Senator Barack Obama
Biography
Barack Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1961. He attended Occidental College and Columbia University, and went on to Harvard Law School. After Harvard, Obama moved to Chicago where in 1993 he became a lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School. In 1996, Obama ran for the state Senate and was unopposed in the decisive Democratic primary. He lost a 2000 challenge in the 1st District Democratic primary against Rep. Bobby Rush. Incumbent Republican Senator Peter Fitzgerald did not seek re-election in 2004 and Obama entered a crowded primary. He won 53% of the vote in an eight-candidate race and went on to win the general election against Alan Keyes by 43 points, the widest victory margin in Illinois history. Senator Obama currently serves on the Environment & Public Works, Foreign Relations, and Veterans' Affairs Committees. (2006 Almanac of American Politics)
Statements about global Warming
05/07/2007
"The need to drastically change our energy policy is no longer a debatable proposition. It is not a question of whether, but how; not a question of if, but when. For the sake of our security, our economy, our jobs and our planet, the age of oil must end in our time." Speech to Detroit business and political leaders.
Read the full quote01/30/2007
"Climate change is one of the major tests of our generation. It's a challenge that asks us, will we stand by while drought and famine, storms and floods overtake our planet? Or will we look back at today and say that this was the moment when we took a stand? That this was the moment when we began to turn things around. The climate changes we are experiencing are already causing us harm. But in the end, it will not be us who deal with its most devastating effects. It will be our children, and our grandchildren." Prepared Statement to Senate Environment and Public Works Committee.
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Videos
Obama wants to get serious about green energy growth
05/06/2008
Obama keeps energy options open, citing ‘no silver bullet’
05/06/2008
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