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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2009
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Clinton and Obama: A Tale of Two Senators

Brief legislative careers reveal much about candidates

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(Newser) – The Senate isn’t a powerful presidential launching pad, but Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama arrived there amidst whispers of executive ambitions, and each charted a very different course, the LA Times reports. Clinton swiftly established herself as an inside operator, forging alliances and focusing on her state, while Obama traded on his outsider image to champion ethics reform.

Neither candidate sponsored landmark legislation, but each had victories. Clinton delivered for New York after 9/11 and passed several small healthcare reforms. She took a seat on the Armed Services Committee, bolstering her security credentials. Obama, meanwhile, thought big. He joined the Foreign Relations Committee and soon cosponsored anti-proliferation legislation. Soon he was pushing unpopular ideas in his ethics crusade.

Senate Environment and Public Works Committee members, Democratic President hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., right, and Sen. Thomas Carper, D-Del., take part in the committee's hearing on the licensing process for the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste repository, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2007, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Dennis...
Senate Environment and Public Works Committee members, Democratic President hopeful Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., right, and Sen. Thomas Carper, D-Del., take part in the committee's hearing on...   (Associated Press)
Democratic presidential hopeful, Barack Obama, right, huddles with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., left, on Capitol Hill in Washington in this Jan. 31, 2007 file photo during the committee's hearing on Iraq. Based on his Senate history, Obama as president would likely push to expand human...
Democratic presidential hopeful, Barack Obama, right, huddles with Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., left, on Capitol Hill in Washington in this Jan. 31, 2007 file...   (Associated Press)
Senate Foreign Relations Committee member, Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. listens to testimony during the confirmation hearing for Deputy Secretary of State-designate John Negroponte, on Capitol Hill in Washington in this Jan. 30, 2007 file photo. Based on his Senate history, Obama as president would likely push to...
Senate Foreign Relations Committee member, Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. listens to testimony during the confirmation hearing for Deputy Secretary of State-designate John...   (Associated Press)
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