BARACK OBAMA'S ANSWERS as found on choose your candidate washington post CHOOSE YOUR CANDIDATE http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/interactives/candidatequiz/?BARACK OBAMA SAYS:
TOP PRIORITIES:My top priority as president will be ending this warin Iraq, a war that should have never been authorizedand never been waged. In doing so, I will work to keepour country safe from terrorists and to restoreAmerican credibility around the world. Providinguniversal health care to the 47 million Americans whocurrently do not have it will be another top priorityof my administration, as will combating global warmingand putting our country on the path toward energyindependence. But all of the issues that I havefocused on in this campaign -- whether it's creating a21st century education system and fighting poverty orachieving comprehensive immigration reform andstrengthening our economy -- are vitally important andmust be prioritized by the next president. And all ofthese issues share one thing in common: in order tofully address them, we have to do more than changepolitical parties. We have to fundamentally change ourpolitics and transform the way business is done inWashington.
IRAQ WAR: 1IRAQ WAR: 2
SECURITY:
HEALTH CARE
EDUCATION:CHANGES IN EDUCATION:GAY MARRIAGE:CIVIL UNIONS:ABORTION:POOR:GUNS:GUN CONTROL:STEM CELL RESEARCH:
ENERGY: 1ENERGY: 2IMMIGRATION: 1IMMIGRATION: 2
AFFIRMIATIVE ACTION:BUDGET ISSUES: 1BUDGET ISSUES: 2ECONOMY: 1ECONOMY 2:SOCIAL SECURITY: 1SOCIAL SECURITY: 2
CLICK READ MORE TO SEE ALL THE ANSWERS BARACK HAS LISTED AT THIS WASHINGTON POST POLL SITE. I THINK IT GIVES AN EASY READ TO HIS PERSPECTIVES.
BARACK OBAMA'S ANSWERS BARACK OBAMA SAYS:
IRAQ WAR: 1I opposed this war from the beginning, when it wasunpopular to do so, in part because I believed it wasa diversion from the real threat of al Qaeda and thatgiving this President the authority would lead to theopen-ended occupation we find ourselves in today. Nowour soldiers find themselves in the crossfire of acivil war and our military is stretched thin. Isupport beginning the withdrawal of our troops fromIraq immediately, and under the plan I introduced inJanuary 2007, we would have begun withdrawing forcesengaged in combat operations on May 1, 2007. Awithdrawal of our troops is the best leverage we haveto press the Iraqi political leaders to make thepolitical compromises necessary to end their civilwar.
IRAQ WAR: 2What distinguishes my plan from nearly all the othercandidates is that I was among the few with the goodjudgment to have opposed the war from the beginning.Now that we must correct the mistake of authorizingand waging this war, there are only bad options andworse options. Under my plan, we would beginwithdrawing troops immediately. I would maintain afollow on force in and around Iraq to protect ongoingU.S. interests there, including counter-terrorismoperations, training and force protection. Sincesuccess in stopping this civil war requires apolitical solution among Iraq's leaders, I haveproposed a diplomatic surge in Iraq and in theneighboring countries. My plan to end the war alsoseeks to use policy measures now to ensure that ourtroops are not confronted with destabilizing ethnicstrife that undercuts regional stability later. Tothat end, I have proposed that we condition any futureassistance to Iraq on human rights performance, thatwe aggressively seek to assist Iraq's internallydisplaced now, that we increase funding for refugeesin neighboring countries, and that we declare theinternational community's intention to hold theperpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity,and genocide accountable for their crimes.
SECURITY:My first priority would be to end the war in Iraq. Ithas cost America dearly in terms of blood andtreasure, been a diversion from the fight against alQaeda, stretched our military, and undermined the viewof the United States the world wide. Ending the war inIraq will permit us to develop a comprehensivestrategy against terrorism, which will be anotherchief national security priority of my administration.I will ensure that we are taking sufficient actionagainst the terrorists on the right battlefield inAfghanistan and Pakistan; that we develop thecapabilities and partnerships we need to counter theterrorist threat in other parts of the world; that weengage the world to dry up support for terrorism andextremism; that we restore for the rule of law and ourvalues; and that we secure a resilient homeland. Myadministration will also make it a priority to marshala global effort to meet a threat that rises above allothers in urgency -- securing, destroying, andstopping the spread of weapons of mass destruction. Aspresident, I will lead a global effort to secure allnuclear weapons and material at vulnerable siteswithin four years -- the most effective way to preventterrorists from acquiring a bomb. We should fullyimplement the law I passed with Senator Dick Lugarthat would help the United States and our alliesdetect and stop the smuggling of weapons of massdestruction throughout the world. While we work tosecure existing stockpiles of nuclear material, weshould also negotiate a verifiable global ban on theproduction of new nuclear weapons material. Asstarting points, the world must prevent Iran fromacquiring nuclear weapons and work to eliminate NorthKorea's nuclear weapons program. We must also dissuadeother countries from joining the nuclear club.Countries should not be able to build a weaponsprogram under the auspices of developing peacefulnuclear power. That's why we should create aninternational fuel bank to back up commercial fuelsupplies so there's an assured supply and no moreexcuses for nations like Iran to build their ownenrichment plants. And if we want the world todeemphasize the role of nuclear weapons, the UnitedStates and Russia must lead by example. President Bushonce said, 'The United States should remove as manyweapons as possible from high-alert, hair-triggerstatus -- another unnecessary vestige of Cold Warconfrontation.' Six years later, President Bush hasnot acted on this promise. I will. We cannot andshould not accept the threat of accidental orunauthorized nuclear launch. We can maintain a strongnuclear deterrent to protect our security withoutrushing to produce a new generation of warheads.
HEALTH CAREEvery American has the right to affordable,comprehensive and portable health coverage. My planwill ensure that all Americans have health carecoverage through their employers, private healthplans, the federal government, or the states. My planbuilds on and improves our current insurance system,which most Americans continue to rely upon, andcreates a new public health plan for those currentlywithout coverage. Under my plan, Americans will beable to choose to maintain their current coverage ifthey choose to. For those without health insurance Iwill establish a new public insurance program, andprovide subsides to afford care for those who needthem. My plan includes a mandate that all childrenhave health care coverage and I will expandeligibility for the Medicaid and SCHIP programs tohelp ensure we cover all kids. My plan requires allemployers to contribute towards health coverage fortheir employees or towards the cost of the publicplan. Under my plan a typical family will save $2,500each year. We will realize tremendous savings withinthe health care system from improving efficiency andquality and reducing wasted expenditures system-wide.Specifically, these savings will result frominvestments in health information technology,improvements in prevention and management of chronicconditions, increased insurance industry competitionand reduced industry overhead, the provision offederal reinsurance for catastrophic coverage, andreduced spending on uncompensated care.EDUCATION:The goal of the No Child Left Behind Act is the rightone -- ensuring that all children can meet highstandards -- but the law has significant flaws thatneed to be addressed. However, unfulfilled fundingpromises, inadequate implementation by the Departmentof Education, and shortcomings in the design of thelaw itself have limited its effectiveness and undercutits support among many people who care deeply aboutour schools and our students. The shortcomings ofNCLB, however, shouldn't end the conversation. Theyshould be the start of a conversation about how we cando better. One of the greatest troubles of No ChildLeft Behind is that we have spent too much timepreparing students for tests that do not provide anyvaluable, timely feedback on how to improve astudent's learning. We need tests and measurements,but we should ensure that they are useful to improvestudent learning. As president, I will support thecreation of testing models that will: provideeducators and students with timely feedback about howto improve student performance instead of arrivingwith too little too late; measure readiness forcollege and success in an information-age workplace bytesting reading comprehension, writing skills, andother critical thinking skills; and indicate whetherindividual students are actually making progresstoward reaching high standards. Good teachers with thetools to do their jobs should not have to teach to thetest. They should be able to teach a rich curriculum.CHANGES IN EDUCATION:As President, I'd launch a campaign to recruit andsupport hundreds of thousands of newteachers acrossthe country, because the single most important factorinside the school building for a student's achievementis the person standing in front of the classroom. Iwill treat teachers like the professionals they are,making sure they get the pay they deserve, whileworking with them to develop the high standards weneed. We need to create real career opportunities thatreward successful teachers, motivate them to stay inthe profession, and take advantage of their skills tohelp mentor new teachers. Teachers and educators needtime to plan lessons and learn. That time should bemade available each week and in the summer time. Andteachers and principals should be paid for thisadditional work. We can't ignore that the achievementgap is a problem across the country. To tackle thisproblem, the first thing we have to do is close thegap that exists between children before they enterkindergarten by providing high-quality preschoolopportunities to all children. Far too few Latino andAfrican-American children are enrolled in earlychildhood education programs, despite the provensuccesses of such programs. As president, I willincrease funding for Head Start and expand access toPre-K. My plan to attract and retain high-qualityteachers in high-needs districts will also go a longway toward closing this achievement gap. I haveproposed grant funding for prospective teachers toserve residencies with school districts similar totraining in other professional fields like medicine.Prospective teachers will learn from mentor teachers,with stipends provided to teachers-in-training inexchange for a commitment to teach in that districtonce they complete the program. This will provideeffective training of new teachers in high-needsdistricts.GAY MARRIAGE:I oppose the Federal Marriage Amendment.CIVIL UNIONS:I support civil unions.ABORTION:I have been a consistent champion of reproductivechoice and will make preserving women's rights underRoe v. Wade a priority as president. I oppose anyconstitutional amendment to overturn the SupremeCourt's decision in that case.POOR:The federal government has a critical role to play ineradicating poverty. It's a moral outrage that in therichest nation on earth, 37 million Americans areliving in poverty. I will increase federal funding foranti-poverty programs. In addition to passing myuniversal health care plan, I will fully fund theCommunity Development Block Grant program and createan Affordable Housing Trust Fund. I will increasefunding for transitional jobs and career pathwaysprograms and I'll provide greater supports forexoffenders and their families. I will ensure thatminimum wage is indexed for inflation. And I willexpand eligibility and increase the Earned Income TaxCredit to benefit 12 million Americans. Additionally,I have called for the creation of a new program thatreplicates the success of the Harlem Children's Zone-- an all-encompassing, all-hands-on-deck anti-povertyeffort that is literally saving a generation ofchildren in a neighborhood where they were neversupposed to have a chance. As president, an importantpart of my plan to combat poverty will be to replicatethe Harlem Children's Zone in twenty cities across thecountry. These 'Promise Neighborhoods' will focus onaddressing concentrated, intergenerational poverty inour cities. We'll train staff, we'll have them draw updetailed plans with attainable goals, and the federalgovernment will provide half of the funding for eachcity, with the rest coming from philanthropies andbusinesses. I will also create a White House Office ofUrban Policy and have the Director of that Officereport directly to me. Finally, I will providefamilies the support they need to raise theirchildren. I will provide more financial support tofathers who make the responsible choice to help raisetheir children and crack down on the fathers whodon't. And I'll help new mothers with their newresponsibilities by expanding a pioneering programknown as the Nurse-Family Partnership that offers homevisits by trained registered nurses to low-incomemothers and mothers-to-be. My plan will assistapproximately 570,000 first-time mothers each year.GUNS:Yes, I do think that reasonable gun control measuresreduces violent crime and saves lives. I respect theconstitutional rights of Americans to bear arms. Butwe can't deny that gun violence has taken the lives oftoo many Americans. I believe that throughcommon-sense measures, we can keep guns from those whomay pose a threat, while also protecting the rights oflegitimate hunters and sportsmen.GUN CONTROL:I support reasonable, common-sense measures to limitsuch occurrences. I would close the gun-show loopholeand require mandatory background checks on purchasersat gun shows. That loophole has been exploited byeveryone from foreign terrorists to the Columbine HighSchool shooters. Closing it would not impair therights of hunters and other lawful gun owners. I alsobelieve that we should make the expired federalAssault Weapons Ban permanent. Those weapons belong ona foreign battlefield, not on our streets. Finally, Isupport making guns in this country child proof. Thisis, again, a common-sense solution: guns and kidsdon't mix.STEM CELL RESEARCH:No. Each year, 100,000 Americans will developAlzheimer's disease, with impaired memory, ability tounderstand, and judgment. Over 1 million adults willbe diagnosed with diabetes this year, and riskcomplications that include blindness, damaged nervesand loss of kidney function. We all know or have metindividuals with spinal cord injuries, includingnational celebrities, local war heroes and loved onesfrom our own families and circles of friends, who arestruggling to maintain mobility and independence. Formost of our history, medicine has offered little hopeof recovery to the 100 million individuals affected bythese and other devastating illnesses and injuries.Until now. Recent developments in stem cell researchmay hold the key to improved treatments, if not cures,for those affected by Alzheimer's disease, diabetes,spinal cord injury and countless other conditions. Forthis reason, I am a proud supporter of the Stem CellResearch Enhancement Act. The president was wrong toveto it, and I will make sure that it is finallysigned into law when I'm president.
ENERGY: 1Global warming is not just the greatest environmentalchallenge facing our planet -- it is one of ourgreatest challenges of any kind. Combating globalwarming will be a top priority of my presidency, and Iwill attend to it personally. Putting a price oncarbon is the most important step we can take toreduce emissions. I will enact an economy-widemarket-based cap-and-trade system to reduce U.S.carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2050. I will devotesignificant resources from a permit auction towardaccelerating the development and deployment of lowcarbon technologies and addressing the economicchallenges imposed on key industrial sectors. Anothertop priority for my energy and global warming agendawill be changing the cars we drive and the fossilfuels we burn. I will increase fuel efficiencystandards by 4% per year, lift the60,000-per-manufacturer cap on buyer tax credits toencourage more Americans to buy ultra-efficientvehicles, and encourage automakers to make fuelefficient hybrid vehicles. Domestic automakers willget either assistance shouldering their health carelegacy costs in exchange for investing 50 percent ofthe savings into technology to produce morefuel-efficient vehicles or generous tax incentives forretooling assembly plants. I proposed a National LowCarbon Fuel Standard to reduce the lifecyclegreenhouse gas emissions of passenger vehicle fuelssold in the U.S. by 10 percent in 2020 and requireadditional reductions of 1% annually thereafter.ENERGY 2:Yes, I will dramatically increase federal investmentin advanced clean-energy technologies and energyefficiency. I believe that the U.S. can and should bea global leader in the development of alternativeenergy sources, such as ethanol and other biofuels, aswell as wind and solar. We should set benchmarks forproduction so that more companies will invest inproduction and create distribution facilities wherethe average consumer can access biofuels for carsdesigned to run on them. And I believe nationally wemust get more energy from renewable sources andsupport a goal of 20% renewable energy by 2020. Wehave vast potential in this country to produce cleanrenewable energy and reduce our reliance on dwindlingdomestic natural gas reserves. The investmentcertainty provided by a significant RPS will encourageinnovation, bring down the costs of renewable power,encourage necessary investment in new transmission,inspire new domestic industries, and strengthen ruraleconomies. I will also create the 5-E (EnergyEfficiency, Environmental Education and Employment)Disconnected Youth Service Corps. This program willdirectly engage disconnected and disadvantaged youthin energy efficiency and environmental serviceopportunities to strengthen their communities whilealso providing them with practical skills andexperience in important career fields of expectedhigh-growth employment. The program will engageprivate sector employers and unions to provideapprenticeship opportunities.IMMIGRATION: 1I was very disappointed by the Congress's failure topass comprehensive immigration reform. This crisisdemands that we take action. Holes remain in ourborders. Millions of undocumented immigrants persistin the shadows. I will work to pass comprehensivereform that protects our security, bolsters oureconomy, and preserves America's tradition as a nationof immigrants who are welcomed as long as they workhard and play by the rules.IMMIGRATION 2:We need to work in a bipartisan way to achievecomprehensive immigration reform. First, on security,comprehensive reform has to mean gaining operationalcontrol of our borders by using better technology,improving infrastructure, and making smart choicesabout where we deploy resources on the Southern andNorthern borders. These actions can strengthen oursecurity while discouraging people from taking therisk of crossing the border illegally. Second, at theworkplace, we need a simple, but mandatory electronicsystem that enables employers to verify the legalstatus of the people they hire. Third, we need tobring the 12 million undocumented people out of theshadows. We need to be realistic about the fact thatthey are here, we can't deport them, and they havebecome an integral part of our society. We need togive this population a chance to pay a fine, to haveprovisional status in the country, and to get into theback of the line for citizenship.AFFIRMIATIVE ACTION:I support affirmative action. When there is strongevidence of prolonged and systemic discrimination byorganizations, affirmative action may be the onlymeaningful remedy available. Affirmative actionprograms, when properly structured, can open upopportunities otherwise closed to qualified minoritieswithout having an adverse impact on the opportunitiesfor whites. And while I support affirmative action forminorities, I also support efforts to increaseopportunities for qualified students from low-incomecollege to attend colleges and universities --regardless of their race.
BUDGET ISSUES: 1I am committed to restoring fiscal discipline andreforming our current budget and tax system. The mostimportant first step we can take on that path is torestore pay-as-you-go spending rules so that we do notdig ourselves into deeper debt. My priorities will notincrease the deficit. I will pay for each of theinvestments I call for by either cutting otherspending or finding new revenue sources. If in the endI can't find enough offsets to fund all of mypriorities, I will prioritize them. I will protect thetax cuts for the middle class, but I will repeal theunnecessary tax cuts for oil and gas companies and forthe wealthiest Americans.BUDGET ISSUES: 2Yes. I support the tax cuts for low and middle incomefamilies and will work to make them permanent in afiscally responsible way. These are the familiesfacing the greatest economic challenges and anxiety,and they are the ones who should benefit first. I donot support making permanent Bush's tax cuts for thewealthy. Rather than providing expensive,deficit-financed tax cuts that benefit the wealthiestAmericans, we should be working to fix our tax systemto help the middle-class. Extending the Bush tax cutsfor the wealthy simply does not do that.ECONOMY: 1Today's economic growth and federal economic policiesdisproportionately benefit the wealthiest ofAmericans, many of whom have armies of lobbyists andpolitical fundraisers at their disposal. Specialinterests that have spent billions of dollars lobbyingWashington have received preferential tax treatment,scores of congressional earmarks and favorableregulatory decisions at the expense of low andmiddle-income Americans. My top priority in Washingtonis to put America's interests before the specialinterests and ensure that the benefits ofglobalization and economic growth are distributed morefairly in our society.ECONOMY 2:First, I will make strategic, long-term investmentsinto American infrastructure to create more high-wagejobs. I will expand federal funding for basicresearch, make the tax credit for research anddevelopment permanent, and expand the deployment ofbroadband technology, so that businesses can invest ininnovation and create high-paying, secure jobs. And Iwill make investments in education, training, andworkforce development so that Americans can leverageour strengths -- our ingenuity and entrepreneurialism-- to create new high-wage jobs and prosper in a worldeconomy. Second, I will fight against trade agreementsthat undermine American competitiveness and use tradeas a tool to grow American jobs. I will use tradeagreements to spread good labor and environmentalstandards around the world and stand firm againstagreements like the Central American Free TradeAgreement (CAFTA) that fail to live up to thoseimportant benchmarks. Third, I will promote digitalinclusion. Getting broadband Internet access intoevery home and business in urban America at anaffordable rate could give low-income people increasedopportunities to start businesses and engage activelyin our communities.SOCIAL SECUIRTY: 1No, I do not support the privatization of SocialSecurity. I opposed President Bush s privatizationscheme because it would have undermined -- notstrengthened - Social Security. We should not addgreater risk or debt to the system. Otherwise, workerswho contribute to the Social Security System may facethe prospect of inadequate benefits when they retireor if they become disabled if their investments gosour. Workers have lived up to their end of thebargain. Surely, the federal government can do thesame. Social Security is one of the most importantgovernment programs ever created; it provides a vitalsafety net to millions of seniors and Americans withdisabilities. The long-term problem with this programis real but manageable. With a little genuinebipartisan leadership, we can make the necessaryadjustments without gutting the system withprivatization, as President Bush has proposed.SOCIAL SECURITY 2:Social Security is indispensable to our workers andseniors. It is a great reflection of our values andcommitments, and I want to make sure it is solvent andviable for the American people, now and in the future.The focus of reform options should be on protectingthe basic integrity and fairness of Social Security. Iwill work in a bipartisan way to maintain SocialSecurity's solvency for future generations. I believeeverything has to be on the table that is genuinelyintended to strengthen the program. We can close thegap with an equitable mix of benefit and tax changessimilar to those recommended by the bipartisanGreenspan Commission in 1983.
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