Barack Obama

Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii to Barack Obama, Sr. (born in Nyanza Province, Kenya) and Ann Dunham (born in Wichita, Kansas). Barack Hussein Obama (born August 4, 1961) is the junior United States Senator from Illinois and a member of the Democratic Party.

Obama grew up in culturally diverse surroundings. He spent most of his childhood in the majority-minority U.S. state of Hawaii and lived for four years in Indonesia. Obama delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention while still an Illinois state legislator. Since announcing his candidacy in February 2007, Obama has emphasized ending the Iraq War and implementing universal health care as campaign themes.

As a member of the Democratic minority in the 109th Congress, Obama co-sponsored the enactment of conventional weapons control and transparency legislation, and made official trips to Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Obama's parents separated when he was two years old and later divorced. His father went to Harvard University to pursue Ph.D. studies, then returned to Kenya, where he died in an auto accident when the younger Obama was twenty-one years old.

Thursday, December 27, 2007

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS
Mortgage Probes Face Big Hurdles
The nation's largest banks are losing billions of dollars from the mortgage debacle. But will pain from bad housing bets be compounded by government investigations?
(By Carrie Johnson, The Washington Post)

Grading Disparities Peeve Parents
With No Baseline Among Districts, Some Say Students Suffer
(By Jay Mathews, The Washington Post)

Democrats Enter Stretch in Iowa
As Clinton Emphasizes Experience, Obama and Edwards Call for Change
(By Anne E. Kornblut and Dan Balz, The Washington Post)

For McCain, It Could Be State of Resurgence
Wide-Open Caucuses Offer Hope To a Candidate Who Has Lagged
(By Michael D. Shear, The Washington Post)

Small-Scale Businesses Forestall a Green India
Many Can't Afford Or Grasp Need for Energy Efficiency
(By Rama Lakshmi, The Washington Post)

More Today's Highlights

POLITICS
Democrats Enter Stretch in Iowa
MOUNT PLEASANT, Iowa, Dec. 26 -- With just eight days left to break a three-way deadlock in the Democratic contest here, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton began delivering a closing argument Wednesday that centered on the experience she and her husband gained in the Oval Office during his administratio...
(By Anne E. Kornblut and Dan Balz, The Washington Post)

For McCain, It Could Be State of Resurgence
Wide-Open Caucuses Offer Hope To a Candidate Who Has Lagged
(By Michael D. Shear, The Washington Post)

Bush Signs Domestic Spending Bill but Criticizes Pet Projects
(By Amy Gardner, The Washington Post)

Wars Cost $15 Billion a Month, GOP Senator Says
(By Walter Pincus, The Washington Post)

More Politics

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NATION
Grading Disparities Peeve Parents
Marcy Newberger grew up in Montgomery County and attended Churchill High School. Then she moved to Fairfax County and had children, who attended McLean High School. Both were fine schools in good systems, with one irritating difference.
(By Jay Mathews, The Washington Post)

Death at San Francisco Zoo Is Probed
Two Brothers Also Injured in Christmas Attack; Police Investigating Animal's Escape
(By Marc Kaufman and Sylvia Moreno, The Washington Post)

Housing Bust Hits Hard Where Boom Was Biggest
(By Allan Lengel, The Washington Post)

More Nation

WORLD
Small-Scale Businesses Forestall a Green India
FARIDABAD, India -- Ashok Gupta's modest plastic-packaging factory is the oldest in town, and its age shows. The root of all his problems is electricity.
(By Rama Lakshmi, The Washington Post)

Six French Citizens Found Guilty in Chad
Sentences in Kidnap Case Call for Hard Labor
(By Molly Moore, The Washington Post)

China Vows Fair Play in Its Global Search for Oil and Gas
(By Edward Cody, The Washington Post)

Turkish Warplanes Again Cross Border To Bomb in N. Iraq
Strike Against Rebel Kurds Is at Least 3rd In 10 Days; White House Urges Restraint
(By Ellen Knickmeyer and Joshua Partlow, The Washington Post)

2nd Aspirant To Russia's Presidency Quits Race
(By Peter Finn, The Washington Post)

More World

METRO
Group: Key Cleanup Programs Take Hit in U.S. Spending Bill
An analysis of the federal spending bill signed into law by President Bush yesterday revealed cuts to programs key to cleaning up the Chesapeake Bay, according to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
(By Rosalind S. Helderman, The Washington Post)

Ready or Not, a Home of Their Own
(By Marc Fisher, The Washington Post)

In Franconia, a House Divided
Three Years After a Devastating Fire, a Small Baptist Church Remains In Ruins, Split on Growth and Other Issues Common to the D.C. Area
(By Amy Gardner, The Washington Post)

In Prince William, a Triple Pinch
Credit, Housing Troubles, Political Crackdown Hurt Immigrant Businesses
(By Cecilia Kang, The Washington Post)

A Clear Day in D.C.
Glass Buildings Are All the Rage in Washington As Architects Adopt Modern Design and Attitude
(By Paul Schwartzman, The Washington Post)

More Metro

BUSINESS
Mortgage Probes Face Big Hurdles
The nation's largest banks are losing billions of dollars from the mortgage debacle. But will pain from bad housing bets be compounded by government investigations?
(By Carrie Johnson, The Washington Post)

Can't Win With Your Eyes Shut
(By Michelle Singletary, The Washington Post)

Sallie Mae Bids to Raise $2.5 Billion In Stock Sale
(By David S. Hilzenrath, The Washington Post)

Small-Scale Businesses Forestall a Green India
Many Can't Afford Or Grasp Need for Energy Efficiency
(By Rama Lakshmi, The Washington Post)

A Clear Day in D.C.
Glass Buildings Are All the Rage in Washington As Architects Adopt Modern Design and Attitude
(By Paul Schwartzman, The Washington Post)

More Business

TECHNOLOGY
Small-Scale Businesses Forestall a Green India
FARIDABAD, India -- Ashok Gupta's modest plastic-packaging factory is the oldest in town, and its age shows. The root of all his problems is electricity.
(By Rama Lakshmi, The Washington Post)

Va. Firm's War Gear Includes Tourniquets
Innovation Tested for Military Use
(By Michael Felberbaum, The Washington Post)

Technology Consumers Got More Choice in '07
(By Rob Pegoraro, The Washington Post)

More Technology

SPORTS
Destiny Beckons, But Dallas Looms
With Dallas possibly resting its stars, the Redskins may not know which players they'll see but know they need to beat the hated Cowboys.
(By Thomas Boswell, The Washington Post)

Lightning Held in Check
Bradley, Steckel, Laing Help Caps Snap Three-Game Skid: Capitals 3, Lightning 2
(By Tarik El-Bashir, The Washington Post)

With a Late Charge, Wizards Snap Out of It
Wizards 108, Bobcats 104
(By Ivan Carter, The Washington Post)

Purdue Wins Motor City Bowl
Purdue 51, Central Michigan 48
(By LARRY LAGE, AP)

Celtics Beat Kings 89-69
Boston 89, Sacramento 69
(By JOSH DUBOW, AP)

More Sports

STYLE
In a Time of Posturing, Didion Dared 'Slouching'
An occasional series in which The Post's book critic reconsiders notable and/or neglected books from the past.
(By JONATHAN YARDLEY, The Washington Post)

The Steepest Climb
For Black Candidates, the Presidency Has Long Been Out of Reach. In 2008, the Goal Doesn't Seem So Unattainable.
(By Kevin Merida, The Washington Post)

NAMES & FACES
(The Washington Post)

The Overripe Fruit of John Alexander's Labors
(By Blake Gopnik, The Washington Post)

Jazz Jam: Quite a Spread At the Kennedy Center
(The Washington Post)

More Style

EDITORIALS
Middle East Bog
IT'S BEEN one month since Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met in Annapolis to launch the first Middle East peace negotiations in seven years. When they meet again today, they will have cause to reflect on how much can go wrong when the world's most notor...
(The Washington Post)

A Court in Need
The Senate should act on nominations to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit.
(The Washington Post)

Rank and Fire
A burning question: Obey an order -- or go to the rescue?
(The Washington Post)

More Editorials

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