The stakes involved in Washington policy debates are often so high-- whether we send our young men and women to war; whether we allow stem cell research to go forward-- that even small differences in perspective are magnified. The demands of party loyalty, the imperative of campaigns, and the amplification of conflict by the media all contribute to an atmosphere of suspicion. Moreover, most people who serve in Washington have been trained either as lawyers or as political operatives-- professions that tend to place a premium on winning arguments rather than solving problems. I can see how, after a certain amount of time in the capital, it becomes tempting to assume that those who disagree with you have fundamentally different values-- indeed, that they are motivated by bad faith, and perhaps are bad people.

He helped set up a job training program a college preparatory tutoring program and a tenants' rights organization in Altgeld Gardens. Legislative career: 1997–2008


State Senator: 1997–2004

Obama was elected to the Illinois Senate in 1996 succeeding State Senator Alice Palmer as Senator from Illinois's 13th District which at that time spanned Chicago South Side neighborhoods from Hyde Park – Kenwood south to South Shore and west to Chicago Lawn. Obama resigned from the Illinois Senate in November 2004 following his election to the U.

He then defeated Republican nominee John McCain in the general election and was inaugurated as president on January 20 2009. military involvement in the Iraq War increased troop levels in Afghanistan signed the New START arms control treaty with Russia ordered U. He was re-elected president in November 2012 defeating Republican nominee Mitt Romney and was sworn in for a second term on January 20 2013.