Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama, Jr. (born August 4, 1961) is a U.S. Senator from Illinois. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He received international media coverage for his keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, delivered while he was still an Illinois state senator.

Senate career

Obama was sworn in as a Senator on January 5, 2005. He ranked 99th out of 100 Senators in terms of official seniority (greater seniority brings greater privileges in the Senate), ranking ahead of only new Democratic Senator Ken Salazar of Colorado. In his first few months in office, Obama drew praise by his perceived attempts to avoid the limelight and devote large amounts of effort to being a Senator; a Washington Post article spread an anecdote of Obama refusing an upgrade to first-class on a flight home. Obama also drew criticism from some on the left for his vote in favor of making Condoleezza Rice Secretary of State. In March of 2005, Obama announced that he was forming his own PAC, a move not usually undertaken until several years into a politician's career.

Related Topics:
January 5 - 2005 - Ken Salazar - Colorado - Washington Post - Condoleezza Rice - PAC

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In late March 2005, Obama announced his first proposed Senate bill, the Higher Education Opportunity through Pell Grant Expansion Act of 2005 (HOPE Act), which aims to raise the maximum amount of Pell Grant awards to help assist American college students with paying for their tuition. Obama announced the bill at the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and said, "Everywhere I go, I hear the same story: 'We work hard, we pay our bills, we put away savings, but we just don't know if it's going to be enough when that tuition bill comes.'" http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1499404/20050401/index.jhtml?headlines=true

Related Topics:
March - 2005 - College - Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

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The April 18, 2005 issue of TIME Magazine listed the 100 most influential people in the world. Obama was included on the list under the section of 'Leaders and Revolutionaries' for his high-profile entrance to federal politics http://www.time.com/time/subscriber/2005/time100/leaders/100obama.html and his popularity within the Democratic Party.

Related Topics:
April 18 - 2005 - TIME - 100 most influential people in the world

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In the early days of the debate in Washington over establishing private accounts for Social Security, Obama stood by his party when he delivered a speech on April 26, 2005 to the National Press Club, entitled "A Hope To Fulfill." In this speech, he pointed to the original ideas of social welfare that Franklin D. Roosevelt had in mind when crafting the Social Security program as part of the New Deal.

Related Topics:
April 26 - 2005 - Franklin D. Roosevelt - New Deal

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During the August Recess of 2005, Sen. Barack Obama, member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the chairman of that committee, Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN), went on a strategic trip to Russia to inspect the nuclear facilities there and were detained for three hours at an airport in the city of Perm, near the Ural Mountains during their departure for Ukraine, where they were scheduled to meet the President and the Speaker of the House of Ukraine. The Russian government quickly apologized, saying it "regret the misunderstanding that arose."

Related Topics:
Barack Obama - Senate Foreign Relations Committee - Richard Lugar - Ural Mountains - Ukraine

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As evidence of both the appeal and intellect of Senator Obama on a national scale, former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton enlisted Obama to join them in New Orleans, Louisiana in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The Chicago Tribune reported President Clinton's office as saying that Obama was "an important voice during this tragedy given that so many victims are African-American."

Related Topics:
George H.W. Bush - Bill Clinton - Hurricane Katrina

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On September 8, 2005 Barack Obama began a podcast downloadable from his website and the iTunes Music Store. As of September 28 four podcasts have been released.

Related Topics:
September 8 - 2005 - Podcast - ITunes Music Store - September 28

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