospect | accessdate = 2008-01-14 }} See also: {{cite news | first=Garrett M. | last=Graff | title= The Legend of Barack Obama | date=] ] | url =http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/mediapolitics/1836.html | work =Washingtonian | accessdate = 2008-01-14 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | first=John | last=Podhoretz | title=Obama: Rorschach Candidate | date=] ] | url =http://www.nypost.com/seven/12122006/postopinion/opedcolumnists/obama__rorschach_candidate_opedcolumnists_john_podhoretz.htm?page=0 | work =New York Post | accessdate = 2008-01-14 }}</ref> Obama's own stories about his family origins reinforce what a May 2004 '']'' magazine article described as his "]" image.<ref>{{cite news | last=Finnegan | first=William | title=The Candidate: How the Son of a Kenyan Economist Became an Illinois Everyman | date=] ] | publisher=New Yorker | url=http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/040531fa_fact1 |accessdate= 2008-01-14 }} See also: {{cite news | first=Jonathan | last=Tilove | title=In Obama Candidacy, America Examines Itself | date= ] ] | url =http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-7/1170922945129720.xml&coll=1&thispage=1 | work=Times-Picayune (New Orleans) | accessdate = 2008-01-14 }}</ref> In ''Dreams from My Father'', he ties his maternal family history to possible ] ancestors and distant relatives of ], president of the southern ] during the ].<ref>Obama (1995), p. 13. For reports on Obama's maternal genealogy, including slave owners, Irish connections, and common ancestors with ], ], and ], see: {{cite news | first=David | last=Nitkin | coauthors=Harry Merritt | title=A New Twist to an Intriguing Family History | date=] ] | url =http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/politics/bal-te.obama02mar02,0,3453027.story | work =Baltimore Sun | accessdate=2008-01-14}} {{cite news | first=Mary | last=Jordan | title=Tiny Irish Village Is Latest Place to Claim Obama as Its Own | date=] ] | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/12/AR2007051201551.html | work=Washington Post | accessdate=2008-01-14 }} {{cite news | title=Obama's Family Tree Has a Few Surprises | date=] ] | publisher=CBS 2 (Chicago) | url =http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/Barack.Obama.family.2.339709.html | work =Associated Press | accessdate=2008-01-14}}{{wikia genealogy|Mareen Duvall (c1630)/tree|Mareen Duvall (c1630) descendants tree|with a tree illustrating the relations of Truman, Obama and Cheney.|nologo=y}}
</ref> Speaking to an elderly ]ish audience during his 2004 campaign for U.S. Senate, Obama linked the linguistic ] of his ]n first name ''Barack'' to the ] word '']'', meaning "blessed."<ref>{{cite news | first=Ron | last=Kampeas | title=Obama, Democrats’ Rising Star, Known for Harmony with Jews | date=] ] | url =http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/23183/edition_id/462/format/html/displaystory.html | work =Jewish News Weekly of Northern California | accessdate = 2008-01-14 }}</ref> In an October 2006 interview on '']'', Obama highlighted the diversity of his extended family: "Michelle will tell you that when we get together for Christmas or Thanksgiving, it's like a little mini-]," he said. "I've got relatives who look like ], and I've got relatives who look like ]. We've got it all."<ref> {{cite web|url=http://www.oprah.com/tows/slide/200610/20061018/slide_20061018_284_110.jhtml |title=Keeping Hope Alive: Barack Obama Puts Family First |accessdate= 2008-01-14 | date=] ] | work=The Oprah Winfrey Show }}</ref>

With his Kenyan father and American mother, his upbringing in Honolulu and Jakarta, and ] education, Obama's early life experiences differ markedly from those of African American politicians who launched their careers in the 1960s through participation in the ].<ref>{{cite news | last=Wallace-Wells | first=Benjamin | title=The Great Black Hope: What's Riding on Barack Obama? | date=November 2004 | work =Washington Monthly | url=http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2004/0411.wallace-wells.html |accessdate=2008-01-14 }} See also: {{cite news | first=Janny | last=Scott | title=A Member of a New Generation, Obama Walks a Fine Line | date=] ] | url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/12/28/america/obama.php | work=International Herald Tribune | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> During his Democratic primary campaign for U.S. Congress in 2000, two rival candidates charged that Obama was not sufficiently rooted in Chicago's black neighborhoods to represent constituents' concerns.<ref name=McClelland20070212> {{cite news | first=Edward | last=McClelland | title=How Obama Learned to Be a Natural | date=] ] | url=http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/02/12/obama_natural/ | work =Salon | accessdate=2008-01-14 }} See also: {{cite news | first=Richard | last=Wolffe | coauthors= Daren Briscoe | title=Across the Divide | date=] ] | publisher=MSNBC | url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/33156 | work=Newsweek | accessdate=2008-01-14}} {{cite news | first=Scott | last=Helman | coauthors= | title=Early Defeat Launched a Rapid Political Climb | date=] ] | url=http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/10/12/early_defeat_launched_a_rapid_political_climb/ | work=Boston Globe | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> In January 2007, ''The End of Blackness'' author ] warned against drawing favorable cultural implications from Obama's political rise. "Lumping us all together," Dickerson wrote in '']'', "erases the significance of ] and continuing ] while giving the appearance of progress."<ref>{{cite news | first=Debra J | last=Dickerson | title=Colorblind | date= ] ] | url=http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2007/01/22/obama/index_np.html | work=Salon | accessdate=2008-01-14}} For a sampling of views by other black commentators see: {{cite news | first=Gary | last=Younge | title=Obama: Black Like Me | date=posted ] ] (] ] issue) | url =http://www.thenation.com/doc/20061113/younge | work=The Nation | accessdate=2008-01-14 }} {{cite news | first=Stanley | last=Crouch | title=What Obama Isn't: Black Like Me | date=] ] | url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ideas_opinions/story/467300p-393261c.html | work=New York Daily News | accessdate=2008-01-14 | archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070308142850/www.nydailynews.com/news/ideas_opinions/story/467300p-393261c.html | archivedate=2007-03-08}} {{cite news | first=Laura | last=Washington | title=Whites May Embrace Obama, But Do 'Regular Black Folks'? | date=] ] | url=http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obamacommentary/193216,CST-EDT-LAURA01.article | work =Chicago Sun-Times | accessdate=2008-01-14}} {{cite news | first=Clarence | last=Page | title=Is Barack Black Enough? Now That's a Silly Question | date=] ] | url=http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/4580864.html | work=Houston Chronicle | accessdate=2008-01-14 | archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070308133020/www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/editorial/outlook/4580864.html | archivedate=2007-03-08}}</ref> Film critic ], writing in a March 2007 '']'' article, compared the cultural sources of Obama's favorable polling among whites to those of "]" roles played by black actors in ] movies.<ref>Ehrenstein, David. "", ''Los Angeles Times'', ] ]. Retrieved on ].</ref> Expressing puzzlement over questions about whether he is "black enough," Obama told an August 2007 meeting of the ] that the debate is not about his physical appearance or his record on issues of concern to black voters. "What it really lays bare," Obama offered, is that "we're still locked in this notion that if you appeal to white folks then there must be something wrong."<ref>{{cite news | first=Les | last=Payne | title=In One Country, a Dual Audience | format=paid archive | date=] ] | url =http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/newsday/access/1322008241.html?dids=1322008241:1322008241&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT | work=Newsday | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref>

Writing about Obama's political image in a March 2007 '']'' opinion column, ] characterized him as "the personification of ''both-and''," a messenger who rejects "either-or" political choices, and could "move the nation beyond the ]s" of the 1960s.<ref>{{cite news | first=Eugene | last=Robinson | title=The Moment for This Messenger? | date=] ] | url =http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/12/AR2007031200983.html | work =Washington Post | accessdate=2008-01-04}} See also: {{cite news | last=Senior | first=Jennifer | title=Dreaming of Obama | date=] ] | work=New York Magazine| url=http://www.newyorkmetro.com/news/politics/21681/index.html |accessdate=2008-01-04}}</ref> Obama, who defines himself in ''The Audacity of Hope'' as "a Democrat, after all," has been criticized by ] commentator ] for demonstrating too much "Senate clubbiness", and was encouraged to run for the U.S. presidency by ] columnist ].<ref>Obama (2006), p. 10. Sirota wrote that Obama's ] of ] as Secretary of State and his reluctant support of a Senate ] opposing President Bush's ] to the U.S. Supreme Court may disappoint "those who see him as a bold challenger of the system". {{cite news | first=David | last=Sirota | title=Mr. Obama Goes to Washington | date=] ] | url=http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060626/sirota | work=The Nation | accessdate=2008-01-04}}{{cite news | first=George F | last=Will | title=Run Now, Obama | date=] ] | url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/13/AR2006121301901.html | work=Washington Post | accessdate=2008-01-04}}</ref> But in a December 2006 '']'' editorial headlined "The Man from Nowhere," former ] speech writer ] advised Will and other "]" commentators to avoid becoming too quickly excited about Obama's still early political career.<ref>{{cite news | first=Peggy | last=Noonan | title=The Man From Nowhere|date=] ] | url=http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110009388 | work=OpinionJournal (Wall Street Journal) | accessdate=2008-01-04}} See also: Obama (2006), pp. 122–124. For Noonan's comments on Obama winning the January 2008 Iowa Caucus, see: {{cite news | first=Peggy | last=Noonan | title=Out With the Old, In With the New | date=] ] | url=http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/?id=110011083 | work=OpinionJournal (Wall Street Journal) | accessdate=2008-01-04}}</ref> Echoing the ], Obama acknowledged his youthful image, saying in an October 2007 campaign speech, "I wouldn't be here if, time and again, the torch had not been passed to a new generation."<ref>{{cite news | first=Mike | last=Dorning | title=Obama Reaches Across Decades to JFK | format=paid archive | date=] ] | url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/1353513781.html?dids=1353513781:1353513781&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Oct+4%2C+2007&author=Mike+Dorning | work=Chicago Tribune | accessdate=2008-01-04}} See also: {{cite news | first=Toby | last=Harnden | title=Barack Obama is JFK Heir, Says Kennedy Aide | date=] ] | url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/10/12/wobama112.xml | work=Daily Telegraph | accessdate=2008-01-04}}</ref>

==Recognition and honors==
An October 2005 article in the British journal '']'' listed Obama as one of "10&nbsp;people who could change the world,"<ref>{{cite news | first=William | last=Skidelsky | title=Revolutionising the Future: From Tennis to Teleportation | date=] ] | url=http://www.newstatesman.com/nssubsfilter.php3?newTemplate=NSArticle_NS&newDisplayURN=200510170012 | work=New Statesman | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> the only politician included on the list. In 2005 and again in 2007, '']'' magazine named him one of "]."<ref>{{cite news | first=Perry | last=Bacon Jr. | title=Barack Obama: The Future of the Democratic Party? | date=], ] | url=http://www.time.com/time/subscriber/2005/time100/leaders/100obama.html | work =Time | accessdate=2008-01-14}} {{cite news | first=Joe | last=Klein | title=The TIME 100: Barack Obama | date=] ] | url =http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/time100/article/0,28804,1595326_1615513_1615496,00.html | work=Time | accessdate=2009-01-14}}</ref> During his first three years in the U.S. Senate, Obama received ] Doctorates of Law from ] (2005),<ref>{{cite news | title=Commencement 2005: Knox honors U.S. Senator Barack Obama | date=] ] | url=http://www.knox.edu/x9684.xml | work=Knox College | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> ] (2006),<ref>{{cite news | title=U.S. Sen. Barack Obama to Receive Honorary Degree, Address 2,500 UMass Boston Graduates | date=], ] | url=http://www.umb.edu/news/2006news/releases/may/060526_obama_press_release.html | work=University of Massachusetts Boston | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> ] (2006),<ref>{{cite news | title=Commencement 2006: Sen. Obama to Address Grads | date=] ] | url=http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/stories/2006/06/honorary.html | work=Northwestern University | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> ] (2006),<ref>{{cite news | title=Sen. Obama Addresses Xavier Graduates | date=] ] | publisher=USA Today | url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-08-13-obama-xavier_x.htm | work=Associated Press | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref> ] (2007),<ref>{{cite news | title=SNHU Commencement with Sen. Barack Obama | date=] ] | url=http://www.snhu.edu/6736.asp | work=Southern New Hampshire University | accessdate=2008-01-14 | archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070704024303/http://www.snhu.edu/6736.asp | archivedate=2007-07-04}}</ref> and ] (2007).<ref>{{cite news | title=Obama Calls the 'Joshua Generation' | date=] ] | url=http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2007/09/obama_calls_the.html | work=Boston Globe | accessdate=2008-01-14}}</ref>

==References==
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{{reflist|3}}

== Cited works ==
* Obama, Barack. '']'', Times Books, 1995. Reprint edition, 2004; ISBN 1-4000-8277-3
* Obama, Barack. '']'', Crown, 2006. ISBN 0-307-23769-9.

==Further reading==
*Curry, Jessica. "", ''Chicago Life'', Fall 2004. Retrieved on ].
*Graff, Garrett. "", ''Washingtonian'', ] ]. Retrieved on ].
*Lizza, Ryan. "", ''GQ'', September 2007. Retrieved on ].
*MacFarquhar, Larissa. "", ''New Yorker'', ] ]. Retrieved on ].
*Mundy, Liza. "", ''Washington Post Magazine'', ] ]. Retrieved on ].
*Wallace-Wells, Ben. "", ''Rolling Stone'', ] ]. Retrieved on ].
*Zutter, Hank De. "", ''Chicago Reader'', ] ]. Retrieved on ].
*Sarah Pulliam and Ted Olsen."", ''Christianity Today Magazine'', January 2008. Retrieved on ].

== External links ==
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Revision as of 01:57, 9 February 2008

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