I te marama o Mei 2002, ka tono a Obama i tetahi rangahau hei aromatawai i ana tumanakohanga i roto i te whakataetae Senate o te 2004 o te US. I hangaia e ia he komiti pakanga, ka tiimata te kohikohi moni, ka tu i te kaitohutohu pāpāho torangapu a David Axelrod i te marama o Akuhata 2002. I kii a Obama i tana kaitono i te Hanuere 2003.Ko Obama tetahi o nga hoa whawhai o te whakaekenga a George W. Bush ki Iraq i te tau 2003. I te Oketopa 2, 2002, i te ra i whakaae ai te Perehitini Bush me te Kaunihera ki te whakataunga honohono e whakamana ana i te Pakanga o Iraq, i korero a Obama ki te huihuinga tuatahi o Chicago anti-Iraq War, ka korero ki te pakanga. I korero ia ki tetahi huihuinga anti-war i te Maehe 2003 ka korero ki te mano "kaore ano i te mutunga" ki te aukati i te pakanga. Ko nga whakatau a te Republican tuatahi a Peter Fitzgerald me tana mua Democratic a Carol Moseley Braun kaore i uru ki te pooti tuatahi i puta i te pooti tuatahi a David Axel
Whiringa-ā-rangi 2004