Name: Barack Obama
Party: Democratic 
Official Website: http://www.barackobama.com/
Bio:
Barack Obama was born in Hawaii and grew up with his mother in Hawaii, and for a few years in Indonesia. Later, he moved to New York, where he graduated from Columbia University in 1983. After college, he moved to Chicago in 1985, where he became a community organizer with a church-based group seeking to improve living conditions in poor neighborhoods plagued with crime and high unemployment. He went on to earn his law degree from Harvard in 1991, and returned to Chicago to practice as a civil rights lawyer and teach constitutional law. His advocacy work led him to run for the Illinois State Senate, where he served for eight years. In 2004, he became the third African American since Reconstruction to be elected to the U.S. Senate, and serves on the Veterans' Affairs Committee. His wife, Michelle, and his two daughters, Malia, 9, and Sasha, 6, live in Chicago.
Where This Candidate Stands On The Issues:
What is your plan to end the war in Iraq?
Senator Obama introduced legislation in January 2007 to redeploy U.S. forces no later than May 1, 2007 with the goal of removing all combat brigades from Iraq by March 31. The plan allows for a limited number of U.S. troops to remain in Iraq as basic force protection, to engage in counter-terrorism and to continue the training of Iraqi security forces. If the Iraqis are successful in meeting the 13 benchmarks for progress laid out by the Bush Administration, this plan also allows for the temporary suspension of the redeployment, provided Congress agrees that the benchmarks have been met.
What is your plan to help solve the credit crunch?
Obama believes stiff penalties to deter fraud and protect consumers against abusive lending practices must be in place. Obama introduced the STOP FRAUD Act, which would increase funding for federal law enforcement programs, create new criminal penalties for mortgage professionals found guilty of fraud, and require industry insiders to report suspicious activity. In addition to taking important steps to prevent mortgage fraud from occurring in the future, Barack Obama would establish policies to help Americans currently facing foreclosure through no fault of their own. Obama would create a fund to help people refinance their mortgages and provide comprehensive supports to innocent homeowners. The fund would also assist individuals who purchased homes that are simply too expensive for their income levels by helping to sell their homes.
How would you improve the US’s education system?
Obama supports increasing funding for the Head Start program. Obama introduced a plan to support school districts that implement innovative methods to improve student learning, to support and reward successful teachers, instructional teams, and school leaders. Under his initiative, 20 districts across the country would get grants to develop innovative plans in consultation with their teacher unions. Successful teachers, and those who take on new responsibilities, such as mentoring new teachers, will be eligible for pay increases beyond their base salary. He would also reform and fund the No Child Left Behind Act.
How would you combat the problems of climate change?
Obama supports implementation of a market-based cap-and-trade system to reduce carbon emissions 80% by 2050. Obama would gradually increase CAFE standards at 4% per year to improve fuel efficiency. Obama would also implement a plan to transition toward fuels that emit less carbon dioxide.
