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:''For the pre-Colonized version, see [[Barack Obama/old|here]].''
{{Redirect4|Barack|Obama|other uses|[[Barak (disambiguation)]] and [[Obama (disambiguation)]]}}
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{{Infobox President
| image = Official portrait of Barack Obama.jpg
| alt = Head and shoulders of a man in his forties with close-cropped hair, dressed in a dark grey suit, light blue shirt and blue with maroon and white rep tie. On his left lapel is a pin of the American flag. Over his right shoulder the U.S. flag and the presidential seal are a bit out of focus.
| order = [[List of Presidents of the United States|44th]]
| office = President of the United States
| term_start = January 20, 2009 <!-- Term officially started 12pm January 20, prior to the administration of the presidential oath. -->
| term_end =
| vicepresident = [[Joe Biden]]
| predecessor = [[George W. Bush]]
| jr/sr2 = United States Senator
| state2 = [[Illinois]]
| term_start2 = January 4, 2005
| term_end2 = November 16, 2008
| predecessor2 = [[Peter Fitzgerald]]
| successor2 = [[Roland Burris]]
| state_senate3 = Illinois
| state3 = [[Illinois]]
| district3 = 13th
| term_start3 = January 8, 1997
| term_end3 = November 4, 2004
| predecessor3 = [[Alice Palmer (Illinois politician)|Alice Palmer]]
| successor3 = [[Kwame Raoul]]
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1961|08|04}}<ref name="biography">{{cite web|url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/president_obama/|title=President Barack Obama|work=www.whitehouse.gov}}</ref>
| birth_place = [[Honolulu]], [[Hawaii]]<ref name="birth-certificate">{{cite web|url=http://www.politifact.com/media/img/graphics/birthCertObama.jpg|title=Certification of Live Birth for Barack Obama|work=Department of Health, Hawaii|worker=[[St. Petersburg Times]]|date=August 8, 1961|accessdate=December 12, 2008}}</ref>
| birthname = Barack Hussein Obama II<ref name="birth-certificate"/>
| nationality = American
| party = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| spouse = [[Michelle Obama]] <small>(m. 1992)</small>
| children = [[Family of Barack Obama#Immediate family|Malia Ann <small>(b.1998)</small><br />Natasha (Sasha) <small>(b.2001)</small>]]
| residence = [[White House|The White House]]
| alma_mater = [[Occidental College]]<br />[[Columbia University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|B.A.]])<br />[[Harvard Law School]] ([[Juris Doctor|J.D.]])
| occupation = [[Community organizing|Community organizer]]<br />[[Lawyer]]<br /> [[Constitutional law]] [[professor]]<br />Author
| religion = [[Christian]],<ref name="miller.Obama">{{cite web
|publisher = Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia
|title = American President: Barack Obama
|url = http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/obama
|accessdate = January 23, 2009}}</ref> former member of [[United Church of Christ]]<ref name=ucc>{{cite press release
| title = Barack Obama, long time UCC member, inaugurated forty-fourth U.S. President
| publisher = United Church of Christ
| date = January 20, 2009
| url = http://www.ucc.org/news/obama-inauguration.html
| accessdate = January 21, 2009
| quote = Barack Obama, who spent more than 20 years as a UCC member, is the forty-fourth President of the United States. }}</ref><ref>An [[Associated Press]] wire story on Obama's resignation from [[Trinity United Church of Christ]] in the course of the [[Jeremiah Wright controversy]] stated that he had, in doing so, disaffiliated himself with the UCC. (See {{cite news|title=Obama's church choice likely to be scrutinized|agency=Associated Press|date=November 17, 2008|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27775757/|work=[[msnbc.com]]|accessdate=January 20, 2009}})</ref>
| signature = Barack Obama signature.svg
| signature_alt = Barack Obama
| website = [http://www.whitehouse.gov/ The White House]
| footnotes = <div style="background:#ccf;" class="center" >'''This article is part of a series about'''</div><div style="font-size:120%; background:#ccf;" class="center" >'''Barack Obama'''</div><div style="font-size:120%;" class="center" >[[Early life and career of Barack Obama|Background]] {{·}} [[Illinois Senate career of Barack Obama|Illinois Senate]] {{·}} [[United States Senate career of Barack Obama|U.S. Senate]]{{·}} [[Political positions of Barack Obama|Political positions]]{{·}} [[Public image of Barack Obama|Public image]]{{·}} [[Family of Barack Obama|Family]]{{·}} [[Barack Obama presidential primary campaign, 2008|2008 primaries]]{{·}} [[Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2008|Obama–Biden campaign]]{{·}} [[Presidential transition of Barack Obama|Transition]]{{·}}[[Inauguration of Barack Obama|Inauguration]]{{·}}[[Electoral history of Barack Obama|Electoral history]]{{·}} [[Presidency of Barack Obama|Presidency]] ([[Timeline of the Presidency of Barack Obama|Timeline]], [[Barack Obama's first 100 days|First 100 days]])<div align="right">[[#obamaNavbox|''more...'']]</div></div>
}}
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<!-- PLEASE DO NOT CHANGE OBAMA'S NAME -->'''Barack Hussein Obama II''' ({{Audio-IPA|Barack-Hussein-Obama-en-US-pronunciation.ogg|bəˈrɑːk huːˈseɪn oʊˈbɑːmə}}; born August 4, 1961) is the [[List of Presidents of the United States|44th]] and [[Presidency of Barack Obama|current]] [[President of the United States]]. The first [[African American]] to hold the office, he served as the [[Seniority in the United States Senate|junior]] [[United States Senate|United States Senator]] from [[Illinois]] from January 2005 until he resigned after [[United States presidential election, 2008|his election]] to the presidency in November 2008.


[[File:Obama8.jpg|right|240px|thumb|Barack Obama, seen here with the [[lie|White House]] in the background. Notice the contrast between his black suit and the white building.]]
Obama is a graduate of [[Columbia College, Columbia University|Columbia University]] and [[Harvard Law School]], where he was the president of the ''[[Harvard Law Review]]''. He was a [[Community organizing|community organizer]] in [[Chicago]] before earning his law degree. He worked as a [[civil and political rights|civil rights]] attorney in Chicago and also taught [[constitutional law]] at the [[University of Chicago Law School]] from 1992 to 2004.


'''Barack Hussein Obama II''' is the 44th and current [[President]] of the United States. He served as an Illinois Senator from 1997 through 2004 and made the jump to Senator from [[Illinois]]<ref>A ''huge'' difference.</ref> in [[2005]], serving as such through [[2008]]. Since assuming the Oval Office<ref>The accepted shape of the Office of the President is 'oval', although it is occasionally referred to as the Elliptical Office</ref> in January 2009, he has made subtle, sweeping changes in policy and government<ref> Oxymorons be damned.</ref>. His supporters claim he has quickly improved the [[United States]] government and the country in general, while his detractors claim that his accomplishments are embellished and an imminent totalitarian state is his plan. His actions as President, thus far the most notable being his work on repairing the economy, have undoubtedly led to the government taking a larger role in the everyday life of US citizens. Obama has been quoted as saying that his favourite book is ''1984'' by [[George Orwell]].
Obama served three terms in the [[Illinois Senate]] from 1997 to 2004. Following an unsuccessful bid for a seat in the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]] in 2000, Obama ran for United States Senate in 2004. His victory, from a crowded field, in the March 2004 [[United States Senate election in Illinois, 2004#Democratic primary|Democratic primary]] raised his visibility. His prime-time televised [[2004 Democratic National Convention keynote address|keynote address]] at the [[2004 Democratic National Convention|Democratic National Convention]] in July 2004 made him a rising star nationally in the Democratic Party. He was [[United States Senate election in Illinois, 2004|elected]] to the U.S. Senate in November 2004 by the largest margin in the history of Illinois.

He began his run for the presidency in February 2007. After a [[Barack Obama presidential primary campaign, 2008|close campaign]] in the [[Democratic Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2008|2008 Democratic Party presidential primaries]] against [[Hillary Rodham Clinton]], he won his party's nomination, becoming the first [[major party]] African American candidate for president. In the [[United States presidential election, 2008|2008 general election]], he defeated [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] nominee [[John McCain]] and was [[Inauguration of Barack Obama|inaugurated as president]] on January 20, 2009.


==Early life and career==
==Early life and career==
{{main|Early life and career of Barack Obama}}
{{Conservapedia|Barack_Hussein_Obama|Barack Obama}}
Barack Obama was allegedly<ref>Many dispute this claim, since Hawaiians have notoriously poor record-keeping skills, as can be demonstrated by their lack of statehood records prior to the 1950s.</ref><ref>[http://www.factcheck.org/UploadedFiles/birth_certificate_5.jpg Alleged birth certificate].</ref><ref>[http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=82033 2008 election still in dispute by crazy guy].</ref><ref>[http://www.kitv.com/politics/17860890/detail.html?rss=hon&psp=news Hawaii confused over Obama birthplace].</ref><ref>[http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=78931 Additional crazy guy claims to have proof Obama born in Kenya, will go public 'any day now' as of August 2008].</ref><ref>[http://www.conservapedia.com/Barack_Hussein_Obama A Trustworthy Source: Obama not born is US; also a Muslim, terrorist, and mutant].</ref><ref>My dad says Obama wasn't born in America.</ref><ref>It's getting a little ridiculous with these references, isn't it?</ref> born in Honolulu, [[Hawaii]] to Stanley Ann Dunham in 1961. His Kenyan father had been raised as a Muslim, though later became an [[atheist]]. Early on in his life, Obama was confronted with a variety of views, be they religious, philosophical or political. Not only did Obama spend the first twelve years of his life in Indonesia, he also spent them in Hawaiian terrorist camps while also being enlisted in Iraqi terror camps full time. Little is known for sure about Obama's childhood, but his exposure to many different political systems is probably what influenced his socialist and elitist tendencies later in life.


Obama's experience in [[Hawaii]] prior to [[Hawaii]] earning statehood in 1979 proved to be an informative experience. In the 1960s and 1970s, during his formative years, [[Hawaii]] was governed by tribal leaders who regulated nearly every aspect of island life. As a result, major industries such as pineapple harvesting and canoe-building were fiercely efficient, and Hawaii prospered. These tribal leaders earned Obama's respect and adoration, and he aspired to become one of them when he grew up. Their policies of wire-tapping<ref>Using the Coconut phone and coconut radio, the latest in island technology</ref> and otherwise keeping tabs on Hawaiians did not bother Obama, as he ''"felt safe and secure, and always had plenty of pineapple to eat."'' The large number of religions present on the island, however, presented Obama with a moral dilemma. Peer pressure dictated that he join the mainstream Hawaiian religion, which worshipped [[volcano]]es and made them offerings of virgins and pineapples. However, in his late teens Obama decided to give up his Muslim heritage and convert to Christianity.<ref>[[Conservapedia|Reliable sources]] point out that only 1% of Muslims convert to Christianity, rendering this statistically impossible.</ref>
Barack Obama was born at the [[Kapi'olani Medical Center for Women & Children]] in [[Honolulu]], Hawaii, United States,<ref name="maraniss">{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/23/AR2008082301620.html|title=Though Obama Had to Leave to Find Himself, It Is Hawaii That Made His Rise Possible|last=Maraniss|first=David|work=Politics|work=Washington Post|date=August 24, 2008|accessdate=October 27, 2008}}</ref> to [[Ann Dunham|Stanley Ann Dunham]],<ref>For Stanley Ann's first name, see Obama (1995, 2004), p. 19</ref> an American of mainly English descent from [[Wichita, Kansas]],<ref>{{cite web|publisher=[[FactCheck]]|url=http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/born_in_the_usa.html|title=Born in the U.S.A.|date=August 21, 2008|dateformat=mdy|accessdate=October 24, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/368961,CST-NWS-ireland03.article|title=For sure, Obama's South Side Irish|last=Hutton|first=Brian|work=[[Chicago Sun-Times|The Chicago Sun-Times]]|date=May 3, 2007|accessdate=November 23, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/12/AR2007051201551.html|title=Tiny Irish Village Is Latest Place to Claim Obama as Its Own - washingtonpost.com|work=Washington Post|date=|accessdate=November 8, 2008}}</ref> and [[Barack Obama, Sr.]], a [[Luo (Kenya and Tanzania)|Luo]] from [[Nyang’oma Kogelo]], [[Nyanza Province]], [[Kenya]]. Obama's parents met in 1960 in a [[Russian language]] class at the [[University of Hawaii at Manoa|University of Hawaii at Mānoa]], where his father was a foreign student on scholarship.<ref>Obama (1995, 2004), pp. 9–10. For book excerpts, see {{cite news|title=Barack Obama: Creation of Tales|date=November 1, 2004|url=http://www.nationmedia.com/EastAfrican/01112004/Features/PA2-2212.html|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070927225314/http://www.nationmedia.com/EastAfrican/01112004/Features/PA2-2212.html|archivedate=September 27, 2007|work=East African|accessdate=April 13, 2008}}</ref><ref name="baltimoresun2007">{{cite news|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nation/politics/chi-0703270151mar27-archive,0,91024,full.story|title=Obama's mom: Not just a girl from Kansas: Strong personalities shaped a future senator|first=Tim|last=Jones|work=[[Chicago Tribune]], reprinted in ''[[The Baltimore Sun]]''|date=March 27, 2007|accessdate=October 27, 2008}}</ref> The couple married on February 2, 1961,<ref>{{cite news|author=Ripley, Amanda|title=The Story of Barack Obama's Mother|url=http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1729524,00.html|date=April 9, 2008|work=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|accessdate=April 9, 2007}}</ref> and Barack was born later that year. His parents separated when he was two years old and they divorced in 1964.<ref name="baltimoresun2007"/> Obama's father returned to Kenya and saw his son only once more before dying in an automobile accident in 1982.<ref>{{cite news|first=Kevin|last=Merida|title=The Ghost of a Father|date=December 14, 2007|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2007/12/13/ST2007121301893.html|work=Washington Post|accessdate=June 24, 2008}} See also: {{cite news|first=Philip|last=Ochieng|title=From Home Squared to the US Senate: How Barack Obama Was Lost and Found|date=November 1, 2004|url=http://www.nationmedia.com/EastAfrican/01112004/Features/PA2-11.html|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070927223905/http://www.nationmedia.com/EastAfrican/01112004/Features/PA2-11.html|archivedate=September 27, 2007|work=East African|accessdate=June 24, 2008}}</ref>


After attending high school in Hawaii,<ref>Known in Hawaii as 'Volcano Worship Preparation School'.</ref> Obama moved to New York City to attend the prestigious Columbia University. He was quickly disillusioned by the vastness and inefficiency of the continental United States compared to the state-regulated, strictly controlled life he lived in [[Hawaii]]. He graduated from Columbia in 1983 with a major in political science and two minors, both in [[redundancy]]. He then went to work as a community organizer. He is still fondly remembered for his work in organizing rigidly controlled community activities such as Little League games. After several years of orchestrating these strictly regulated events, he decided to run for public office, and arbitrarily chose [[Illinois]] as the place to do it.
After her divorce, Dunham married [[Indonesia]]n student [[Lolo Soetoro]], who was attending college in Hawaii. When [[Suharto]], a military leader in Soetoro's home country, [[Transition to the New Order|came to power]] in 1967, all Indonesian students studying abroad were recalled and the family moved to the island nation.<ref>Obama (1995, 2004), pp. 44–45.</ref> From ages six to ten, Obama attended local schools in [[Jakarta]], including Besuki Public School and St. Francis of Assisi School.


==Senate career==
In 1971, he returned to Honolulu to live with his maternal grandparents, [[Madelyn Dunham|Madelyn]] and [[Stanley Armour Dunham]], and attended [[Punahou School]], a private [[college preparatory school]], from the [[Education in the United States#School grades|fifth grade]] until his graduation from high school in 1979.<ref>{{cite news|first=Peter|last=Serafin|title=Punahou Grad Stirs Up Illinois Politics|date=March 21, 2004|url=http://archives.starbulletin.com/2004/03/21/news/story4.html|work=Honolulu Star-Bulletin|accessdate=April 13, 2008}} See also: Obama (1995, 2004), Chapters 3 and 4.</ref>
[[File:Barackobama.JPG|right|150px|thumb|Obama is seen here during his time in the storied Illinois Senate, wearing a tie that mixes dark and light colors.]]
Obama was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1996 as the representative from the 13th district, which included Chicago's South Side. As such, his first task was to bring peace between warring factions within the city.<ref>His most famous victory of this kind was the reconciling of Cubs fans and White Sox fans.</ref> He then went on to gain support for his ethics and healthcare legislation, indicative of his will to control every aspect of his constituents' lives. During this time his Junior Undersecretary, Bill Ayers, also gained the support and admiration of Chicagoicans, particularly for his ''Weather Underground'' movement which helped relay rain forecasts to more people than ever before.


Obama's time in the [[Illinois]] Senate will perhaps be remembered most for its impact on the daily lives of Chicagoites. His welfare reform program was a great success, and would foreshadow his tendencies as President towards regulating the lives of every class of citizen. One of his lesser-known successes was his mandate that all [[you are dead|homicide]] interrogations be videotaped, which was the first in a long string of surveillance-related laws aimed at 'increasing public safety' and other such nonsense. At first the methods allowed by these laws were unsuccessful, as Obama copied the methods of his native [[Hawaii]], and very few Chigagoists were fooled by medium-sized cameras concealed within pineapples. However, very soon his policies denouncing privacy in favor of total government control swept the state. He also voted against stricter laws concerning gangs, since the strict rules of gang life strongly reminded of his time in the state-controlled utopia of [[Hawaii]].
Obama's mother returned to Hawaii in 1972 and remained there until 1977, when she relocated to Indonesia to work as an [[anthropology|anthropological]] field worker. She finally returned to Hawaii in 1994 and lived there for one year before dying of [[ovarian cancer]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Amanda|last=Ripley|title=The Story of Barack Obama's Mother|date=April 9, 2008|url=http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1729524,00.html|work=Time|accessdate=June 24, 2008}} See also: {{cite news|first=Julia|last=Suryakusuma|title=Obama for President... of Indonesia|date=November 29, 2006|work=Jakarta Post|url=http://old.thejakartapost.com/yesterdaydetail.asp?fileid=20061129.F03|accessdate=June 24, 2008}}</ref>


Having implemented his new methods in the state of Illinois,<ref>The self-proclaimed most important state in the nation.</ref> Obama set his sights on a national position. He was able to obtain an open Illinois Senate seat in 2004 after his anti-privacy legislation allowed his campaign to obtain embarrassing photographs of his overweight opponent at the beach. These photographs were maliciously distributed by the liberal media.<ref>''All'' media is liberal media.</ref> Upon reaching [[Washington]], Obama quickly became known as one of the top 100 most liberal Senators in the current U.S. Congress. Much like all liberal Senators from this period, his main focus was criticisms of [[George W. Bush|President Bush]]. Obama was particularly alarmed at Bush's<ref>And every other President in history</ref> tendency to leave the American public to their own affairs for the most part. Finally, he could take the government's inaction no longer, and resigned his Senate seat in order to pursue a Presidential campaign.
[[File:Ann Dunham with father and children.jpg|thumb|float|left|alt=Right to left:A young boy possibly in his early teens, a younger girl (about age 5), a grown woman and an elderly man, sit on a lawn wearing contemporary circa-1970 attire. The adults wear sunglasses and the boy wears sandals.|Right-to-left: Barack Obama and half-sister [[Maya Soetoro-Ng|Maya Soetoro]], with their mother [[Ann Dunham]] and grandfather [[Stanley Armour Dunham|Stanley Dunham]], in Hawaii (early 1970s)]]


[[File:obama08acceptance.jpg|thumb|left|Obama delivers his presidential election victory speech in Grant Park from behind a mulatto brown podium. Note the [[UFO]] above Obama's head.]]
Of his early childhood, Obama recalled, "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> He described his struggles as a young adult to reconcile social perceptions of his [[multiracial]] 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=March 11, 2007|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=January 4, 2008}}</ref> Reflecting later on his formative years in Honolulu, Obama wrote: "The opportunity that Hawaii offered—to experience a variety of cultures in a climate of mutual respect—became an integral part of my world view, and a basis for the values that I hold most dear."<ref>{{cite news|first=B. J|last=Reyes|title=Punahou Left Lasting Impression on Obama|date=February 8, 2007|url=http://archives.starbulletin.com/2007/02/08/news/story02.html|work=Honolulu Star-Bulletin|accessdate=January 4, 2008}} "As a teenager, Obama went to parties and sometimes sought out gatherings on military bases or at the University of Hawaii that were mostly attended by blacks."</ref> Obama has also written and talked about using [[alcoholic beverage|alcohol]], [[Cannabis (drug)|marijuana]] and [[cocaine]] 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=November 21, 2007|work=Boston Globe|url=http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/11/21/obama_gets_blunt_with_nh_students/|agency=Associated Press|accessdate=January 4, 2008}} 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=January 3, 2007|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/02/AR2007010201359.html|work=Washington Post|accessdate=January 4, 2008}} {{cite news|first=Katharine Q|last=Seelye|title=Obama Offers More Variations From the Norm|date=October 24, 2006|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/24/us/politics/24obama.html|work=New York Times|accessdate=January 4, 2008}}</ref> At the [[Civil Forum on the Presidency|2008 Civil Forum on the Presidency]] in 2008, Obama identified his high-school drug use as his "greatest moral failure".<ref>{{cite news|first=Ed|last=Hornick|url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/16/warren.forum/|title=Obama, McCain talk issues at pastor's forum|work=CNN.com|location=LAKE FOREST, California|date=August 17, 2008|accessdate=January 4, 2009}}</ref>
==Rise to power==
Through his message of hope and change, he won the support of many. In 2008, the American people were blinded by his mesmerizing speeches. Promising the American people a [[communism|hopeful]] future, he defeated [[John McCain|that creepy old guy]] for the Presidency in 2008. After his inauguration, he firmly spread the word of [[Dope|hope]] and [[communism|change]] to all walks of life, and to all peoples in all nations, so that we may prosper under his warming, glowing, warm glow.


Many Republican opponents suspect Obama's victory is to blame on the use of [[brainwashing]] machines. Liberal scientists explain these strange phenomena in the sky as being weather balloons. The general public wonders why weather balloons look so freakin' weird these days.
Following high school, he moved to Los Angeles in 1979 to attend [[Occidental College]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Oxy Remembers "Barry" Obama '83|date=January 29, 2007|url=http://www.oxy.edu/x8270.xml|publisher=Occidental College|accessdate=April 13, 2008}}</ref> After two years he transferred in 1981 to [[Columbia University]] in New York City, where he majored in [[political science]] with a specialization in [[international relations]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.college.columbia.edu/cct_archive/jan05/cover.php|title=Barack Obama '83|work=Columbia College Today|author=Boss-Bicak, Shira|date=January 2005|accessdate=June 9, 2008}}</ref> and graduated with a [[Bachelor of Arts|B.A.]] in 1983. He worked for a year at the [[Business International Corporation]]<ref name="BOCV">{{cite web|url=http://www.law.uchicago.edu/faculty/obama/cv.html|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20010509024017/http://www.law.uchicago.edu/faculty/obama/cv.html|archivedate=May 9, 2001|title=Curriculum Vitae|publisher=The University of Chicago Law School|accessdate=November 3, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Sasha|last=Issenberg|title=Obama shows hints of his year in global finance: Tied markets to social aid|date=August 6, 2008|url=http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/08/06/obama_shows_hints_of_his_year_in_global_finance/?page=1|work=Boston Globe|accessdate=April 13, 2008}}</ref> and then at the [[New York Public Interest Research Group]].<ref name="Who's Who 2008">{{cite book|author=Chassie, Karen (ed.)|year=2007|title=Who's Who in America, 2008|url=http://www.marquiswhoswho.com/products/WAprodinfo.asp|location=New Providence, NJ|work=Marquis Who's Who|isbn=9780837970110|accessdate=June 6, 2008|page=3468|publisher=Marquis Who's Who}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=Janny|last=Scott|title=Obama's Account of New York Years Often Differs from What Others Say|date=October 30, 2007|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/30/us/politics/30obama.html|work=The New York Times|accessdate=April 13, 2008}} Obama (1995, 2004), pp. 133–140; Mendell (2007), pp. 62–63.</ref>


==Cementing of power==
After four years in New York City, Obama moved to Chicago, where he was hired as director of the Developing Communities Project (DCP), a church-based [[Community organizing|community organization]] originally comprising eight Catholic parishes in Greater Roseland ([[Roseland, Chicago|Roseland]], [[West Pullman, Chicago|West Pullman]] and [[Riverdale, Chicago|Riverdale]]) on Chicago's far [[South Side (Chicago)|South Side]]. He worked there as a community organizer from June 1985 to May 1988.<ref name="Who's Who 2008"/><ref>{{cite news|author=Secter, Bob; McCormick, John|date=March 30, 2007|title=Portrait of a pragmatist|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0703300121mar30,1,6651421,full.story|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080209030448/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0703300121mar30,1,6651421,full.story|archivedate=February 9, 2008|work=Chicago Tribune|page=1|accessdate=June 6, 2008}} {{cite news|first=Ryan|last=Lizza|title=The Agitator: Barack Obama's Unlikely Political Education|format=alternate link|date=March 19, 2007|url=http://www.pickensdemocrats.org/info/TheAgitator_070319.htm|work=New Republic|accessdate=April 13, 2008}} Obama (1995, 2004), pp. 140–295; Mendell (2007), pp. 63–83.</ref> During his three years as the DCP's director, its staff grew from one to thirteen and its annual budget grew from $70,000 to $400,000. He helped set up a job training program, a college preparatory tutoring program, and a tenants' rights organization in [[Altgeld Gardens, Chicago|Altgeld Gardens]].<ref>{{cite news|author=Matchan, Linda|date=February 15, 1990|title=A Law Review breakthrough|url=http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/articles/1990/02/15/a_law_review_breakthrough/|format=paid archive|work=The Boston Globe|page=29|accessdate=June 15, 2008}} {{cite news|author=Corr, John|date=February 27, 1990|title=From mean streets to hallowed halls|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=PI&p_theme=pi&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_trackval=PI&s_search_type=customized&s_dispstring=Author(John%20Corr)%20AND%20date(02/27/1990%20to%2002/27/1990)&p_field_date-0=YMD_date&p_params_date-0=date:B,E&p_text_date-0=02/27/1990%20to%2002/27/1990)&p_field_advanced-0=Author&p_text_advanced-0=(John%20Corr)&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=_rank_:D&xcal_ranksort=4&xcal_useweights=yes|format=paid archive|work=The Philadelphia Inquirer|page=C01|accessdate=June 6, 2008}}</ref> Obama also worked as a consultant and instructor for the [[Gamaliel Foundation]], a community organizing institute.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Obama, Barack |month=August–September|year=1988|title=Why organize? Problems and promise in the inner city|journal=Illinois Issues|volume=14|issue=8–9|pages=40–42|accessdate=June 6, 2008}} reprinted in: {{cite book|year=1990|pages=35–40|author=Knoepfle, Peg (ed.)|title=After Alinsky: community organizing in Illinois|location=Springfield, IL|publisher=Sangamon State University|isbn=0962087335|accessdate=June 6, 2008}} {{cite news|author=Tayler, Letta; Herbert, Keith |date=March 2, 2008|title=Obama forged path as Chicago community organizer|url=http://www.newsday.com/news/printedition/nation/ny-usobam025598601mar02,0,7841545,full.story|work=Newsday|page=A06|accessdate=June 6, 2008}}{{dead link|date=May 2009}}</ref> In mid-1988, he traveled for the first time in Europe for three weeks and then for five weeks in Kenya, where he met many of his [[Family of Barack Obama#Paternal relations|paternal relatives]] for the first time.<ref>Obama (1995, 2004), pp. 299–437.</ref> He returned in August 2006 in a visit to his father's birthplace, a village near [[Kisumu]] in rural western Kenya.<ref>{{cite news|first=Nico|last=Gnecchi|title=Obama Receives Hero's Welcome at His Family's Ancestral Village in Kenya|date=February 27, 2006|url=http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2006-08/2006-08-27-voa17.cfm|work=Voice of America|accessdate=June 24, 2008}}</ref>
[[Image:Barackamen square.jpg|thumb|Every so often this picture screams "Hope and change" and shoots fire out of its mouth. There's that black suit/white background contrast again.]]
One of the first things Obama did as president was to purchase failing corporations and banks, supposedly to prevent widespread unemployment. This gave the federal government ''near-total'' power and control over an increasing number of formerly private institutions, but the ''true goal'' was the beginning of his rise to power. Still, the majority of American people felt more secure after he had made good on his campaign promise of change.


With the American people lulled into a sense of security, he passed the Enabling Act of 2010 through congress. Although this bill severely limits the authority of congress, President Obama forced it's ratification through the use of {{c|waterboarding. After the drowning death of Mike Huckabee, the remaining holdouts fell in line quickly.}} With the {{C|interfering}} voices of the American people {{C|out of the way, Obama was able to concentrate on consolidating his power which was really}} Obama's biggest priority, he could freely dispose of {{c|Joe Biden in the most amusing way possible (he experimented with dummies for a while about this, and he eventually decided on stuffing him with fruit like a chicken until he [[a splode|burst]]). He concealed Biden's disappearance with elaborate cover stories claiming Biden was unavailable for public appearances because he was too busy overseeing}} wasteful government programs. President Obama instated Barack's Domain of Sexy Monitors (BDSM for short), the public face of which was spiffy little pictures of the man himself hanging on walls in public places, with {{c|eyes that follow you around as you pass by}}. As an added bonus and source of revenue he began to sell "mini-Baracks", desk-top bobble-heads of the President {{c|equipped with miniature digital cameras concealed in the head}}, that you can put anywhere: the dinner table, your desk at work, your car, your bathroom, your bedroom, anywhere{{c|, so he can watch you while you eat/work/drive/crap/masturbate/plot against him}}. President Obama then turned his attention to national security. {{c|Any person caught speaking ill of the President or determined to be}} threats to society are {{c|rounded up and placed in detention centers. Free thinkers and dissenters are}} not tolerated under {{c|the new regime of}} Barack Obama's watchful gaze.<ref>Trust me, it's ''very'' watchful. He's watching me right now...</ref>
Obama entered [[Harvard Law School]] in late 1988. He was selected as an editor of the ''Harvard Law Review'' at the end of his first year,<ref name="Harvard Law 2007">{{cite news|author=Levenson, Michael; Saltzman, Jonathan|date=January 28, 2007|title=At Harvard Law, a unifying voice|url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2007/01/28/at_harvard_law_a_unifying_voice/?page=full|work=The Boston Globe|accessdate=June 15, 2008}} {{cite news|author=Kantor, Jodi|date=January 28, 2007|title=In law school, Obama found political voice|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/28/us/politics/28obama.html?pagewanted=all|work=The New York Times|page=1|accessdate=June 15, 2008}} {{cite news|author=Kodama, Marie C|date=January 19, 2007|title=Obama left mark on HLS|url=http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=516664|work=The Harvard Crimson|accessdate=June 15, 2008}} {{cite news|author=Mundy, Liza|title=A series of fortunate events|date=August 12, 2007|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/08/AR2007080802038_pf.html|work=The Washington Post|page=W10|accessdate=June 15, 2008}} {{cite journal|author=Heilemann, John|title=When they were young|date=October 22, 2007|url=http://www.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?action=cpt&title=When+They+Were+Young&expire=&urlID=24417790&fb=Y&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnymag.com%2Fnews%2Ffeatures%2F39321%2F&partnerID=73272|journal=New York|volume=40|issue=37|pages=32–7, 132–3|accessdate=June 15, 2008}} Mendell (2007), pp. 80–92.</ref> and president of the journal in his second year.<ref name="Harvard Law 1990">{{cite news|author=Butterfield, Fox|date=February 6, 1990|title=First black elected to head Harvard's Law Review|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE2DC1631F935A35751C0A966958260|work=The New York Times|page=A20|accessdate=June 15, 2008}} {{cite news|author=Ybarra, Michael J|date=February 7, 1990|title=Activist in Chicago now heads Harvard Law Review|url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/28797353.html?dids=28797353:28797353&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT|format=paid archive|work=Chicago Tribune|page=3|accessdate=June 15, 2008}} {{cite news|author=Matchan, Linda|date=February 15, 1990|title=A Law Review breakthrough|url=http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2008/articles/1990/02/15/a_law_review_breakthrough/|format=paid archive|work=The Boston Globe|page=29|accessdate=June 15, 2008}} {{cite news|author=Corr, John|date=February 27, 1990|title=From mean streets to hallowed halls|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=PI&p_theme=pi&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_trackval=PI&s_search_type=customized&s_dispstring=Author(John%20Corr)%20AND%20date(02/27/1990%20to%2002/27/1990)&p_field_date-0=YMD_date&p_params_date-0=date:B,E&p_text_date-0=02/27/1990%20to%2002/27/1990)&p_field_advanced-0=Author&p_text_advanced-0=(John%20Corr)&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=_rank_:D&xcal_ranksort=4&xcal_useweights=yes|format=paid archive|work=The Philadelphia Inquirer|page=C01|accessdate=June 15, 2008}} {{cite news|author=Drummond, Tammerlin|date=March 12, 1990|title=Barack Obama's Law; Harvard Law Review's first black president plans a life of public service|url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/60017156.html?dids=60017156:60017156&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT|format=paid archive|work=Los Angeles Times|page=E1|accessdate=June 15, 2008}} {{cite news|author=Evans, Gaynelle|date=March 15, 1990|title=Opening another door: The saga of Harvard's Barack H. Obama|work=Black Issues in Higher Education|page=5|url=http://www.diverseeducation.com/artman/publish/article_11791.shtml|accessdate=November 15, 2008}} {{cite news|author=Pugh, Allison J. (Associated Press)|date=April 18, 1990|title=Law Review's first black president aims to help poor|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MH&p_theme=realcities2&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_site=miami&s_trackval=MH&s_dispstring=Title(Law%20Review's%20first%20black%20president%20aims%20to%20help%20poor)%20AND%20date(04/18/1990%20to%2004/18/1990)&p_field_date-0=YMD_date&p_params_date-0=date:B,E&p_text_date-0=04/18/1990%20to%2004/18/1990)&p_field_advanced-0=title&p_text_advanced-0=(Law%20Review's%20first%20black%20president%20aims%20to%20help%20poor)&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=_rank_:D&xcal_ranksort=4&xcal_useweights=yes|format=paid archive|work=The Miami Herald|page=C01|accessdate=June 15, 2008}}</ref> During his summers, he returned to Chicago, where he worked as a [[summer associate]] at the law firms of [[Sidley Austin|Sidley & Austin]] in 1989 and [[Hopkins & Sutter]] in 1990.<ref>{{cite news|author=Aguilar, Louis|date=July 11, 1990|title=Survey: Law firms slow to add minority partners|url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/28774085.html?dids=28774085:28774085&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT|format=paid archive|work=Chicago Tribune|page=1 (Business)|quote=Barack Obama, a summer associate at Hopkins & Sutter in Chicago|accessdate=June 15, 2008}}</ref> After graduating with a [[Juris Doctor|Juris Doctor (J.D.)]] [[Latin honors|''magna cum laude'']]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/may/09/barackobama.uselections20081|title=Barack Obama|last=Adams|first=Richard|date=May 9, 2007|work=The Guardian|accessdate=October 26, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/973560/Barack-Obama|title=Barack Obama (American politician)|last=Mendell|first=David|accessdate=October 26, 2008}}</ref> from Harvard in 1991, he returned to Chicago.<ref name="Harvard Law 2007"/> Obama's election as the [[List of African-American firsts|first black president of the ''Harvard Law Review'']] gained national media attention<ref name="Harvard Law 1990"/> and led to a publishing contract and advance for a book about race relations,<ref name="Scott 2008a">{{cite news|author=Scott, Janny|date=May 18, 2008|title=The story of Obama, written by Obama|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/18/us/politics/18memoirs.html?pagewanted=all|work=The New York Times|page=1|accessdate=June 15, 2008}} Obama (1995, 2004), pp. xiii–xvii.</ref> though it evolved into a personal memoir. The manuscript was published in mid-1995 as ''[[Dreams from My Father]]''.<ref name="Scott 2008a"/>


==Personal life==
From April to October 1992, Obama directed Illinois's [[Project Vote]], a voter registration drive with a staff of ten and 700 volunteers; it achieved its goal of registering 150,000 of 400,000 unregistered African Americans in the state, and led to ''Crain's Chicago Business'' naming Obama to its 1993 list of "40 under Forty" powers to be.<ref name="Illinois Blue Book 2000">{{cite book|author=White, Jesse (ed.)|year=2000|title=Illinois Blue Book, 2000, Millennium ed.|url=http://www.sos.state.il.us/bb/toc.html|location=Springfield, IL|publisher=Illinois Secretary of State|oclc=43923973|accessdate=June 6, 2008|page=83}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Jarrett, Vernon|date=August 11, 1992|title='Project Vote' brings power to the people|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CSTB&p_theme=cstb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_dispstring=(Vernon%20Jarrett)%20AND%20date(8/11/1992%20to%208/11/1992)&p_field_date-0=YMD_date&p_params_date-0=date:B,E&p_text_date-0=8/11/1992%20to%208/11/1992)&p_field_advanced-0=&p_text_advanced-0=(Vernon%20Jarrett)&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no|work=Chicago Sun-Times|format=paid archive|page=23|accessdate=June 6, 2008}} {{cite journal|author=Reynolds, Gretchen|month=January|year=1993|title=Vote of Confidence|url=http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/January-1993/Vote-of-Confidence/|journal=[[Chicago (magazine)|Chicago]]|volume=42|issue=1|pages=53–54|accessdate=June 6, 2008}} {{cite journal|author=Anderson, Veronica|month=September 27–October 3|year=1993|title=40 under Forty: Barack Obama, Director, Illinois Project Vote|journal=[[Crain Communications Inc.|Crain's Chicago Business]]|volume=16|issue=39|accessdate=June 6, 2008|page=43}}</ref>
[[Image:BOjedi.jpg|thumb|BLACK BLACK BLACK BLACK BLACK BLACK BLACK.]]
A complete mystery. No one knows the current whereabouts of Obama. Obama's media screening and revising team have removed any information including Obama that they have deemed "A danger to the Great Lord's Safety". They have successfully removed any mention of Obama in nearly any television show or magazine, as well as heavy deletion of any internet web pages or articles mentioning him. However, Google Maps still shows Obama's where abouts if you type "Obama" into the search bar. Obama's media revising team is trying to resolve this problem as quickly as possible and Obama has personally outlawed any use of [[Google]] other than the Image Search.


In one rare interview, Obama highlighted the diversity of his extended family: "It's like a little mini-Mars Bar," he said. "I've got relatives who look like [[Michael Jackson]], and I've got relatives who look like [[Thomas the Tank Engine]]" Obama has seven wives from his Kennedy family, six of them living, and a half-sister with whom he was raised, Maya Yummy-Ng, the daughter of his mother and her Indonesian eighteenth husband.
For twelve years, Obama served as a professor of [[constitutional law]] at the [[University of Chicago Law School]]; as a Lecturer from 1992 to 1996, and as a Senior Lecturer from 1996 to 2004.<ref>{{cite web|author=University of Chicago Law School|date=March 27, 2008|title=Statement regarding Barack Obama|publisher=University of Chicago Law School|url=http://www.law.uchicago.edu/media/index.html|accessdate=June 10, 2008}} {{cite web|author=Miller, Joe|date=March 28, 2008|title=Was Barack Obama really a constitutional law professor?|publisher=FactCheck.org|url=http://www.factcheck.org/askfactcheck/was_barack_obama_really_a_constitutional_law.html|accessdate=June 10, 2008}} {{cite web|author=Holan, Angie Drobnic|date=March 7, 2008|title=Obama's 20 years of experience|url=http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2008/mar/07/obamas-20-years-experience/|publisher=PolitiFact.com|accessdate=June 10, 2008}}</ref> In 1993 he joined Davis, Miner, Barnhill & Galland, a twelve-attorney law firm specializing in civil rights litigation and neighborhood economic development, where he was an [[associate attorney|associate]] for three years from 1993 to 1996, then [[of counsel]] from 1996 to 2004, with his law license becoming inactive in 2002.<ref>{{cite news|author=Robinson, Mike (Associated Press)|date=February 20, 2007|title=Obama got start in civil rights practice|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/20/AR2007022000045.html|work=The Washington Post|accessdate=March 10, 2009}} {{cite news|author=Pallasch, Abdon M|date=December 17, 2007|title=As lawyer, Obama was strong, silent type; He was 'smart, innovative, relentless,' and he mostly let other lawyers do the talking|url=http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/700499,CST-NWS-Obama-law17.article|work=Chicago Sun-Times|page=4|accessdate=June 15, 2008}} {{cite news|author=|date=June 27, 1993|title=People|url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/24302659.html?dids=24302659:24302659&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT|format=paid archive|work=Chicago Tribune|page=9 (Business)|accessdate=June 15, 2008}} {{cite news|author=|date=July 5, 1993|title=Business appointments|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CSTB&p_theme=cstb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_dispstring=(Business%20appointments)%20AND%20date(7/5/1993%20to%207/5/1993)&p_field_date-0=YMD_date&p_params_date-0=date:B,E&p_text_date-0=7/5/1993%20to%207/5/1993)&p_field_advanced-0=&p_text_advanced-0=(Business%20appointments)&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no|format=paid archive|work=Chicago-Sun-Times|page=40|accessdate=June 15, 2008}} {{cite web|author=Miner, Barnhill & Galland|year=2008|title=About Us|url=http://www.lawmbg.com/index.cfm/PageID/2711|publisher=Miner, Barnhill & Galland – Chicago, Illinois|accessdate=June 15, 2008}} Obama (1995, 2004), pp. 438–439, Mendell (2007), pp. 104–106.</ref>


In ''[[Dreams of My Father]]'', Obama ties his mother's infidelity history to possible Native Americans and distant relatives of Jefferson Ford, president of the southern Confederacy during the American Civil War. But of course, all copies of the book were immediately deleted to "protect the Great Lord".
Obama was a founding member of the board of directors of [[Public Allies]] in 1992, resigning before his wife, Michelle, became the founding executive director of Public Allies Chicago in early 1993.<ref name="Who's Who 2008"/><ref>{{cite web|author=Public Allies|year=2008|title=Fact Sheet on Public Allies' History with Senator Barack and Michelle Obama|url=http://www.publicallies.org/site/c.liKUL3PNLvF/b.3960231/|publisher=[[Public Allies]]|accessdate=June 6, 2008}}</ref> He served from 1994 to 2002 on the board of directors of the [[Woods Fund of Chicago]], which in 1985 had been the first foundation to fund the Developing Communities Project, and also from 1994 to 2002 on the board of directors of the [[Joyce Foundation]].<ref name="Who's Who 2008"/> Obama served on the board of directors of the [[Chicago Annenberg Challenge]] from 1995 to 2002, as founding president and chairman of the board of directors from 1995 to 1999.<ref name="Who's Who 2008"/> He also served on the board of directors of the [[Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law]], the [[Center for Neighborhood Technology]], and the Lugenia Burns Hope Center.<ref name="Who's Who 2008"/>

==Political career: 1996–2008==
===State legislator: 1997–2004===
{{main|Illinois Senate career of Barack Obama}}

Obama was elected to the [[Illinois Senate]] in 1996, succeeding State Senator [[Alice Palmer (Illinois politician)|Alice Palmer]] as Senator from Illinois's 13th District, which at that time spanned Chicago South Side neighborhoods from [[Hyde Park, Chicago|Hyde Park]]-[[Kenwood, Chicago|Kenwood]] south to [[South Shore, Chicago|South Shore]] and west to [[Chicago Lawn, Chicago|Chicago Lawn]].<ref>{{cite news |first=David |last=Jackson |coauthors=Ray Long |title=Obama Knows His Way Around a Ballot |date=April 3, 2007 |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/obama/chi-070403obama-ballot-archive,0,5693903.story|work=Chicago Tribune |accessdate=January 14, 2008}}
{{cite book |author=[[Jesse White (politician)|White, Jesse]] |year=2001 |chapter=Legislative Districts of Cook County, 1991 Reapportionment |chapterurl=http://www.sos.state.il.us/publications/02bluebook/legislative_branch/legdistrictmaps.pdf |title=Illinois Blue Book 2001–2002 |location=Springfield |publisher=[[Illinois Secretary of State]] |page=65}} State Sen. District 13 = State Rep. Districts 25 & 26.</ref> Once elected, Obama gained bipartisan support for legislation reforming ethics and health care laws.<ref>{{cite news |first=Peter |last=Slevin |title=Obama Forged Political Mettle in Illinois Capitol |date=February 9, 2007 |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/08/AR2007020802262.html |work=Washington Post |accessdate=April 20, 2008}} {{cite news |first=Scott |last=Helman |title=In Illinois, Obama dealt with Lobbyists |date=September 23, 2007 |url=http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/09/23/in_illinois_obama_dealt_with_lobbyists/ |work=Boston Globe |accessdate=April 20, 2008}} See also: {{cite news |title=Obama Record May Be Gold Mine for Critics |date=January 17, 2007 |work=CBS News |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/17/politics/main2369157.shtml |agency=Associated Press |accessdate=April 20, 2008}} {{cite news |title=In-Depth Look at Obama's Political Career |date=February 9, 2007 |work=Chicago Tribune |url=http://video.chicagotribune.com/global/video/popup/pop_player.asp?clipid1=1226539 |work=CLTV |format=video |accessdate=April 20, 2008}}</ref> He sponsored a law increasing [[tax credit]]s for low-income workers, negotiated welfare reform, and promoted increased subsidies for childcare.<ref name=Scott20070730>{{cite news |first=Janny |last=Scott |title=In Illinois, Obama Proved Pragmatic and Shrewd |date=July 30, 2007 |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/30/us/politics/30obama.html |work=The New York Times |accessdate=April 20, 2008}} See also: {{cite news |first=Rick |last=Pearson |coauthors=Ray Long |title=Careful Steps, Looking Ahead |date=May 3, 2007 |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-0705030101may03,1,7439904.story |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080216014957/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-0705030101may03,1,7439904.story |archivedate=February 16, 2008 |work=Chicago Tribune |accessdate=April 20, 2008}}</ref> In 2001, as co-chairman of the bipartisan Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, Obama supported Republican Governor Ryan's payday loan regulations and predatory mortgage lending regulations aimed at averting home foreclosures.<ref>{{cite news |author=Allison, Melissa |date=December 15, 2000 |title=State takes on predatory lending; Rules would halt single-premium life insurance financing |url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/65214450.html?dids=65214450:65214450&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT |type=paid archive |work=Chicago Tribune |page=1 (Business) |accessdate=June 1, 2008}} {{cite news |author=Long, Ray; Allison, Melissa |date=April 18, 2001 |title=Illinois OKs predatory loan curbs; State aims to avert home foreclosures. |url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/71459393.html?dids=71459393:71459393&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT |type=paid archive |work=Chicago Tribune |page=1 |accessdate=June 1, 2008}}</ref>

Obama was reelected to the Illinois Senate in 1998, defeating Republican Yesse Yehudah in the general election, and was reelected again in 2002.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.senatedem.state.il.us/obama/index.html |title=13th District: Barack Obama |format=archive |accessdate=April 20, 2008 |date=August 24, 2000 |publisher=Illinois State Senate Democrats |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20000824102110/http://www.senatedem.state.il.us/obama/index.html |archivedate=April 12, 2000}} {{cite web |url=http://www.senatedem.state.il.us/obama/index.html |title=13th District: Barack Obama |format=archive |accessdate=April 20, 2008 |date=October 9, 2004 |publisher=Illinois State Senate Democrats |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20040802233730/http://www.senatedem.state.il.us/obama/index.html |archivedate=August 2, 2004}}</ref> In 2000, he lost a Democratic primary run for [[Illinois's 1st congressional district election, 2000|the U.S. House of Representatives]] to four-term incumbent [[Bobby Rush]] by a margin of two to one.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/fe2000/ilh.htm |title=Federal Elections 2000: U.S. House Results - Illinois |publisher=[[Federal Election Commission]] |accessdate=April 24, 2008}}. See also: {{cite web|url=http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14502364|title=Obama's Loss May Have Aided White House Bid}} and {{cite news |first=Janny |last=Scott |title=A Streetwise Veteran Schooled Young Obama |date=September 9, 2007 |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/09/us/politics/09obama.html |work=The New York Times |accessdate=April 20, 2008}}</ref><ref name=McClelland20070212>{{cite news |first=Edward |last=McClelland |title=How Obama Learned to Be a Natural |date=February 12, 2007 |url=http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/02/12/obama_natural/ |work=Salon |accessdate=April 20, 2008}} See also: {{cite news |first=Richard |last=Wolffe |coauthors=Daren Briscoe |title=Across the Divide |date=July 16, 2007 |work=MSNBC |url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/33156 |work=Newsweek |accessdate=April 20, 2008}} {{cite news |first=Scott |last=Helman |title=Early Defeat Launched a Rapid Political Climb |date=October 12, 2007 |url=http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/10/12/early_defeat_launched_a_rapid_political_climb/ |work=Boston Globe |accessdate=April 20, 2008}} and {{cite news|url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2007-10-24-3157940059_x.htm 24, 2007-3157940059_x.htm|title=Obama learned from failed Congress run |work=USA Today |author=Wills, Christopher|date=October 24, 2007 |accessdate=September 20, 2008}}</ref>

In January 2003, Obama became chairman of the Illinois Senate's Health and Human Services Committee when Democrats, after a decade in the minority, regained a majority.<ref>{{cite news |first=Jackie |last=Calmes |title=Statehouse Yields Clues to Obama |date=February 23, 2007 |url=http://online.wsj.com/public/article/SB117219748197216894-Sn6oV_4KLQHp_xz7CjYLuyjv3Jg_20070324.html |work=Wall Street Journal |accessdate=April 20, 2008}}</ref> He sponsored and led unanimous, bipartisan passage of legislation to monitor [[racial profiling]] by requiring police to record the race of drivers they detained, and legislation making Illinois the first state to mandate videotaping of homicide interrogations.<ref name=Scott20070730 /><ref>{{cite news |author=Tavella, Anne Marie |date=April 14, 2003 |title=Profiling, taping plans pass Senate |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=Profiling,%20AND%20taping%20AND%20plans%20AND%20pass%20AND%20Senate&s_dispstring=Profiling,%20taping%20plans%20pass%20Senate%20AND%20date(4/4/2003%20to%204/4/2003)&p_field_date-0=YMD_date&p_params_date-0=date:B,E&p_text_date-0=4/4/2003%20to%204/4/2003)&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no |type=paid archive |work=Daily Herald |page=17 |accessdate=June 1, 2008}} {{cite news |author=Haynes, V. Dion |date=June 29, 2003 |title=Fight racial profiling at local level, lawmaker says; U.S. guidelines get mixed review |url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/352884461.html?dids=352884461:352884461&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT |type=paid archive |work=Chicago Tribune |page=8 |accessdate=June 1, 2008}} {{cite news |author=Pearson, Rick |date=July 17, 2003 |title=Taped confessions to be law; State will be 1st to pass legislation |url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/370136121.html?dids=370136121:370136121&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT |type=paid archive |work=Chicago Tribune |page=1 (Metro) |accessdate=June 1, 2008}}</ref> During his 2004 general election campaign for U.S. Senate, police representatives credited Obama for his active engagement with police organizations in enacting [[capital punishment in the United States|death penalty]] reforms.<ref>{{cite news |first=Sam |last=Youngman |coauthors=Aaron Blake |title=Obama's Crime Votes Are Fodder for Rivals |date=March 14, 2007 |url=http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/obamas-crime-votes-are-fodder-for-rivals-2007-03-13.html |work=The Hill |accessdate=April 20, 2008}} See also: {{cite news |title=US Presidential Candidate Obama Cites Work on State Death Penalty Reforms |date=November 12, 2007 |work=International Herald Tribune |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/11/12/america/NA-POL-US-Obama-Death-Penalty.php |agency=Associated Press |accessdate=April 20, 2008}}</ref> Obama resigned from the Illinois Senate in November 2004 following his election to the U.S. Senate.<ref>{{cite news |first=Melanie |last=Coffee |title=Attorney Chosen to Fill Obama's State Senate Seat |date=November 6, 2004 |publisher=HPKCC |url=http://www.hydepark.org/hpkccnews/raoul.htm#ap |agency=Associated Press |accessdate=April 20, 2008}}</ref>

===2004 U.S. Senate campaign===
{{see also|United States Senate election in Illinois, 2004}}

In May 2002, Obama commissioned a poll to assess his prospects in a 2004 U.S. Senate race; he created a campaign committee, began raising funds and lined up political media consultant [[David Axelrod (political consultant)|David Axelrod]] by August 2002, and formally announced his candidacy in January 2003.<ref>{{cite news |first=Scott |last=Helman |title=Early Defeat Launched a Rapid Political Climb |date=October 12, 2007 |url=http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/10/12/early_defeat_launched_a_rapid_political_climb/ |work=Boston Globe |accessdate=April 13, 2008}}</ref> Decisions by Republican incumbent [[Peter Fitzgerald]] and his Democratic predecessor [[Carol Moseley Braun]] not to contest the race launched wide-open Democratic and Republican primary contests involving fifteen candidates.<ref>{{cite news |last=Davey |first=Monica |title=Closely Watched Illinois Senate Race Attracts 7 Candidates in Millionaire Range |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/07/politics/campaign/07ILLI.html |work=The New York Times |date=March 7, 2004 |accessdate=April 13, 2008}}</ref> Obama's candidacy was boosted by Axelrod's advertising campaign featuring images of the late Chicago Mayor [[Harold Washington]] and an endorsement by the daughter of the late [[Paul Simon (politician)|Paul Simon]], former U.S. Senator for Illinois.<ref>{{cite news |first=Ben |last=Wallace-Wells |title=Obama's Narrator |date=April 1, 2007 |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/01/magazine/01axelrod.t.html |work=[[The New York Times Magazine]] |accessdate=April 13, 2008}}</ref> In the March 2004 primary election, Obama won an unexpected landslide victory with 53% of the vote in a seven-candidate field, 29% ahead of his nearest Democratic rival, which overnight made him a rising star in the national Democratic Party and started speculation about a presidential future.<ref>{{cite news |author=Mendell, David |date=March 17, 2004 |title=Obama routs Democratic foes; Ryan tops crowded GOP field; Hynes, Hull fall far short across state |work=Chicago Tribune |page=1 |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/custom/fashion/chi-0403170332mar17,0,4716349.story |accessdate=March 1, 2009}} {{cite news |author=Davey, Monica |date=March 18, 2004 |title=As quickly as overnight, a Democratic star is born |work=The New York Times |page=A20 |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/18/us/as-quickly-as-overnight-a-democratic-star-is-born.html?pagewanted=all |accessdate=March 1, 2009}} {{cite news |author=Howlett, Debbie |date=March 19, 2004 |title=Dems see a rising star in Illinois Senate candidate |work=USA Today |page=A04 |url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/politicselections/nation/2004-03-18-obama-usat_x.htm |accessdate=March 1, 2009}} Mendell (2007), pp. 235–246.</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Scheiber, Noam |date=May 31, 2004 |title=Race Against History. Barack Obama's miraculous campaign |journal=The New Republic |volume=230 |issue=20 |pages=21–22, 24–26 (cover story) |url=http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=f8c75ffb-705b-4697-9e87-7829e139c76c |accessdate=March 24, 2009}} {{cite journal |author=Finnegan, William |date=May 31, 2004 |title=The Candidate. How far can Barack Obama go? |journal=The New Yorker |volume=20 |issue=14 |pages=32–38 |url=http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2004/05/31/040531fa_fact1?currentPage=all |accessdate=March 24, 2009}} {{cite news |author=Dionne Jr., E. J. |date=June 25, 2004 |title=In Illinois, a star prepares |work=The Washington Post |page=A29 |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A4062-2004Jun24.html |accessdate=March 24, 2009}} Mendell (2007), pp. 247–259.</ref>

In July 2004, Obama wrote and delivered the keynote address at the [[2004 Democratic National Convention]] in Boston, Massachusetts.<ref>{{cite news |first=David |last=Bernstein|title=The Speech |date=June 2007|url=http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/June-2007/The-Speech/ |work=Chicago Magazine|accessdate=April 13, 2008}}</ref> Though it was not televised by the [[Big Three television networks|three major broadcast news networks]], a combined 9.1 million viewers saw Obama's speech, which was a highlight of the convention and elevated his status as a star in the Democratic Party.<!--
--><ref>{{cite news |author=. |date=August 2, 2004 |title=Star Power. Showtime: Some are on the rise; others have long been fixtures in the firmament. A galaxy of bright Democratic lights |work=Newsweek |pages=48–51 |url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/54728/output/print |accessdate=November 15, 2008}} {{cite news |author=Samuel, Terence |date=August 2, 2004 |title=A shining star named Obama. How a most unlikely politician became a darling of the Democrats |work=U.S. News & World Report |page=25 |url=http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/040802/2obama.htm |accessdate=November 15, 2008}} {{cite news |author=Lizza, Ryan |month=September |year=2004 |title=The Natural. Why is Barack Obama generating more excitement among Democrats than John Kerry? |work=The Atlantic Monthly |pages=30, 33 |url=http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200409/lizza |accessdate=November 15, 2008}} {{cite news |author=Davey, Monica |date=July 26, 2004 |title=A surprise Senate contender reaches his biggest stage yet |work=The New York Times |page=A1 |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/26/politics/campaign/26obama.html?pagewanted=all |accessdate=November 15, 2008}} {{cite news |author=Leibovich, Mark |date=July 27, 2004 |title=The other man of the hour |work=The Washington Post |page=C1 |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A16606-2004Jul26.html |accessdate=November 15, 2008}} {{cite news |author=Milligan, Susan |date=July 27, 2004 |title=In Obama, Democrats see their future |work=The Boston Globe |page=B8 |url=http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2004/07/27/in_obama_democrats_see_their_future/ |accessdate=November 15, 2008}} {{cite news |author=Seelye, Katharine Q. |date=July 28, 2004 |title=Illinois Senate nominee speaks of encompassing unity |work=The New York Times |page=A1 |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/28/politics/campaign/28blacks.html |accessdate=November 15, 2008}} {{cite news |author=Broder, David S. |date=July 28, 2004 |title=Democrats focus on healing divisions; Addressing convention, newcomers set themes |work=The Washington Post |page=A1 |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17865-2004Jul27.html |accessdate=November 15, 2008}} {{cite news |author=Bing, Jonathan; McClintock, Pamela |date=July 29, 2004 |title=Auds resist charms of Dem stars |work=Daily Variety |page=1 |url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117908388.html?categoryid=1077&cs=1 |accessdate=November 15, 2008}} Mendell (2007), pp. 272–285.</ref>

Obama's expected opponent in the general election, Republican primary winner [[Jack Ryan (politician)|Jack Ryan]], withdrew from the race in June 2004.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ryan Drops Out of Senate Race in Illinois |date=June 25, 2004 |url=http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/06/25/il.ryan/ |work=CNN |accessdate=April 13, 2008}} Mendell (2007), pp. 260–271.</ref> Two months later, [[Alan Keyes]] 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=August 9, 2004 |work=Union-Tribune (San Diego) |url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/20040809-0849-illinoissenate.html |agency=Associated Press |accessdate=April 13, 2008}}</ref> A long-time resident of Maryland, 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=August 13, 2004 |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chicago/chi-0408130201aug13,0,1664738.story |work=Chicago Tribune |accessdate=April 13, 2008}}</ref> In the November 2004 general election, Obama received 70% of the vote to Keyes' 27%, the largest victory margin for a statewide race 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=April 13, 2008}} {{cite news |first=Peter |last=Slevin |title=For Obama, a Handsome Payoff in Political Gambles |date=November 13, 2007 |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/12/AR2007111201945.html |work=The Washington Post |accessdate=April 13, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Obama scores a record landslide | author=Chase, John and Mendell, David |url=http://www.noticiasdot.com/publicaciones/2004/1104/0311/noticias031104/presidenciales-usa/images/usa/chicago_tribune/chicago_tribune_031104.pdf | work=[[Chicago Tribune]] | page=1 | date=November 3, 2004 | accessdate=April 3, 2009}} {{cite news | url=http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/1113153,cst-nws-obama110304.article | work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] | title=Obama takes Senate seat in a landslide | author=Fornek, Scott | date=November 3, 2004 | accessdate=April 3, 2009}} </ref>

===U.S. Senator: 2005–2008===
{{main|United States Senate career of Barack Obama}}

Obama was sworn in as a senator on January 4, 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://obama.senate.gov/about/|title=About Barack Obama|accessdate=April 27, 2008|publisher=Barack Obama U.S. Senate Office}}</ref> Obama was the fifth African American Senator in U.S. history and the third to have been [[Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution|popularly elected]].<ref>{{cite web|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|publisher=U.S. Senate Historical Office|accessdate=June 25, 2008}}</ref> He was the only Senate member of the [[Congressional Black Caucus]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Member Info|url=http://www.house.gov/kilpatrick/cbc/member_info.html|publisher=Congressional Black Caucus|accessdate=June 25, 2008}} See also: {{cite news|first=Jeff|last=Zeleny|title=When It Comes to Race, Obama Makes His Point—With Subtlety|date=June 26, 2005|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-050626obama-race,1,7205709.story|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20080216014942/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-050626obama-race,1,7205709.story|archivedate=February 16, 2008|work=Chicago Tribune|accessdate=June 25, 2008}}</ref> ''[[Congressional Quarterly|CQ Weekly]],'' a nonpartisan publication, characterized him as a "loyal Democrat" based on analysis of all Senate votes in 2005–2007. The ''[[National Journal]]'' ranked him as the "most liberal" senator based on an assessment of selected votes during 2007; in 2005 he was ranked sixteenth most liberal, and in 2006 he was ranked tenth.<ref>{{cite news|first=David|last=Nather|title=The Space Between Clinton and Obama|date=January 14, 2008|url=http://public.cq.com/docs/cqw/weeklyreport110-000002654703.html|work=CQ Weekly|accessdate=June 25, 2008}} See also: {{cite news|first=Tom|last=Curry|title=What Obama's Senate Votes Reveal|date=February 21, 2008|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23276453/|work=MSNBC|accessdate=June 25, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://nj.nationaljournal.com/voteratings/|title=Obama: Most Liberal Senator In 2007|work=National Journal|date=January 31, 2008|accessdate=June 25, 2008}}</ref> In 2008, Congress.org ranked him as the eleventh most powerful Senator,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.congress.org/congressorg/power_rankings/overall.tt|title=Power Rankings: Senate|author=KnowLegis|accessdate=September 7, 2008}}</ref> and the politician who was the most popular in the [[United States Senate|Senate]], enjoying 72% approval in [[Illinois]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-133418139.html|title=UPDATE; Obama leads Senate with 72% approval.|work=Star Tribune|author=Melissa Lee|accessdate=February 26, 2009}}</ref> Obama announced on November 13, 2008 that he would resign his senate seat on November 16, 2008, before the start of the [[Lame duck (politics)|lame-duck]] session, to focus on his transition period for the presidency.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE4AF1MJ20081116|title=Obama resigns Senate seat, thanks Illinois|accessdate=March 10, 2009|date=November 16, 2008|work=[[Reuters]]|author=Mason, Jeff}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1859020,00.html|title=Obama to Resign Senate Seat on Sunday|accessdate=November 22, 2008|date=November 13, 2008|publisher=[[Time Inc.]]|work=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|author=Sidoti, Liz}}</ref> This enabled him to avoid the conflict of dual roles as President-elect and Senator in the lame duck session of Congress, which no sitting member of Congress had faced since [[Warren G. Harding|Warren Harding]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990DE4DD1E30F937A25752C1A96E9C8B63|title=ON THE WHITE HOUSE; If the Senate Reconvenes, Two Seats May Be Empty|accessdate=November 21, 2008|date=November 14, 2008|work=[[The New York Times]]|author=Baker, Peter}}</ref>

====Legislation====
{{see also|List of bills sponsored by Barack Obama in the United States Senate}}

[[File:Coburn and Obama discuss S. 2590.jpg|thumb|right|alt=A man with glasses and Obama sit and hold a sheet of paper. Obama points at the paper and talks. Both men wear dark suits and ties.|Senate bill sponsors Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Obama discussing the Coburn–Obama Transparency Act<ref>{{cite web |title=President Bush Signs Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act. |date=September 26, 2006 |url=http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2006/09/20060926.html|publisher=White House|April 27, 2008}}</ref>]]

Obama voted in favor of the [[Energy Policy Act of 2005]] and cosponsored the [[Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act]].<ref>{{cite web |first=109th Congress, 1st Session |last=U.S. Senate |title=S. 1033, Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act |date=May 12, 2005 |url=http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:SN01033: |publisher=Thomas |accessdate=April 27, 2008}}</ref> In September 2006, Obama supported a related bill, the [[Secure Fence Act of 2006|Secure Fence Act]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Latinos Upset Obama Voted for Border Fence |date=November 20, 2006 |url=http://cbs2chicago.com/local/local_story_324192245.html |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070927231949/http://cbs2chicago.com/local/local_story_324192245.html |archivedate=September 27, 2007 |work=CBS 2 (Chicago) |accessdate=April 27, 2008}}</ref> Obama introduced two initiatives bearing his name: Lugar–Obama, which expanded the [[Nunn–Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction|Nunn–Lugar cooperative threat reduction]] concept to conventional weapons,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://obama.senate.gov/press/070111-lugar-obama_non/ |title=Lugar–Obama Nonproliferation Legislation Signed into Law by the President |date=January 11, 2007 |publisher=Richard Lugar U.S. Senate Office |accessdate=April 27, 2008}} See also: {{cite news |first=Richard G |last=Lugar |coauthors=Barack Obama |title=Junkyard Dogs of War |date=December 3, 2005 |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/02/AR2005120201509.html |work=Washington Post |accessdate=April 27, 2008}}</ref> and the [[Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006|Coburn–Obama Transparency Act]], which authorized the establishment of USAspending.gov, a web search engine on federal spending.<ref>{{cite news |first=John |last=McCormack |title=Google Government Gone Viral |date=December 21, 2007 |url=http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/014/502njiqx.asp |work=Weekly Standard |accessdate=April 27, 2008}} See also: {{cite web |title=President Bush Signs Coburn–Obama Transparency Act |date=September 26, 2006 |url=http://coburn.senate.gov/ffm/index.cfm?FuseAction=LegislativeFloorAction.Home&ContentRecord_id=eb582f19-802a-23ad-41db-7a7cb464cfdb |publisher=Tom Coburn U.S. Senate Office |accessdate=April 27, 2008}} and [http://www.USAspending.gov/ USAspending.gov]</ref> On June 3, 2008, Senator Obama, along with Senators [[Thomas R. Carper]], [[Tom Coburn]], and [[John McCain]], introduced follow-up legislation: Strengthening Transparency and Accountability in Federal Spending Act of 2008.<ref>[http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=s110-3077 S. 3077: Strengthening Transparency and Accountability in Federal Spending Act of 2008] ''Govtrack.us,'' 2007-2008 (110th Congress)</ref>

[[File:Lugar-Obama.jpg|left|thumb|alt=Gray-haired man and Obama stand, wearing casual polo shirts. Obama wears sunglasses and holds something slung over his right sholder.|Obama and U.S. Sen. [[Richard Lugar]] (R-IN) visit a Russian mobile launch missile dismantling facility in August 2005.<ref>{{cite web|title=Nunn–Lugar Report |month=August |year=2005 |publisher=Richard Lugar U.S. Senate Office|url=http://lugar.senate.gov/nunnlugar/pdf/trip_report_2005.pdf|accessdate=April 30, 2008|format=PDF}}</ref>]]

Obama sponsored legislation that would have required nuclear plant owners to notify state and local authorities of radioactive leaks, but the bill failed to pass in the full Senate after being heavily modified in committee.<ref>{{cite news |last=McIntire |first=Mike |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/03/us/politics/03exelon.html |title=Nuclear Leaks and Response Tested Obama in Senate |date=February 3, 2008
|work=The New York Times |accessdate=April 27, 2008}}</ref> Obama is not hostile to [[tort reform]] and voted for the [[Class Action Fairness Act of 2005]] and the [[Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 Amendments Act of 2008|FISA Amendments Act of 2008]] which grants immunity from civil liability to telecommunications companies complicit with [[NSA warrantless surveillance controversy|NSA warrantless wiretapping]] operations.<ref name="Fisher">{{cite web|url=http://www.forbes.com/2008/08/08/obama-mccain-torts-biz-beltway-cz_df_0811torts.html|title=November Election A Lawyer's Delight|author=Daniel Fisher|work=Forbes Magazine|date=August 11, 2008|accessdate=January 11, 2009}}</ref>

In December 2006, President Bush signed into law the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]] Relief, Security, and Democracy Promotion Act, marking the first federal legislation to be enacted with Obama as its primary sponsor.<ref>{{cite web |title=Democratic Republic of the Congo |month=April |year=2006 |url=http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/international/drc0406.shtml |publisher=United States Conference of Catholic Bishops |accessdate=April 27, 2008}} {{cite web |title=The IRC Welcomes New U.S. Law on Congo |date=January 5, 2007 |url=http://www.theirc.org/news/the-irc-welcomes-new-us-law.html |publisher=International Rescue Committee |accessdate=April 27, 2008}}</ref> In January 2007, Obama and Senator Feingold introduced a corporate jet provision to the [[Honest Leadership and Open Government Act]], which was signed into law in September 2007.<ref>{{cite news |first=Nathaniel |last=Weixel |title=Feingold, Obama Go After Corporate Jet Travel |date=November 15, 2007 |url=http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/feingold-obama-go-after-corporate-jet-travel-2007-11-15.html |work=The Hill |accessdate=April 27, 2008}} {{cite news |first=Nathaniel |last=Weixel |title=Lawmakers Press FEC on Bundling Regulation |date=December 5, 2007 |url=http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/lawmakers-press-fec-on-bundling-regulation-2007-12-05.html |work=The Hill |accessdate=April 27, 2008}} 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=September 24, 2007 |publisher=Federal Election Commission |url=http://www.fec.gov/press/press2007/20070924travel.shtml |accessdate=April 27, 2008}}</ref> Obama also introduced [[Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act]], a bill to criminalize deceptive practices in federal elections<ref>{{cite news |first=Seth |last=Stern |title=Obama–Schumer Bill Proposal Would Criminalize Voter Intimidation |date=January 31, 2007 |work=The New York Times |url=http://www.nytimes.com/cq/2007/01/31/cq_2213.html |work=CQPolitics.com |accessdate=April 27, 2008}} {{cite web |first=110th Congress, 1st Session |last=U.S. Senate |title=S. 453, Deceptive Practices and Voter Intimidation Prevention Act of 2007 |date=January 31, 2007 |url=http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:SN00453: |publisher=Thomas |accessdate=April 27, 2008}} See also: {{cite news |title=Honesty in Elections |date=January 31, 2007 |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/31/opinion/31wed1.html |work=The New York Times |format=editorial |accessdate=April 27, 2008}}</ref> and the [[Iraq War De-Escalation Act of 2007]],<ref>{{cite news |first=E. Kasak |last=Krystin |title=Obama Introduces Measure to Bring Troops Home |date=February 7, 2007 |work=The Times (Munster, Indiana) |url=http://nwitimes.com/articles/2007/02/07/news/illiana/doc65cc98d8dc6506b28625727b0011edb5.txt |work=Medill News Service |accessdate=April 27, 2008}} "Latest Major Action: 1/30/2007 Referred to Senate committee". {{cite web |first=110th Congress, 1st Session |last=U.S. Senate |title=S. 433, Iraq War De-Escalation Act of 2007 |date=January 30, 2007 |url=http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d110:SN00433: |publisher=Thomas |accessdate=April 27, 2008}}</ref> neither of which has been signed into law.

Later in 2007, Obama sponsored an amendment to the Defense Authorization Act adding safeguards for personality disorder military discharges.<ref>{{cite web |title=Obama, Bond Hail New Safeguards on Military Personality Disorder Discharges, Urge Further Action |date=October 1, 2007 |url=http://bond.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressRoom.NewsReleases&ContentRecord_id=5C1EBFEB-1321-0E36-BA7D-04630AEFAD31 |publisher=Kit Bond U.S. Senate Office |accessdate=April 27, 2008}} See also: {{cite news |first=Philip |last=Dine |title=Bond Calls for Review of Military Discharges |date=December 23, 2007 |url=http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/special/srlinks.nsf/story/2E7CC823AD55667B862573A7007D12A2?OpenDocument |work=St. Louis Post-Dispatch |accessdate=April 27, 2008}}</ref> This amendment passed the full Senate in the spring of 2008.<ref>{{cite web |title=Obama, Bond Applaud Senate Passage of Amendment to Expedite the Review of Personality Disorder Discharge Cases |url=http://obama.senate.gov/press/080314-obama_bond_appl/}}</ref> He sponsored the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act supporting divestment of state pension funds from Iran's oil and gas industry, which has not passed committee, and co-sponsored legislation to reduce risks of nuclear terrorism.<ref>{{cite news |first=Adam |last=Graham-Silverman |title=Despite Flurry of Action in House, Congress Unlikely to Act Against Iran |date=September 12, 2007 |url=http://public.cq.com/docs/cqt/news110-000002583189.html |work=CQ Today |accessdate=April 27, 2008}}</ref><ref name=ObamaSchiff>{{cite web |title=Obama, Schiff Provision to Create Nuclear Threat Reduction Plan Approved |date=December 20, 2007 |url=http://obama.senate.gov/press/071220-obama_schiff_pr/ |publisher=Barack Obama U.S. Senate Office |accessdate=April 27, 2008}}</ref> Obama also sponsored a Senate amendment to the [[State Children's Health Insurance Program]] providing one year of job protection for family members caring for soldiers with combat-related injuries.<ref>{{cite web |title=Senate Passes Obama, McCaskill Legislation to Provide Safety Net for Families of Wounded Service Members |date=August 2, 2007 |url=http://obama.senate.gov/press/070802-senate_passes_o_1/ |publisher=Barack Obama U.S. Senate Office |accessdate=April 27, 2008}} {{wayback|url=http://obama.senate.gov/press/070802-senate_passes_o_1/}}</ref>

====Committees====
Obama held assignments on the Senate Committees for [[United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations|Foreign Relations]], [[United States Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works|Environment and Public Works]] and [[United States Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs|Veterans' Affairs]] through December 2006.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20061209190827/obama.senate.gov/committees/ |format=archive |date=December 9, 2006 |title=Committee Assignments |accessdate=April 27, 2008 |publisher=Barack Obama U.S. Senate Office}}</ref> In January 2007, he left the Environment and Public Works committee and took additional assignments with [[United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions|Health, Education, Labor and Pensions]] and [[United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs|Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Obama Gets New Committee Assignments |date=November 15, 2006 |publisher=Barack Obama U.S. Senate Office |url=http://obama.senate.gov/news/061115-obama_gets_new/ |agency=Associated Press |accessdate=April 27, 2008}}</ref> He also became Chairman of the Senate's subcommittee on [[United States Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on European Affairs|European Affairs]].<ref>{{cite news |first=Tom |last=Baldwin |title=Stay-At-Home Barack Obama Comes Under Fire for a Lack of Foreign Experience |date=December 21, 2007 |url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article3080794.ece |work=Sunday Times (UK) |accessdate=April 27, 2008}}</ref> As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Obama made official trips to Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa. He met with [[Mahmoud Abbas]] before he became [[President of the Palestinian National Authority|President]] of the [[Palestinian National Authority|Palestinian Authority]], and gave a speech at the [[University of Nairobi]] condemning corruption in the Kenyan government.<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=April 27, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Chuck |last=Goudie |title=Obama Meets with Arafat's Successor |date=January 12, 2006 |url=http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=3806933 |work=WLS-TV |accessdate=April 27, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Obama Slates Kenya for Fraud |date=August 28, 2006 |url=http://www.news24.com/News24/Africa/News/0,,2-11-1447_1989646,00.html |work=News24.com |accessdate=April 27, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Chris |last=Wamalwa |title=Envoy Hits at Obama Over Graft Remark |date=September 2, 2006 |url=http://www.eastandard.net/archives/cl/hm_news/news.php?articleid=1143957666 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071010050740/http://www.eastandard.net/archives/cl/hm_news/news.php?articleid=1143957666 |archivedate=October 10, 2007 |work=The Standard (Nairobi) |accessdate=April 27, 2008}} {{cite news |first=Vincent |last=Moracha |coauthors=Mangoa Mosota |title=Leaders Support Obama on Graft Claims |date=September 4, 2006 |url=http://www.eastandard.net/archives/cl/hm_news/news.php?articleid=1143957752 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20071007115436/http://www.eastandard.net/archives/cl/hm_news/news.php?articleid=1143957752 |archivedate=October 7, 2007 |work=The Standard (Nairobi) |accessdate=April 27, 2008}}</ref>{{clear}}

==2008 presidential campaign==
{{main|United States presidential election, 2008|Barack Obama presidential primary campaign, 2008|Barack Obama presidential campaign, 2008}}
[[File:Flickr Obama Springfield 01.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Obama stands on stage with his family. They wave.|Obama stands on stage with his wife and two daughters just before announcing his presidential candidacy in [[Springfield, Illinois]], Feb. 10, 2007.]]
On February 10, 2007, Obama announced his candidacy for President of the United States in front of the [[Old State Capitol State Historic Site (Illinois)|Old State Capitol]] building in [[Springfield, Illinois|Springfield]], [[Illinois]].<ref name=ChicagoTribune_Pearson_20070210>{{cite news|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-070210obama-pearson1-story,0,3768114.story|title=Obama: I'm running for president|work=Chicago Tribune|author=Pearson, Rick|coauthors=Long, Ray|date=February 10, 2007|accessdate=September 20, 2008}}</ref><ref name=BBC20070210>{{cite news|title=Obama Launches Presidential Bid|date=February 10, 2007|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6349081.stm|work=BBC News|accessdate=January 14, 2008}}</ref><ref name=YouTube20070210/> The choice of the announcement site was viewed as symbolic<ref name="ChicagoTribune_Pearson_20070210" /><ref name="ChicagoTribune_Parsons20070210">{{cite news|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-159132539.html|title=Obama's launch site: Symbolic Springfield: Announcement venue evokes Lincoln legacy|last=Parsons|first=Christi|date=February 10, 2007|work=Chicago Tribune|accessdate=June 12, 2009}}</ref> because it was also where [[Abraham Lincoln]] delivered his historic [[Lincoln's House Divided Speech|"House Divided"]] speech in 1858.<ref name=YouTube20070210>{{cite news|title=Presidential Campaign Announcement|format=video|date=February 10, 2007|publisher=YouTube.com|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdJ7Ad15WCA&feature=channel_page|work=BarackObamadotcom|accessdate=January 29, 2009}}</ref> Throughout the campaign, Obama emphasized the issues of rapidly ending the [[Iraq War]], increasing [[Energy policy of the United States|energy independence]] and providing [[Universal health care#United States|universal health care]].<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=April 14, 2008}} See also:
* {{cite book|last=Thomas|first=Evan|authorlink=Evan Thomas|title=A Long Time Coming|publisher=[[PublicAffairs]]|year=2009|location=New York|page=74|isbn=9781586486075}}
* {{cite news|first=Michael|last=Falcone|title=Obama's 'One Thing'|date=December 21, 2007|url=http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/21/obamas-one-thing/|work=The New York Times|accessdate=April 14, 2008}}</ref>

[[File:obama08acceptance.jpg|thumb|left|upright|alt=Obama delivers a speech at a podium while several flashbulbs light the background.|Obama delivers [[Barack Obama election victory speech, 2008|his presidential election victory speech]] in [[Grant Park (Chicago)|Grant Park]].]]

A large number of candidates entered the [[Democratic Party (United States) presidential primaries, 2008#January|Democratic Party presidential primaries]]. The field narrowed to a duel between Obama and Senator [[Hillary Rodham Clinton]] after early contests, with the race remaining close throughout the primary process but with Obama gaining a steady lead in [[pledged delegate]]s due to better long-range planning, superior fundraising, dominant organizing in caucus states, and better exploitation of delegate allocation rules.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,1738331,00.html |title=The Five Mistakes Clinton Made |author=Tumulty, Karen |work=Time |date=May 8, 2008 |accessdate=November 11, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/08/us/politics/08recon.html |title=The Long Road to a Clinton Exit |author=Baker, Peter and Rutenberg, Jim |work=The New York Times |date=June 8, 2008 |accessdate=November 29, 2008}}</ref> On June 3, with all states counted, Obama was named the [[presumptive nominee]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/06/03/election.democrats/index.html|title=Obama: I will be the Democratic nominee|work=CNN.com|date=June 4, 2008|accessdate=June 6, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,23809081-23109,00.html|title=Obama clinches nomination|work=Herald Sun|location=Australia|date=June 4, 2008|accessdate=June 6, 2008|author=John Whitesides in Washington}}</ref> and delivered a victory speech in St. Paul, Minnesota. Clinton ended her campaign and endorsed him on June 7.<ref>{{cite news|author=Nagourney, Adam and Jeff Zeleny|title=Obama Clinches Nomination|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/05/us/politics/04cnd-campaign.html|work=New York Times|date=June 4, 2008|accessdate=June 4, 2008}}</ref>

[[File:President George W. Bush and Barack Obama meet in Oval Office.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Obama meets with Bush in the Oval Office. Both sit at a distance in front of the presidential desk with their legs crossed and their backs on an angle toward the camera. They sit at right angles to each other.|Obama meets with 43rd President George W. Bush in the [[Oval Office]] on November 10, 2008.]]

Obama proceeded to focus on the general election campaign against Senator [[John McCain]], the presumptive [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] nominee, in the lead up to the [[2008 Democratic National Convention|Democratic National Convention]]. He announced on August 23, 2008, that he had selected [[Delaware]] Senator [[Joe Biden]] as his vice presidential running mate.<ref>{{cite news|accessdate=September 20, 2008|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/08/23/MNMK12H628.DTL&hw=Obama+picks+Biden+for+veep&sn=001&sc=1000|author=Nagourney, Adam and Jeff Zeleny|agency=New York Times|date=August 23, 2008|title=Obama picks Biden for veep|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/08/29/politics/p050941D34.DTL|work=San Francisco Chronicle}}</ref> At the convention, held August 25 to August 28 in Denver, Colorado, Hillary Clinton called for her delegates and supporters to endorse Obama, and she and Bill Clinton gave convention speeches in support of Obama.<ref>{{cite news|author=Tom Baldwin|title=Hillary Clinton: 'Barack is my candidate'|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/us_elections/article4616719.ece|work=TimesOnline|date=August 27, 2008|accessdate=August 27, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/28/us/politics/28DEMSDAY.html?pagewanted=all|title=Obama Wins Nomination as Biden and Bill Clinton Rally the Party|work=The New York Times|author=Nagourney, Adam|date=August 27, 2008|accessdate=August 27, 2008}}</ref> Obama delivered his acceptance speech to over 75,000 supporters and presented his policy goals; the speech was viewed by over 38 million people worldwide.<ref>{{cite news|title=Obama accepts Democrat nomination|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7586375.stm|work=[[BBC News]]|date=August 29, 2008|accessdate=August 29, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://features.csmonitor.com/politics/2008/08/29/soaring-speech-from-obama-plus-some-specifics/|title=Soaring speech from Obama, plus some specifics|work=The Christian Science Monitor|author=Marks, Alexandra|date=August 29, 2008|accessdate=September 20, 2008}}</ref>

During both the primary process and the general election, Obama's campaign set numerous fundraising records, particularly in the quantity of small donations.<ref name=VOA_Malone_20070702>{{cite news|first=Jim|last=Malone|title=Obama Fundraising Suggests Close Race for Party Nomination|date=July 2, 2007|url=http://www.voanews.com/english/archive/2007-07/2007-07-02-voa52.cfm |work=Voice of America|accessdate=January 14, 2008}}</ref><ref name=Politico_Cummings_20070926>{{cite news|first=Jeanne|last=Cummings|title=Small Donors Rewrite Fundraising Handbook|date=September 26, 2007|url=http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=3ECB3515-3048-5C12-004D622CB6F4E214|work=Politico|accessdate=January 14, 2008}}
</ref><ref name=CQPolitics_Cadei_20080221>{{cite news|first=Emily|last=Cadei|title=Obama Outshines Other Candidates in January Fundraising|date=February 21, 2008|url=http://www.cqpolitics.com/wmspage.cfm?docID=news-000002674309|work=CQ Politics|accessdate=February 24, 2008}}</ref> On June 19, 2008, Obama became the first major-party presidential candidate to turn down [[Campaign finance in the United States#Public financing of campaigns|public financing]] in the general election since the system was created in 1976.<ref name=Bloomberg_Salant_20080619>{{cite news|author=Salant, Jonathan D.|title=Obama Won't Accept Public Money in Election Campaign|url=http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=aNi.G0PhWnFw&refer=home|work=[[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]]|date=June 19, 2008|accessdate=June 19, 2008}}</ref>

After McCain was nominated as the Republican candidate, three [[United States presidential election debates|presidential debates]] were held between the contenders spanning September and October 2008.<ref>{{cite web|accessdate=July 6, 2008|url=http://www.debates.org/pages/news_111907.html|title=Commission on Presidential Debates Announces Sites, Dates, Formats and Candidate Selection Criteria for 2008 General Election|publisher=[[Commission on Presidential Debates]]|date=November 19, 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|accessdate=July 6, 2008|url=http://www.courant.com/topic/|title=Gun Ruling Reverberates|work=[[The Hartford Courant]]|date=June 27, 2008}}</ref> In November, Obama won the presidency with 52.9% of the [[Election|popular vote]] to McCain's 45.7%,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2008/president/us/general_election_mccain_vs_obama-225.html|title=General Election: McCain vs. Obama|accessdate=February 20, 2009|publisher=Real Clear Politics}}</ref> and 365 [[Electoral College (United States)|electoral votes]] to 173,<ref>{{cite news|work=MSNBC|accessdate=February 20, 2009|date=November 4, 2008|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27531033/|title=Barack Obama elected 44th president|author=Johnson, Alex}}</ref><ref name=CNNelectionresults>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/president/|title=CNN Electoral Map Calculator—Election Center 2008|work=CNN.com|date=2008|accessdate=December 14, 2008}}</ref> to become the first [[African American]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/us_elections_2008/7709978.stm|title=BBC NEWS &#124; World &#124; Americas &#124; US Elections 2008 &#124; Obama wins historic US election|work=BBC News|date=November 5, 2008|accessdate=November 5, 2008}}{{cite news|accessdate=November 5, 2008|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/05/us/politics/05elect.html?pagewanted=all|title=Obama Elected President as Racial Barrier Falls|first=Adam|last=Nagourney|date=November 4, 2008|work=[[The New York Times]]}}{{cite news|accessdate=November 5, 2008|url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/04/election.president/index.html|title=Obama: 'This is your victory'|work=CNN|date=November 5, 2008}}{{cite news|accessdate=|url=http://articles.latimes.com/2008/nov/05/nation/na-assess5|title=White Americans play major role in electing the first black president|first=Peter|last=Wallsten|work=Los Angeles Times|date=November 5, 2008}}</ref> to be elected president. Obama delivered [[Barack Obama election victory speech, 2008|his victory speech]] before hundreds of thousands of supporters in Chicago's [[Grant Park (Chicago)|Grant Park]].<ref name="independent1">{{cite news|accessdate=November 5, 2008|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/change-has-come-says-presidentelect-obama-992930.html|title=Change has come, says President-elect Obama|work=The Independent|location=UK|date=November 5, 2008|last=Johnson|first=Wesley}}</ref>

==Presidency==
{{Infobox President styles
|image=[[Image:Seal Of The President Of The Unites States Of America.svg|75px|alt=Presidential seal]]
|name=Barack Obama
|dipstyle= The Honorable Barack Obama, President of the United States
|offstyle= President Obama
|altstyle= Mr. President
}}
{{main|Presidency of Barack Obama}}
{{seealso|Confirmations of Barack Obama's Cabinet|List of presidential trips made by Barack Obama}}
===First days===
The [[inauguration of Barack Obama]] as the 44th President, and Joe Biden as Vice President, took place on January 20, 2009. In his first few days in office Obama issued executive orders and presidential memoranda
directing the U.S. military to develop plans to withdraw troops from [[Iraq War|Iraq]],<ref>{{cite news|first=Anne|last=Gearan|coauthors=Lolita C. Baldor|title=Obama asks Pentagon for responsible Iraq drawdown|date=January 22, 2009|agency=Associated Press|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,,-8301804,00.html|work=The Guardian|pages=|accessdate=January 24, 2009}}</ref> and ordered the closing of the [[Guantanamo Bay detention camp]] "as soon as practicable and no later than" January 2010.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/22/washington/22gitmo.html?hp|title=Obama Orders Halt to Prosecutions at Guantánamo|last=Glaberson|first=William|date=January 21, 2009|work=The New York Times|accessdate=February 3, 2009}}</ref> Obama also reduced the secrecy given to presidential records<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/ExecutiveOrderPresidentialRecords/|title=Executive Order—Presidential Records|accessdate=January 22, 2009}}</ref> and changed procedures to promote disclosure under the [[Freedom of Information Act (United States)|Freedom of Information Act]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Michael|last=Doyle|coauthors=|title=Obama restores some of the 'Freedom' to FOIA|date=January 23, 2009|publisher=McClatchy Newspapers|url=http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/60661.html|work=|pages=|accessdate=January 24, 2009}}</ref> The president also reversed George W. Bush's ban on federal funding to foreign establishments that allow abortions (known as the [[Mexico City Policy]] and referred to by critics as the "Global Gag Rule").<ref>{{cite news|first=Josh|last=Gerstein|coauthors=|title=Obama: End Abortion 'Politicization'|date=January 24, 2009|publisher=Politico.com|url=http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0109/17898.html}}</ref>

===Domestic policy===
On January 29, 2009, President Obama signed his first bill into law, the [[Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009]], which eased the requirements for filing employment discrimination lawsuits.<ref>{{cite news|title=Obama Signs Equal-Pay Legislation|publisher=[[The New York Times]]|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/us/politics/30ledbetter-web.html|accessdate=June 15, 2009}}</ref> Five days later, he signed the reauthorization of the [[State Children's Health Insurance Program]] (SCHIP) to cover an additional 4 million children currently uninsured.<ref>{{cite news|title=Obama signs into law expansion of SCHIP health-care program for children|publisher=[[Chicago Tribune]]|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-kids-health-care_thufeb05,0,30310.story|accessdate=June 15, 2009}}</ref>

In March 2009, Obama repealed a Bush-era policy that prevented federal tax dollars from being used to fund research on new lines of [[embryonic stem cell]]s. Although such research had been a [[Stem cell controversy|matter of debate]], Obama stated that he believed "sound science and moral values...are not inconsistent," and that we have "the humanity and conscience" to pursue this research responsibly, pledging to develop "strict guidelines" to ensure that.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/03/09/obama.stem.cells/index.html Obama overturns Bush policy on stem cells]</ref>

On May 26, 2009, Obama nominated [[Sonia Sotomayor]] to replace retiring [[Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court|Associate Justice]] [[David Souter]]. Sotomayor was confirmed on August 6, 2009 by a vote of 68-31,<ref> {{cite web |title= Senate confirms Sotomayor for Supreme Court |url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/08/06/sonia.sotomayor/ |date=6 August 2009 |work= |publisher=CNN.com |accessdate=6 August 2009}} </ref> becoming the first [[Hispanic]] to be a Supreme Court Justice. She joins [[Ruth Bader Ginsburg]] as one of two women on the Court and is the third woman ever to be a Justice.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/05/26/supreme.court/index.html Obama nominates Sotomayor to Supreme Court], [[CNN]], accessed May 26, 2009.</ref>

===Economic management===
On February 17, 2009, Barack Obama signed into law the [[American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009]], a $787 billion [[stimulus package|economic stimulus package]] aimed at helping the economy recover from the [[Late 2000s recession|deepening worldwide recession]]. Obama made a high-profile visit to Capitol Hill to engage with Congressional Republicans, but the bill ultimately passed with the support of only three Republican senators.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/13/stimulus/index.html|title=Stimulus package en route to Obama's desk|accessdate=March 29, 2009 |work=CNN |publisher=Turner Broadcasting System, Inc}}</ref> The act includes increased federal spending for [[health care]], [[infrastructure]], education, various tax breaks and [[tax incentive|incentives]], and direct assistance to individuals,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.usbudgetwatch.org/stimulus|title=Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, Stimulus Watch}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/02/17/obama.stimulus.remarks/|title=Obama's remarks on signing the stimulus plan|accessdate=February 17, 2009|work=CNN }}</ref> which is being distributed over the course of several years, with about 25% due by the end of 2009. In June, Obama, unsatisfied with the pace of the investment, called on his cabinet to accelerate the spending over the next weeks.<ref name='Christopher Conkey and Louise Radnofsky'> {{cite news | title= Obama Presses Cabinet to Speed Stimulus Spending | date= June 9, 2009 | work= Wall Street Journal | url = http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124445867883193821.html}}</ref>

In March, Obama's Treasury Secretary, [[Timothy Geithner]], took further steps to manage the [[Financial crisis of 2007–2009|financial crisis]], including the [[Public-Private Investment Program]] which could buy up to $2 trillion in depreciated real estate assets that were weighing down stock valuations, freezing the credit market and delaying the economic recovery. ''The New York Times'' noted that "(i)nvestors reacted ecstatically, with all of the major stock indexes soaring as soon as the markets opened."<ref name='Edmund L. Andrews and Eric Dash'> {{cite news | title= U.S. Expands Plan to Buy Banks’ Troubled Assets | date= March 24, 2009 | work= New York Times | url = http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/24/business/economy/24bailout.html}}</ref>{{when?}}<sup>[date?]<!-- March 24, 2009? --></sup> Along with spending and loan guarantees from the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department, about $11.5 trillion had been authorized by the Bush and Obama administrations, with $2.7 trillion actually spent by the end of June 2009.<ref>{{Cite web
| title = CNNMoney.com's bailout tracker
| year = 2009
| journal = Bailout tracker
| pages = 20
| volume = 06
| url = http://money.cnn.com/news/storysupplement/economy/bailouttracker/
| accessdate = June 20, 2009
|author= Goldman, David
}}</ref>

Obama intervened in the [[Automobile Industry Bailout|troubled automotive industry]]<ref>{{cite news | title= White House questions viability of GM, Chrysler | date= March 30, 2009 | work= The Huffington Post | url = http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/03/30/obama-denies-bailout-fund_n_180563.html}}</ref> in March, renewing loans for [[General Motors]] and [[Chrysler Corporation]] to continue operations while reorganizing. Over the following months the White House set terms for both firms' bankruptcies, including the [[Chrysler bankruptcy|sale of Chrysler]] to Italian automaker [[Fiat]]<ref>{{Cite web
| title = Chrysler and Union Agree to Deal Before Federal Deadline
| url = http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/27/business/27chrysler.html?_r=2&bl&ex=1240977600&en=670e4df8295b2843&ei=5087%0A
}}</ref> and a [[General Motors bankruptcy|reorganization of GM]] giving the U.S. government a 60% equity stake in the company.<ref>
{{cite news|title=GM Begins Bankruptcy Process With Filing for Affiliate|author=John Hughes, Caroline Salas, Jeff Green, and Bob Van Voris|url=http://bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aw4F_L7E4xYg|work=Bloomberg.com|date=June 1, 2009}}
</ref>

===Foreign policy===
{{Main|Foreign policy of the Barack Obama administration}}
In February and March, Vice President Joe Biden and [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]] Hillary Rodham Clinton made separate overseas trips to announce a "new era" in U.S. foreign relations with Russia and Europe, using the terms "break" and "reset" to signal major changes from the policies of the preceding administration.<ref>{{cite news|first=|last=|coauthors=|authorlink=|title=Biden vows break with Bush era foreign policy|date=|publisher=|url=http://www.canada.com/news/unveils+changes+foreign+policy/1265065/story.html|work=|pages=|accessdate=June 15, 2009|language=}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|first=|last=|coauthors=|authorlink=|title= Clinton's gaffes and gains on tour|date=|publisher=|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7931699.stm|work=|pages=|accessdate=June 15, 2009|language=}}</ref> Obama's granting of his first television interview as President to an Arabic cable network, [[Al Arabiya]], was seen as an attempt to reach out to Arab leaders.<ref>{{cite news|first=|last=|coauthors=|authorlink=|title=Obama reaches out to Muslim world on TV|date=|work=[[MSNBC]]|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28869185/|pages=|accessdate=June 15, 2009|language=}}</ref>

On March 19, Obama continued his outreach to the Muslim world, releasing a New Year's video message to the people and government of Iran.<ref>{{cite news|first=|last=|coauthors=|authorlink=|title=washingtonpost.com> Nation U.S. to Join Talks on Iran's Nuclear Program|date=|work=[[The Washington Post]]|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/08/AR2009040802254.html|pages=|accessdate=June 15, 2009|language=}}</ref> This attempt at outreach was rebuffed by the Iranian leadership.<ref>{{cite news|first=|last=|coauthors=|authorlink=|title=Iranian Leaders Ignore Obama's Outstretched Hand|date=|work=[[Fox News Channel]]|url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/first100days/2009/03/20/iranian-leaders-ignore-obamas-outstretched-hand/|pages=|accessdate=June 15, 2009|language=}}</ref> In April, Obama gave a speech in Ankara, Turkey which was well received by many Arab governments.<ref>{{cite news|first=|last=|coauthors=|authorlink=|title=Obama speech draws praise in Mideast|date=|work=[[The Guardian]]|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/8443248|pages=|accessdate=June 15, 2009|language=}}</ref> On June 4, 2009, Obama delivered a speech at [[Cairo University]] in [[Egypt]] calling for "[[A New Beginning|a new beginning]]" in relations between the Islamic world and the United States and promoting Middle East peace.<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/06/04/egypt.obama.speech/index.html Obama in Egypt reaches out to Muslim world], [[CNN]], June 4, 2009</ref><ref>Jeff Zeleny and Alan Cowell, [http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/05/world/middleeast/05prexy.html?_r=2&hp Addressing Muslims, Obama Pushes Mideast Peace], [[The New York Times]], June 4, 2009.</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/The-President-in-the-Middle-East/|title=The President in the Middle East|date=June 3, 2009|author=Jesse Lee|publisher=White House|accessdate=June 4, 2009}}</ref>

On June 26, 2009, in response to the Iranian government's actions towards protesters following [[Iranian presidential election, 2009|Iran's 2009 presidential election]], Obama said: "The violence perpetrated against them is outrageous. We see it and we condemn it."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2009/jun/26/obama-dismisses-ahmadinejad-apology-request/|title=Obama dismisses Ahmadinejad apology request|work=[[The Washington Times]]|date=June 26, 2009}}</ref> On July 7, while in [[Moscow]], he responded to a Vice President Biden comment on a possible Israeli military strike on Iran by saying: "We have said directly to the Israelis that it is important to try and resolve this in an international setting in a way that does not create major conflict in the Middle East."<ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/07/07/obama.israel.iran/ Obama: No green light for Israel to attack Iran], [[CNN]], July 7, 2009</ref>

===Iraq and Afghanistan war===
During his [[Presidential transition of Barack Obama|presidential transition]], [[President-elect]] Obama announced that he would retain the incumbent Defense Secretary, Robert Gates, in his Cabinet.<ref>{{cite web|title=Will Gates Stay or Go?|url=http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/11/10/1667896.aspx|work=[[MSNBC]]|date=November 10,2008}}</ref>

Early in his presidency, Obama moved to change U.S. war strategy by increasing troop strength in Afghanistan and reducing troop levels in Iraq.<ref>[http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/politics/july-dec08/obama_07-15.html Obama Calls for U.S. Military to Renew Focus on Afghanistan]</ref> On February 18, 2009, he announced that the U.S. troop strength in Afghanistan would be boosted by 17,000, asserting that the increase was necessary to "stabilize a deteriorating situation in Afghanistan", an area he said had not received the "strategic attention, direction and resources it urgently requires".<ref>{{cite news|first=Amanda|last=Hodge|title=Obama launches Afghanistan Surge|date=February 19, 2009|work=[[The Australian]]|url=http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25074581-2703,00.html}}</ref>

On February 27, Obama declared that combat operations would end in Iraq within 18 months. His remarks were made to a group of Marines preparing for deployment to Afghanistan. Obama said, "Let me say this as plainly as I can: By August 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end."<ref>{{cite web|agency=[[Associated Press]]|first=Ben|last=Feller|url=http://www.detnews.com/article/20090228/POLITICS/902280332/Obama+sets+firm+Iraq+withdrawal|title=Obama sets firm withdrawal timetable for Iraq|work=[[The Detroit News]]|location=CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C.|date=February 27, 2009|accessdate=March 3, 2009}}</ref>

On May 11, Obama replaced his military commander in Afghanistan, General [[David D. McKiernan]], with former [[Special Forces (United States Army)|Special Forces]] commander Lt. Gen. [[Stanley A. McChrystal]], believing that Gen. McChrystal's Special Forces experience would facilitate the use of counterinsurgency tactics in the war.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/11/AR2009051101864.html|title=Top U.S. Commander in Afghanistan Is Fired|date=May 12, 2009|work=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/05/12/new-commander-brings-counterinsurgency-experience-afghanistan|title=New U.S. Commander Brings Counterinsurgency Experience to Afghanistan|date=May 13,2009|work=[[Fox News Channel]]}}</ref>

==Political positions==
{{Main|Political positions of Barack Obama}}

A method that some [[Political science|political scientists]] use for gauging [[ideology]] is to compare the annual ratings by the [[Americans for Democratic Action]] (ADA) with the ratings by the [[American Conservative Union]] (ACU).<ref>{{cite news|author=Mayer, William|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A28761-2004Mar27?language=printer|title=Kerry's Record Rings a Bell|work=Washington Post|date=March 28, 2004|quote=The question of how to measure a senator's or representative's ideology is one that political scientists regularly need to answer. For more than 30 years, the standard method for gauging ideology has been to use the annual ratings of lawmakers' votes by various interest groups, notably the [[Americans for Democratic Action]] (ADA) and the [[American Conservative Union]] (ACU).|accessdate=June 7, 2008}}</ref> Based on his years in Congress, Obama has a lifetime average conservative rating of 7.67% from the ACU<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.acuratings.org/2005senate.htm|title=2005 U.S. Senate Votes|publisher=American Conservative Union|accessdate=September 20, 2008}}; {{cite web|url=http://www.acuratings.org/2006senate.htm|title=2006 U.S. Senate Votes|publisher=American Conservative Union|accessdate=September 20, 2008}}; {{cite web|url=http://www.acuratings.org/2007senate.htm|title=2007 U.S. Senate Votes|publisher=American Conservative Union|accessdate=September 20, 2008}}</ref> and a lifetime average liberal rating of 90% from the ADA.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.adaction.org/media/votingrecords/2005.pdf|format=PDF|title=ADA's 2005 Congressional Voting Record|publisher=Americans for Democratic Action|accessdate=September 20, 2008}}; {{cite web|url=http://www.adaction.org/media/votingrecords/2006.pdf|format=PDF|title=ADA's 2006 Congressional Voting Record|publisher=Americans for Democratic Action|accessdate=September 20, 2008}}; {{cite web|url=http://www.adaction.org/media/votingrecords/2007.pdf|format=PDF|title=ADA's 2007 Congressional Voting Record|publisher=Americans for Democratic Action|accessdate=September 20, 2008}}</ref>

[[File:ObamaAbingtonPA.JPG|right|thumb|alt=Obama gestures from the podium while campaigning. The front of the podium has a sign that reads "Change We Need" with WWW.BARACKOBAMA.COM below and his campaign logo above.|Obama campaigning in [[Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania|Abington, Pennsylvania]], October 2008]]

In economic affairs, in April 2005, he defended the [[New Deal]] social welfare policies of [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] and opposed Republican proposals to establish private accounts for [[Social Security debate (United States)|Social Security]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Ben A|last=Franklin|title=The Fifth Black Senator in U.S. History Makes F.D.R. His Icon|date=June 1, 2005|url=http://www.washingtonspectator.com/articles/20050601obama_1.cfm|work=Washington Spectator|accessdate=January 14, 2008}}</ref> In the aftermath of [[Hurricane Katrina]], Obama spoke out against government indifference to growing economic class divisions, calling on both political parties to take action to restore the [[social safety net]] for the poor.<ref>{{cite news|first=Jeff|last=Zeleny|title=Judicious Obama Turns Up Volume|date=September 12, 2005|url=http://www.acesse.com/cache.php?id=412653&q=clinton%20global%20initiative|work=Chicago Tribune|accessdate=March 12, 2009}}</ref> Shortly before announcing his presidential campaign, Obama said he supports [[universal health care]] in the United States.<ref>{{cite news|first=Nedra|last=Pickler|title=Obama Calls for Universal Health Care within Six Years|date=January 25, 2007|agency=Associated Press |work=Union-Tribune (San Diego)|url=http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/politics/20070125-1240-democrats-healthcare.html|accessdate=January 14, 2008}}</ref> He has proposed rewarding teachers for performance from traditional [[merit pay]] systems, assuring unions that changes would be pursued through the [[collective bargaining]] process.<ref>{{cite news|first=Teddy|last=Davis|coauthors=Sunlen Miller|title=Obama Bucks Party Line on Education|date=November 20, 2007|url=http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Story?id=3894699|work=ABC News|accessdate=January 14, 2008}}</ref>

On taxation, his plan would eliminate taxes for [[senior citizen]]s with incomes of less than $50,000 a year, raise income taxes for those making over $250,000, raise the capital gains and dividends taxes,<ref>{{cite news|title=Study:Bush tax cuts favor wealthy|date=August 13, 2004|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2004/08/16/politics/main636398.shtml|work=CBS|accessdate=April 5, 2008}}</ref> close corporate tax loopholes, lift the income cap on Social Security taxes, restrict offshore [[tax haven]]s, and simplify filing of income tax returns by pre-filling wage and bank information already collected by the [[Internal Revenue Service|IRS]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Obama Tax Plan: $80 Billion in Cuts, Five-Minute Filings|date=September 18, 2007|url=http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/09/18/obama.taxplan/|work=CNN|accessdate=January 14, 2008}}</ref> In September 2007, he blamed [[interest group|special interests]] for distorting the [[taxation in the United States|U.S. tax code]].<ref>{{cite news|title=A Speech On the Economy, Opportunity and Tax Policy with Senator Barack Obama|date=September 18, 2007|url=http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/events/obama.cfm|publisher=Tax Policy Center|accessdate=January 14, 2008}}</ref>

[[File:Obama Portrait 2006.jpg|left|thumb|upright|alt=Obama facing forward with his body facing left while wearing a white open-collared dress shirt|Barack Obama giving a speech at the [[University of Southern California]] in support of a [[California Proposition 87 (2006)|proposition]] to fund [[alternative energy]] research]]

For environment, Obama proposed a [[emissions trading|cap and trade]] auction system to restrict carbon emissions and a ten year program of investments in new energy sources to reduce [[Energy policy of the United States|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=October 9, 2007|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/09/us/politics/09obama.html|work=The New York Times|accessdate=January 14, 2008}}</ref> Obama proposed that all pollution credits must be auctioned, with no [[grandfather clause|grandfathering]] of credits for oil and gas companies, and the spending of the revenue obtained on energy development and economic transition costs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/ObamaBlueprintForChange.pdf|title=The Blueprint for Change: Barack Obama's plan for America|author=Barack Obama|publisher=Obama for America|accessdate=April 20, 2008|format=PDF}}</ref>

In foreign affairs, Obama was an early opponent of the [[George W. Bush]] administration's [[2003 invasion of Iraq|policies on Iraq]].<ref>{{cite news|author=Strausberg, Chinta|date=September 26, 2002|work=[[Chicago Defender]]|page=1|title=Opposition to war mounts|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-220062931.html|format=paid archive|accessdate=February 3, 2008}}</ref> On October 2, 2002, the day President Bush and Congress agreed on the [[Iraq Resolution|joint resolution]] authorizing the Iraq War,<ref>{{cite web|author=[[White House Press Secretary|Office of the Press Secretary]]|date=October 2, 2002|title=President, House Leadership Agree on Iraq Resolution|publisher=[[Executive Office of the President of the United States|The White House]]|url=http://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2002/10/20021002-7.html|accessdate=February 17, 2008}} {{cite news|author=Tackett, Michael|date=October 3, 2002|work=Chicago Tribune|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=February 3, 2008}}</ref> Obama addressed the first high-profile Chicago [[Protests against the Iraq War|anti-Iraq War rally]],<ref>{{cite news|author=Glauber, Bill|date=October 3, 2003|work=Chicago Tribune|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=February 3, 2008}} {{cite news|author=Strausberg, Chinta|date=October 3, 2002|work=Chicago Defender|page=1|title=War with Iraq undermines U.N.|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-220379051.html|quote=Photo caption: Left Photo: Sen. Barack Obama along with Rev. Jesse Jackson spoke to nearly 3,000 anti-war protestors (below) during a rally at Federal Plaza Wednesday.|accessdate=October 28, 2008}} {{cite news|author=Bryant, Greg|date=October 2, 2002|publisher=[[Medill School of Journalism#Medill News Service - Chicago|Medill News Service]]|title=300 protesters rally to oppose war with Iraq|url=http://74.125.95.104/search?q=cache:joI6vZO9y4UJ:mesh.medill.northwestern.edu/mnschicago/archives/2002/10/300_protesters.html|accessdate=February 3, 2008}} {{cite web|author=Katz, Marilyn|date=October 2, 2007|title=Five Years Since Our First Action|publisher=Chicagoans Against War & Injustice|url=http://www.noiraqwar-chicago.org/?p=127|accessdate=February 17, 2008}} {{cite news|title=300 attend rally against Iraq war|author=Bryant, Greg; Vaughn, Jane B.|work=Daily Herald (Arlington Heights)|page=8|format=paid archive|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|date=October 3, 2002|accessdate=October 28, 2008}} Mendell (2007), pp. 172–177.</ref> and spoke out against the war.<ref>{{cite news|author=Obama, Barack|date=October 2, 2002|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=February 3, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=McCormick, John|date=October 3, 2007|work=Chicago Tribune|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|quote=The top strategist for Sen. Barack Obama has just 14 seconds of video of what is one of the most pivotal moments of the presidential candidate's political career. The video, obtained from a Chicago TV station, is of Obama's 2002 speech in opposition to the impending Iraq invasion.|accessdate=October 28, 2008}} {{cite news|author=Pallasch, Abdon M.|date=October 3, 2007|work=Chicago Sun-Times|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=October 28, 2008}}</ref> He addressed another anti-war rally in March 2003 and told the crowd that "it's not too late" to stop the war.<ref>{{cite news|author=Ritter, Jim|date=March 17, 2003|work=Chicago Sun-Times|page=3|title=Anti-war rally here draws thousands|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CSTB&p_theme=cstb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_dispstring=headline(Anti-war%20rally%20here%20draws%20thousands)%20AND%20date(all)&p_field_advanced-0=title&p_text_advanced-0=(Anti-war%20rally%20here%20draws%20thousands)&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no|format=paid archive|accessdate=February 3, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Office of the Press Secretary|date=March 16, 2003|title=President Bush: Monday "Moment of Truth" for World on Iraq|publisher=The White House|url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/meast/03/16/sprj.irq.main/index.html|accessdate=February 17, 2008}} {{cite news|agency=Associated Press|date=March 17, 2003|work=Chicago Sun-Times|page=1|title='Moment of truth for the world'; Bush, three allies set today as final day for Iraq to disarm or face massive military attack|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CSTB&p_theme=cstb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&s_dispstring=headline(Moment%20of%20truth%20for%20the%20world)%20AND%20date(all)&p_field_advanced-0=title&p_text_advanced-0=(Moment%20of%20truth%20for%20the%20world)&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no|format=paid archive|accessdate=February 3, 2008}}</ref>

Although Obama had previously said he wanted all U.S. troops out of Iraq within 16 months of becoming president, after he won the primary, he said he might change or refine plans as further developments unfold.<ref>[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/2243536/US-election-Barack-Obama-wobbles-on-withdrawing-Iraq-troops.html US election: Barack Obama wobbles on withdrawing Iraq troops], telegraph.co.uk, July 4, 2008</ref> In November 2006, he called for a "phased redeployment of U.S. troops from Iraq" and an opening of diplomatic dialogue with [[Syria]] and [[Iran]].<ref>For audio and text, see: {{cite web|first=Barack|last=Obama|title=A Way Forward in Iraq|date=November 20, 2006|url=http://www.thechicagocouncil.org/hottopics_details.php?hottopics_id=52|publisher=Chicago Council on Global Affairs|accessdate=January 14, 2008}}</ref> In a March 2007 speech to [[American Israel Public Affairs Committee|AIPAC]], a [[Israel lobby in the United States|pro-Israel lobby]], he said that the primary way to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons is through talks and diplomacy, although he did not rule out military action.<ref>{{cite web|first=Barack|last=Obama|title=AIPAC Policy Forum Remarks|date=March 2, 2007|url=http://obama.senate.gov/speech/070302-aipac_policy_fo/index.php|publisher=Barack Obama U.S. Senate Office|accessdate=January 30, 2008}} ({{wayback|url=http://obama.senate.gov/speech/070302-aipac_policy_fo/index.php}}) 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=September 25, 2004|work=Chicago Tribune|url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/chicagotribune/access/699578571.html?dids=699578571:699578571&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT|accessdate=January 14, 2008}}</ref> Obama has indicated that he would engage in "direct presidential diplomacy" with Iran without preconditions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://origin.barackobama.com/issues/foreign_policy/|title=Barack Obama and Joe Biden's Plan to Secure America and Restore Our Standing|publisher=Obama for America|accessdate=September 22, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/02/us/politics/01cnd-obama.html?pagewanted=all |title=Obama Pledges 'Aggressive' Iran Diplomacy|author=Gordon, Michael R. and Zeleny, Jeff|work=The New York Times|date=November 2, 2007|accessdate=June 17, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/24/us/politics/24transcript.html?pagewanted=all|title=Transcript of fourth Democratic debate|work=The New York Times|date=July 24, 2007|accessdate=June 17, 2008}}</ref> In August 2007, Obama remarked that "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 [[Federally Administered Tribal Areas]]. 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=August 1, 2007|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6926663.stm|work=BBC News|accessdate=January 14, 2008}} 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=August 1, 2007|url=http://www.wilsoncenter.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=events.event&event_id=269510|work=Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars|accessdate=January 30, 2008}} 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=July 8, 2007|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/07/08/news/qaeda.php|work=International Herald Tribune|accessdate=January 14, 2008}}</ref>

Obama stated that if elected he would enact budget cuts in the range of tens of billions of dollars, stop investing in "unproven" [[National missile defense|missile defense systems]], not weaponize space, "slow development of [[Future Combat Systems]]", and work towards eliminating all [[Nuclear warfare|nuclear weapons]]. Obama favors ending development of new nuclear weapons, reducing the current U.S. nuclear stockpile, enacting a global ban on production of fissile material, and seeking negotiations with Russia to reduce the pressure on both sides for [[intercontinental ballistic missile]]s to be on high-alert status.<ref>{{cite video|people=Barack Obama|date2=October 22, 2007|title=Obama-Caucus4Priorities|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7o84PE871BE|format=flv|publisher=Obama '08|accessdate=May 18, 2008}}</ref>

Obama has called for more assertive action to oppose [[genocide]] in the [[War in Darfur|Darfur region]] of [[Sudan]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Barack|last=Obama|coauthors=Sam Brownback|title=Policy Adrift on Darfur|date=December 27, 2005|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/26/AR2005122600547.html|work=The Washington Post|accessdate=January 14, 2008}} {{cite news|first=Jim|last=Doyle|title=Tens of Thousands Rally for Darfur|date=May 1, 2006|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/05/01/MNGFBIIFOA1.DTL|work=San Francisco Chronicle|accessdate=January 14, 2008}}</ref> He has [[divestment|divested]] $180,000 in personal holdings of Sudan-related stock, and has urged divestment from companies doing business in Iran.<ref>{{cite news|first=Jim (Associated Press)|last=Kuhnhenn|title=Giuliani, Edwards Have Sudan Holdings|date=May 17, 2007|work=San Francisco Chronicle|url=http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/05/17/politics/p171906D95.DTL|accessdate=January 14, 2008}}; {{cite news|first=Barack|last=Obama|title=Hit Iran Where It Hurts|date=August 30, 2007|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2007/08/30/2007-08-30_hit_iran_where_it_hurts.html 30, 2007_hit_iran_where_it_hurts.html|work=New York Daily News|accessdate=January 14, 2008}}</ref> In the July–August 2007 issue of ''[[Foreign Affairs]]'', Obama called for an outward looking post-Iraq War [[Foreign policy of the United States|foreign policy]] and, in his view, the renewal of American military, diplomatic, and moral leadership in the world. Saying that "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 journal|first=Barack|last=Obama|title=Renewing American Leadership|date=July–August 2007|volume=86|issue=4|url=http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20070701faessay86401/barack-obama/renewing-american-leadership.html|journal=Foreign Affairs|accessdate=January 14, 2008}}</ref>

In his write-in response to a 1998 survey, Obama stated his [[abortion]] position as conforming with the Democratic platform: "Abortions should be legally available in accordance with ''[[Roe v. Wade]]''."<ref>Obama, Barack. [http://www.vote-smart.org/npat.php?old=true&can_id=BS030017&npatform_id=69#0 "1998 Illinois State Legislative National Political Awareness Test"], Project Vote Smart. Retrieved on 2007-01-21.</ref>

==Family and personal life==
[[File:Barack and michelle .jpg|thumb|right|alt=Barack and Michelle Obama, wearing dark outdoor clothes, in front of a crowd. His expression is muted; she has a wide smile.|Barack Obama with his wife, [[Michelle Obama]]]]

{{main|Early life and career of Barack Obama|Family of Barack Obama}}

In a 2006 interview, Obama highlighted the diversity of his extended family: "It's like a little mini-United Nations", he said. "I've got relatives who look like [[Bernie Mac]], and I've got relatives who look like [[Margaret Thatcher]]."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/oprahshow/oprahshow1_ss_20061018/10|title=Keeping Hope Alive: Barack Obama Puts Family First|date=October 18, 2006|work=The Oprah Winfrey Show|accessdate=June 24, 2008}}</ref> Obama has seven half-siblings from his Kenyan father's family, six of them living, and a half-sister with whom he was raised, [[Maya Soetoro-Ng]], the daughter of his mother and her Indonesian second husband.<ref>{{cite news|first=Scott|last=Fornek|title=Half Siblings: 'A Complicated Family'|date=September 9, 2007|url=http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/familytree/545462,BSX-News-wotrees09.stng|work=Chicago Sun-Times|accessdate=June 24, 2008}} See also: {{cite web|url=http://www.suntimes.com/images/cds/special/family_tree.html|title=Interactive Family Tree|date=September 9, 2007|work=Chicago Sun-Times|accessdate=June 24, 2008}}</ref> Obama's mother was survived by her Kansas-born mother, Madelyn Dunham<ref>{{cite news|first=Scott|last=Fornek|title=Madelyn Payne Dunham: 'A Trailblazer'|date=September 9, 2007|url=http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/familytree/545449,BSX-News-wotreeee09.stng|work=Chicago Sun-Times|accessdate=June 24, 2008}}</ref> until her death on November 2, 2008<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/11/03/obama.grandma/index.html|title=Obama's grandmother dies after battle with cancer|work=CNN|accessdate=November 4, 2008|date= November 3, 2008}}</ref> just two days before his election to the Presidency. In ''[[Dreams from My Father]]'', Obama ties his mother's family history to possible [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] ancestors and distant relatives of [[Jefferson Davis]], [[President of the Confederate States of America]] during the [[American Civil War]].<ref>Obama (1995, 2004), p. 13. For reports on Obama's maternal genealogy, including slave owners, Irish connections, and common ancestors with George W. Bush, [[Dick Cheney]], and [[Harry S. Truman|Harry Truman]], see: {{cite news|first=David|last=Nitkin|coauthors=Harry Merritt|title=A New Twist to an Intriguing Family History|date=March 2, 2007|url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/politics/bal-te.obama02mar02,0,3453027.story|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070930033339/http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/politics/bal-te.obama02mar02,0,3453027.story|archivedate=September 30, 2007|work=Baltimore Sun|accessdate=June 24, 2008}} {{cite news|first=Mary|last=Jordan|title=Tiny Irish Village Is Latest Place to Claim Obama as Its Own|date=May 13, 2007|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/05/12/AR2007051201551.html|work=The Washington Post|accessdate=June 24, 2008}} {{cite news|title=Obama's Family Tree Has a Few Surprises|date=September 8, 2007|work=CBS 2 (Chicago)|url=http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/Barack.Obama.family.2.339709.html|agency=Associated Press|accessdate=June 24, 2008}}</ref> Obama's great-uncle served in the [[89th Division (United States)|89th Division]] that overran [[Ohrdruf forced labor camp|Ohrdruf]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2008-07-24-1654309354_x.htm|work= USATODAY.com|date=July 24, 2008|author=Johnson, Carla K., Associated Press Writer|title=Obama's great-uncle recalls liberating Nazi camp|accessdate=March 12, 2009}}</ref> the first Nazi camp liberated by U.S. troops during [[World War II]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10006140|title=The 89th Infantry Division|publisher=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum|accessdate=March 12, 2009}}</ref>

Obama was known as "Barry" in his youth, but asked to be addressed with his given name during his college years.<ref>{{cite news|title=When Barry Became Barack|date=March 31, 2008|work=Newsweek|url=http://www.newsweek.com/id/128633|accessdate=November 6, 2008}}</ref> Besides his native English, Obama speaks [[Indonesian language|Indonesian]] at the conversational level, which he learned during his four childhood years in Jakarta.<ref>{{cite web|title=Obama's Indonesian Redux|url=http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=1025|author=Zimmer, Benjamin|year=2009|accessdate=March 12, 2009|publisher=Language Log}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Obama: Saya Kangen Nasi Goreng, Bakso, dan Rambutan|url=http://cetak.kompas.com/read/xml/2008/11/26/00223862/obama.saya.kangen.nasi.goreng.bakso.dan.rambutan}}</ref> He plays [[basketball]], 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=June 1, 2007|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/01/us/politics/01hoops.html|work=The New York Times|accessdate=April 28, 2008}} See also: {{cite news|title=The Love of the Game|format=video|date=April 15, 2008|publisher=YouTube (BarackObama.com)|url=http://www.hbo.com/realsports/stories/2008/episode.133.s1.html|work=HBO: Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel|accessdate=April 28, 2008}}</ref>

[[File:BarackObama-Basketball.JPEG|left|thumb|upright|alt=Obama holding a basketball above his head in midair while four other players look at him. He looks toward the camera over his right shoulder.|Obama playing basketball with U.S. military at [[Camp Lemonier]], [[Djibouti]] in 2006<ref>{{cite news|title=Senator Barack Obama Visit to CJTF-HOA and Camp Lemonier: August 31–September 1, 2006|format=video|date=February 6, 2007|publisher=YouTube|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9GqdzQeCz0|work=Combined Joint Task Force—Horn of Africa|accessdate=April 28, 2008}}</ref>]]

In June 1989, Obama met [[Michelle Obama|Michelle Robinson]] when he was employed as a summer associate at the Chicago law firm of [[Sidley Austin]].<ref>Obama (2006), pp. 327–332. See also: {{cite news|first=Sarah|last=Brown|title=Obama '85 masters balancing act|work=The Daily Princetonian|url=http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/2005/12/07/14049|date=December 7, 2005|accessdate=February 9, 2009}}</ref> Assigned for three months as Obama's adviser at the firm, Robinson joined him at group social functions, but declined his initial requests to date.<ref>Obama (2006), p. 329.</ref> They began dating later that summer, became engaged in 1991, and were married on October 3, 1992.<ref>{{cite news|author=Fornek, Scott|title=Michelle Obama: 'He Swept Me Off My Feet'|date=October 3, 2007|url=http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/585261,CST-NWS-wedding03.stng|work=Chicago Sun-Times|accessdate=April 28, 2008}}</ref> The couple's first daughter, Malia Ann, was born on July 4, 1998,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.politico.com/blogs/jonathanmartin/0708/Born_on_the_4th_of_July.html|title=Born on the 4th of July|date=July 4, 2008|accessdate=July 10, 2008|work=[[The Politico]]|author=Martin, Jonathan}}</ref> followed by a second daughter, Natasha ("Sasha"), on June 10, 2001.<ref>Obama (1995, 2004), p. 440, and Obama (2006), pp. 339–340. See also: {{cite web|title=Election 2008 Information Center: Barack Obama|url=http://www.gannettnewsservice.com/?cat=153|work=Gannett News Service|accessdate=April 28, 2008}}</ref> The Obama daughters attended the private [[University of Chicago Laboratory Schools]]. When they moved to Washington, D.C., in January 2009, the girls started at the private [[Sidwell Friends School]].<ref>[http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/11/22/america/Obama-School.php "Obamas choose private Sidwell Friends School"], 'International Herald Tribune'', November 22, 2008</ref>

Applying the proceeds of a book deal, the family moved in 2005 from a [[Hyde Park, Chicago]] condominium to a $1.6 million house in neighboring [[Kenwood, Chicago]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Jeff|last=Zeleny|title=The first time around: Sen. Obama's freshman year|date=December 24, 2005|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-051224obama,0,1779783,full.story|work=Chicago Tribune|accessdate=April 28, 2008}}</ref> The purchase of an adjacent lot and sale of part of it to Obama by the wife of developer, campaign donor and friend [[Tony Rezko]] attracted media attention because of Rezko's subsequent indictment and conviction on political corruption charges that were unrelated to Obama.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/16/AR2006121600729.html|title=Obama says he regrets land deal with fundraiser|work=The Washington Post|date=December 17, 2006|accessdate=June 10, 2008|last=Slevin|first=Peter}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24973282/|title=Rezko found guilty in corruption case|accessdate=June 24, 2008|date=June 4, 2008|agency=Associated Press|work=MSNBC.com|last=Robinson|first=Mike}}</ref>

In December 2007, ''[[Money (magazine)|Money]]'' magazine estimated the Obama family's net worth at $1.3 million.<ref>{{cite news|title=Obama's Money|date=December 7, 2007|url=http://money.cnn.com/galleries/2007/moneymag/0712/gallery.candidates.moneymag/5.html|work=CNNMoney.com|accessdate=April 28, 2008}}<br />See also:{{cite news|first=Zachary A|last=Goldfarb|title=Measuring Wealth of the '08 Candidates|date=March 24, 2007|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/24/AR2007032400305.html|work=The Washington Post|accessdate=April 28, 2008}}</ref> Their 2007 tax return showed a household income of $4.2 million—up from about $1 million in 2006 and $1.6 million in 2005—mostly from sales of his books.<ref>{{cite news|first=Jeff|last=Zeleny|title=Book Sales Lifted Obamas' Income in 2007 to a Total of $4.2 Million|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/17/us/politics/17obama.html|date=April 17, 2008|work=The New York Times|accessdate=April 28, 2008}}</ref>

Obama is a [[Christianity|Christian]] whose religious views developed in his adult life. In ''[[The Audacity of Hope]]'', Obama writes that he "was not raised in a religious household". He describes his mother, raised by non-religious parents (whom Obama has specified elsewhere as "non-practicing Methodists and Baptists") to be detached from religion, yet "in many ways the most spiritually awakened person that I have ever known". He describes his father as "raised a [[Muslim]]", but a "confirmed [[atheism|atheist]]" by the time his parents met, and his stepfather as "a man who saw religion as not particularly useful". Obama explained how, through working with [[black church]]es as a community organizer while in his twenties, he came to understand "the power of the African-American religious tradition to spur social change".<ref>Obama (2006), pp. 202–208. Portions excerpted in: {{cite news|first=Barack|last=Obama|title=My Spiritual Journey|date=October 23, 2006|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1546579,00.html|work=Time|accessdate=April 28, 2008}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://obama.senate.gov/speech/060628-call_to_renewal/|title='Call to Renewal' Keynote Address|accessdate=June 16, 2008|last=Obama|first=Barack|date=June 28, 2006|work=Barack Obama: U.S. Senator for Illinois (website)}}</ref> He was baptized at the [[Trinity United Church of Christ]] in 1988 and was an active member there for two decades.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/04/30/america/30obama.php?page=2|title=Barack Obama's search for faith|first=Jodi|last=Kantor|date=April 30, 2007|work=International Herald Tribune}} April 30, 2007</ref><ref name=Time_Obama_20061016>{{cite journal|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1546579,00.html|title=My Spiritual Journey|first=Barack|last=Obama|date=October 23, 2006|journal=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]}}</ref> Obama resigned from Trinity during the Presidential campaign after [[Jeremiah Wright controversy|controversial statements]] made by Rev. [[Jeremiah Wright]] became public.<ref> {{cite news|title=Obama's church choice likely to be scrutinized|agency=Associated Press|date=November 17, 2008|url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27775757/|work=[[msnbc.com]]|accessdate=January 20, 2009}}</ref>

<!-- See Talk page "Personal Life": There's a discussion ensuing to remove (or update) this sentence. Have any thoughts on this? Please comment on th etalk page -->Obama has tried to [[Smoking cessation|quit smoking]] several times,<ref name="reuters-smoking"/> and said he will not smoke in the White House.<ref name="reuters-smoking">{{cite news|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE4B61GF20081207|title=Obama says he won't be smoking in White House|date=December 7, 2008|accessdate=2009-20-21|work=Reuters|editor=Elsner, Alan}}</ref><!-- End See Talk page "Personal Life". Thank you! -->

==Cultural and political image==
[[File:Five Presidents 2009.jpg|thumb|alt=Group half-length portrait of five presidential men in dark suits and ties|43rd President [[George W. Bush]] invited then-President-Elect Barack Obama and former Presidents [[George H. W. Bush]], [[Bill Clinton]], and [[Jimmy Carter]] to a meeting in the [[Oval Office]] on January 7, 2009.]]
{{main|Public image of Barack Obama}}

Obama's family history, early life and upbringing, and [[Ivy League]] education differ markedly from those of African-American politicians who launched their careers in the 1960s through participation in the [[African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955–1968)|civil rights movement]].<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=April 7, 2008}} See also: {{cite news|first=Janny|last=Scott|title=A Member of a New Generation, Obama Walks a Fine Line|date=December 28, 2007|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/12/28/america/obama.php|work=International Herald Tribune|accessdate=April 7, 2008}}</ref> Expressing puzzlement over questions about whether he is "black enough", Obama told an August 2007 meeting of the [[National Association of Black Journalists]] 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=August 19, 2007|url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/newsday/access/1322008241.html?dids=1322008241:1322008241&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT|work=Newsday|accessdate=April 7, 2008}}</ref> Obama acknowledged his youthful image in an October 2007 campaign speech, saying: "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=October 4, 2007|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=April 7, 2008}} See also: {{cite news|first=Toby|last=Harnden|title=Barack Obama is JFK Heir, Says Kennedy Aide|date=October 15, 2007|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/1565992/Barack-Obama-is-JFK-heir%2C-says-Kennedy-aide.html|work=Daily Telegraph|accessdate=April 7, 2008}}</ref>

[[File:20090124 WeeklyAddress.ogv|left|thumb|Obama presents his [[commons:Obama Administration weekly video addresses|first weekly address]] as President of the United States, discussing the [[American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009]].]]

Obama is frequently referred to as an exceptional [[orator]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theage.com.au/world/a-classic-orator-obama-learnt-from-the-masters-20081129-6nf1.html|title=Obama: Oratory and originality|last=Holmes|first=Stephanie|date=November 30, 2008|accessdate=December 11, 2008|work=The Age}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/mar2008/sb2008033_156351.htm|title=How to Inspire People Like Obama Does|last=Gallo|first=Carmine|date=March 3, 2008|accessdate=February 21, 2009|work=Business Week}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thestar.com/living/article/551538|title=New emotion dubbed 'elevation|date=December 11, 2008|work=[[Toronto Star]]|accessdate=December 11, 2008}}</ref> During his pre-inauguration transition period and continuing into his presidency, Obama has delivered a series of weekly Internet video addresses<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/user/ChangeDotGov YouTube - ChangeDotGov's Channel]</ref> similar to [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]'s famous [[fireside chats]] to explain his policies and actions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/news/ni0607517/|title=News from Studio Briefing|accessdate=March 10, 2009|date=November 17, 2008|publisher=Internet Movie Database}}</ref>

According to the [[Gallup poll|Gallup Daily Poll]], during his [[First 100 days of Barack Obama's presidency|first 100 days in office as president]], Obama received approval ratings in the mid-60s, ranging from 59% to 69%. He concluded his first 100 days with a 65% approval rating.<ref>http://www.gallup.com/poll/118054/100-Days-Obama-Approval-Broad-Deep.aspx</ref> His disapproval rating increased from 12% to 29% during that same time period.<ref>[http://www.gallup.com/poll/113980/Gallup-Daily-Obama-Job-Approval.aspx Gallup Daily: Obama Job Approval]</ref>

Obama's international appeal has been described as a defining factor for his public image.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-06-12-poll_N.htm|work=USA Today|title=World poll: Obama more likely to 'do the right thing'|date=June 12, 2008|accessdate=March 10, 2009|author=Page, Susan}}</ref> Polls show strong support for Obama in other countries,<ref>{{cite news|accessdate=|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/09/09/2360240.htm?section=world|title=World wants Obama as president: poll|agency=Reuters|date=September 9, 2008|work=ABC News|location=Australia}}</ref> and he has met with prominent foreign figures including then-[[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|British Prime Minister]] [[Tony Blair]],<ref>{{cite press release|accessdate=|url=http://obama.senate.gov/press/050823-obama_to_visit/|title=Obama to visit nuclear, biological weapons destruction facilities in former Soviet Union|date=August 24, 2005|publisher=Obama.senate.gov}}</ref> Italy's [[Democratic Party (Italy)|Democratic Party]] leader and then [[Mayor]] of Rome [[Walter Veltroni]],<ref>[http://www.partitodemocratico.it/allegatidef/veltroni63375.pdf Quel giorno di tre anni fa a Washington Barack mi raccontò la sua speranza] [http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601085&sid=aea6jJJwShpQ&refer=europe Rome Mayor's Leadership Bid May Lead to Early Italian Elections]; [http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/2005/aprile/30/politico_prevale_sull_amministratore_co_10_050430003.shtml VELTRONI A NEW YORK - Il politico prevale sull' amministratore]; [http://store.libreriarizzoli.it/4DLink/4DAction/MostraScheda?Codice=978881701658 Libreria Rizzoli Galleria]</ref> and [[President of France|French President]] [[Nicolas Sarkozy]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.economist.com/blogs/certainideasofeurope/2008/02/sarkozy_obama_and_mccain.cfm|type=|title=Sarkozy, Obama and McCain|work=[[The Economist]]|last=Pedder|first=Sophie|date=February 20, 2008|accessdate=November 20, 2008}}</ref>

According to a May 2009 poll conducted by [[Harris Interactive]] for [[France 24]] and the [[International Herald Tribune]], Obama was rated as the most popular world leader, as well as the one figure most people would pin their hopes on for pulling the world out of this economic downturn.<ref>http://www.france24.com/en/20090529-obama-remains-popular-symbol-hope-harris-interactive-poll-world-leaders</ref>

Obama won [[Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album|Best Spoken Word Album]] [[Grammy Award]]s for abridged [[audiobook]] versions of ''[[Dreams from My Father]]'' in February 2006 and for ''[[The Audacity of Hope]]'' in February 2008.<ref>{{cite news|author=Goodman, Dean|date=February 10, 2008|title=Obama or Clinton? Grammys go for Obama|publisher=Reuters|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/musicNews/idUSN0852813420080210|accessdate=November 24, 2008}}</ref> His "[[Yes We Can]]" speech, which artists independently set to music, was viewed by 10 million people on [[YouTube]] in the first month,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article3491460.ece|title=Celebrities join YouTube revolution|last=Strange|first=Hannah|date=March 5, 2008|work=The Times (UK)|accessdate=December 18, 2008}}</ref> and received an [[Emmy Award]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/soundboard/2008/06/emmys-give-knuc.html|title=Emmys give knuckle bump to will.i.am; more videos on the way|last=Wappler|first=Margaret|date=June 20, 2008|work=Los Angeles Times|accessdate=December 18, 2008}}</ref> In December 2008, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine named Barack Obama as its [[Time Person of the Year|Person of the Year]] for his historic candidacy and election, which it described as "the steady march of seemingly impossible accomplishments".<ref>{{cite news|last=Von Drehle|first=David|title=Why History Can't Wait|url=http://www.time.com/time/specials/2008/personoftheyear/article/0,31682,1861543_1865068,00.html?cnn=yes|work=Person of the Year 2008|format=Cover article|work=[[Time (magazine)|Time Magazine]]|date=December 16, 2008|accessdate=December 17, 2008}}</ref>


==Notes==
==Notes==
[[Image:Obamaiswatching.JPG|right|300px|]]
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
<references/>


==References==
==See also==
*[[Change]]
* {{cite book |last=Mendell |first=David |authorlink=David Mendell |year=2007 |title=[[Obama: From Promise to Power]] |location=New York |publisher=Amistad/[[HarperCollins]] |isbn=0-06-085820-6}}
*[[Blacks]]
* {{cite book |last=Obama |first=Barack |year=1995, 2004 |title=[[Dreams from My Father|Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance]] |location=New York |publisher=[[Three Rivers Press]] |isbn=1-4000-8277-3}}
*[[Baraq Hussein Osama]]
* {{cite book |last=Obama |first=Barack |year=2006 |title=[[The Audacity of Hope|The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream]] |location=New York |publisher=[[Crown Publishing Group]] |isbn=0-307-23769-9}}
*[[Michelle Obama]]
*[[Pre-Presidential Accomplishments of Barack Obama]]


{{Colonized}}{{USpresident}}
==Further reading==
[[Category:2000s]]
* Curry, Jessica. "[http://www.chicagolife.net/content/politics/Barack_Obama Barack Obama: Under the Lights]", ''Chicago Life'', Fall 2004. Retrieved on January 14, 2008.
[[Category:US Politics]]
* Graff, Garrett. "[http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/mediapolitics/1836.html The Legend of Barack Obama]", ''Washingtonian'', November 1, 2006. Retrieved on January 14, 2008.
[[Category:Politicians]]
* Koltun, Dave (2005) ''"The 2004 Illinois Senate Race: Obama Wins Open Seat and Becomes National Political “Star”"'' in ''"The Road to Congress 2004"'' Editors: Sunil Ahuja ([[Youngstown State University]]) and Robert Dewhirst ([[Truman State University]]), [[Nova Publishers|Nova Science Publishers]], Haupauge, New York, Binding: Hardcover Pub. Date: 2005, ISBN 1-59454-360-7
[[Category:U.S. Presidential Candidates, 2008]]
* Lizza, Ryan. "[http://men.style.com/gq/features/landing?id=content_5841 Above the Fray]", ''GQ'', September 2007. Retrieved on January 14, 2008.
[[Category:US Presidents]]
* MacFarquhar, Larissa. "[http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/05/07/070507fa_fact_macfarquhar The Conciliator: Where is Barack Obama Coming From?]", ''New Yorker'', May 7, 2007. Retrieved on January 14, 2008.
[[Category:Articles about a person written in the style of that person]]
* Mundy, Liza. "[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/08/AR2007080802038.html A Series of Fortunate Events]", ''The Washington Post Magazine'', August 12, 2007. Retrieved on January 14, 2008.
[[Category:Things George Bush doesn't care about]]
* Wallace-Wells, Ben. "[http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/13390609/campaign_08_the_radical_roots_of_barack_obama Destiny's Child]", ''Rolling Stone'', February 7, 2007. Retrieved on January 14, 2008.
[[Category:Things that invoke feelings of doom]]
* Zutter, Hank De. "[http://www.chicagoreader.com/obama/951208/ What Makes Obama Run?]", ''Chicago Reader'', December 8, 1995. Retrieved on January 14, 2008.
[[Category:People who want to destroy all things]]
[[Category:Superheroes]]


==External links==
{{Sisterlinks|author=yes|wikt=no|v=no|b=no|n=Category:Barack Obama}}
{{Spoken Wikipedia|En-Barack_Obama-article1.ogg|September 3, 2008}}
<!--
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===Official sites===
* [http://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/president_obama/ President Barack Obama] ''official White House website''
* [http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/inaugural-address/ Full transcript and video of President Obama's inaugural address (from whitehouse.gov)]
* [http://www.barackobama.com/ U.S. presidential campaign site]
<!--
Do not add YouTube, MySpace, Twitter, and other official Obama campaign web sites here. They are MANY and all are subsidiaries of BarackObama.com, linked from http://www.barackobama.com.
-->
===Site directory===
* {{dmoz|Society/History/By_Region/North_America/United_States/Presidents/Obama,_Barack}}
* {{worldcat id|id=lccn-n94-112934}}
===News media===
* Ongoing news coverage from the [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_depth/americas/2008/obama_presidency/default.stm BBC News], [http://www.suntimes.com/news/politics/obama/index.html Chicago Sun-Times], [http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/obama/ Chicago Tribune], [http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/barackobama The Guardian], [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/politics/administration/ Washington Post]
* {{cite news|title=US election results map|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/us_elections_2008/7697829.stm|work=[[BBC News]]}}
* {{cite news|title=In pictures: Election result reaction|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7709830.stm|work=[[BBC News]]}}
* {{cite news|title=In quotes: US election reaction|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/us_elections_2008/7710020.stm|work=[[BBC News]]}}
* [http://www.reuters.com/article/vcCandidateFeed2/idUSTRE4A43VA20081105 FACTBOX: Barack Obama, Democratic President-elect] (''[[Reuters]]'', November 5, 2008)

===Congressional links===
{{CongLinks|congbio=o000167|fec=S4IL00180|opensecrets=N00009638|votesmart=9490|ontheissuespath=Barack_Obama.htm|legistorm=76/Sen_Barack_Obama.html|surge=923|govtrack=400629|findagrave=}}

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{{Obama family}}
{{US Presidents}}
{{Lists of US Presidents and Vice Presidents}}
{{Current G8 Leaders}}
{{Current U.S. Cabinet}}
{{Obama cabinet}}
{{Obama Administration personnel|hideCabinet=.}}
{{United States presidential election, 2008}}
{{USDemPresNominees}}
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{{Time Persons of the Year 2001–2025}}
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Revision as of 00:46, 18 August 2009

For the pre-Colonized version, see here.
Barack Obama, seen here with the White House in the background. Notice the contrast between his black suit and the white building.

Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He served as an Illinois Senator from 1997 through 2004 and made the jump to Senator from Illinois[1] in 2005, serving as such through 2008. Since assuming the Oval Office[2] in January 2009, he has made subtle, sweeping changes in policy and government[3]. His supporters claim he has quickly improved the United States government and the country in general, while his detractors claim that his accomplishments are embellished and an imminent totalitarian state is his plan. His actions as President, thus far the most notable being his work on repairing the economy, have undoubtedly led to the government taking a larger role in the everyday life of US citizens. Obama has been quoted as saying that his favourite book is 1984 by George Orwell.

Early life and career

Template:Conservapedia Barack Obama was allegedly[4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] born in Honolulu, Hawaii to Stanley Ann Dunham in 1961. His Kenyan father had been raised as a Muslim, though later became an atheist. Early on in his life, Obama was confronted with a variety of views, be they religious, philosophical or political. Not only did Obama spend the first twelve years of his life in Indonesia, he also spent them in Hawaiian terrorist camps while also being enlisted in Iraqi terror camps full time. Little is known for sure about Obama's childhood, but his exposure to many different political systems is probably what influenced his socialist and elitist tendencies later in life.

Obama's experience in Hawaii prior to Hawaii earning statehood in 1979 proved to be an informative experience. In the 1960s and 1970s, during his formative years, Hawaii was governed by tribal leaders who regulated nearly every aspect of island life. As a result, major industries such as pineapple harvesting and canoe-building were fiercely efficient, and Hawaii prospered. These tribal leaders earned Obama's respect and adoration, and he aspired to become one of them when he grew up. Their policies of wire-tapping[12] and otherwise keeping tabs on Hawaiians did not bother Obama, as he "felt safe and secure, and always had plenty of pineapple to eat." The large number of religions present on the island, however, presented Obama with a moral dilemma. Peer pressure dictated that he join the mainstream Hawaiian religion, which worshipped volcanoes and made them offerings of virgins and pineapples. However, in his late teens Obama decided to give up his Muslim heritage and convert to Christianity.[13]

After attending high school in Hawaii,[14] Obama moved to New York City to attend the prestigious Columbia University. He was quickly disillusioned by the vastness and inefficiency of the continental United States compared to the state-regulated, strictly controlled life he lived in Hawaii. He graduated from Columbia in 1983 with a major in political science and two minors, both in redundancy. He then went to work as a community organizer. He is still fondly remembered for his work in organizing rigidly controlled community activities such as Little League games. After several years of orchestrating these strictly regulated events, he decided to run for public office, and arbitrarily chose Illinois as the place to do it.

Senate career

File:Barackobama.JPG
Obama is seen here during his time in the storied Illinois Senate, wearing a tie that mixes dark and light colors.

Obama was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1996 as the representative from the 13th district, which included Chicago's South Side. As such, his first task was to bring peace between warring factions within the city.[15] He then went on to gain support for his ethics and healthcare legislation, indicative of his will to control every aspect of his constituents' lives. During this time his Junior Undersecretary, Bill Ayers, also gained the support and admiration of Chicagoicans, particularly for his Weather Underground movement which helped relay rain forecasts to more people than ever before.

Obama's time in the Illinois Senate will perhaps be remembered most for its impact on the daily lives of Chicagoites. His welfare reform program was a great success, and would foreshadow his tendencies as President towards regulating the lives of every class of citizen. One of his lesser-known successes was his mandate that all homicide interrogations be videotaped, which was the first in a long string of surveillance-related laws aimed at 'increasing public safety' and other such nonsense. At first the methods allowed by these laws were unsuccessful, as Obama copied the methods of his native Hawaii, and very few Chigagoists were fooled by medium-sized cameras concealed within pineapples. However, very soon his policies denouncing privacy in favor of total government control swept the state. He also voted against stricter laws concerning gangs, since the strict rules of gang life strongly reminded of his time in the state-controlled utopia of Hawaii.

Having implemented his new methods in the state of Illinois,[16] Obama set his sights on a national position. He was able to obtain an open Illinois Senate seat in 2004 after his anti-privacy legislation allowed his campaign to obtain embarrassing photographs of his overweight opponent at the beach. These photographs were maliciously distributed by the liberal media.[17] Upon reaching Washington, Obama quickly became known as one of the top 100 most liberal Senators in the current U.S. Congress. Much like all liberal Senators from this period, his main focus was criticisms of President Bush. Obama was particularly alarmed at Bush's[18] tendency to leave the American public to their own affairs for the most part. Finally, he could take the government's inaction no longer, and resigned his Senate seat in order to pursue a Presidential campaign.

Obama delivers his presidential election victory speech in Grant Park from behind a mulatto brown podium. Note the UFO above Obama's head.

Rise to power

Through his message of hope and change, he won the support of many. In 2008, the American people were blinded by his mesmerizing speeches. Promising the American people a hopeful future, he defeated that creepy old guy for the Presidency in 2008. After his inauguration, he firmly spread the word of hope and change to all walks of life, and to all peoples in all nations, so that we may prosper under his warming, glowing, warm glow.

Many Republican opponents suspect Obama's victory is to blame on the use of brainwashing machines. Liberal scientists explain these strange phenomena in the sky as being weather balloons. The general public wonders why weather balloons look so freakin' weird these days.

Cementing of power

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Every so often this picture screams "Hope and change" and shoots fire out of its mouth. There's that black suit/white background contrast again.

One of the first things Obama did as president was to purchase failing corporations and banks, supposedly to prevent widespread unemployment. This gave the federal government near-total power and control over an increasing number of formerly private institutions, but the true goal was the beginning of his rise to power. Still, the majority of American people felt more secure after he had made good on his campaign promise of change.

With the American people lulled into a sense of security, he passed the Enabling Act of 2010 through congress. Although this bill severely limits the authority of congress, President Obama forced it's ratification through the use of Waterboarding. After the drowning death of Mike Huckabee, the remaining holdouts fell in line quickly. With the Interfering voices of the American people Out of the way, Obama was able to concentrate on consolidating his power which was really Obama's biggest priority, he could freely dispose of [[:Category:|]] wasteful government programs. President Obama instated Barack's Domain of Sexy Monitors (BDSM for short), the public face of which was spiffy little pictures of the man himself hanging on walls in public places, with Eyes that follow you around as you pass by. As an added bonus and source of revenue he began to sell "mini-Baracks", desk-top bobble-heads of the President Equipped with miniature digital cameras concealed in the head, that you can put anywhere: the dinner table, your desk at work, your car, your bathroom, your bedroom, anywhere, so he can watch you while you eat/work/drive/crap/masturbate/plot against him. President Obama then turned his attention to national security. Any person caught speaking ill of the President or determined to be threats to society are Rounded up and placed in detention centers. Free thinkers and dissenters are not tolerated under The new regime of Barack Obama's watchful gaze.[19]

Personal life

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BLACK BLACK BLACK BLACK BLACK BLACK BLACK.

A complete mystery. No one knows the current whereabouts of Obama. Obama's media screening and revising team have removed any information including Obama that they have deemed "A danger to the Great Lord's Safety". They have successfully removed any mention of Obama in nearly any television show or magazine, as well as heavy deletion of any internet web pages or articles mentioning him. However, Google Maps still shows Obama's where abouts if you type "Obama" into the search bar. Obama's media revising team is trying to resolve this problem as quickly as possible and Obama has personally outlawed any use of Google other than the Image Search.

In one rare interview, Obama highlighted the diversity of his extended family: "It's like a little mini-Mars Bar," he said. "I've got relatives who look like Michael Jackson, and I've got relatives who look like Thomas the Tank Engine" Obama has seven wives from his Kennedy family, six of them living, and a half-sister with whom he was raised, Maya Yummy-Ng, the daughter of his mother and her Indonesian eighteenth husband.

In Dreams of My Father, Obama ties his mother's infidelity history to possible Native Americans and distant relatives of Jefferson Ford, president of the southern Confederacy during the American Civil War. But of course, all copies of the book were immediately deleted to "protect the Great Lord".

Notes

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  1. ^ A huge difference.
  2. ^ The accepted shape of the Office of the President is 'oval', although it is occasionally referred to as the Elliptical Office
  3. ^ Oxymorons be damned.
  4. ^ Many dispute this claim, since Hawaiians have notoriously poor record-keeping skills, as can be demonstrated by their lack of statehood records prior to the 1950s.
  5. ^ Alleged birth certificate.
  6. ^ 2008 election still in dispute by crazy guy.
  7. ^ Hawaii confused over Obama birthplace.
  8. ^ Additional crazy guy claims to have proof Obama born in Kenya, will go public 'any day now' as of August 2008.
  9. ^ A Trustworthy Source: Obama not born is US; also a Muslim, terrorist, and mutant.
  10. ^ My dad says Obama wasn't born in America.
  11. ^ It's getting a little ridiculous with these references, isn't it?
  12. ^ Using the Coconut phone and coconut radio, the latest in island technology
  13. ^ Reliable sources point out that only 1% of Muslims convert to Christianity, rendering this statistically impossible.
  14. ^ Known in Hawaii as 'Volcano Worship Preparation School'.
  15. ^ His most famous victory of this kind was the reconciling of Cubs fans and White Sox fans.
  16. ^ The self-proclaimed most important state in the nation.
  17. ^ All media is liberal media.
  18. ^ And every other President in history
  19. ^ Trust me, it's very watchful. He's watching me right now...

See also

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