Barack Obama is an outstanding orator. He can lift our spirits and get us motivated. Millions of Americans, who are frustrated with our government, who have been told by the media over and over again that they are hurting in their lives, have been looking for someone to lead them to a higher standard of living and a conflict free foreign interaction. Is he the one? Does he have what it takes to cleanly free us from foreign conflict with no residual effects, to balance our national budget, to give us many more entitlements (entitlements now take up over 60% of our national budget), take away hunger from the poor, and permanently house the homeless?

This is a frightening task. It will take someone with skill, experience, and the ability to get political leaders from both parties to follow him and trust in him. Does Barack Obama have that experience, skill, and the ability to get the other party to trust him?

2/27/08 - NOTE: when this blog was posted on my Wordpress blog, the University of Chicago had the CV posted, now they have taken down the Obama CV they had posted. The following, while it can no longer be fact checked, was taken from their web site when this blog was written.

The Curriculum Vitae (resume) as taken from The University of Chicago The Law School web site (on 02/13/08), in its entirety and unedited (http://www.law.uchicago.edu/faculty/obama/cv.html).   The School has now made the CV unavailable for viewing on their web site.

Curriculum Vitae

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Barack Obama
Senior Lecturer in Law (on leave of absence)
1111 East 60th Street
Chicago, IL 60637
phone: 773-834-0935
email: bobama@aol.com

EDUCATION
Harvard Law School, J.D. 1991, Magna xxx Laude. (The Townhall Blog software will not allow the full term term, because it says it is inappropriate language - sorry all you great students - the three letter word used in Academic settings with Magna and Laude starts with a C)
President, Harvard Law Review
Executive Board, Black Law Students' Association
Columbia University, Bachelor of Arts, Political Science, 1983

EXPERIENCE

United States Senator, Illinois, 2004-present

Illinois State Senator - 13th Legislative District, Chicago, 1996 - 2004
Minority Spokesperson for the Public Health & Welfare Committee, Member of the Judiciary and Revenue Committees, Co-Chair of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules.
Areas of legislative interest include welfare reform; public school funding and accountability; tax accountability and tax fairness; campaign finance and ethics reform; job training and workforce preparation; economic development and technology access; and juvenile justice issues.

University of Chicago Law School
Senior Lecturer, 1993 - present (now 02/27/08 on The Law School web site an update: "This faculty member is no longer active at the University of Chicago Law School")

Miner, Barnhill & Galland, P.C.
Of Counsel, 1996 - present
Specializing in civil rights and voting rights litigation, employment law, and the representation of not-for-profit and community development corporations in urban redevelopment activities.
Associate, 1993 - 1996
Litigated voting rights and employment cases, wrote appellate briefs and argued appeals in the United States Court of Appeals, helped to structure and finance efforts to construct mixed-income housing to replace public housing in and around Cabrini Green, served as general counsel to community health clinics, social service agencies, and charter schools throughout Chicago.

Illinois Project Vote
Director, April 1992 - November 1992
Organized and directed a voter registration and education campaign targeted at minority and low-income voters in Cook County. Recruited and managed 10 paid staff and 700 volunteers; helped raise $200,000 for the project; coordinated a companion multi-media campaign; established office and reporting systems. Resulted in approximately 150,000 newly registered voters in the 1992 Presidential election.

Developing Communities Project
Director, June 1985 - June 1988
Organized and directed a not-for-profit community development program in low-income areas of Chicago's Far South Side. With a membership of over twenty churches and civic groups, the organization trained local leaders to formulate and execute a range of community development projects, including job training programs for area unemployed, college prep programs for low-income students, parent initiatives to reform public schools, and campaigns to clean up hazardous waste sites.

Business International Corporation
Writer/Financial Analyst, January 1984 - January 1985
Researched, wrote and edited articles, reports, and how-to manuals on international business and finance for multinational corporations.

It appears that the skill and experience to take on the leadership of this nation is lacking. Perhaps he can engender the trust of political leaders from the other party to help make the earthmoving changes he would like to see. The following is taken from the Washington Post web site (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/13/AR2007121301788.html) as they report on Barack's interaction with another Illinois State Senator. It helps us with the trust piece of the puzzle.

"...Even on the campaign trail, Obama tries to squeeze in some hoops. His personal aide, Reggie Love, played for Duke's 2001 national championship team. "There is nothing worse than losing to Barack Obama," Love, 25, told the Chicago Tribune. "You never hear the end of it." Obama, 46, has rarely suffered from a lack of confidence -- whether on the court or in the pursuit of public office. In 1996, he sought the Illinois state Senate seat of Alice Palmer, who was running for Congress and who endorsed him. But when her congressional bid sagged, she decided she wanted to keep her seat and asked Obama to move aside. Not only did he decline, but he challenged the legality of her nominating petitions and those of other candidates, ultimately knocking them all off the Democratic primary ballot..."

Well, so much for trust! Does he have what it takes to lead a multi-trillion dollar government and be the leader of the free world? Does he have either executive experience managing a government or international savvy dealing with rogue or hostile foreign nations? He has great desires for the nation, but is he the one to be put in charge to deliver on those hopes and dreams?

If you are interested in how Barack Obama reaches across party lines to bring change and to work together - how he is new and fresh - click on the blog URL below