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Barack Hussein Obama (born August 4, 1961 in Honolulu, Hawaii) is the junior United States Senator from Illinois. According to the U.S. Senate Historical Office, he is the fifth African American Senator in U.S. history and the only African American currently serving in the U.S. Senate.

After graduating from law school, Obama moved to Chicago, where he was elected to the state senate in 1996 as a Democrat. Four years later, he made an unsuccessful run for the U.S. House of Representatives. After rededicating his efforts to the state senate and winning reelection in 2002, Obama ran for an open seat in the U.S. Senate two years later. Midway through the campaign, Obama delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, raising his national stature. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in November 2004 with a landslide 70% of the vote.

On January 16, 2007, Obama announced that he had taken the first step toward becoming a candidate for the 2008 presidential election by forming an exploratory committee. Recent opinion polls rank him as the second most popular choice among Democratic voters for their party's nomination, after Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY).

Early life and career

Barack Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii to Barack Hussein Obama, Sr. (born in Nyangoma Kogalo, a village in Nyanza Province, Kenya) and Ann Dunham (born in Wichita, Kansas). His parents met while both were attending the East-West Center of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where his father was enrolled as a foreign student.

When Obama was two years old, his parents separated and later divorced; his father went to Harvard to pursue PhD studies, eventually returning to Kenya. His mother was remarried to an Indonesian foreign student, Lolo Soetoro, with whom she had one daughter. The family moved to Jakarta where Obama attended Catholic and Muslim schools from ages 6 to 10. He then returned to Hawaii to live with his maternal grandparents. He was enrolled in the fifth grade at Punahou School, a large, private college preparatory school in Honolulu, which he attended through 12th grade, graduating in 1979. His father died in a car accident in Kenya when Obama was 21 years old. Obama's mother died of cancer a few months after the publication of his 1995 memoir, Dreams from My Father.

In Dreams from My Father, Obama describes his experiences growing up in his mother's white American middle class family. His knowledge about his absent black Kenyan father came mainly through family stories and photographs. Of his early childhood, Obama wrote: "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." As a young adult, he struggled to reconcile social perceptions of his multiracial heritage. Obama writes about using marijuana and cocaine during his teenage years to "push questions of who I was out of my mind."

After high school, Obama studied for two years at Occidental College in California and then transferred to Columbia University where he majored in political science with a specialization in international relations. After receiving his Bachelors of Arts degree in 1983, Obama worked for one year at Business International Corporation. In 1985, he moved to Chicago to direct a non-profit project assisting local churches to organize job training programs for residents of poor neighborhoods.

Obama entered Harvard Law School in 1988. In February 1990, he gained national recognition for becoming the first African American to be elected president of the Harvard Law Review. He obtained his Juris Doctor degree magna cum laude from Harvard in 1991. On returning to Chicago, Obama directed a voter registration drive, then worked for the civil rights law firm Miner, Barnhill & Galland, and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1993 until his election to the U.S. Senate in 2004.

State legislature

In 1996, Obama was elected to the Illinois State Senate from Chicago's 13th District in the south-side neighborhood of Hyde Park. In January 2003, when Democrats regained control of the chamber, he was named chairman of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee. Among his legislative initiatives, Obama helped to author an Illinois Earned Income Tax Credit that provided benefits to lower income families, worked for legislation that would support residents who could not afford health insurance, and helped pass bills to increase funding for AIDS prevention and care programs.

In 2000, Obama made an unsuccessful Democratic primary run for the U.S. House of Representatives seat held by four-term incumbent candidate Bobby Rush. Rush, a former Black Panther and community activist, charged that Obama had not "been around the first congressional district long enough to really see what's going on." Rush received 61% of the vote to Obama's 30%. After the loss, Obama focused his efforts on the state Senate, authoring a law requiring police to videotape interrogations for crimes punishable by the death penalty.Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page). He ran unopposed in 2002.

Reviewing Obama's career in the Illinois Senate, commentators noted his ability to work effectively with both Democrats and Republicans, and to build coalitions. In his subsequent campaign for the U.S. Senate, Obama won the endorsement of the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police, whose officials cited his "longtime support of gun control measures and his willingness to negotiate compromises," despite his support for some bills that the police union had opposed.

Keynote address

Midway through his campaign for U.S. Senator, Obama wrote and delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, Massachusetts.

After describing his maternal grandfather's experiences as a World War II veteran and a beneficiary of the New Deal's FHA and GI Bill programs, Obama said:

No, people don't expect government to solve all their problems. But they sense, deep in their bones, that with just a slight change in priorities, we can make sure that every child in America has a decent shot at life, and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all. They know we can do better. And they want that choice.

Questioning the Bush administration's handling of the Iraq War, Obama spoke of an enlisted Marine, Corporal Seamus Ahern from East Moline, Illinois, asking, "Are we serving Seamus as well as he is serving us?" He continued:

When we send our young men and women into harm's way, we have a solemn obligation not to fudge the numbers or shade the truth about why they're going, to care for their families while they're gone, to tend to the soldiers upon their return, and to never, ever go to war without enough troops to win the war, secure the peace, and earn the respect of the world.

Finally he spoke for national unity:

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

This speech was Obama's introduction to most of America, and it was said that it gave him "instant celebrity" status.

Senate campaign

In 2004, Obama ran for the U.S. Senate open seat vacated by Peter Fitzgerald. In early opinion polls leading up to the Democratic primary, Obama trailed multimillionaire businessman Blair Hull and Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes. However, Hull's popularity declined following allegations of domestic abuse.

Obama's candidacy was boosted by an advertising campaign featuring images of the late Chicago Mayor Harold Washington and the late U.S. Senator Paul Simon; the support of Simon's daughter; and political endorsements by the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times. From a crowded field of seven candidates, Obama received over 52% of the vote in the March 16, 2004 primary, emerging well ahead of his Democratic rivals.

Obama was then matched in the general election against Republican primary winner Jack Ryan. However, Ryan withdrew from the race on June 25, 2004, following public disclosure of child custody divorce records containing embarrassing sexual allegations by Ryan's ex-wife. On August 8, 2004, with less than three months to go before election day, Alan Keyes accepted the Illinois Republican Party's nomination to replace Ryan. A long-time resident of Maryland, Keyes established legal residency in Illinois with the nomination. Through three televised debates, Obama and Keyes expressed opposing views on stem cell research, abortion, gun control, school vouchers, and tax cuts. In the general election held November 2, 2004, Obama received 70% of the popular vote to Keyes's 27%.

Senate career

Obama was sworn in as a Senator on January 4, 2005. He assembled an unusually seasoned staff for a freshman senator. Obama hired former Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle's ex-chief of staff for the same position, and Karen Kornbluh, an economist who was deputy chief of staff to former Secretary of the Treasury Robert Rubin, as his policy adviser. In July 2005, Samantha Power, Pulitzer-winning author on human rights and genocide, joined Obama's team. During his first year in office Obama drew praise for his perceived attempts to avoid the limelight. Nonetheless, Obama's public profile continued to climb through 2005 and 2006. TIME magazine named him one of "the world's most influential people," listing him among twenty "Leaders and Revolutionaries" for his high-profile entrance to federal politics and his popularity within the Democratic Party. An October 2005 article in the British journal New Statesman listed Obama as one of "10 people who could change the world." During his first two years in the Senate, Obama received Honorary Doctorates of Law from Knox College, University of Massachusetts Boston, Northwestern University, and Xavier University of Louisiana. He is a member of the following Senate committees: Foreign Relations; Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs; and Veterans' Affairs.

Legislation

109th Congress

Obama sponsored 152 bills and resolutions brought before the 109th Congress in 2005 and 2006, and cosponsored another 427. His first bill was the "Higher Education Opportunity through Pell Grant Expansion Act." Entered in fulfillment of a campaign promise, the bill proposed increasing the maximum amount of Pell Grant awards to help needy students pay their college tuitions. The bill did not progress beyond committee and was never voted on by the Senate.

Obama took an active role in the Senate's drive for improved border security and immigration reform. Beginning in 2005, he co-sponsored the "Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act" introduced by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ). Obama later added three amendments to S. 2611, the "Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act," sponsored by Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA). S. 2611 passed the Senate in May 2006, but failed to gain majority support in the U.S. House of Representatives. In September 2006, Obama supported a related bill, the Secure Fence Act, authorizing construction of fencing and other security improvements along the United States–Mexico border. President Bush signed the Secure Fence Act into law in October 2006, calling it "an important step toward immigration reform."

Partnering first with Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN), and then with Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), Obama successfully introduced two initiatives bearing his name. "Lugar–Obama" expands the Nunn–Lugar cooperative threat reduction concept to conventional weapons, including shoulder-fired missiles and anti-personnel mines. The "Coburn-Obama Transparency Act" provides for a website, managed by the Office of Management and Budget, listing all organizations receiving Federal funds from 2007 onward, and providing breakdowns by the agency allocating the funds, the dollar amount given, and the purpose of the grant or contract. On December 22, 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.

110th Congress

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During the first three weeks of the Democratic-controlled 110th Congress, Obama sponsored eight bills and resolutions and cosponsored another 34. His legislative activities during the current session's first days focused primarily on ethics and energy-related bills.

Official travel

During the August recess of 2005, Obama traveled with Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, to Russia, Ukraine and Azerbaijan. The trip focused on strategies to control the world's supply of conventional weapons, biological weapons, and weapons of mass destruction as a strategic first defense against the threat of future terrorist attacks. Lugar and Obama inspected a Nunn-Lugar program-supported nuclear warhead destruction facility at Saratov, in southern European Russia. In Ukraine, they toured a disease control and prevention facility and witnessed the signing of a bilateral pact to secure biological pathogens and combat risks of infectious disease outbreaks from natural causes or bioterrorism.

In January 2006, Obama joined a Congressional delegation for meetings with U.S. military in Kuwait and Iraq. After the visits, Obama traveled to Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian territories. While in Israel, Obama met with Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom. Obama also met with a group of Palestinian students two weeks before Hamas won the January 2006 Palestinian legislative election. ABC News 7 (Chicago) reported Obama telling the students that "the US will never recognize winning Hamas candidates unless the group renounces its fundamental mission to eliminate Israel," and that he had conveyed the same message in his meeting with Palestinian authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Obama left for his third official trip in August 2006, traveling to South Africa and Kenya, and making stops in Djibouti, Ethiopia and Chad. Obama flew his wife and two daughters from Chicago to join him in a visit to his father's birthplace, a village near Kisumu in Kenya's rural west. Newspapers reported enthusiastic crowds at Obama's public appearances. In a public gesture aimed to capitalize on his celebrity and encourage more Kenyans to undergo voluntary HIV testing, Obama and his wife took HIV tests at a Kenyan clinic. In a nationally televised speech at the University of Nairobi, Obama spoke forcefully on the influence of ethnic rivalries in Kenyan politics. The speech touched off a public debate among rival leaders, some formally challenging Obama's remarks as unfair and improper, others defending his positions.

Political advocacy

On the role of government in economic affairs, Obama has written: "we should be asking ourselves what mix of policies will lead to a dynamic free market and widespread economic security, entrepreneurial innovation and upward mobility we should be guided by what works." Speaking before the National Press Club in April 2005, Obama defended the New Deal social welfare policies of Franklin D. Roosevelt, associating Republican proposals to establish private accounts for Social Security with Social Darwinism. In a May 2006 letter to President Bush, he joined four other midwest farming state Senators in calling for the preservation of a $0.54 per gallon tariff on imported ethanol.

Obama spoke out in June 2006 against making recent, temporary estate tax cuts permanent, calling the cuts a "Paris Hilton" tax break for "billionaire heirs and heiresses." Speaking in November 2006 to members of Wake Up Wal-Mart, a union-backed campaign group, Obama said: "You gotta pay your workers enough that they can actually not only shop at Wal-Mart, but ultimately send their kids to college and save for retirement."

Obama is among the first national politicians to engage the public through new Internet communication tools. He began podcasting from his U.S. Senate web site in late 2005. He has responded to and personally participated in online discussions hosted on politically-oriented blogosphere sites. In a June 2006 podcast, Obama expressed support for telecommunications legislation to protect network neutrality on the internet, saying: "It is because the Internet is a neutral platform that I can put out this podcast and transmit it over the Internet without having to go through any corporate media middleman. I can say what I want without censorship or without having to pay a special charge. But the big telephone and cable companies want to change the Internet as we know it."

He was an early opponent of Bush administration policies on Iraq. In the fall of 2002, Obama stated: "I am not opposed to all wars. I'm opposed to dumb wars. You want a fight, President Bush? Let's finish the fight with Bin Laden and al-Qaeda, through effective, coordinated intelligence, and a shutting down of the financial networks that support terrorism, and a homeland security program that involves more than color-coded warnings." Speaking before the Chicago Council on Global Affairs in November 2006, he said: "The days of using the war on terror as a political football are over. It is time to give Iraqis their country back, and it is time to refocus America's efforts on the wider struggle yet to be won." In his speech Obama also called for a phased withdrawal of American troops starting in 2007, and an opening of diplomatic dialogue with Iraq's neighbors, Syria and Iran.

During his first year as a U.S. senator, in a move more typically taken after several years of holding high political office, Obama established a leadership political action committee, Hopefund, for channeling financial support to Democratic candidates. Obama participated in 38 fundraising events in 2005, helping to pull in $6.55 million for candidates he supports and his own 2010 re-election fund. The New York Times described Obama as "the prize catch of the midterm campaign" because of his campaigning for fellow Democratic Party members running for election in the 2006 midterm elections. Hopefund gave $374,000 to federal candidates in the 2006 election cycle, making it one of the top donors to federal candidates for the year.

Obama has encouraged Democrats to reach out to evangelicals and other church-going people, saying, "if we truly hope to speak to people where they’re at—to communicate our hopes and values in a way that’s relevant to their own—we cannot abandon the field of religious discourse." In December 2006, Obama joined Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) at the "Global Summit on AIDS and the Church" organized by church leaders Kay and Rick Warren. Together with Warren and Brownback, Obama took an HIV test, as he had done in Kenya less than four months earlier. Obama encouraged "others in public life to do the same" to show "there is no shame in going for an HIV test." Before the conference, pro-life groups called on Warren to rescind the invitation saying, in regards to Obama's support for the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision, "If Senator Obama cannot defend the most helpless citizens in our country, he has nothing to say to the AIDS crisis."

2008 presidential election

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Obama's keynote speech to the 2004 Democratic National Convention sparked expectations that he would eventually run for the presidency. Speculation on a 2008 presidential run intensified after Obama's decisive U.S. Senate election win in November 2004, prompting him to tell reporters: "I can unequivocally say I will not be running for national office in four years." But in an October 2006 interview on the television program Meet the Press, Obama appeared to open the possibility of a 2008 presidential bid. Following Obama's statement, opinion polling organizations added his name to surveyed lists of Democratic candidates. The first such poll ranked Obama in second place with 17% support among Democrats after Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY) who placed first with 28% of the responses. The most recent Rasmussen poll places Clinton and Obama in a "virtual tie" for support among likely Democratic primary voters. In a December 2006 cover story headlined "The Race is On", Newsweek magazine columnist Jonathan Alter asked: "Is America Ready for Hillary or Obama?"

Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Illinois State Comptroller Daniel Hynes were early advocates for a 2008 Obama presidential run. Celebrity television show host Oprah Winfrey and film actor George Clooney have also expressed readiness to campaign for an Obama presidency. Commentators have suggested that Obama's chances to be elected president would be better in 2008 than in 2012 or later. In an October 2006 editorial published in the Chicago Tribune, Newton Minow compared prospects for a 2008 Obama presidential bid to John F. Kennedy's successful 1960 presidential campaign. A December 2006 op-ed by conservative columnist George Will detailed four reasons why he thinks now is a good time for Obama to run for president.

In September 2006, Obama was the featured speaker at Iowa Senator Tom Harkin's annual steak fry, a political event traditionally attended by presidential hopefuls in the lead-up to the Iowa caucus. In December 2006, Obama spoke at a New Hampshire event celebrating Democratic Party midterm election victories in the first-in-the-nation U.S. presidential primary state, drawing 1,500 people.

On January 14, 2007, the Chicago Tribune reported that Obama has begun assembling his team for a 2008 presidential campaign to be headquartered in Chicago. His team includes Chicago-based political consultant David Plouffe, who is expected to manage the campaign, and Plouffe's partner, David Axelrod, who is expected to play a major role as media guru. Former Commerce Secretary and Gore campaign manager William Daley is expected to serve in an as-yet-unspecified senior adviser role. On January 16, 2007, Obama announced that he would be filing paperwork with the Federal Elections Commission to establish a presidential exploratory committee and that he expected to make a decision on whether or not to run by February 10. If elected, Obama would be the first African American president in US history.

A Zogby Poll released on January 18, 2007, showed Obama leading the Democratic contenders in the first primary State of New Hampshire with 23% of New Hampshire Democrats supporting Obama. Senator Hillary Clinton and Former Senator John Edwards were tied for second place with 19% each.

Controversy

On November 1, 2006 the Chicago Tribune reported that on the same day that Obama's home in a South Side neighborhood of Chicago was purchased, an adjoining vacant lot was bought by the wife of Antoin Rezko, an Illinois businessman currently facing federal charges of attempted extortion, money laundering, and fraud. Obama later bought a ten-foot-wide strip of lawn from Rezko. Two days after the report, the same newspaper ran an editorial calling on Obama to explain why he would "allow himself any connection" to a developer who "notoriously attaches himself to political figures, often parlaying friendships into business dealings that have attracted official suspicions for several years." The following day the Chicago Tribune reported Obama's statement that it was a mistake to have engaged "in this or any other personal business dealing that would allow , or anyone else, to believe that he had done me a favor. For that reason, I consider this a mistake on my part and I regret it." On December 24, Obama's spokesman confirmed that one of Obama's 2005 summer interns also had ties to Rezko, although he denied any favoritism. The Obama office had nearly 100 interns that summer.

The Tribune's report does not accuse the Senator of any wrongdoing or unethical conduct and no evidence to the contrary has been uncovered. A December 2006 article posted to The New Republic online site criticized follow-up reporting in the Chicago Tribune, Slate, and Washington Post for failing to add value to the story: "The role of the press in all this should be to put perceptions in line with the facts as they stand, not inflate the perceptions and raise the distant possibility that the facts might line up behind them."

Personal life

While working at the corporate law firm Sidley Austin LLP in the summer of 1989, Obama met Michelle Robinson, then an associate attorney at the firm. They married in 1992, and have two daughters, Malia (born 1999) and Sasha (born 2001). The Obamas are members of Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ. Of his religious affiliation, Obama has written:

I was drawn to the power of the African American religious tradition to spur social change. In the history of these struggles, I was able to see faith as more than just a comfort to the weary or a hedge against death; rather, it was an active, palpable agent in the world. It was because of these newfound understandings–that religious commitment did not require me to suspend critical thinking, disengage from the battle for economic and social justice, or otherwise retreat from the world that I knew and loved–that I was finally able to walk down the aisle of Trinity United Church of Christ one day and be baptized. It came about as a choice and not an epiphany; the questions I had did not magically disappear. But kneeling beneath that cross on the South Side of Chicago, I felt God's spirit beckoning me. I submitted myself to His will, and dedicated myself to discovering His truth.

Books authored

Before entering politics, Obama wrote Dreams from My Father, a memoir of his youth and early career. The book was published in 1995, then reprinted in 2004 with a new preface and an annex containing the text of his 2004 Democratic Convention keynote speech. The audio book edition earned Obama the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album.

In December 2004, Obama made a $1.9 million deal for three books. The first, The Audacity of Hope was published in October 2006, and discusses Obama's political convictions. The book has remained at or near the top of the New York Times Best Seller list since its publication. The second book covered under the publishing contract is a children's book to be co-written with his wife Michelle and their two young daughters, with profits going to charity. The content of the third book has yet to be announced.

Popular culture

Supporters describe Obama's broad appeal as a cultural rorschach test, an ink spot on which his fans can project their personal histories and aspirations. Both folk rock musician Neil Young and urban hip hop artist Common have referenced Obama's presidential prospects in popular song lyrics. Obama's own self-narrative encourages diverse multiethnic affinities. In Dreams from My Father, he links his maternal family history to possible Native American ancestors and distant relatives of Jefferson Davis, president of the southern Confederacy during the American Civil War. Speaking before an elderly Jewish audience during his 2004 campaign for U.S. Senate, Obama likened the linguistic roots of his East African first name Barack to the Hebrew word baruch, meaning blessed.

Media sources have mirrored and amplified his everyman image. An October 2006 interview on The Oprah Winfrey Show highlighted the ethnic diversity of Obama's extended family. Noting that his half-Indonesian half-sister is married to a Chinese-Canadian, the program cited descriptions by Obama's African American wife of family holiday gatherings as a "mini-United Nations." A headline in The Nation magazine invited comparisons between Obama's first year as a U.S. Senator and the popular 1939 movie Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, where actor James Stewart stars as an underdog small-town hero standing up to political corruption in the U.S. Congress. Another article in The Nation analyzed Obama's ability to "transcend race" with predominantly white audiences. Conversely, New York Daily News syndicated columnist Stanley Crouch wrote: "So when black Americans refer to Obama as "one of us," I do not know what they are talking about. In his new book, "The Audacity of Hope," Obama makes it clear that, while he has experienced some light versions of typical racial stereotypes, he cannot claim those problems as his own - nor has he lived the life of a black American."

A New York Times op-ed by David Brooks, published during Obama's promotion of his bestselling book The Audacity of Hope and campaigns for Democratic candidates before the November 2006 midterm election, was noted by an article in the online magazine Slate as evidence of Obama's potential popularity among moderate Republicans and independents. But in a December 2006 Wall Street Journal editorial headlined "The Man from Nowhere", former Ronald Reagan speech writer Peggy Noonan criticized Brooks and other political commentators for becoming too quickly excited about Obama's still early political career. Agreeing with Obama's own assessment that "people project their hopes on him", Noonan attributed some of Obama's popularity to "a certain unknowability."

In his October 2006 Time magazine cover story, Primary Colors author Joe Klein compared the cultural sources of Obama's rapid rise and crossover appeal to those of U.S. celebrity icons Tiger Woods, Oprah Winfrey and Michael Jordan. Asked to comment, Obama said: "Figures like Oprah, Tiger, Michael Jordan give people a shortcut to express their better instincts I think it's healthy, a good instinct. I just don't want it to stop with Oprah. I'd rather say, If you feel good about me, there's a whole lot of young men out there who could be me if given the chance."

In December 2006, Obama taped a television spot for ESPN's Monday Night Football game between his hometown Chicago Bears and the St. Louis Rams. The faux political announcement played on the frenzy surrounding him and his possible presidential candidacy. "So tonight I'd like to put all the doubts to rest," he said. "I would like to announce to my hometown of Chicago and all of America that I am ready... for the Bears to go all the way, baby."

Notes

1. "Breaking New Ground: African American Senators". U.S. Senate Historical Office. Retrieved 2007-01-21.
2. "U.S. Senate and House - Illinois". USA Today. Last updated: 2004-11-11. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
3. ^ "A Message From Barack - Video". Barack Obama Exploratory Committee. January 16, 2007. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) Cite error: The named reference "ObamaJan16" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
4. "White House 2008: Democratic Nomination". Polling Report. Retrieved 2007-01-21.
5. Obama (1995), Chapter 1. For excerpts, see "Barack Obama: Creation of Tales". East African. November 1, 2004. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
6. Obama (1995), pp. 3-5, 9-10 and 125-126. See also: Turow, Scott (March 30, 2004). "The New Face of the Democratic Party—and America". Salon. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
7. Obama (1995), pp. 30-31. For details of Obama's early primary schooling see Obama (1995), p. 154, which begins: "In Indonesia, I had spent two years at a Muslim school, two years at a Catholic school..." See also Obama (2006), p. 274, which begins: "Our family was not well off in those early years Without the money to attend the international schools that most expatriate children attended, I went to local Indonesian schools..."
8. Finnegan, William (May 31, 2004). "The Candidate: How the Son of a Kenyan Economist Became an Illinois Everyman". New Yorker. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
9. ^ Klein, Joe (October 15, 2006). "The Democrats' New Face". TIME. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
10. Serafin, Peter (March 21, 2004). "Punahou Grad Stirs up Illinois Politics". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
11. Obama (1995), pp. 3-5. See also: Ochieng, Philip (November 1, 2004). "From Home Squared to the US Senate: How Barack Obama Was Lost and Found". The East African. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
12. Obama (1995), Preface to the 2004 Edition, p. xi. See also: Suryakusuma, Julia (November 29, 2006). "Obama for President ... of Indonesia". Jakarta Post. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
13. Obama (1995), pp. 9-10.
14. Obama (1995), pp. 93-94. See also: Romano, Lois (March 30, 2004). "Effect of Obama's Candor Remains to Be Seen". Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) Asked to comment on the political impact of his 1995 admission, Obama stated in an October 2006 interview:

    Oh, look, you know, when I was a kid, I inhaled. Frequently. That was the point. You know, it’s, it’s not something I make light of. It’s something that I wrote actually about in my first book, and it was reflective of the struggles and confusion of a teen-age boy. And in that sense, I think, the vast majority of Americans understand that teen-age boys are frequently confused.

    For comparison with Bill Clinton's 1992 "Didn't inhale" quote, see Katharine Q. Seelye, "Barack Obama, asked about drug history, admits he inhaled", New York Times article reprinted in International Herald Tribune, October 24, 2006. For full interview transcript, see: Remnick, David (October 10, 2006 (text and audio)). "Testing the Waters". New Yorker Online Only. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

15. "Curriculum Vitae". University of Chicago Law School. Retrieved 2007-01-21. See also: Obama (1995), pp. 135-136.
16. Boss-Bicak, Shira (January 2005). "Barack Obama '83: Is He the New Face of The Democratic Party?". Columbia College Today. Retrieved 2007-01-21.
17. ^ "Curriculum Vitae". University of Chicago Law School. Retrieved 2007-01-21. Cite error: The named reference "CV" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
18. Butterworth, Fox (February 6, 1990. Abstract). "First Black Elected to Head Harvard's Law Review". New York Times. p. Late Edition - Final, Section A, Page 20, Column 4. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help); External link in |date= (help) See also: Wilkins, David B. (Summer 1998). 1998 "Charles Hamilton Houston and the Nobler Tradition of the Harvard Law Review". Harvard Law Bulletin. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help)
19. White, Jesse, ed. "Illinois Blue Book: 2003-2004" (PDF). Cyberdriveillinois.com. p. 81. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: |first= has generic name (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
20. State of Illinois, 90th General Assembly. "Bills and Resolutions Sponsored or Cosponsored by Barack Obama". {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) State of Illinois, 91st General Assembly. "Bills and Resolutions Sponsored or Cosponsored by Barack Obama". Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
21. Scheiber, Noam (May 31, 2004). "Race Against History". New Republic. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help) Abstract. Retrieved on 2007-01-21
22. "2000 U.S. House of Representatives Results". Federal Election Commission. May 31, 2004. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
23. State of Illinois, 92nd General Assembly. "Bills and Resolutions Sponsored or Cosponsored by Barack Obama". Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
24. "Vote Totals, General Election 2002, 13th Senate". Illinois State Board of Elections. Retrieved 2007-01-21.
25. Dunham, Richard S. (April 12, 2004). "After Sharpton: The Great Black Hopes". Business Week Online. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
26. Herbert, Bob (June 4, 2004). "A Leap of Faith". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
27. Mastony, Colleen (August 20, 2004). "Cops Give Obama Subdued Reception". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
28. Obama, Barack. Keynote Address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, Obama 2010, July 27, 2004. Retrieved on January 16, 2007
29. Wolf, Richard. Illinois' Obama revisits idea of 2008 run for White House, usatoday.com, October 22, 2006. Retrieved on January 16, 2007
30. Mendell, David. "Obama routs Democratic foes; Ryan tops crowded GOP field," Chicago Tribune, March 17, 2004
31. Fornek, Scott. "Obama's appeal spans racial lines," Chicago Sun-Times, March 18, 2004. Available at findarticles.com,] Retrieved on January 8, 2007
32. Hayes, Christopher. "Check Bounce," TNR Online, March 17, 2004. Retrieved on January 8, 2007
33. "Illinois Primary 2004: Primary Elections Results," Chicago Tribune. Retrieved on January 8, 2007
34. CNN. "Ryan drops out of Senate race in Illinois," June 25, 2004. Retrieved on January 8, 2007
35. Lannan, Maura Kelly. "Alan Keyes enters U.S. Senate race in Illinois against rising Democratic star," Union-Tribune (AP), August 9, 2004
36. Ford, Liam and David Mendell. "Keyes sets up house in Cal City," Chicago Tribune, August 13, 2004
37. Keyes-Obama Debates, (video, audio, and text) at keyesobama.com. Retrieved on January 8, 2007
38. CNN. America Votes 2004: U.S. Senate / Illinois. Retrieved on January 8, 2007.
39. Enda, Jodi. "Great Expectations," The American Prospect, February 5, 2006. Retrieved on January 15, 2007
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41. Leibovich, Mark. "The Senator's Humble Beginning," Washington Post, February 24, 2005
42. "The 2005 Time 100: Leaders and Revolutionaries," TIME magazine, April 18, 2005. Retrieved on January 8, 2007
43. Skidelsky, William. "Revolutionising the future: from tennis to teleportation," New Statesman, October 17, 2005
44. Knox College. Commencement 2005: Knox honors U.S. Senator Barack Obama, May 10, 2005. Retrieved on January 8, 2007
45. University of Massachusetts Boston. U.S. Sen. Barack Obama to Receive Honorary Degree, Press release, May 26, 2006. Retrieved on January 8, 2007
46. Northwestern University. Commencement 2006" Sen. Obama to Address Grads, Press release, June 6, 2006. Retrieved on January 8, 2007
47. "Sen. Obama addresses Xavier graduates," USA Today (AP), August 13, 2006
48. Barack Obama U.S. Senate Office. Committee Assignments. Retrieved on January 13, 2007
49. White House. President Bush Signs Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act, Press Release, September 26, 2006. Retrieved on January 8, 2007
50. U.S. Senate. 109th Congress. Bills and Resolutions Sponsored by Barack Obama, Thomas. Retrieved on January 14, 2007
51. U.S. Senate. 109th Congress. Bills and Resolutions Cosponsored by Barack Obama, Thomas. Retrieved on January 14, 2007
52. U.S. Senate. 109th Congress, 1st Session. S. 697, Higher Education Opportunity Through Pell Grant Expansion Act, Thomas, April 5, 2005. Retrieved on January 14, 2007
53. Sweet, Lynn. "Obama's 1st bill: raising Pell Grants," Chicago Sun-Times, March 29, 2005. Available at FindArticles.com, Retrieved on January 8, 2007
54. U.S. Senate. 109th Congress, 1st Session. S. 1033, Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act, Thomas, May 12, 2005. Retrieved on January 14, 2007
55. U.S. Senate. 109th Congress, 2nd Session. S. 2611, Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2006, Thomas, May 25, 2006. See also: S. Amdt. 3971. Retrieved on January 14, 2007.
56. Barack Obama U.S. Senate Office. Obama Statement on Senate Passage of Immigration Reform Bill, Press Release, May 25, 2006. Retrieved on January 8, 2007
57. Immigration bill divides House, Senate, USA Today, September 22, 2006. Retrieved on January 13, 2007
58. Latinos Upset Obama Voted For Border Fence, CBS (Chicago), November 20, 2006. Retrieved on January 13, 2007
59. White House, President Bush Signs Secure Fence Act, Press release, October 26, 2006. Retrieved on January 8, 2007
60. Lugar, Richard G. and Barack Obama. "Junkyard Dogs of War," Washington Post, December 3, 2005
61. U.S. Senate. 109th Congress, 2nd Session. S. 2566, Cooperative Proliferation Detection, Interdiction Assistance, and Conventional Threat Reduction Act of 2006, Thomas, May 25, 2006. Retrieved on January 14, 2007
62. Richard Lugar U.S. Senate Office. Lugar-Obama Signed into Law, Press Release, January 11, 2007. Retrieved on January 13, 2007
63. U.S. Senate. 109th Congress, 2nd Session. S. 2590, Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006, Thomas, April 6, 2006. Retrieved on January 14, 2007
64. Tom Coburn U.S. Senate Office. President Bush Signs Coburn-Obama Transparency Act, Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, and International Security, Press Release, September 26, 2006. Retrieved on January 8, 2007
65. U.S. Senate. 109th Congress, 2nd Session. S. 2125, Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief, Security, and Democracy Promotion Act, Thomas, January 3, 2006. Retrieved on January 14, 2007
66. U.S. Senate. 110th Congress. Bills and Resolutions Sponsored by Barack Obama, Thomas. Retrieved on January 16, 2007
67. U.S. Senate. 110th Congress. Bills and Resolutions Cosponsored by Barack Obama, Thomas. Retrieved on January 16, 2007
68. Obama, Barack. "A Chance To Change The Game", Washington Post, January 4, 2007. Retrieved on January 14, 2007
69. Associated Press. "Senate Democrats stumble on earmarks," MSNBC, January 12, 2007. Retrieved on January 14, 2007
70. Baltimore, Chris. "New U.S. Congress looks to boost alternate fuels," Reuters, January 5, 2007. Retrieved on January 14, 2007
71. Williamson, Elizabeth. "The Green Gripe With Obama: Liquefied Coal Is Still... Coal," Washington Post, January 10, 2007. Retrieved on January 14, 2007
72. Baltimore, Chris. "Six Senators Back Mandatory Greenhouse Gas Cuts," Washington Post (Reuters), January 12, 2007. Retrieved on January 14, 2007
73. Larson, Christina. "Hoosier Daddy: What rising Democratic star Barack Obama can learn from an old lion of the GOP," The Washington Monthly, September 2006. Retrieved on January 8, 2007
74. Richard G. Lugar U.S. Senate Office. Lugar visits Russia, Ukraine and Azerbaijan to Advance Nunn-Lugar Agreements, The Lugar Letter, September 2005. Retrieved on January 8, 2007
75. Zeleny, Jeff. "U.S., Ukraine sign pact on germ threat," Chicago Tribune, August 30, 2005 (alternate link), Retrieved on January 8, 2007
76. Associated Press. "Obama meets Shalom, offers support for Israel," Israel Insider, January 11, 2006
77. Goudie, Chuck. Obama meets with Arafat's successor, ABC 7 News (Chicago), January 12, 2006
78. Cose, Ellis. "Walking the World Stage," Newsweek International Edition, September 11, 2006
79. Wrong, Michela. "Africa: Kenya glimpses a new kind of hero," New Statesman, September 11, 2006
80. CNN. Screaming Crowds Welcome U.S. Senator 'Home', August 27, 2006. Retrieved on January 8, 2007
81. Obama slates Kenya for fraud, News24.com, August 28, 2006. Retrieved on January 8, 2007
82. Wamalwa, Chris. "Envoy hits at Obama over graft remark," The Standard (Nairobi), September 2, 2006. Retrieved on January 8, 2007
83. Moracha, Vincent and Mangoa Mosota. "Leaders support Obama on graft claims," The Standard (Nairobi), September 4, 2006. Retrieved on January 8, 2007
84. Obama (2006), p. 159.
85. Franklin, Ben A. (June 1, 2005). "The Fifth Black Senator in U.S. History Makes F.D.R. His Icon". Washington Spectator. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
86. Harkin, Tom (May 9, 2006). "Harkin urges Bush to stop undercutting U.S. ethanol production". Harkin U.S. Senate Office. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help) See also: Silverstein, Ken (November 2006). "Barack Obama Inc.: The Birth of a Washington Machine". Harper's Magazine. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
87. Obama, Barack (June 7, 2006). "Remarks by Senator Barack Obama on the Paris Hilton Tax Break". Obama U.S. Senate Office. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
88. Gogoi, Pallavi (November 16, 2006). "Can Barack Wake Up Wal-Mart?". BusinessWeek.Com. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help) See also: "Sen. Obama: 'You Gotta Pay Your Workers Enough'". WLTX-TV 19 (Columbia, SC). November 16, 2006. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
89. Terdiman, Daniel (January 26, 2006). "Congress Catching on to the Value of Blogs". CNET News.com. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
90. Obama, Barack (June 8, 2006 (text and audio)). "Network Neutrality". Obama U.S. Senate Office. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
91. Obama, Barack (October 26, 2002). "Remarks of Illinois State Sen. Barack Obama Against Going to War with Iraq". Obama 2010 Re-Election Campaign. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
92. Obama, Barack (November 20, 2006). "A Way Forward in Iraq". Chicago Council on Global Affairs (in PDF and audio). Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link). Also available in text and video at Obama 2010 Re-Election Campaign. Retrieved on 2007-01-19. For Obama's 2004 Senate campaign remarks on possible missile strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, see: Gerstein, Josh (December 26, 2006). "Obama Shapes an Agenda Beyond Iraq War". New York Sun. Retrieved 2007-01-19. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
93. Sweet, Lynn (January 22, 2006). "After Cautious, Bipartisan year, Obama Opens New Chapter". Chicago Sun-Times (FindArticles.com). Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
94. ^ Kornblut, Anne E. "A Senate Newcomer, Helping Fellow Democrats on the Trail and Drawing Big Crowds," New York Times, October 31, 2006. Abstract. Retrieved on 2007-01-19.
95. Lerner, Michael (July 3, 2006). "U.S. Senator Barack Obama Critiques Democrats' Religiophobia". Tikkun Magazine. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
96. "Sen. Barack Obama: Call to Renewal Keynote Address". Beliefnet. June 28, 2006. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
97. Gibson, Manda (June 28, 2006). "At Global AIDS Summit, Churches Challenged to Take the Lead". PurposeDriven.com. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
98. Obama, Barack (December 1, 2006). "Race Against Time—World AIDS Day Speech". Obama U.S. Senate Office. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
99. In his write-in response to a 1998 survey, Obama stated his abortion position as: "Abortions should be legally available in accordance with Roe v. Wade." Obama, Barack. "1998 Illinois State Legislative National Political Awareness Test". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
100. "Rick Warren/Barack Obama AIDS Partnership Must End, Say Pro-Life Groups". Christian Newswire Press Release. November 28, 2006. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help) See also: Van Biema, David (December 1, 2006). "The Real Losers in the Obama-Warren Controversy". TIME. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
101. ^ Jonathan Alter, "Is America Ready?", Newsweek, December 25, 2006 - January 1, 2007. Retrieved on January 17, 2007. Cite error: The named reference "Alter1206" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
102. Sullivan, Amy. "Obama for President," Washington Monthly (guest article), July 28, 2004. Retrieved on January 8, 2007
103. Fornek, Scott. "Obama for president? That's 'silly'," Chicago Sun-Times, November 4, 2004. Available at FindArticles.com, Retrieved on January 8, 2007
104. MSNBC. MTP Transcript for Oct. 22, Meet the Press, October 22, 2006. Retrieved on January 8, 2007
105. CNN. "Poll: Obama now trails only Clinton on '08 list," CNN Politics, November 2, 2006. Retrieved on January 8, 2007
106. "Clinton, Obama in Virtual Tie Among Democrats", Rasmussen Reports, January 17, 2007. Retrieved on January 17, 2007.
107. Babington, Charles. "Obama's Profile Has Democrats Taking Notice: Popular Senator Is Mentioned as 2008 Contender," Washington Post, June 18, 2006, Page A01
108. McQueary, Kristen. Obama, Hynes now war buddies, Daily Southtown, December 10, 2006. Retrieved on January 13, 2007
109. Fornek, Scott. "If Obama runs, I'll campaign for him, Winfrey says," Chicago Sun-Times, September 28, 2006
110. O'Keefe, Ed. Clooney Loves Obama, ABC News, December 22, 2006. Retrieved on January 8, 2007
111. Minow, Newton N. "Why Obama should run for president," Chicago Tribune October 26, 2006
112. Will, George F. "Run Now, Obama," Washington Post, December 14, 2006
113. Kornblut, Anne E. "For This Red Meat Crowd, Obama's '08 Choice Is Clear," New York Times, September 18, 2006
114. Brooks, Scott. "Obama fever grips NH," New Hampshire Union Leader, December 11, 2006. Retrieved on January 8, 2007
115. PBS. Obama's New Hampshire Trip Sparks Interest in 2008 Presidential Race, NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, December 11, 2006 (transcript). Retrieved on January 8, 2007
116. Dorning, Mike and Christi Parsons. "Meet Obama's Inner Circle", Chicago Tribune, January 14, 2007. Retrieved on January 14, 2007
117. Zogby International. Zogby New Hampshire: 3 Dems In Tight Race; McCain Leads Republican Field, Zogby International, December 18, 2007. Retrieved on January 21, 2007
118. Gibson, Ray and David Jackson. "Rezko owns vacant lot next to Obama's home," Chicago Tribune, November 1, 2006
119. Editorial Staff, "Obama, Rezko ...," Chicago Tribune, November 3, 2006
120. Gibson, Ray and David Jackson. "Obama: I regret deals with Rezko," Chicago Tribune, November 5, 2006
121. Jackson, David and Ray Gibson. "Obama intern had ties to Rezko," Chicago Tribune, December 24, 2006
122. Clarke, Conor. "Show Trial: Barack Obama's Non-Scandal," New Republic, December 20, 2006 (web only). Retrieved on January 8, 2007
123. Powell, Barb. "Obama: America needs to hear more-moderate, more-inclusive religious voices," United Church News, August-September 2006. Retrieved on January 8, 2007
124. Trinity United Church of Christ. Mission Statement: What Trinity Is About. Retrieved on January 8, 2007
125. Obama (2006), pp. 207-208. Excerpted in: Obama, Barack. "My Spiritual Journey," TIME, October 23, 2006. Retrieved on January 13, 2007.
126. Obama (1995).
127. Boliek, Brooks (September 6, 2006). "Sen. Obama finally gets his Grammy". Reuters/Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
128. ^ "U.S. Senator Obama gets $1.9 million book deal". CTV (AP). December 18, 2004. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
129. Obama (2006). See also: Tomasky, Michael (November 30, 2006). "The Phenomenon". New York Review of Books. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
130. "Best Sellers". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-01-21.
131. Enda, Jodi (February 5, 2006). "Great Expectations". The American Prospect. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) See also: Graff, Garrett M. (November 1, 2006). "The Legend of Barack Obama". Washingtonian. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
132. Relic, Peter (May 02, 2006). "Neil Young Gives It Away for Free". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
133. Jackson, Cheryl V (September 13, 2004). "Rap by Common Plugs a Potential Presidential Bid". Chicago Sun-Times (FindArticles.com). Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
134. Obama (1995), p. 13.
135. Kampeas, Ron (August 6, 2004). "Obama, Democrats' Rising Star, Known for Harmony with Jews". Jewish News Weekly of Northern California. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
136. "Keeping Hope Alive: Barack Obama Puts Family First". The Oprah Winfrey Show. October 18, 2006. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
137. Sirota, David (June 26, 2006). "Mr. Obama Goes to Washington". The Nation. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
138. Younge, Gary. "Obama: Black Like Me", The Nation, November 13, 2006. Retrieved on 2007-01-21.
139. Crouch, Stanley (November 2, 2006). "What Obama Isn't: Black Like Me". New York Daily News. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
140. Weisberg, Jacob (October 26, 2006). "Obama's New Rules". Slate. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
141. Noonan, Peggy (December 15, 2006). "The Man From Nowhere". OpinionJournal from The Wall Street Journal Editorial Page. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
142. Goldfarb, Zachary A (December 17, 2006). "On 'Monday Night Football,' An Announcement From Obama". Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-01-21. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help) Video at Obama 2010 Re-Election Campaign. Retrieved on 2007-01-21.

References

• Obama, Barack. Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, Times Books, 1995. Reprint edition, 2004; ISBN 1-4000-8277-3
• Obama, Barack.The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream, Crown, 2006. ISBN 0-307-23769-9. Summary at Wikisummaries.

Further reading

• Finnegan, William (24 May 2004). "The Candidate: How the Son of a Kenyan Economist Became an Illinois Everyman". New Yorker.
• Klein, Joe (October 23, 2006). "The Fresh Face". TIME magazine.
• Lizza, Ryan (September 2004). "The Natural: Why is Barack Obama Generating More Excitement Among Democrats Than John Kerry?". Atlantic Monthly.
• Senior, Jennifer (October 2, 2006). "Dreaming of Obama". New York Magazine.
• Wallace-Wells, Benjamin (November 2004). "The Great Black Hope: What's Riding on Barack Obama?". Washington Monthly.
• Weisberg, Jacob (September–October 2006). "The Path to Power". Men's Vogue.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)

External links

Official sites

• U.S. Senate Office of Barack Obama
  • Podcasts
  • Speeches
• Obama 2010 Senate Re-Election Campaign
  • Video
• Obama Presidential Exploratory Committee
• Hopefund—Senator Barack Obama, Chair; PAC
• United States Congress. "Barack Obama (id: O000167)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.

Interviews and speeches

• Obama Comments on Testing the Waters for a White House Run and Discusses his New Book, Tavis Smiley Show, October 23, 2006
• Obama Talks with Bob Herbert About His Book, The Audacity of Hope, ForaTV, October 20, 2006
• Senator Barack Obama: Illinois, Active Living Network
• First Year Academic Convocation, Front Row: Boston College Magazine, September 16, 2005
• Oprah's Cut with Barack Obama, The Oprah Winfrey Show, November 2004
• 2004 Democratic National Convention keynote address video

Topic pages and databases

• Times Topics: Obama, Barack, New York Times
• Obama Watch, Chicago Tribune
• Senator Barack H. Obama (D-IL), KnowMore.org
• Barack Obama, Congresspedia
• Barack Obama on the Issues, OnTheIssues.org
• Senator Barack H. Obama (IL), Project Vote Smart
• U.S. Congress Votes Database: Members of Congress / Barack Obama, Washington Post
• Barack Obama: Campaign Finance/Money - Career Profile, Center for Public Integrity

v t e Current United States senators
President: ▌ Kamala Harris (D) ‧ President pro tempore: ▌ Patty Murray (D)
AL: ▌ Tuberville (R)⎣ ▌ Britt (R) AK: ▌ Murkowski (R)⎣ ▌ Sullivan (R) AZ: ▌ Sinema (I)⎣ ▌ Kelly (D) AR: ▌ Boozman (R)⎣ ▌ Cotton (R) CA: ▌ Padilla (D)⎣ ▌ Schiff (D) CO: ▌ Bennet (D)⎣ ▌ Hickenlooper (D) CT: ▌ Blumenthal (D)⎣ ▌ Murphy (D) DE: ▌ Carper (D)⎣ ▌ Coons (D) FL: ▌ Rubio (R)⎣ ▌ R. Scott (R) GA: ▌ Ossoff (D)⎣ ▌ Warnock (D) HI: ▌ Schatz (D)⎣ ▌ Hirono (D) ID: ▌ Crapo (R)⎣ ▌ Risch (R) IL: ▌ Durbin (D)⎣ ▌ Duckworth (D) IN: ▌ Young (R)⎣ ▌ Braun (R) IA: ▌ Grassley (R)⎣ ▌ Ernst (R) KS: ▌ Moran (R)⎣ ▌ Marshall (R) KY: ▌ McConnell (R)⎣ ▌ Paul (R) LA: ▌ Cassidy (R)⎣ ▌ Kennedy (R) ME: ▌ Collins (R)⎣ ▌ King (I) MD: ▌ Cardin (D)⎣ ▌ Van Hollen (D) MA: ▌ Warren (D)⎣ ▌ Markey (D) MI: ▌ Stabenow (D)⎣ ▌ Peters (D) MN: ▌ Klobuchar (D)⎣ ▌ Smith (D) MS: ▌ Wicker (R)⎣ ▌ Hyde-Smith (R) MO: ▌ Hawley (R)⎣ ▌ Schmitt (R) MT: ▌ Tester (D)⎣ ▌ Daines (R) NE: ▌ Fischer (R)⎣ ▌ Ricketts (R) NV: ▌ Cortez Masto (D)⎣ ▌ Rosen (D) NH: ▌ Shaheen (D)⎣ ▌ Hassan (D) NJ: ▌ Booker (D)⎣ ▌ Kim (D) NM: ▌ Heinrich (D)⎣ ▌ Luján (D) NY: ▌ Schumer (D)⎣ ▌ Gillibrand (D) NC: ▌ Tillis (R)⎣ ▌ Budd (R) ND: ▌ Hoeven (R)⎣ ▌ Cramer (R) OH: ▌ Brown (D)⎣ ▌ Vance (R) OK: ▌ Lankford (R)⎣ ▌ Mullin (R) OR: ▌ Wyden (D)⎣ ▌ Merkley (D) PA: ▌ Casey (D)⎣ ▌ Fetterman (D) RI: ▌ Reed (D)⎣ ▌ Whitehouse (D) SC: ▌ Graham (R)⎣ ▌ T. Scott (R) SD: ▌ Thune (R)⎣ ▌ Rounds (R) TN: ▌ Blackburn (R)⎣ ▌ Hagerty (R) TX: ▌ Cornyn (R)⎣ ▌ Cruz (R) UT: ▌ Lee (R)⎣ ▌ Romney (R) VT: ▌ Sanders (I)⎣ ▌ Welch (D) VA: ▌ Warner (D)⎣ ▌ Kaine (D) WA: ▌ Murray (D)⎣ ▌ Cantwell (D) WV: ▌ Manchin (I)⎣ ▌ Capito (R) WI: ▌ Johnson (R)⎣ ▌ Baldwin (D) WY: ▌ Barrasso (R)⎣ ▌ Lummis (R)
▌ Republican: 49 ▌ Democratic: 47 ▌ Independent: 4

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