2008 Woodie Awards
Meet the 2008 Presidential candidates: A quick look at the potential leaders of America
Barack Obama (Democrat - Illinois)
Evan Duffy
Issue date: 11/1/07 Section: World Views
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Born August 4, 1961, Barack Obama graduated from Columbia University and Harvard Law School. He has worked as a community organizer, university lecturer and civil rights lawyer. He served in the Illinois State Senate from 1997 t o 2004, when he was elected to the US Senate in 2005. He has written two bestselling books: Dreams from My Father (a memoir of his youth) and The Audacity of Hope (a commentary on US Politics).
IRAQ: In 2002, Obama voted against a war in Iraq, stating that a war would lead to "an occupation of undetermined length, with undetermined costs and undetermined consequences." In January 2007, Obama asked the Senate to join his quest to end the War in Iraq with a phased withdrawal of troops engaged in combat from the Middle East.
His plan calls for the withdrawal at a pace of one or two brigades per month. This could potentially avoid complete chaos that would ensue if all troops were removed at once. Obama hopes his plan, if enacted now, would be completed by December 2008.
Once the troops have returned to US soil, Obama and the United Nations would stage a constitutional convention in Iraq. This convention would not adjourn until Iraq's leaders develop a plan for reconciliation. In addition, Obama hopes to increase diplomacy with surrounding Middle Eastern nations in hopes of developing a new regional security compact.
IMMIGRATION: Obama supports additional personnel, infrastructure, technology and funds in order to preserve the integrity of American borders; he believes each of these will help reduce illegal immigration. Though Obama stresses the need for additional Customs and Border Protection agents, better technology and real-time intelligence, he argues that enforcing our borders is only one step towards immigration reform.
Another step is to remove incentives for foreign-born persons to enter our country illegally. In order to do this, Obama believes we must crack down on employers who hire illegal immigrants. Along with Senators Charles Grassley (Iowa), Max Baucus (Montana) and Ted Kennedy (Massachusetts), Obama has drafted a proposal that would create a new employment eligibility verification system so that employers could verify that their employees are legally eligible to work in the United States. This would ensure fairness to existing legal workers and toughness on employers.
IRAQ: In 2002, Obama voted against a war in Iraq, stating that a war would lead to "an occupation of undetermined length, with undetermined costs and undetermined consequences." In January 2007, Obama asked the Senate to join his quest to end the War in Iraq with a phased withdrawal of troops engaged in combat from the Middle East.
His plan calls for the withdrawal at a pace of one or two brigades per month. This could potentially avoid complete chaos that would ensue if all troops were removed at once. Obama hopes his plan, if enacted now, would be completed by December 2008.
Once the troops have returned to US soil, Obama and the United Nations would stage a constitutional convention in Iraq. This convention would not adjourn until Iraq's leaders develop a plan for reconciliation. In addition, Obama hopes to increase diplomacy with surrounding Middle Eastern nations in hopes of developing a new regional security compact.
IMMIGRATION: Obama supports additional personnel, infrastructure, technology and funds in order to preserve the integrity of American borders; he believes each of these will help reduce illegal immigration. Though Obama stresses the need for additional Customs and Border Protection agents, better technology and real-time intelligence, he argues that enforcing our borders is only one step towards immigration reform.
Another step is to remove incentives for foreign-born persons to enter our country illegally. In order to do this, Obama believes we must crack down on employers who hire illegal immigrants. Along with Senators Charles Grassley (Iowa), Max Baucus (Montana) and Ted Kennedy (Massachusetts), Obama has drafted a proposal that would create a new employment eligibility verification system so that employers could verify that their employees are legally eligible to work in the United States. This would ensure fairness to existing legal workers and toughness on employers.
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