Presidential Race 2008

It has been the rich and varied experiences of Barack Obama's life - growing up in different places with people who had differing ideas - that have animated his political journey. Amid the partisanship and bickering of today's public debate, he still believes in the ability to unite people around a politics of purpose - a politics that puts solving the challenges of everyday Americans ahead of partisan calculation and political gain.

In the Illinois State Senate, this meant working with both Democrats and Republicans to help working families get ahead by creating programs like the state Earned Income Tax Credit, which in three years provided over $100 million in tax cuts to families across the state. He also pushed through an expansion of early childhood education, and after a number of inmates on death row were found innocent, Senator Obama worked with law enforcement officials to require the videotaping of interrogations and confessions in all capital cases.

In the U.S. Senate, he has focused on tackling the challenges of a globalized, 21st century world with fresh thinking and a politics that no longer settles for the lowest common denominator. His first law was passed with Republican Tom Coburn, a measure to rebuild trust in government by allowing every American to go online and see how and where every dime of their tax dollars is spent. He has also been the lead voice in championing ethics reform that would root out Jack Abramoff-style corruption in Congress.

As a member of the Veterans' Affairs Committee, Senator Obama has fought to help Illinois veterans get the disability pay they were promised, while working to prepare the VA for the return of the thousands of veterans who will need care after Iraq and Afghanistan. Recognizing the terrorist threat posed by weapons of mass destruction, he traveled to Russia with Republican Dick Lugar to begin a new generation of non-proliferation efforts designed to find and secure deadly weapons around the world. And knowing the threat we face to our economy and our security from America's addiction to oil, he's working to bring auto companies, unions, farmers, businesses and politicians of both parties together to promote the greater use of alternative fuels and higher fuel standards in our cars.

Whether it's the poverty exposed by Katrina, the genocide in Darfur, or the role of faith in our politics, Barack Obama continues to speak out on the issues that will define America in the 21st century. But above all his accomplishments and experiences, he is most proud and grateful for his family. His wife, Michelle, and his two daughters, Malia, 10, and Sasha, 7, live on Chicago's South Side.
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Biden became ranking Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee in 1997 and served as chairman of the committee from 2001 to 2003 and from January 2007 to the present. He has served as chairman or ranking member of the Judiciary Committee for sixteen years. He is recognized as one of the nation's leading authorities on foreign policy, as well as one of its most influential voices on terrorism, drug policy, crime, and issues important to women. He has been a tireless advocate for working families and has reached across the aisle to work with Republicans on tackling some of the greatest challenges facing Americans.

Like Barack Obama, Biden has been an outspoken critic of Bush's handling of the war in Iraq.
Biden's leadership was instrumental in helping to bring stability and peace to the Balkans. In 1999, Biden wrote a resolution endorsing the air war in Kosovo that was passed by the Senate.
Biden is a leader on the congressional effort to end genocide in Darfur.
In the late 1990s, Biden led the effort in the Senate to bring Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic into NATO and to pass the Chemical Weapons Treaty.
Biden has been instrumental in crafting almost every major piece of crime legislation over the past two decades. His Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 put more than 100,000 police officers on America's streets and has been credited with bringing down crime rates to the lowest in a generation.
In 1996, Biden authored legislation to create a national registry of sex offenders, which tracks people convicted of sex crimes involving violence or committed against minors.
Biden authored and passed the landmark Violence Against Women Act, the strongest legislation to date that criminalizes domestic violence and holds batterers accountable.
Biden was a strong supporter of the Family and Medical Leave Act, cracked down on deadbeat dads, and has been a consistent champion for equal pay.
Biden was one of the first to introduce legislation to address global warming and he co-sponsored the most aggressive piece of climate change legislation in the U.S. Senate.
Biden is a champion on the issue of making college more affordable by using the tax code to reduce costs.
Biden was successful in passing a provision that prevents budget cuts to military facilities while the nation is at war, one of his key priorities, ensuring that all veterans have top-notch medical treatment in a fully-funded VA health care system.
Senator Biden has a proven record of bringing people together to get things done. From global warming to combating violence against women to confronting the challenges of the dangerous world in which we live, Joe Biden has fought every day over the course of his life in public service to improve the lives of middle class families.

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- Vice President: Joe Biden

- Secretary of State: Hillary Clinton

- Secretary of the Treasury: Timothy Geithner

- Secretary of Defense: Robert Gates

- Attorney General: Eric Holder

- Secretary of Commerce: Bill Richardson

- Secretary of Health and Human Services: Tom Daschle

- Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: Shaun Donovan

- Secretary of Veterans Affairs: General Eric Ken Shinseki

- Secretary of Homeland Security: Janet Napolitano

- White House Budget Director: Peter Orszag

- National Security Adviser: General James Jones

- Ambassador to the United Nations: Susan Rice

- Chair of President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board: Paul Volcker

- Chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers: Christina Romer

- Chair of National Economic Council: Lawrence Summers

- Chair of Council of National Policy: Melody Barnes

- White House Chief of Staff: Rahm Emanuel

- Chief Advisor: David Axelrod

- White House Spokesman: Robert Gibbs

Photo by Luke Vargas 2008 edited by Muhammad

US President

Qualifications:

• Must be a natural-born citizen of the United States (can be born abroad of parents who are American citizens).


• Must be 35 years of age.


• Must be a resident of the United States for at least 14 years (but not necessarily the 14 years preceding the election).

Benefits:

• A nice house


• A salary of $400,000 per year (taxable)


• Expense account of $50,000 per year (taxable)


• Travel expenses of $100,000 per year (tax-free)


• Pension, on retirement, of $63,000 per year (taxable)


• Staff support on leaving the presidency


• A place in the country - Camp David


• A personal airplane - Air Force One


• A fine chef

The Powers of the President:

According to Article II of the Constitution the President has the following powers:

• Serve as commander in chief of the armed forces


• Commission officer of the armed forces


• Grant reprieves and pardons for federal offenses (except impeachment)


• Convene Congress in special sessions


• Receive ambassadors


• Take care that the laws be faithfully executed


• Wield the "executive power"


• Appoint officials to lesser offices

Powers of the President That Are Shared with the Senate

• Make treaties


• Appoint ambassadors, judges, and high officials

Powers of the President That are Shared with Congress as a Whole

• Approve legislation

More Information:

From Project Vote Smart:

• Article II of the U.S. Constitution describes the official requirements one needs to run for President. It also describes the President's areas of power, the selection process, and the impeachment process of the President. These Constitutional Amendments are also related: Amendment 12; Amendment 20; Amendment 22; Amendment 24; Amendment 26.


• The Executive Branch Links to executive branch departments and documents.

Other Sources of Information:

• The American Presidency From Grolier's Online contains a "set of articles on the Presidents, the Presidency and American politics."


• Character Above All: An Exploration of Presidential Leadership From the PBS Online Newshour contains essays, a discussion forum, and transcripts from the broadcast of this program.


• Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents of the U.S. From George Washington to George W. Bush. Online from Bartleby.com.


• The Inaugural Classroom From PBS in association with the Presidential Inauguration Committee.


• Presidents of the United States (POTUS) Online from the Internet Public Library, this site provides background information, election results, cabinet members, presidency highlights, and some odd facts on each of the presidents. Links to biographies, historical documents, audio and video files, and other presidential sites are also included.


• The Presidents of the United States From The White House website. Pictures and descriptions of each President.


• US Presidents and Vice Presidents From the PresidentsUSA website. Detailed information about each President and Vice President. Facts and information about each President's administration, genealogy, speeches, historic sites, portraits, and biographies.

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This article is republished with the consent of Project Vote Smart. Access their website at www.vote-smart.org. Call their Voter's Research Hotline toll free 1-888-868-3762.

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