Barack Obama

Army Times by Kelly Kennedy

Six senators have requested an investigation into what they call “upsetting allegations� that the Army gave personality-disorder discharges to 18 Fort Carson, Colo., soldiers diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injuries.

Obama Says Chicagoans Should Be Proud

April 14, 2007

The Associated Press

CHICAGO- U.S. Senator Barack Obama says Chicagoans should be proud that their metropolis was selected as the American bid city for the 2016 Summer Olympics.

Obama Files Bill to Help Homeless Veterans

April 11, 2007

WASHINGTON — Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., introduced legislation on Tuesday to increase funding for housing and rental assistance programs for homeless veterans, including down-and-out service members returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Recall of Children's Items Leads to Reintroduce Lead Legislation

April 5, 2007

WASHINGTON - Reacting to a manufacturer's recall of 4 million lead-contaminated children's bracelets, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama will reintroduce lead poisoning legislation when the Senate reconvenes next week.

Obama, Durbin Push to Help 183rd

March 29, 2007

U.S. senators from Illinois are pushing the Pentagon to establish an Air Operations Center at Springfield's Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport. The approval would mean more jobs for the 183rd Tactical Fighter Wing.

Obama Calls for Housing Summit on Foreclosures

March 22, 2007

WASHINGTON, March 22 (Reuters) - U.S. presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama called on Thursday for top economic policy-makers to convene a conference to help homeowners avoid losing their homes amid a wave of foreclosures.

Obama Backs Citizenship Promotion Bill

March 7, 2007

WASHINGTON — Presidential hopeful Barack Obama joined in an effort to keep U.S. citizenship within reach for immigrants — including some 9 million already eligible to become citizens.

Although illegal immigration is presenting some thorny challenges for Democrats, the idea of promoting American citizenship for those who enter the country legally is widely supported in both parties.

Obama, Biden Sponsor Bill With Tax Breaks for Auto Fuel Gains

March 5, 2007

March 5 (Bloomberg) -- Automakers in the U.S. would get tax breaks for raising fuel economy 4 percent a year under a bill whose sponsors include Senators Barack Obama and Joseph Biden, who are seeking the Democratic presidential nomination.

The proposal includes ``generous tax incentives'' to retool parts and U.S. plants to meet the tougher standards, Obama, an Illinois Democrat, said in a statement today. The legislation would allow different standards for different types of vehicles, rather than an average for an automaker's entire fleet of models.

Bill Would Reform Treatment of Wounded Vets

March 1, 2007

Army Times By Rick Maze

In the wake of the continuing scandal over the housing and medical evaluation process for wounded service members at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, House and Senate Democrats have unveiled a sweeping bill promising comprehensive reforms of how combat veterans and their families are treated.

Obama: Redistribute Anti-Terror Millions

March 1, 2007

Associated Press Writer By Nedra Pickler

WASHINGTON – Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama wants to change the government's formula for giving states money for homeland security, with the early voting states getting a little extra.

Congress Attends To Wounded Veterans

March 1, 2007

WASHINGTON- Prodded by veterans and embarrassed by media accounts of returning servicemen's plight, Congress is moving to improve care for the men and women injured in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Obama Has Right Idea on Security

February 27, 2007

Chicago Sun-Times Editorial

Though the newly hatched Democratic presidential candidates have expended time and energy defining themselves over having apologized or not apologized for authorizing the Iraq war, we haven't heard much from them on another pressing war topic, homeland security. But that stands to change this week, with Barack Obama putting before the Senate a proposal to take the Improving America's Security Act one step further in making "risks and vulnerabilities" -- as stated by the 9/11 Commission -- the determining factors in what percentage of anti-terrorism dollars each state receives.

US Says Must Fix Treatment of Wounded War Veterans

February 21, 2007

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

WASHINGTON- The Bush administration said on Tuesday problems in the treatment of wounded U.S. war veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan need to be fixed, after reports that many face neglect in the Army's medical system.

Senate begins work on ethics bill

January 8, 2007

There is some "institutional resistance," said Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., a potential candidate who has long championed the notion of an independent office of public integrity that would take over some of the self-policing duties of the Senate ethics committee. "A lot of members are concerned about the use of an independent commission as a political club to beat them over the head," Obama said at a news conference Monday as debate on ethics legislation opened.

A Chance To Change The Game

January 4, 2007

This past Election Day, the American people sent a clear message to Washington: Clean up your act. After a year in which too many scandals revealed the influence special interests wield over Washington, it's no surprise that so many incumbents were defeated and that polls said "corruption" was the grievance cited most frequently by the voters. It would be a mistake, however, to conclude that this message was intended for only one party or politician. The votes hadn't even been counted in November before we heard reports that corporations were already recruiting lobbyists with Democratic connections to carry their water in the next Congress.

Durbin, Obama urge passage of court security bill

December 8, 2006

WASHINGTON Illinois Senators Dick Durbin and Barack Obama are pushing the U-S House to approve a measure designed to improve federal court security before the Congress adjourns for Christmas. The Court Security Improvement Act would increase penalties for people who threaten or harass judges. The law also would allow the hiring of additional U-S Marshals to protect federal judges.

Tons of mercury could hit market

November 27, 2006

While the Bush administration promotes efforts to scrub mercury from the environment, one federal agency is considering selling a huge stockpile of the toxic metal on the world market. The Department of Energy acknowledged last week that it is mulling whether to unload more than 1,300 tons of mercury it collected over the years for processing materials used to make hydrogen bombs.

Big 3 Auto Heads Get Little From President

November 15, 2006

Democrats are pushing a number of industry-related initiatives on trade and health care. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) said he would continue to try to build support for a proposal to have the government pick up part of the auto industry's retiree health-care bills, if the carmakers promise to invest in new energy technologies such as hybrids. "My hope is that the president and his staff are working to examine these approaches," Obama said yesterday in an interview. "I can assure you if the president doesn't take the lead, the Congress will."

Obama gets new committee assignments

November 15, 2006

WASHINGTON (AP) -- While Senator Barack Obama considers whether he should run for the White House in 2008 and possibly become the nation's first black president, he is getting more assignments to keep him busy on Capitol Hill. In the upcoming 110th Congress, where Democrats will control both the House and the Senate, the Chicago Democrat will have his duties spread among four committees, instead of on three, as he has had in the 109th Congress.

A King memorial for 'eternal truths'

November 14, 2006

WASHINGTON -- Only a select number of Americans have been honored with individual monuments on the National Mall in Washington. There are no memorials to historic African-Americans. And few, if any, of those enshrined there were ever jailed. But that's all about to change. Nearly 40 years after the assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., construction began Monday on a National Mall memorial honoring the civil rights icon.

Obama Comes to Rockford

October 2, 2006

Senator Barack Obama wants to know what's important in our community. So the freshman Senator hosted a town hall meeting Saturday at Rock Valley College. "We should begin a phased withdrawal and we should begin this year," Obama says. Condemning the war in Iraq was the highlight of this town hall meeting. Senator Barack Obama says the war has become less about the military and more about the game of politics.

Obama's First Law Known As 'Google For Government'

September 26, 2006

(CBS) CHICAGO Some A-list celebrities now say U.S. Sen. Barack Obama is their presidential pick for 2008. Oprah Winfrey and Halle Berry have gone public urging him to run. Tuesday was a big day for the junior senator from Illinois. For the first time, a bill he sponsored became law.

Sen. Obama at Joliet town hall

September 23, 2006

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama told an enthusiastic crowd of 1,300 in Joliet on Friday that their issues are important to him. "I especially enjoy coming to Will County because I think this is one of those areas that is really representative of what is best in Illinois," he said. "It's a growing area. It's an area full of working class people." At his 57th town hall meeting since being elected, Obama said the meetings help him stay in touch with local issues.

Bloggers help Obama pass Senate pork bill

September 9, 2006

WASHINGTON -- Teamed with Republican Sen. Tom Coburn, Sen. Barack Obama has scored the biggest legislative victory of his Senate career on a bill to establish federal searchable databases of all government contracts, loans, grants and special-interest spending commonly known as pork. Coburn of Oklahoma and Obama (D-Ill.) overcame the secret opposition of two powerful Senate veterans, Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) and Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.), partly because Internet bloggers on the left and right tracked down and disclosed that first Stevens and then Byrd had stealthily put holds on the bill

Next step: pressuring U.S. on Sudan

September 4, 2006

N'DJAMENA, Chad -- Sen. Barack Obama departed this capital city Sunday morning on an Army military aircraft to Frankfort, Germany, to catch a commercial flight back to the United States. He leaves with a "great urgency" to pressure the United States and other players to force Sudan to accept a United Nations peacekeeping force in the Darfur region. Obama's last stop was at a refugee camp near the Chad-Sudan border where a total of 15,333 people who fled Janjaweed violence live.

Sudanese refugees tell U.S. senator Darfur needs U.N. force

September 2, 2006

MILE REFUGEE CAMP, Chad (AP) - Thousands of Sudanese refugees crowded U.S. Sen. Barack Obama on Saturday as he visited their camp in eastern Chad and delivered a single message: Bring in the United Nations. The refugees told Obama an international peacekeeping force is the only hope they have of returning to their normal lives in Sudan's western region of Darfur. Some carried banners held up on sticks demanding U.N. action.

Obama Visits Flood-Displaced Ethiopians

August 31, 2006

DIRE DAWA, Ethiopia -- Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., visited a sprawling tent camp in eastern Ethiopia on Thursday for people displaced by devastating floods earlier this month, saying the U.S. military will continue to help the region. U.S. Navy personnel began relief operations two weeks ago in the eastern town of Dire Dawa, where the first flash floods ripped through the town on Aug. 6. In eastern, southern and northeastern Ethiopia, flooding caused by the heavy rains has killed more than 600 people and displaced tens of thousands of people, according to U.N. officials.

The imperfections of man

August 30, 2006

Being Barack Obama means having to dampen expectations at every turn--here and everywhere he goes. Before he was even sworn in to the Senate he got questions about a presidential run in 2008. The question keeps coming up. He keeps denying he will run. That's a burden most politicians would love to share. Obama doesn't chafe under it; he mostly carries it lightly and well. He is humble and self-deprecating but always aware of his star power.

Obama Urges Kenyans to Get Tough on Corruption

August 29, 2006

NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug. 28 - Barack Obama strode into a packed auditorium in Nairobi on Monday and attacked an issue that notoriously bedevils Kenyan society: corruption. He urged people to reject "the insulting idea that corruption is somehow part of Kenyan culture" and "to stand up and speak out against injustices."

Obama Visits Notorious Nairobi Slum

August 28, 2006

AIROBI, Kenya -- Sen. Barack Obama visited one of the world's worst slums Sunday, where he told residents he wants everyone in America to know about their plight and promised to push the U.S. and Kenyan government to help. About a third of Nairobi's total population, at least 700,000 people, are crammed into a single square mile in the slum of Kibera, with little access to running water and other basic services.

Kenyans greet Obama

August 25, 2006

NAIROBI, Kenya -- The sun was falling quickly, and clusters of street salesmen began to abandon their posts in the middle of chaotic roadways. Along a one-block stretch of a neighborhood called Nairobi West, barstools were filling up as beer bottles emptied and after-work conversations flowed. Suddenly, a forceful admonition sounded from a dark corner of the room. "Shhhhh!" shushed Said Nassir, 43, a medical technologist with a bottle of Coca-Cola sitting before him. "If you don't mind, Obama is on the news."

Sen. Obama to take HIV test in Kenya

August 24, 2006

Sen. Barack Obama will take a public HIV test at a remote Kenyan clinic this weekend to promote HIV/AIDS prevention in a country where an average of 700 people die each day from the disease. Obama, the only African-American in the Senate, was to arrive in Kenya Thursday and take the test in the western village of Nyangoma-Kogelo, where his father — a goat herder who went on to study at Harvard — grew up and his grandmother still lives, said Jennifer Barnes, a spokeswoman at the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi.

Obama says South Africans' freedom fight inspired political career

August 23, 2006

On a political and sentimental tour of the continent of his father, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama paid tribute Wednesday to South Africans' fight for freedom, saying they taught lessons to the world and helped inspire his own political career. With hand shakes, hugs and his congenial grin, Obama, a Democrat from Illinois who is the U.S. Senate's only black member, toured Soweto, the township where white rulers tried to confine by night the blacks who worked in their homes, offices and mines by day.

Obama visits former Mandela prison

August 21, 2006

Senator Barack Obama started a two-week tour of Africa on Sunday with a visit to Nelson Mandela's former prison island, paying tribute to the "incredible courage, resilience and hopefulness" of the anti-apartheid movement. The only black member of the U.S. Senate and one of the Democratic Party's rising stars, Obama said the two-hour visit to Robben Island made him realize that everyday worries in the United States were "fairly trivial stuff compared to the very elemental, basic struggle" of Mandela and other former inmates.

Sen. Obama addresses Xavier graduates

August 13, 2006

NEW ORLEANS -- Nearly a year after Hurricane Katrina submerged Xavier University's campus under eight feet of water, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama on Saturday joined the school in celebrating one of its largest graduating classes. "Thanks for allowing me to share in your miracle," Obama told the nearly 500 graduates of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Graduate School seated at the New Orleans Arena.

Durbin, Obama visit AFSCME convention

August 8, 2006

The state's two U.S. senators, Dick Durbin and Barack Obama, sought to energize an important base for the Democratic Party during separate appearances at a labor convention Monday. With the 37th annual convention of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees occurring just three months before November's general election, the agenda is heavy on politics.

Exported mercury returns to haunt U.S.

August 8, 2006

Tons of toxic mercury from U.S. recycling programs are funneled each year to loosely regulated industries in developing countries, where much of the hazardous metal is released into the atmosphere. Scientists say some of that air pollution can drift back to this country and contaminate lakes and rivers, undercutting aggressive efforts to keep mercury out of the environment.

Senate OKs gulf drilling

August 2, 2006

WASHINGTON -- For 25 years, Congress has barred oil companies from drilling in U.S. coastal waters. During that time, it had been considered virtually taboo for politicians from affected states to call for as much as a relaxation of the freeze. Now, with control of Congress at stake in a key election year, soaring energy prices have suddenly wiped away that old political calculus.

Obama takes political spotlight on return to Africa

July 23, 2006

WASHINGTON -- When Sen. Barack Obama travels to Africa next month for a five-nation, 15-day tour, he will have one credential no other U.S. senator can claim: He is the son of an African. Twice before, that connection has led Obama to visit Africa and learn more about his late father, a Kenyan goat herder who became a Harvard-educated economist for his own nation's government.

Obama joins parade to see New Orleans

July 22, 2006

With a brush in one hand and a bucket of blue paint in the other, Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) climbed a ladder Friday to join the list of those who have rendered a little political sweat, New Orleans style. He came to the same block where President Bush swung a hammer only months ago and a group of Southern governors took their turn last week.

Senators push fuel standard

July 20, 2006

WASHINGTON -- Fuel economy standards for cars and trucks would increase about 1 mile per gallon annually, unless federal regulators could justify smaller increases, under a bill unveiled Wednesday by a bipartisan group of eight senators. The bill, spearheaded by U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., escalates the political pressure on automakers, which have fought any proposal to set targets for fuel economy improvements.

Democrats Press Bush on Voting Rights Act

July 20, 2006

WASHINGTON -- Two Democrats called on President Bush to use his rare appearance before the NAACP's annual conference to renew the landmark 1965 Voting Rights Act, arguing that such a step would ensure a basic right for minorities. Signing the legislation, however, would require Bush to pressure the Republican-controlled Senate to act quickly in passing the renewal that the House approved last week. A Senate committee passed the bill on Wednesday and the president is scheduled to address the NAACP on Thursday after rejecting the civil rights group's invitations for five straight years.

Politicians need not abandon religion

July 10, 2006

For some time now, there has been talk among pundits and pollsters that the political divide in this country falls sharply along religious lines. Indeed, the single biggest gap in party affiliation among white Americans today is not between men and women, between red states and blue, but between those who attend church regularly and those who don't.

Obama trip to highlight U.S. interests in Africa

July 10, 2006

Sen. Barack Obama, whose father is from Kenya, travels to Africa -- and the village where his father lived -- in August on a trip designed to highlight the importance of the continent to the United States and the rest of the world. Obama's itinerary for two weeks of travel starting mid-August includes stops in South Africa, Kenya, Sudan and possibly Congo.

Discussing God and government, in good faith

July 9, 2006

If anyone wonders why Illinois Sen. Barack Obama is a breath of fresh air on the national political scene, this is why. A speech Obama gave a few weeks ago to the Sojourners Call to Renewal conference in Washington, D.C. has been getting a lot of attention, not only for its insight and balance, but for its soul-searching honesty.

Obama's Eloquent Faith

June 30, 2006

Like most liberals who are religious, Obama finds a powerful demand for social justice embedded in the great faith traditions. He took a swipe at those who would repeal the estate tax, saying this entailed "a trillion dollars being taken out of social programs to go to a handful of folks who don't need and weren't even asking for it."

Maytag workers may qualify for benefits

June 25, 2006

"Obviously, my hope is that the Maytag plant remains open, but I'm happy that the Department of Labor is prepared to do everything it can to help these workers land on their feet," said Sen. Barack Obama. "The Maytag plant has long been the backbone of Herrin's economy, and if it closes we must all do our part to keep this community intact."

Emergency bill includes Darfur money

June 16, 2006

WASHINGTON - The Senate on Thursday allocated $60 million toward launching a U.N. peacekeeping mission in the Darfur region of Sudan. The money to help stem the brutality and chaos in Darfur is part of the $94.5 billion emergency spending bill to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and aid to Gulf Coast hurricane victims. President Bush has said he will sign it into law.

Wrenching Changes on the Line

June 14, 2006

The road back to prosperity will be a long and hard one for American automakers. Companies like Ford and General Motors groan under the weight of their history, manifested in the legacy costs that are a result of decades of promises to support workers and provide them with health care in their old age.

Obama calls for action against fraud

June 11, 2006

To help shine the spotlight on con artists, the Mortgage Bankers Association and other industry trade groups are backing legislation by Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) that would criminalize mortgage fraud at the federal level. The "STOP FRAUD Act" would expand the suspicious activity reports requirement, establish a database of censured and debarred mortgage professionals and provide funding for enforcement activities.

Obama, Durbin back IL’s pitch for Honda plant

June 7, 2006

Illinois' senators urged Honda on Wednesday to consider their state as a site for a $400 million automobile plant expected to make 200,000 vehicles a year. Gov. Rod Blagojevich's administration confirmed Monday that the governor had met with company officials recently about bringing what Honda has described as part of its corporation's "2010 Vision" for North American automobile operations.

Durbin, Obama against wind farm delays

June 3, 2006

WASHINGTON - Sens. Dick Durbin and Barack Obama, D-Ill., joined four other Senate Democrats on Friday to protest a Bush administration decision to shut down wind farms while their potential harmful effect to the nation's military radar is studied.

Has U.S. clock buying gone cuckoo?

June 2, 2006

For many years, a large number of blind people have been able to support themselves in this town by making clocks under the auspices of the Chicago Lighthouse. They have done so with the help of a federal law -- one that first required federal agencies to purchase clocks and other goods made by the blind when they were competitively priced, met quality standards and were punctually delivered. The law later included items made by people with other serious disabilities.

Senate votes to double fines for illegal hiring

May 24, 2006

WASHINGTON -- The Senate voted Tuesday to fine employers who hire illegal immigrants up to $20,000 for each unauthorized worker, providing teeth to a broad immigration bill before sending it to a final vote later this week. Employers would have to check Social Security numbers and the immigration status of all new hires within 18 months after money is provided to the Homeland Security Department to expand the electronic system for screening workers.

Durbin, Obama seek U.S. funds for 'Land Between the Rivers'

May 24, 2006

Sens. Dick Durbin and Barack Obama asked Congress Tuesday for authority that could enable Southern Illinois to win federal grants to boost tourism and historical preservation. Legislation the Democratic lawmakers introduced would designate Illinois' 17 southernmost counties as a National Heritage Area, qualifying the region for Interior Department grants for preservation, education and economic development related to tourism.

Former president says health care cost hurting U.S. competitiveness

May 21, 2006

Democratic Sen. Barack Obama recently introduced legislation in Congress that would help address soaring health care costs for automakers by defraying industry's costs of investment in more fuel-efficient cars. Obama's proposal calls for the federal government to pick up a portion of the costs automakers pay for retiree health care, so long as companies use some of the savings to retool their factories.

Veteran paid for wound from '45

May 18, 2006

In 2003, the error was recognized by the Sangamon County Veterans Assistance Commission, and in June 2005, Hunter received a $22,000 portion of his retroactive pay. Hunter contacted Obama's office in April for help with the final payment. Obama's office discovered that the paperwork for the remaining $12,500 was under a stack of other claims at the Department of Veterans Affairs. The final check was given to Hunter on April 29.

Senators seek help for Maytag workers

May 17, 2006

WASHINGTON -- Senators from Illinois and Arkansas pleaded Wednesday for the Labor Department to come to the aid of 1,700 Maytag workers who have received notice that their plants owned by Whirlpool Corp. will be closing. By year's end, about 1,000 workers are to lose their jobs at the plant in Herrin, Ill., with an additional 700 to become unemployed in Searcy, Ark., because of a similar plant closing.

Illinois lawmakers call for hearings on phone record collections

May 12, 2006

"Congress should investigate these new revelations and Republicans and Democrats should agree that this surveillance program needs to be brought under legal oversight so that someone is watching the watchers and protecting the privacy of innocent Americans."

City gets final payment from FEMA

May 9, 2006

The check arrived within a few weeks of a reporter making an inquiry to Democratic Sen. Barack Obama's office in Chicago about the delay in payment to the Alton Fire Department. The call prompted one of Obama's staff members to call Sowders for details. "Obama's office got involved, and FEMA reimbursed us in a very timely fashion," Sowders said.

Illinois vets can reapply for benefits

May 9, 2006

Wayne Macejak, a gray-haired Vietnam-era veteran, said he has seen it time and again: fellow Illinois veterans fighting for their benefits. "With the VA, everything seems to be about money," said Macejak, chairman of the American Legion's rehabilitation committee in Illinois. "They just sit back and wait for the veterans to come to them."

VA warns Illinois' disabled vets

May 9, 2006

After prodding from the Chicago Sun-Times, veterans and Illinois' two U.S. senators, the Veterans Affairs Department is sending out letters to Illinois vets to address the state's 20-year history of ranking at the bottom of the nation for disability benefits.

VA Informs Veterans On Low Compensation, Appeals

May 8, 2006

The Veterans Affairs Department has begun sending out letters to tens of thousands of disabled Illinois veterans explaining how they can open new claims and appeal decisions if they believe their own disability compensation isn't adequate. The letters -- addressed to more than 62,000 veterans around the state -- also confirm that Illinois has received the lowest average disability compensation in the country, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama's office said Monday.

Senate OKs plan to open storm bids

May 3, 2006

In a unanimous vote, the Senate passed an amendment designed to prevent a repeat of what took place in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane last year, when FEMA awarded four $100 million no-bid contracts to four companies.

"Eight months after Katrina, there's no longer any emergency that justifies a no-bid contract that might have been entered into the days after Katrina," said Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), who sponsored the amendment.

D.C. rally condemns Darfur genocide

May 1, 2006

Yesterday, today and tomorrow, there are, have been and will be genocidal murders occurring in the Darfur region of Sudan. On Sunday, thousands gathered on the National Mall to try to do something about the horrors. "We are here because we refuse to be silent," said Elie Wiesel, the author and Nobel Peace Prize winner whose work is rooted in his Holocaust experience.

Obama Joins George Clooney In Plea For Darfur

April 27, 2006

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Actor George Clooney, with Illinois Sen. Barack Obama standing next to him, made a plea for international help in the Darfur region of Sudan. Clooney Thursday told a crowd at the National Press Club in Washington that he wants to use his "credit card" as a Hollywood star to highlight the plight of 2 million refugees.

U.S. senators talk Medicare

April 27, 2006

U.S. Sens. Barack Obama and Dick Durbin visited a group of seniors as part of a sweep through the state to urge people to sign up for the new Medicare prescription drug benefit.

Senator Obama tells BHS students change is needed in government

April 20, 2006

Sen. Barack Obama said he was glad to see so many students attend and ask questions at a town hall meeting held Monday afternoon in the Barrington High School Auditorium. After all, many of the problems currently facing the United States, from its nearly $9 trillion national debt to its ailing health care system, will fall into their laps unless lawmakers and youth start making changes now, Obama said.

Obama discusses state, national issues in Carbondale meeting

April 15, 2006

CARBONDALE - U.S. Sen. Barack Obama fielded the usual questions - health care, gas prices, the Iraq war and education - during a town hall meeting at Southern Illinois University Carbondale Friday. It was his 47th such meeting since taking office last year.

York visit senator's 46th town hall forum

April 14, 2006

He's met with international leaders, visited Hurricane Katrina evacuees and gave the keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention. And the southpaw threw the ceremonial first pitch before a Chicago White Sox playoff game. But U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., who recently finished his first year in national government, spent part of April 12 at York Community High School.

'It was just magical'

April 13, 2006

Up until a day before their home was scheduled to be repossessed, Joseph said, the family was afraid it would lose its home. Then on March 16 they received a $64,342 check in the mail from the Social Security Administration. "It was just out of the sky," Joseph said. "We were overjoyed. God had smiled on us -- and (so had) Sen. Obama."

Obama talks politics, future

April 12, 2006

The Gentile Center opened its doors to Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and the city of Chicago on April 10 as it hosted a town hall meeting with the senator. Obama came to Loyola to participate in an open forum where his constituents asked questions ranging in topic from student loan cuts to the issue of bringing troops home from Iraq.

Obama is right to take Bush to task on energy policy

April 11, 2006

President Bush promised in this year's State of the Union speech to enact policies that would wean America from its "addiction to oil." Skeptics said it was just a speech, that Bush had made similar promises in the past but never followed through. Once again, it appears the skeptics were right.

Beware of where your tax data go

April 10, 2006

According to the IRS, rules in place since 1974 have created a huge loophole in the supposed inviolability of your tax returns: With a taxpayer's consent, a tax preparer can disclose tax information - even your entire return - to any third party for just about any conceivable purpose.

Obama Strikes Out at Bush's Energy Policy

April 3, 2006

CHICAGO -- Sen. Barack Obama accused the Bush administration Monday of a "stubborn refusal" to attack the causes of climate change, and said tougher fuel standards, stricter curbs on oil imports and more investment in cleaner energy are essential to avert global catastrophe.

IRS May Alter Some Privacy Protections

March 22, 2006

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., said in a letter last week to IRS Commissioner Mark Everson that taxpayers often hastily sign documents and tax forms prepared by commercial firms without reading them. With the proposed rule, personal income and demographic data could then be easily sold with that written consent, opening up greater risks for identity theft, he said.

Obama urges more help for homeless vets

March 16, 2006

WASHINGTON - Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and other advocates for homeless veterans on Thursday urged more federal funding to help the needy, including an increasing number of troubled Iraq and Afghanistan vets.

Obama introduces nuke disclosure bill

March 12, 2006

The Nuclear Release Notice Act would require notification of state and local officials simultaneously with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission when any radioactive leak exceeds NRC limits. "It's good for public safety, it's good for the public's right to know, and it's ultimately good for the nuclear power industry," Obama said Thursday

Senate votes to ban free meals from lobbyists

March 9, 2006

The Senate voted Wednesday to ban lobbyist-paid meals for its members and staff, part of broader legislation designed to restore public confidence in Congress in the midst of a lobbying-and-influence scandal. Senators turned aside other proposals to impose tougher restrictions on the relationships between lobbyists and lawmakers, including one that would have banned travel for members of Congress financed by interests that also lobby them.

Senate Considers Independent Ethics Office

March 2, 2006

WASHINGTON -- An independent ethics office is included in a lobbying reform package a Senate committee is taking up, putting on the table the sensitive issue of whether lawmakers are capable of policing themselves. The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee votes Thursday on legislation, an outgrowth of recent lobbying and ethics scandals, that would require greater disclosure of lobbyist activities and take steps to end the sometimes too-cozy relations between lawmakers and those representing special interests.

Nuclear spills spur notification legislation

March 1, 2006

Illinois' two Democratic U.S. senators teamed up Wednesday with a Republican congressman to introduce legislation that would require nuclear power companies to tell federal, state and county officials about unplanned releases of radioactive substances. The Nuclear Release Notice Act would require notification when radioactive releases exceed federal limits and when two releases below those limits occur within 2 years from "the same source, process or equipment at a facility."

Obama cites poor security at chemical plants

February 27, 2006

"Safety regulations can be implemented in a way that is flexible enough for the industry yet stringent enough to protect the American people," Obama said. "It is long past time to put the security of our nation ahead of special interests or politics." According to federal environmental regulators, there are four chemical plants within Chicago that, if attacked under a worst-case scenario, could threaten more than a million people. Altogether, Illinois has at least 10 such facilities, with an additional 20 where a chemical release could threaten more than 100,000 people.

House cools on lobbying reform

February 21, 2006

Obama, a top Democratic spokesman on the issue, rejected the argument that Congress has enough rules on the books and that they simply need to be enforced vigorously. "Even if current rules are enforced, there are too many opportunities with lobbyists to influence policy in ways that hurt ordinary citizens," said Obama, who is pushing for an independent panel to investigate ethics complaints against lawmakers.

Hastert, Obama set to collide over ethics panel

February 17, 2006

Obama wants to create a Congressional Ethics Enforcement Commission with subpoena power to probe ethics allegations. Four commissioners would be former federal judges, four former members of Congress and the ninth a wild card.

Transcript of Calls for Action in Darfur - News Hour with Jim Lehrer

February 16, 2006

U.N. officials, U.S. congressmen and even Olympic athletes have called for increased involvement in the Darfur region of Sudan where three years of violence has claimed more than 200,000 lives and displaced millions. Sens. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., and Barack Obama, D-Ill, discuss the political situation in Darfur and what the United States could do to help the suffering.

Obama, Durbin propose federal mortgage reforms

February 15, 2006

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) proposed a sweeping set of federal reforms Tuesday to combat mortgage fraud, ratcheting up enforcement and creating a national database of brokers who have been disciplined.

Obama: The senator with the Midas touch

February 15, 2006

"I've been incredibly blessed," he said in an interview with The Associated Press. "My attitude is as long as I work hard, as long as I operate honestly, with integrity, the worst that can happen to me is that I can lose an election."

E85 interest picks up speed

February 14, 2006

PEORIA -- Things are looking up for E85, said Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. "The President talked about an addiction to oil. All kinds of technology can reduce our reliance on oil but if we want to do something that's fast and effective, ethanol is the way to go," he said.

Morris greets Obama

February 13, 2006

MORRIS -- Sen. Barack Obama is concerned the large issues that affect people in Grundy County are not being dealt with in Washington, he said Friday during his first visit to the area since his November 2004 campaign tour. "There are a lot of good ideas in Washington and a lot of smart people in Washington. It seems like sometimes there is a disconnect between the priorities in Washington and the priorities of the folks I'm meeting back home in Illinois," he said.

'Pen pals' call truce

February 9, 2006

WASHINGTON -- Dueling Senators Barack Obama and John McCain called themselves "pen pals" Wednesday as they worked together again on ethics and lobbying reform legislation. "The witnesses will behave themselves and restrain themselves," joked Senate Rules and Administration Committee Chairman Trent Lott (R-Miss.) as he gaveled to order a hearing where Obama and McCain both testified.

Illinois roads win, farms lose in Bush budget

February 8, 2006

President Bush's proposed budget is a mixed bag for Illinois, offering big boosts for transportation needs and research for alternative fuels coupled with cuts in farm subsidies and a transaction fee for the futures and options markets. Bush's new spending plan unveiled Monday for the year starting Oct. 1 calls for a 5% cut in crop subsidy payments to farmers.

Obama: 'I think his feelings got bruised'

February 8, 2006

"The perception in our office was that this was a very innocuous boilerplate letter," said Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) on Tuesday, the day after Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) wrote a ferocious response to a letter he received from the freshman senator.

Budget a mixed bag for Illinois

February 7, 2006

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Illinois farmers, veterans and schoolchildren would be among those feeling the impact of budget cuts that President Bush proposed Monday. Sending his $2.77 trillion fiscal 2006 budget request to Congress, Bush sought to increase defense spending and tackle the deficit by decreasing money to many popular domestic programs. In the past, Congress has been reluctant to go along - and might be even more so in this election year.

Illinois lagging in veterans benefits

February 5, 2006

"It makes me angry and it's discouraging to thousands of veterans in Illinois who have served their country," said Sen. Barack Obama, (D-Ill.). "We can't afford what appears to be mismanagement of a program that is vital in making sure veterans can support themselves."

Sen. Obama hosts town meeting in South Holland

February 4, 2006

With shaky hands clutching an autographed Polaroid to her chest, Barbara Gordon looked like a woman who had just met her favorite movie star. But it was not a typical celebrity that made the South Holland woman's heart skip a beat -- it was U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, who hosted a town hall meeting Friday at South Suburban College.

State of the Union: McCain and Obama React

February 1, 2006

Last night, President Bush delivered his fifth State of the Union address with a much more reserved and humble tone than his previous ones. He called for a victory in Iraq, an end to the United States' addiction to oil and issued a warning to Iran. "I think the president had an opportunity to set out a bold agenda," Obama said. "But what you didn't see were serious initiatives. Let's take the example of oil, reducing the dependence on oil by 75 percent -- but no concrete initiatives."

Obama has guest for Union speech

February 1, 2006

WASHINGTON - Ever go to Washington seeking time with your congressman or senator and finding yourself getting nowhere? Brian Johnson, president of the National Federation of the Blind of Illinois, had requested a meeting with Illinois Senator Barack Obama. He wanted to discuss issues of interest to his group.

Obama packs 'em in, riffs on Iraq, Alito

January 31, 2006

More than 600 people filled the gym of a northwest suburban middle school Monday to hear U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) answer questions on the conflict in Iraq, bird flu and the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court. Obama's appearance at London Middle School in Wheeling was one in a series of town hall meetings that he has hosted throughout the state.

Bayh, Obama Urge End to Marriage Penalty in Budget Bill

January 30, 2006

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Evan Bayh (D-IN) and Barack Obama (D-IL) today called for the elimination of a "marriage penalty" in the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) portion of the Spending Reconciliation conference agreement. In a letter to the Senate and House leadership and the Chairmen of the Senate Finance and House Ways and Means Committees, Bayh and Obama urged that TANF legislation treat single-parent and two-parent families equitably and that the separate work participation standard for two-parent families be eliminated from the final bill.

FAA and controller union wrangle

January 27, 2006

The Federal Aviation Administration and the nation's air traffic controllers have been in contract talks since last July. So how close to an agreement are they? Not very. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association, which represents 15,000 controllers around the country, says talks are going well, and many key issues - with the exception of the crucial one, pay - have been resolved. But the FAA says the talks are stalled.

Answers sought for VA's bad answers

January 27, 2006

WASHINGTON -- Key members of Congress from both major political parties are demanding that the Department of Veterans Affairs explain why its call centers routinely provide veterans with bad information. In response to a Knight Ridder story in December, lawmakers have asked the VA to account for the incorrect answers it gives people who call the department's help lines.

Obama focuses on veterans

January 27, 2006

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., announced that the Department of Veterans Affairs denied health care to 8,944 Illinois veterans last year as part of a Bush administration cost-cutting policy begun in 2003. Nationally, more than 260,000 veterans were denied access to VA hospitals, clinics and medications in fiscal year 2005.

Illinois officials call for ethanol probe

January 27, 2006

SPRINGFIELD -- Illinois officials want the federal government to investigate whether oil companies are keeping gas stations from offering ethanol-based E-85 fuel. Gov. Rod Blagojevich and U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) have both asked for investigations.

Obama: Abramoff woes a Republican scandal

January 23, 2006

CHICAGO (AP) -- U.S. Sen. Barack Obama said Sunday that while the problem of money and politics is bipartisan, the corruption surrounding convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff is a Republican scandal. Appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press," the Illinois Democrat called the Abramoff issue and the K Street Project, an initiative backed by former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, that pressured lobbying firms to hire Republicans and fund GOP causes, a "Republican sin."

Democrats propose U.S. Congress-lobbying reforms

January 18, 2006

WASHINGTON - Democrats Wednesday unveiled their cure for ethics scandals that have engulfed the Republican-controlled Congress, including shutting down "pay-to-play" arrangements that created unusually close ties between lawmakers and lobbyists.

Obama Townhall: Math, science add up

January 18, 2006

GLEN ELLYN -- U.S. Sen. Barack Obama took questions from a crowd of 1,100 on Tuesday at College of DuPage's McAninch Arts Center. At the meeting, Obama stressed the importance of increasing the size of America's well-educated work force. Community colleges such as COD will play an important role in producing those well-educated workers, he said.

Obama wraps up Middle East trip

January 13, 2006

Illinois Senator Barack Obama is wrapping up his journey to the Middle East. One of his final stops in Israel was the Yad Vashem, the country's Holocaust museum and memorial. After 10 days of non-stop talking with government and military leaders in Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan and finally Israel,Senator Barack Obama Friday ended his first Middle Eastern tour with the sound of silence.

Obama meets with Arafat's successor

January 12, 2006

Illinois Senator Barack Obama's journey to the Middle East took him to the West Bank Thursday for a meeting with the man elected to replace Yasser Arafat. Senator Obama will head into the final day of his Middle East tour having met with top leaders of the Israeli government and now with the head of the Palestinian National Authority.

Obama visits remote Israeli town with Chicago ties

January 11, 2006

Illinois Senator Barack Obama flew to areas along the northern border with Lebanon on Wednesday. Obama's first Middle East visit took him to a small village that is well-wired to Chicago.

Obama meets Shalom, offers support for Israel

January 10, 2006

JERUSALEM -- Democratic Sen. Barack Obama met Tuesday with Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom and said the United States stood by Israel as its leader, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, lay unconscious in a hospital bed following a massive stroke.

Obama: Obstacles still in Iraq

January 8, 2006

WASHINGTON - In his first 12 hours in Iraq, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., said Saturday he saw or heard little to change his views about the significant obstacles that remain to stabilize that country. While Iraqi President Jalal Talabani predicted that a national unity government could be formed within weeks, Obama said he thought "it may take a little bit longer."

Obama: Involve more minorities in Iraq gov't

January 7, 2006

BAGHDAD -- Sen. Barack Obama on Saturday said the United States will not be successful in Iraq unless the political landscape better represents the country's minorities. Obama, the nation's only black senator, met with U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and Iraqi President Jalal Talabani on Saturday. He said before his two-day trip to Iraq that he wanted to ask U.S. commanders what a realistic time frame was for bringing troops home.

Obama making 1st visit to Iraq

January 5, 2006

The Illinois Democrat, who is joining a congressional delegation led by Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), said he intended to ask U.S. military commanders for a "realistic framework" for reducing the number of American troops in Iraq.

Q&A with Sen. Barack Obama

December 24, 2005

Q. How do you decide when to use the megaphone that you've been given?

A. If I don't think what needs to be said is being said. I think Katrina was a good example of where I felt the way the issue was being discussed and framed wasn't moving the ball forward.

Q&A with Michelle Obama

December 24, 2005

Michelle Obama, vice president for community and external affairs at the University of Chicago Hospitals, sat down with the Tribune in her office on Dec. 6. Here is an excerpt from the interview.

Farm relief backers ask 'fair shake'

December 21, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Senate Democrats complained Tuesday that in the final haggling over the $453 billion defense spending bill, family farmers hurt by drought and floods were left to fend for themselves. The Senate had included $1.6 billion in agriculture relief for farmers in counties that had been declared disaster-eligible because of drought, floods and hurricanes. In Illinois, for example, Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns declared every county but one a disaster area.

Democrats assail wiretaps

December 20, 2005

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., also supports congressional hearings. "Once we have more information we'll know to what degree our laws were circumvented," Obama said. "But regardless, I am certain that we can do the intelligence gathering we need to do without eroding the civil liberties our founding fathers intended."

Senators press for judges' safety

December 17, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin and Barack Obama of Illinois met Friday with the head of the U.S. Marshals Service to voice frustration over what they call a lack of progress in establishing new safety measures to protect federal judges. Seven months ago, Congress approved money to provide home security systems for members of the federal judiciary after U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow's husband and mother were slain by a disgruntled litigant in Chicago. But the government has yet to resolve who would pay the monthly fee for the security service.

Obama shuns limelight, builds record

December 17, 2005

On Thursday, as his colleagues scrambled to wrap up legislative loose ends, Sen. Barack Obama met behind closed doors with Sen. Tom Coburn, an archconservative Republican from Oklahoma. The pair scolded the government's top emergency management official over ongoing problems responding to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Immigration issues highlight split among Republicans

December 16, 2005

WASHINGTON -- A heated debate over how to control illegal immigration opened a rift among Republicans on Thursday as the House began considering legislation to impose tough new penalties on those who enter the USA illegally and those who hire them.

Rebids on FEMA contracts in doubt

December 16, 2005

Senators had been pushing for other companies to get a crack at emergency housing contracts. WASHINGTON -- U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn suffered another setback Thursday in his efforts to fight what he considers irresponsible federal spending. The Oklahoma Republican and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., met with David Paulison, acting director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, on their concerns over four $100 million emergency housing contracts the agency awarded without competitive bids following Hurricane Katrina.

Drop in the bucket compared to Iraq, Great Lakes need money

December 15, 2005

This could turn out to be the most important week in Lake Michigan's history since the glaciers left town.

Obama chooses Point engineer

December 15, 2005

The Buffalo, N.Y. District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will serve as the third-party consultant requested by U.S. Sen. Barack Obama in the Promontory Point revetment repair project, a spokesman for the senator told the Herald Monday.

Bush seeking another $1.5 billion for New Orleans levees

December 15, 2005

WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration, promising to build the most protective levees that hurricane-ravaged New Orleans has ever seen, announced Thursday it will seek $1.5 billion more from Congress to help the city rebuild its flood defenses.

Obama and Salazar ask administration to correct Medicare Part D

December 12, 2005

WASHINGTON - On the 2nd anniversary of the enactment of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, U.S. Senators Barack Obama (D-IL) and Ken Salazar (D-CO) sent a letter to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Michael O. Leavitt requesting that the Department outline the steps it has taken to correct misinformation it distributed, improve its ability to respond to and answer seniors' questions, and prevent fraud.

Obama plans first trip to Iraq next month

December 8, 2005

PEORIA, Ill. U.S. Senator Barack Obama says he hopes to get a better understanding of when it might be appropriate to decrease the United State's presence in Iraq during his first trip to that country next month. Obama leaves for the ten-day trip January Fourth. It will include stops in Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan and Israel, as well as Iraq.

Obama nominated for Grammy

December 8, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) was nominated Thursday for a Grammy Award, joining the ranks of Mariah Carey, Kanye West, Bruce Springsteen and a host of artists recognized for their musical genius. But when the Grammys are handed out early next year, Obama will not be competing against musicians or songwriters. His nomination comes under a different category: Best Spoken Word Album.

Barack Obama in Montgomery to Commemorate Boycott Anniversary

December 4, 2005

Even the rumbling freight trains on the tracks beyond the tent didn't deter the message, delivered to a riveted audience of hundreds. Senator Barack Obama spoke to a crowd at Union Station Saturday. Obama credits much of his ascent to the U.S. Senate to the strides made here in Alabama, but he doesn't want what we've accomplished in 50 years overshadow the challenges that still lie ahead.

Junkyard Dogs of War

December 3, 2005

At a sprawling, run-down industrial complex in Donetsk, Ukraine, weeds grow along a rusty rail spur that winds among World War II-era warehouses and factories. Little security is evident, and the facility looks like a giant junkyard. In a way, it is -- except the "junk" consists of thousands of tons of live military munitions. When we went there last summer, we saw mortar rounds, land mines and artillery shells of all sizes stacked in huge piles and strewn carelessly about.

Senators Seek to Speed Security for Judges

December 3, 2005

Sens. Richard J. Durbin and Barack Obama, both Illinois Democrats, asked Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales yesterday to speed up the distribution of $12 million for security systems for judges, saying they are not getting help fast enough. "Both senators' offices have heard from judges that this money that had been approved in May was not being used," said Joe Shoemaker, a Durbin spokesman. "That's a huge problem for us."

Obama urges quick passage of toy bill

December 2, 2005

PEORIA - As the holiday shopping season really gets revved up, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama is calling on Congress to speedily pass his bill banning children's products containing lead, including lunch boxes, toys and jewelry.

Rosa Parks statue to stand in Capitol

December 2, 2005

WASHINGTON -- President Bush asked Congress Thursday to renew portions of a landmark voting rights act as he signed a measure championed by Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) to erect a statue of civil rights icon Rosa Parks in the Capitol.

Signs of an Iraq Policy

November 27, 2005

...But the outlines of such a position emerged last week in speeches by two respected Democratic members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Joe Biden of Delaware and Barack Obama of Illinois. That they reached almost the same conclusion from opposite sides of the intraparty debate -- Biden an early and consistent supporter of the U.S. intervention against Saddam Hussein, and Obama an equally confirmed skeptic about the invasion -- adds to the significance of their statements.

City must join Obama in attacking lead

November 25, 2005

Peoria's lead paint problem is getting attention, and rightly so. An ongoing Journal Star series about childhood poisoning has caught the eye of a U.S. senator and a state panel. Local leaders should cheer their involvement.

Obama demands answers

November 24, 2005

PEORIA - U.S. Sen. Barack Obama wants accountability within three weeks from HUD regarding what he says was improper and unfair evaluation in the rejection of Peoria's past $3 million grant applications for lead mitigation.

Obama: Pull GIs from Iraq gradually

November 23, 2005

"During the course of the next year, we need to focus our attention on how to reduce the U.S. military footprint in Iraq," Obama said in a luncheon speech to the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations, a forum he had requested. "Notice that I say `reduce,' and not `fully withdraw.'"

Illinois vets targeted in legislation

November 22, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Veterans in Illinois and five other states must be told about how to qualify for disability benefits as part of a measure passed Friday by Congress and headed to President Bush for his expected signature.

Obama's national appeal rallies an army of backers

November 21, 2005

"There he is," Buffett says with a wide grin, pulling Obama toward him with a hearty handshake. "You're the hottest ticket in town today." The sage of money and finance, America's second-richest man seldom becomes invested in politicians. But he has made an exception for the junior Democratic senator from Illinois, which is precisely why Obama has arrived here on a frosty fall morning, without an overcoat or an entourage.

Love Is in the Air

November 21, 2005

So I was listening to a Barack Obama podcast the other day, and ... Wait, did I write that? Yup, it's that time again. The 2008 White House campaign is taking off, as media people scan the landscape for would-be, could-be presidents, and see talent everywhere. Even Al Gore is having a micro-comeback.

Obama seeks tax credit for lead mitigation

November 19, 2005

Calling Peoria's childhood lead poisoning rates a "tragedy," U.S. Sen. Barack Obama introduced legislation Friday to protect children and financially assist landlords and homeowners with the cost of lead mitigation.

United States "Feels the Urgency" on Sudan, Official Says

November 18, 2005

Washington -- The United States government does "feel the urgency" of the ongoing situation in Sudan, Assistant Secretary of State Jendayi Frazer told the U.S. Senate November 17, just hours before departing for her third trip to that country in the past month.

Spoils Go to Party Most Apt to Adapt

November 14, 2005

Call it intelligent design or survival of the fittest, but between now and next November's midterm elections, the two parties are in a race to evolve. Each appears to have reached the limit of its strategy over the last year. The winner next year may be the side that best adapts to changed circumstances. After Tuesday's election results, the threat is most visible for Republicans.

VA won't review all traumatic-stress cases

November 14, 2005

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has decided not to review the case of 72,000 veterans who are receiving disability payments for post-traumatic stress disorder less than six months after a smaller review found that some veterans' files had insufficient documentation. "The problems with these files appear to be administrative in nature, such as missing documents, and not fraud," Secretary R. James Nicholson said. "In the absence of evidence of fraud, we're not going to put our veterans through the anxiety of a widespread review of their disability claims."

Statue of Parks may join Capitol

November 13, 2005

Saying he wants to honor the contributions of civil-rights leader Rosa Parks in a national display, U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-Ill.) has proposed legislation that would place a life-size statue of her in the U.S. Capitol's Statuary Hall, he said. If passed, the legislation would make Parks the first African-American woman to be represented in the hall.

Project reaps $2.2 million in federal funding

November 13, 2005

BRIGHTON -- More than $2.2 million in federal funding will be used for Macoupin County road improvement and a Staunton health clinic, U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., announced Saturday.

A world of thanks

November 12, 2005

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama squinted his eyes in the late-morning sun as the flags of all 50 states snapped in the wind around him. Standing at the village's veterans memorial before more than 300 Orland Park residents and vets, he said he simply wanted to say thanks to the men and women who fought -- and continue to fight -- when their country asked them.

Sen. Obama calls for mortgage fraud investigation

November 8, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) urged the Senate Banking Committee on Monday to launch an investigation into "the growing predatory practice of mortgage fraud," saying Congressional hearings should be held to determine whether new laws are needed to protect society's most vulnerable.

Obama dabbles in a moment of comedy

November 8, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Yes, there were the obligatory questions about Iraq policy and the future of the Democratic Party. But as Sen. Barack Obama made his debut on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," he wisely ducked a far pricklier topic: Who is the worst senator?

Sen. Obama takes a stand on lead paint regulations

November 5, 2005

WASHINGTON - Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., on Friday put a hold on President Bush's nominee to a key Environmental Protection Agency post because the agency has failed to meet a promised deadline for issuing regulations for lead paint exposure from house remodeling.

Obama leads Democrats in efforts on bird flu

November 5, 2005

WASHINGTON - Decades before bird flu outbreaks in Asia triggered worldwide fears of a deadly pandemic, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama saw firsthand how interactions between people and livestock can effect public health. Growing up in Jakarta, Indonesia, Obama recalls, poultry was raised literally "in folks' backyards." The images still live in his mind amid concern about the disease mutating and spreading among humans.

Obama builds foreign policy credentials

November 3, 2005

Although in office for only 10 months, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., who some democrats see as a future presidential prospect, is emerging as a foreign policy wonk in his own right. He is building up his expertise on Russia and other parts of the dangerous world. Helping Obama is a foreign policy elder statesman who himself once tried for his party's presidential nomination, Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana.

Seven-hour funeral pays tribute to Parks

November 3, 2005

"The woman we honored today held no public office; she wasn't a wealthy woman; didn't appear in the society pages," said Sen. Barack Obama, an Illinois Democrat. "And yet when the history of this country is written, it is this small, quiet woman whose name will be remembered long after the names of senators and presidents have been forgotten."

Obama-Lugar proposal targets stockpiles of conventional weapons

November 2, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Two months after walking amid piles of munitions haphazardly scattered at a decrepit plant in Ukraine, two Midwestern senators introduced legislation Tuesday designed to keep conventional weapons from terrorists by eliminating stockpiles throughout the former Soviet Union.

Legislative Watch: Obama supports court ruling

November 2, 2005

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., recently praised a U.S. District Court decision to block enforcement of a Georgia law requiring residents to show a photo identification before voting.

Lawmakers See Katrina Czar As First Step

November 2, 2005

Lawmakers praised the Bush administration's decision Tuesday to appoint a reconstruction czar to oversee recovery efforts in the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast, but many agreed Congress must take additional steps to bring effective management to the operation and protect the interests of taxpayers.

Cost High To Ready Hospitals For Flu Pandemic

November 1, 2005

CBS 2 CHICAGO Reporter- Mary Ann Childers (CBS) CHICAGO Saying that failure to act now could cost many lives, President Bush is proposing a readiness plan to fight bird flu should the worst fear happen and it hits people hard....

Obama uses clout, seeks Cairo solution U.S. senator pulls agencies together to open abandoned hospital dialogue

November 1, 2005

CAIRO - U.S. Sen. Barack Obama has used his clout to pull multiple state and federal agencies together to start finding a solution for Cairo's abandoned hospital, which is filled with asbestos, medical waste, patient records and had been a refuge for homeless people.

Plan to close military bases seems certain to take effect next month

October 27, 2005

"Given the haphazard process by which some of the BRAC commission's decisions appear to have been made, and the unfair treatment I believe the Rock Island Arsenal received in the BRAC process, I cannot support the commission's recommendations," he [Obama] said.

Trouble for the Flu Fighters

October 25, 2005

Last month at the U.N., George W. Bush told "as many leaders as I could find" about the need to track the avian-flu virus so that "the world scientific community can analyze the facts." But the ability of scientists in poorer countries to do just that could suffer when federal funding for the Los Alamos Influenza Sequence Database runs out at the end of the month.

In White Sox Nation, the Borders Are Secure

October 23, 2005

In the next week or so, if God lightens up and lets Chicago win its first World Series since 1917, who knows what else might happen? Last time it was the Russian Revolution, followed by a global flu pandemic. This time might be completely different. Packs of rabid wolves sweeping down from Canada, maybe. Sinkholes swallowing Nebraska. An asteroid.

The Big One?

October 22, 2005

In the United States alone, seasonal influenza each year kills up to 40,000 people, lands about 200,000 people in the hospital, and costs more than $10 billion in lost productivity and direct medical expenses. But that's nothing compared with the flu that may hit the United States as early as this winter. While each century brings several influenza pandemics, rarely is the disease as potent and deadly as avian flu is threatening to be.

Barack Obama on hand to answer questions concerning health, taxes, problems of residents

October 17, 2005

"It doesn't make any sense that Illinois veterans, on average, would be any different than veterans anywhere else," Obama said as he noted Illinois veterans were previously being paid anywhere from $3,000 to $5,000 less than veterans in other areas. Obama noted that he also fought Veterans Affairs over recent attempts to cut disability checks to people who received payment for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Obama sees progress, frustration as senator

October 16, 2005

ANNA - Democrat Barack Obama told local residents he's pleased with the work he has done in nine months as a U.S. senator, but he noted some of it has been frustrating. "Not only am I ranked 99 out of 100 senators; I'm in the minority party," Obama said during a town hall meeting at the Anna Veterans Home Saturday. "But I fully believe if we keep pushing for what we think is important, we're going to make some progress."

Voters give Obama, Durbin good marks

October 16, 2005

More than half of Illinois voters say they approve of the job Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) is doing in office, while 7 in 10 give marks of approval to Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) during his first year in Washington, according to a Tribune/WGN-TV poll.

Obama pushes for mix of taxes, spending cuts to pay for Katrina

October 15, 2005

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Trying to split the difference on a major policy dispute in Washington, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama called Friday for a mixture of taxes and spending cuts to pay the cost of rebuilding from Hurricane Katrina. "There should be some common ground we can arrive at where everybody has to do a little bit that hurts in order to make sure we're not burdening our children," he said.

U.S. not ready for bird flu

October 14, 2005

In the face of an uncertain threat that avian flu could cause a new pandemic, political leaders at every level are grappling with the disquieting fact that the United States has almost no ability to stop an outbreak of the disease if it strikes here soon. No one knows if bird flu, which is more dangerous than ordinary flu because people have no natural immunity to it, will ignite an epidemic like the one that swept the world in 1918.

Strange alliances grow

October 14, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Nearly 1,000 miles away from the Gulf Coast communities that Hurricane Katrina tore apart, the storm created another startling change in the national landscape -- one that many Americans might welcome. Here in the Senate, one of the Republican Party's most outspoken conservatives has joined forces with one of the Democratic Party's rising stars in an effort to keep government funding for storm victims from being wasted.

U.S. State Senator Obama Holds Town Hall Meeting in Cicero

October 13, 2005<