Repost. Originally Appeared March 3.

The most valid argument against Barack Obama is obviously his sparse experience. It's true, he's only been in the US Senate for 3 years (2 of those in a Republican controlled Congress) and 8 years in the Illinois State Senate before that. Experience is something you can only gain with, well, experience, so I won't attempt to argue that Obama is actually very experienced, because the truth is, he isn't. That said, I would argue that experience does not equal good judgment, it doesn't equal good leadership, and in Washington, it certainly doesn't equal a calm and rational temperament.

But I've heard people say, over and over, that Obama hasn't accomplished anything yet. That simply isn't true. It may be thin, but it isn't flimsy.

I decided to blog a small list of some of the more notable "accomplishments" as well as legislative proposals of Barack Obama both as a US and State Senator (and yes, state legislation counts :)).

NOTE: Just because I post it doesn't mean I necessarily agree with it. I simply aim to show that it isn't just "speeches" that drives him.

The Obama-Lugar Initiative - $48 million dollar fund to be used for the destruction of conventional weapons stockpiles approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee.

Of the initiative, Obama said, "I applaud the decision to provide funding to implement the Lugar-Obama initiative – a major step forward in addressing critical security challenges faced by the United States and our allies. Much of this funding will prevent conventional weapons from being used against our service members in places such as Iraq and Afghanistan and from falling into the hands of terrorists and fueling civil wars around the world. This funding will further strengthen our ability to detect and intercept illegal shipments of weapons and materials of mass destruction, enhancing efforts to prevent nuclear terrorism."

His work for veterans - Several proposals and bills at both levels of government for better safeguards for injured veterans. Bipartisan initiatives across the board.

Ethics Reform - In elections , in special interest dealings, and in spending. Obama's rhetoric concerning the cleanup of Washington actually has some gerth behind it. And his propositions for the future reflect many of the original intentions of the founders on keeping the federal government in line. I personally think that this is the strongest part of Obama's legislative record, as well as one of the best aspects of his overall message.

His work with Tom Coburn (R) on government spending transparency, which goes along with the larger ethics reform, is another small example of him "reaching across party lines."

And then there is the "work together" thing. I found this article about some of Obama's work in the Illinois State Senate to be an exceptional example of Obama's ability to work on both sides of the aisle.

Consider a bill into which Obama clearly put his heart and soul. The problem he wanted to address was that too many confessions, rather than being voluntary, were coerced -- by beating the daylights out of the accused.

Obama proposed requiring that interrogations and confessions be videotaped.

This seemed likely to stop the beatings, but the bill itself aroused immediate opposition. There were Republicans who were automatically tough on crime and Democrats who feared being thought soft on crime. There were death penalty abolitionists, some of whom worried that Obama's bill, by preventing the execution of innocents, would deprive them of their best argument. Vigorous opposition came from the police, too many of whom had become accustomed to using muscle to "solve" crimes. And the incoming governor, Rod Blagojevich, announced that he was against it.

Obama had his work cut out for him.

He responded with an all-out campaign of cajolery. It had not been easy for a Harvard man to become a regular guy to his colleagues. Obama had managed to do so by playing basketball and poker with them and, most of all, by listening to their concerns. Even Republicans came to respect him. One Republican state senator, Kirk Dillard, has said that "Barack had a way both intellectually and in demeanor that defused skeptics."

The police proved to be Obama's toughest opponent. Legislators tend to quail when cops say things like, "This means we won't be able to protect your children." The police tried to limit the videotaping to confessions, but Obama, knowing that the beatings were most likely to occur during questioning, fought -- successfully -- to keep interrogations included in the required videotaping.

By showing officers that he shared many of their concerns, even going so far as to help pass other legislation they wanted, he was able to quiet the fears of many.

Obama proved persuasive enough that the bill passed both houses of the legislature, the Senate by an incredible 35 to 0. Then he talked Blagojevich into signing the bill, making Illinois the first state to require such videotaping.

Take it for what it is. There is more, obviously, notably his work in the aftermath of Katrina, but I'll let you look into that on your own. Here are 3 lists (1, 2, 3,) compiled by excellent blogger hilzoy of all the bills and amendments sponsored or authored by both Obama and Clinton in the 109th and 110th Congresses. Compare and contrast if you'd like.