dcbrown thanks for writing back. To be honest with you I actually like these discussions with smart people. And I'm honest enough to guess that I'm not going to change your mind at this late point. But for the sake of discussion you bring up his senate record and his pen. So, in response, here's what I have for you:

1. Obama's first sole-sponsored bill offered humanitarian aid to the Darfur region and was signed into law by Bush in December 2006. He has Samantha Powers, an expert in genocide on his staff that helped bring this to his attention.

2. He partnered first with Sen. Richard Lugar, and then with Sen. Tom Coburn, Obama successfully introduced two initiatives bearing his name. "Lugar-Obama" expands the Nunn-Lugar cooperative threat reduction concept to conventional weapons, including shoulder-fired missiles and anti-personnel mines to help combat terrorism around the world.

3. The "Coburn-Obama Transparency Act" provides for a web site, managed by the Office of Management and Budget, listing all organizations receiving Federal funds from 2007 onward, and providing breakdowns by the agency allocating the funds, the dollar amount given, and the purpose of the grant or contract.

4. In 2005, he co-sponsored the "Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act" introduced by Sen. John McCain. He later added three amendments to the "Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act", which passed the Senate in May 2006, but failed to gain majority support in the U.S. House of Representatives

5.Obama worked with Russ Feingold to eliminate gifts of travel on corporate jets by lobbyists to members of Congress and require disclosure of bundled campaign contributions under the "Honest Leadership and Open Government Act", which was signed into law in September 2007.

6. He joined Charles Schumer in sponsoring S. 453, a bill to criminalize deceptive practices in federal elections, including fraudulent flyers and automated phone calls, as witnessed in the 2006 midterm elections.

7. He sponsored with John McCain of a climate change bill to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by two-thirds by 2050.

8. In 2007 Obama also introduced the "Iraq War De-Escalation Act", a bill to cap troop levels in Iraq, begin phased redeployment, and remove all combat brigades from Iraq before April 2008.

9. Later in 2007, Obama sponsored with Kit Bond an amendment to the 2008 Defense Authorization Act adding safeguards for personality disorder military discharges, and calling for a review by the Government Accountability Office following reports that the procedure had been used inappropriately to reduce government costs.

10. He sponsored the "Iran Sanctions Enabling Act" supporting divestment of state pension funds from Iran's oil and gas industry, and joined Chuck Hagel in introducing legislation to reduce risks of nuclear terrorism. A provision from the Obama-Hagel bill was passed by Congress in December 2007 as an amendment to the State-Foreign Operations appropriations bill.

11. Obama also sponsored a Senate amendment to the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to provide one year of job protection for family members caring for soldiers with combat-related injuries. After passing both houses of Congress with bipartisan majorities, SCHIP was vetoed by President Bush in early October 2007, a move Obama said "shows a callousness of priorities that is offensive to the ideals we hold as Americans."

That last phrase is an example of what I call using his pen like a sword--that criticism of Bush resonates and is substantive and meaningful.

Here are two more examples of his pen being used for good:

1. Following meetings with U.S. military in Kuwait and Iraq in January 2006, Obama visited Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian territories. At a meeting with Palestinian students two weeks before Hamas won the legislative election, Obama warned that "the U.S. will never recognize winning Hamas candidates unless the group renounces its fundamental mission to eliminate Israel."

2. He left for his third official trip in August 2006, traveling to South Africa, Kenya, Djibouti, Ethiopia and Chad. In a nationally televised speech at the University of Nairobi, he spoke forcefully on the influence of ethnic rivalries and corruption in Kenya. The speech touched off a public debate among rival leaders, some formally challenging Obama's remarks as unfair and improper, others defending his positions. (wikipedia)

If you prefer Clinton, I understand and I do respect that. But I hope that you can also agree that Obama is not the "lightweight" that some have made him out to be, and that his rhetoric is sometimes matched by political courage and creative imagination that is, as Toni Morrison says, wise beyond his age.

Cheers. I get to vote in the California primary tomorrow and I can't wait!

Clinton-McCain

or

McCain-Obama

Who will overcome the "senate curse"?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections08/story/0,,2252418,00.html

Are you the one doing push-polling in California? You sound so muffled and mysterious.

As for insurance lobby money, I guess you are misinformed. Obama doesn't have the most insurance PAC money of any candidate (I'll let you guess who does).

And as for universal coverage there is an article earlier today in Salon by Andrew Leonard that discusses the Obama's economic strategist has to say about his health plan

this is the article its based on:

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/daniel_koffler/2008/01/substance_not_style.html

and it carries a powerful argument for incentives.

Also, Clinton saying that she will dock people's pay for health coverage may not play well in a general election. Neither might her "pork barrel" ways that play into the public perceptions of liberals as spendy vs. McCain who was a forerunner in campaign finance reform

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections08/story/0,,2252418,00.html

And here is a factcheck to also compare and contrast Clinton verses Obama's health care plans in more detail:

http://www.factcheck.org/clinton_vs_obama.html