Illinois Sen. Barack Obama on the issues

[Ron Burgundy]

AP - Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record)'s positions on a sampling of issues:

_Abortion: Favors abortion rights. As Illinois lawmaker, opposed restrictions on public financing of abortions.

_Global warming: Co-sponsored bill that would set mandatory caps on greenhouse gas emissions and raise energy costs. Plan would require emissions to return to 2004 levels by 2012 and to 1990 levels by 2020.

_Health care: Wants universal coverage by 2012; details not specified.

_Immigration: Voted to give illegal immigrants a route to citizenship after they pay fines and back taxes, learn English, satisfy a work requirement and pass a criminal background check. Voted for building a fence along Mexican border, and toughening requirements that citizens be given preference for jobs over guest workers.

_Iran: Proposed regional conference that includes Iran, Syria and other neighbors, aimed at stabilizing Iraq. In 2004 Senate campaign, held out possibility of military action against Iran if sanctions designed to stop its nuclear program did not work.

_Iraq: Supports capping troop levels at 130,000, beginning withdrawal May 1 and completing pullout of combat brigades by March 31, 2008.

_Stem cell research: Supports relaxing restrictions on federal financing of embryonic stem cell research.

source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070210/ap_on_el_pr/obama_issues [link]