"Fact Check: Obama's 'Present' Votes"

The Clintons contend That Obama sometimes voted ''present'' on tough abortion issues rather than take a firm stand. In fact Obama has a %100 voter rating on issues that were important to pro-choice groups such as planned parenthood, pro-choice america, etc... The Clintons are twisting the truth on many of Senator Obama's positions because they are afraid of a real fight on the issues. Tom Daschle, the former Senate majority leader and Obama supporter, denounced Bill Clinton's conduct as "not keeping with the image of a former president". "I think it destroys the party. Ultimately it's going to divide us, and it's going to have a lasting effect down the road," Daschle said. This is a tactic we have seen previously used against Democratic candidates from republicans. In fact John Kerry said, "I support Barack Obama because he doesn't seek to perfect the politics of Swiftboating - he seeks to end it." This is personal for me, and for a whole lot of Americans who lived through the 2004 election." The facts must be known!

THE FACTS:

2006 Senator Obama supported the interests of the NARAL Pro-Choice America 100 percent in 2006.

2006 Senator Obama supported the interests of the Planned Parenthood 100 percent in 2006.

2005-2006 Senator Obama supported the interests of the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association 100 percent in 2005-2006.

2005-2006 Senator Obama supported the interests of the National Right to Life Committee 0 percent in 2005-2006.

2005 Senator Obama supported the interests of the NARAL Pro-Choice America 100 percent in 2005.

2003 Senator Obama supported the interests of the Illinois Planned Parenthood Council 100 percent in 2003.

Obama acknowledges that over nearly eight years in the Illinois Senate, he voted ''present'' 129 times. That was out of roughly 4,000 votes he cast...

Illinois legislators often vote ''present'' and for a wide variety of reasons. Sometimes blocs of lawmakers do it as a protest in some dispute over rules and procedures. Obama was often joined in his ''present'' votes by 10 or 20 other senators.

In other cases, lawmakers do it to signal objections to the details of a measure that they support in principle. They also use ''present'' votes as strategic moves to defeat legislation...

Clinton highlights several of Obama's ''present'' votes that she considers questionable regarding abortion -- But the Illinois Planned Parenthood Council says Obama's ''present'' votes were actually part of a careful strategy to prevent those restrictions from passing.

President Pam Sutherland said the group feared several senators were going to vote ''yes'' on the legislation because of attacks from Republicans over their past opposition. Sutherland says she approached Obama and convinced him to vote ''present'' so that the wavering senators would do the same. For their purposes, a ''present'' was as good as an outright ''no'' because it kept the bills from reaching the majority needed to pass.