I do not think that Slate's precis accurately summarizes Sen. Obama's years immediately after leaving Harvard. You say, "After Harvard, Obama returns to Chicago to practice civil rights law at the firm Miner, Barnhill & Galland and teach at the University of Chicago law school." But that's not quite accurate. There's a very long gap from law school graduation until Obama begins to be associated with any law firm. It would be useful to know exactly how many years actually passed between law school graduation and passing the bar/joining a firm. As Sen. Obama has acknowledged, his priorities in these years seem to have been (1) landing a large advance to write his first book (therefore avoiding the need to work at any law firm), and (2) wooing his future wife, already practicing law in Chicago. Fine goals, both of them. But markedly at odds with the experience of virtually every other Harvard Law grad who would have secured his/her offer of future employment (at the very latest) in September-November of their third year of law school. Typically, the offer comes from the prestigious law national firm that the student interned for over the previous summer. In this case, Sidley & Austin. Yet here, either Sidley made no offer of permanent employment, or else he turned it down in order to capitalize on his Time-magazine fueled national celebrity to obtain the book advance that allowed him to follow a different path.

If Sidley made no offer, that would be remarkable, and the reasons for their reluctance would be genuinely relevant to his biography.

Of course, it is likely that Obama interviewed with other national law firms and received additional offers of employment. Or did he? Did he completely eschew the traditional route of success for Harvard Law grads in order to devote himself to creating his autobiography? If so, that is VERY germane to the story of the man himself.

At least one thing we can be sure of. The scenario that Obama surrogate Bob Beckel propounded earlier this week at realclearpolitics.com did not happen, though it would have burnished the Obama bio immensely if it had. Obama did not, as Beckel wrote, turn down numerous offers from prestigious law firms in order to return to Chicago and work as a lowly-paid community organizer. Instead, as we now know, Sen. Obama cashed a large advance check and began to write his autobiography and create the larger than life figure we now know.

These years in his history have to be properly understood if we are to understand the man.

Obama's birth certificate is forged. Start there...........roswell ghost

Of course it is, dear. Why I hear the actual forgery itself was done by Fidel Castro.

Do you have any evidence that Sen. Obama turned down offers from Law firms or are you making a base supposition?

I don't always agree with thewolf, but I respect the hell out of him for calling people on their bullshit.

Obama has his pick of law firms because he not only graduated at the top of his class, he also held the highest student position at Harvard Law.

Incidentally, Obama graduated from Harvard Law in 1991 and returned to Chicago the same year, where the University of Chicago Law School provided him with a fellowship to write a book. He began teaching at U. Chicago in 1992 and took his job with Davis, Miner, Barnhill, and Galland in 1993. In 1992, Obama worked as the director of Project Vote and served as a member of the founding board of Public Allies.

Obama graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Law, where he also held the highest student position, the President of the Harvard Law Review.

Before graduating, he apparently had over 600 law firms interested in hiring him.

Obama instead returned to Chicago, where he had a fellowship from the University of Chicago Law School to write his book. He began lecturing there in 1992 and began working for a law firm in 1993.

Additionally, when he returned to Chicago, Obama did do low-paid community organization work as the director of Illinois' Project Vote and was a founding member of Public Allies.

The two year period from law school graduation to going to work for Miner is hardly a "very long gap." Additionally, it is part of the public record and a very well documented period of Obama's life.

Thanks for providing the details. Now we know that Obama accepted an offer to associate himself with a law firm 3 years after virtually every other member of his Harvard Law School class. That is the part that is either puzzling or illustrative depending on your point-of-view. And the timeline you've provided makes it even more so, I think. I'm not being critical. There's nothing wrong with writing your autobiography in your 20's. But most of us have to go out and get a job and work.

This scenario tells us something about Obama the man and the unusual life he's led. That's all.

This whole line of thought is such total BS. The neocons are digging for any little bit that might put doubt's on Obama.

So, tell me, what happened to that lost weekend in 1962 when McCain was in Bangkok, Thailand? Was he shacked up with some bisexual male prostitutes? Was he hanging out in an opium den?

WE NEED TO KNOW!!!!

scooterhedrick:

This whole line of thought is such total BS. The neocons are digging for any little bit that might put doubt's on Obama.....

Oh of course, scooter. God forbid that someone might do some investigating, particularly of a citizen above suspicion. Right?

If we are going to do a timeline at all of a public figure who seeks the highest office in the land, it has to be complete. Any gap begs the question, what were you doing at this point in your life?

It's like someone applying for a job who leaves out two or three years (or more) where job experience is listed. It's natural for the potential employer to ask, "And during these years you did nothing?" A blank entry looks suspicious. Why not fill it in? What is it that prevents you from doing so? A faulty memory? Or something you don't want the employer to know about?

I know this is an old post, but on 10/7 it shows up when I goodle "Obama timeline". I agree that the tenor and content of this blog article suggests something (but what?) about Obama's self references, or lack thereof. First, he is widely seen as "the one that got away" from Supreme Court Justices. He could "easily" have done a federal clerkship or two, just on his ranking, and ended up a Supreme Court clerk in 1992 or 1993. I doubt he did not get multiple offers at firms. His lack of reference seems to me to be modest and humble, and even if politically motivated could and would only be so as not to make himself appear elitist. He need not be ashamed of being #1 in his class at Harvard and walking away from law firms and federal clerkships, instead he went back to Chicago and worked at education foundations and community work which is totally commendable. To then easily move into law firm work and being a University of Chicago Constitutional Law professor is the dream and envy of any law student. The man is an incredibly impressive intellect, and his heart and character are equally in the same league. I've been waiting to vote for someone like him since I was 16, I don't care if he doesn't self-aggrandize. By the way, McCain was next to last in his Navy class, reportedly because of chronic insubordination and every semester being a member of the "century club" having over 100 demerits. Why doesn't he refer to that?

McCain has referred to his low academic ranking, jokingly, many times.