Obama’s Vote in Illinois Was Often Just ‘Present’ - New York Times

Excerpt:
"In the end, Mr. Obama chose neither to vote for nor against the bill. He voted “present,” effectively sidestepping the issue, an option he invoked nearly 130 times as a state senator.

Sometimes the “present’ votes were in line with instructions from Democratic leaders or because he objected to provisions in bills that he might otherwise support. At other times, Mr. Obama voted present on questions that had overwhelming bipartisan support. In at least a few cases, the issue was politically sensitive.

The record has become an issue on the presidential campaign trail, as Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, his chief rival for the Democratic nomination, has seized on the present votes he cast on a series of anti-abortion bills to portray Mr. Obama as a “talker” rather than a “doer.”"
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/20/us/politics/20obama.html?ex=1355806800&en=8385d348acbab84e&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss

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