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From his days leading The Harvard Law Review to his victorious presidential campaign, Barack Obama has always run meetings by a particular set of rules.
Everyone contributes; silent lurkers will be interrogated. (He wants to “suck the room of every idea,” said Valerie Jarrett, a close adviser.) Mention a theory and Mr. Obama asks how it translates on the ground. He orchestrates debate, playing participants off each other — and then highlights their areas of agreement. He constantly restates others’ contributions in his own invariably more eloquent words. But when the session ends, his view can remain a mystery, and his ultimate call is sometimes a surprise to everyone who was present.
Those meetings, along with the career they span, provide hints about what sort of president Mr. Obama might be. They suggest a cool deliberator, a fluent communicator, a professor with a hunger for academic expertise but little interest in abstraction. He may be uncomfortable making decisions quickly or abandoning a careful plan. A President Obama would prize consensus, except when he would disregard it. And his lifelong penchant for control would likely translate into a disciplined White House.
Winning the presidency is the latest in a lifetime of dramatic, self-induced transformations: from a child reared in Indonesia and Hawaii to a member of Chicago’s African-American community; from an atheist to a Christian; from a wonkish academic to the smoothest of politicians; and now, from an upstart who eight years ago was crushed in a Congressional race to the first black commander in chief of the only superpower on earth.
Turning deficits into assets — a skill Mr. Obama learned in his 20s as a community organizer — could well be called the motto of his rise. With his literary gifts, he transformed a fatherless childhood into a stirring coming-of-age tale. He used a glamourless state senator’s post as the foundation of his political career. He mobilized young people — never an ideal base, because of thin wallets and historically poor turnout — into an energetic army who in turn enlisted parents and grandparents. And even though his exotic name, Barack Hussein Obama, has spurred false rumors and insinuations about his background and beliefs, he has made it a symbol of his singularity and of America’s possibility.
But in the Oval Office, Mr. Obama would have a new set of deficits. Just 47 years old and only four years into a national political career, he has never run anything larger than his campaign. He began his run for president while he was still getting lost in Washington, a city he does not yet know well. His promises are as vast as his résumé is short, and some of his pledges are competing ones: progressive rule and centrist red-blue fusion; wholesale transformation and down-to-earth pragmatism.
Mr. Obama’s ambition and confidence have long confounded critics and annoyed rivals. In 2006, the still-new United States senator appeared before Washington’s elite at the spring dinner of the storied Gridiron Club, and as tradition dictated, roasted himself. He ticked off the evidence of his popularity: the Democratic convention speech that had won him national celebrity, the best-selling books, the magazine covers.
“Really, what else is there to do?” he said in mock innocence. “Well, I guess I could pass a law or something.”
He passed a few. By the end of the year, he was running for president.
Milestones: Barack Obama
An interactive timeline of Barack Obama’s life and career.
Multimedia
Barack Obama’s Victory Speech
Interactive video and transcript of the president-elect’s address in Chicago on election night.
Video: John McCain’s SpeechMultimedia
Analyzing Obama’s Speech
Interactive video of Barack Obama’s stump speech in Florida, with notes from Jeff Zeleny.
A Less Guarded Barack Obama
A series of interviews from 2001 to 2004 provides a glimpse of Barack Obama before he was a national figure.
The Long Run
Once a Convention Outsider, Obama Navigated a Path to the Marquee
Just eight years ago, Barack Obama was not on the guest list for the Democratic National Convention. Yet his evolution as a politician can be seen as a narrative centered on his party’s conventions.
Teaching Law, Testing Ideas, Obama Stood Slightly Apart
In his 12 years teaching at the University of Chicago Law School, Barack Obama was both popular and enigmatic.
Discussion With Law Experts
Obama’s Organizing Years, Guiding Others and Finding Himself
Barack Obama’s years as a grass-roots organizer have figured prominently, if not profoundly, in his narrative.
The Story of Obama, Written by Obama
Barack Obama has packaged his life story into two hugely successful books that have made him a best-selling millionaire.
Pragmatic Politics, Forged on the South Side
Barack Obama’s ability to replicate and expand the eclectic coalition he built in Chicago has brought him to the brink of the Democratic presidential nomination.
Graphic: The Name Game
The Free-Spirited Wanderer Who Shaped Obama’s Path
People who knew Stanley Ann Dunham Soetoro well say they see her influence unmistakably in her son, Senator Barack Obama.
Obama in Senate: Star Power, Minor Role
In Barack Obama’s time in the Senate, there are two competing elements: his celebrity and the realities of the job he was elected to do.
Old Friends Say Drugs Played Bit Part in Obama’s Young Life
Barack Obama has admitted to using illegal drugs as a teenager, but others remember him as a model of moderation.
A Biracial Candidate Walks His Own Fine Line
Barack Obama’s postracial style is the reason for much of his political success, but it also has its pitfalls.
Video: Obama Generation
Obama’s Account of New York Years Often Differs From What Others Say
Some say that Barack Obama has taken some literary license in portraying the time he spent in Manhattan.
In 2000, a Streetwise Veteran Schooled a Bold Young Obama
Class emerged as a subtext during Barack Obama’s failed attempt to unseat an incumbent congressman on the South Side of Chicago.
Audio Slide Show: Obama’s Failed Race for Congress
In Illinois, Obama Proved Pragmatic and Shrewd
In the Illinois State Senate, Barack Obama brought an eye for opportunity and a willingness to compromise.
More Articles in the Series »Multimedia
Reporter’s Notebook: Senator Obama in Berlin
Barack Obama addressed over 200,000 people, according to German estimates, in what looked like a street festival in typical German style.
Campaign Conversations: Barack Obama
John Harwood of The New York Times and CNBC interviews Senator Barack Obama about gas prices, taxes, housing and other economic issues.
Barack Obama Navigator
A list of resources from around the Web about Senator Barack Obama as selected by researchers and editors of The New York Times.
- Transition Web Site
- Campaign Web Site
- Senate Web Site
- Information from VoteSmart.org
- List of Foreign Policy Advisers from the Connect U.S. Fund
- Almanac of American Politics Entry (subscription required)
Multimedia
Obama at the Convention
Interactive video and transcript of Senator Barack Obama’s speech in Denver on Aug. 28.
Obama’s Speech on Race
Interactive video and transcript of Barack Obama’s speech in Philadelphia on March 18.
Multimedia
Obama’s Announcement
With his official entry into the race, Senator Barack Obama’s campaign enters a more difficult phase.
Highlights From the Archives
Obama Elected President as Racial Barrier Falls
Barack Hussein Obama was elected the 44th president of the United States, as the country chose him as its first black chief executive.
November 5, 2008U.S.News
Obama and ’60s Bomber: A Look Into Crossed Paths
Records of a school reform project suggest Barack Obama has played down contact with Bill Ayers, a founder of the Weathermen, but they do not seem to have been close.
October 4, 2008U.S.News
Obamanomics
Barack Obama is both more left-wing and more right-wing than many people realize. A 15-year debate among economics experts in the Democratic Party helps explain why.
August 24, 2008MagazineNews
Obama Chooses Biden as Running Mate
Word of Senator Barack Obama’s decision leaked out hours after he had informed Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana and Gov. Tim Kaine of Virginia that they had not been chosen.
August 24, 2008U.S.News
For Convention, Obama’s Image Is All-American
Democrats face a number of imperatives at their convention, none trickier than making more voters comfortable with Barack Obama’s background.
August 18, 2008U.S.News
Obama, in Shift, Says He’ll Reject Public Financing
Barack Obama’s decision to break a pledge to use public money will likely transform presidential campaigns, raising doubts about the future of public financing.
June 20, 2008U.S.News
Barack Obama: Calm in the Swirl of History
Mr. Obama is a protean figure who inspires devotion in his supporters but remains inscrutable to critics.
June 4, 2008U.S.News
A Strained Wright-Obama Bond Finally Snaps
Senator Barack Obama’s falling out with his former pastor was long and painful, say friends and aides.
May 1, 2008U.S.News
Obama Urges U.S. to Grapple With Race Issue
Barack Obama confronted the divisions between black and white as he sought to dispel the furor over his pastor’s words.
March 19, 2008U.S.News
Closing Income Gap Tops Obama’s Agenda for Economic Change
Senator Barack Obama said Friday that the top priority of the next president should be to create a more lasting and equitable prosperity than achieved by either President Bush or even Bill Clinton.
February 2, 2008U.S.Series
Kennedy Chooses Obama, Spurning Plea by Clintons
Senator Edward M. Kennedy’s endorsement pits members of the nation’s most prominent Democratic families against each other.
January 28, 2008U.S.News
Is (His) Biography (Our) Destiny?
Barack Obama says his experience gives him a guide to making a “post-post-9/11” foreign policy. Whether Americans will relinquish their fear is another question.
November 4, 2007MagazineNews
Obama Envisions New Iran Approach
In an interview, Senator Barack Obama said that forging a new relationship with Iran would be part of his effort to stabilize Iraq.
November 2, 2007U.S.Series
Obama Promises a Forceful Stand Against Clinton
Senator Barack Obama said he would start confronting Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton more forcefully, in response to concerns about his lack of assertiveness.
October 28, 2007U.S.News
2 Years After Big Speech, a Lower Key for Obama
The senator is not presenting himself, stylistically at least, the way he did when he gripped Democrats in 2004.
April 8, 2007U.S.NewsAs Quickly as Overnight, a Democratic Star Is Born
In his quest for the Democratic nomination for the United States Senate, Barack Obama was, by many measures, supposed to lose.
March 18, 2004U.S.NewsARTICLES ABOUT BARACK OBAMA
Lessons for Other Smokers in Obama’s Efforts to Quit
Barack Obama’s pattern matches that of millions of other people who have resolved but stumbled in their efforts to give up cigarettes.
December 29, 2008Gaza Crisis Is Another Challenge for Obama, Who Defers to Bush for Now
The attack presents the president-elect with yet another foreign crisis to deal with when he enters the White House, even as he has struggled to focus on the country’s economic problems.
December 29, 2008George, Abe, Rick & Barack
I look forward to Barack Obama’s inauguration with a surprising degree of hope and good cheer.
December 29, 2008Axelrod Puts Stimulus Plan at $675 to $775 Billion
President-elect Barack Obama’s political adviser also said the administration would go ahead with a tax relief plan.
December 29, 2008Health Care With a Few Bucks Left Over
By combining organized systems of medical care with the competition created by a health insurance exchange, Barack Obama could achieve large savings.
December 28, 2008Call Off the Immigrant Hunt
Barack Obama should stop illegal entrants at the border when possible, but refrain from hunting them down once they cross the border.
December 28, 2008You’re Likable Enough, Gay People
Barack Obama’s disingenuous defense of his tone-deaf invitation to the Rev. Rick Warren is an asterisk to the joyous inaugural of our first black president.
December 28, 2008Win, Win, Win, Win, Win ...
We have got to stop “taking off the table” the gasoline tax, the tool that would add leverage to everything we want to do at home and abroad.
December 28, 2008A New Chance for Darfur
Sudan fears the Obama administration, and now for the first time in years, there’s a real chance of ousting President Omar Hassan al-Bashir and ending his murderous regime.
December 28, 2008More Cops on the Street
The Obama administration needs to resist the urge to pass new laws purporting to supplement our already top-heavy inventory of crime-fighting tools.
December 28, 2008An Emissions Plan Conservatives Could Warm To
We need to impose a tax on the thing we want less of (carbon dioxide) and reduce taxes on the things we want more of (income and jobs).
December 28, 2008The Pre-Blame Game
As President Bush fogs up history’s rearview mirror, Barack Obama does have a clean slate. He deserves none of the pre-emptive blame his critics are trying to assign to him.
December 28, 2008Recruiting the Best
President-elect Barack Obama should consider these steps to ensure the high-quality Army that America needs.
December 28, 2008Oahu Loses Electricity During Obama Visit
Crews gradually restored electrical service after a power failure blacked out the island’s population of about 900,000 and thousands of visitors, including President-elect Barack Obama.
December 28, 2008Nixon’s the One to Imitate on Education
At a moment when we’ve basically nationalized the banking, mortgage and insurance industries, a little nationalization of school operating costs is in tune with the times.
December 28, 2008Governor Blagojevich’s Bombast
If the governor were less narcissistic, he would leave public service so constituents might get beyond the embarrassment of his administration.
December 28, 2008The American Agenda
Experts give Barack Obama advice on crime, education, energy, health care and immigration.
December 28, 2008Blagojevich Panel Declines to Subpoena 2 Obama Aides
The Illinois House committee considering the removal of Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich has rejected a request from the governor’s lawyer to subpoena Rahm Emanuel and Valerie Jarrett.
December 28, 2008G.O.P. Receives Obama Parody to Mixed Reviews
A parody distributed by a candidate for party chairman a song called “Barack the Magic Negro” has sparked debate within the Republican Party.
December 28, 2008Blagojevich Defense Wants Top Obama Aides to Testify
The defense for Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich wants members of Barack Obama’s transition team to testify before the impeachment panel.
December 27, 2008Mr. Obama and Mr. Putin
If Barack Obama wants better relations with Russia, he should start by cutting back on the belligerent talk and invite the Russians to high-level discussions.
December 27, 2008Put Culture in the Cabinet
How President-elect Barack Obama can demonstrate a commitment to the preservation and celebration of American culture in these challenging times.
December 27, 2008Behind Analyst’s Cool Demeanor, Deep Anxiety Over American Policy
Former Middle East analyst Bruce Riedel is one of a chorus of terrorism experts who see Al Qaeda’s base in the mountains of Pakistan as America’s greatest threat.
December 27, 2008Alert the Media: Obama Has Made a Break for It
During Barack Obama’s Hawaiian vacation, this passes for a bulletin: The president-elect ditched his “press pool” to take his daughters to a water park.
December 27, 2008Obama Follows a Tradition, Testifying for Prosecutors
President-elect Barack Obama may have set a land speed record by giving his first interview to investigators even before taking the oath of office.
December 26, 2008Getting Immigration Right
In a time of economic crisis, it is especially vital to uphold workers’ rights, even for those here illegally. Exploitation erodes working conditions and job security everywhere.
December 26, 2008Obama Follows a Tradition of Testifying for Prosecutors
President-elect Barack Obama may have set a land-speed record by giving his first interview to investigators even before taking the oath of office.
December 26, 2008Barack Be Good
President-elect Barack Obama has said that he wants to “make government cool again.” Before Mr. Obama can make government cool, however, he has to make it good.
December 26, 2008Obama’s Zen State, Well, It’s Hawaiian
As Barack Obama vacations in Hawaii, his friends say his mood embodies the Aloha Spirit.
December 25, 2008The Intersection of Poetry and Politics
As America’s fourth inaugural poet, Elizabeth Alexander will have an outsize platform for her elliptical work.
December 25, 2008
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