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.



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today's papers Catching Mitt By Joshua Kucera Posted Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2008, at 5:59 AM ET The New York Times leads with a long, gloomy assessment of Pakistan's security services, which have "lost control" of some of the militant groups that they created and nurtured since the 1980s. The Washington Post leads locally; its top national story is a comparison of how the presidential campaigns are approaching Super Tuesday, Feb. 5, when 52 percent of the Democratic delegates and 41 percent of the Republicans will be selected. USA Today leads with a primary poll showing that Hillary Clinton is still ahead nationwide but Barack Obama is closing, and that John McCain has a healthy lead over the rest of the Republican field. The Los Angeles Times leads with a California poll showing the same two leaders, but that Clinton has a large lead over Obama there and that the Republican race is much tighter than it is nationally. The Wall Street Journal tops its world-wide newsbox with the Bush administration saying it wants to sell Saudi Arabia precision-guided "smart" bombs. It's impossible to be everywhere on Super Tuesday, so the candidates are having to prioritize, the Post writes. Clinton is concentrating on racking up big numbers of delegates in her "home" base of New York and New Jersey, as well as California and Arkansas, which together account for nearly half of the Super Tuesday delegates. Obama's campaign says he is less focused on delegates and more on winning states, especially his home of Illinois and many traditional GOP strongholds in the West. As for the Republicans, the race is still so chaotic that they are focusing more not getting left behind in the pre-Super Tuesday votes in Michigan, South Carolina and Florida. To continue reading, click here. Joshua Kucera is a freelance writer based in Washington, D.C. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE \| READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Business & Tech The Semi- Famous Vermonter Who Wants You To Buy Cheese Travel & Food Can I Prove the Bible Is True With a Week and a Shovel? News & Politics How the Justice Department Blew the Steroids Investigation	Advertisement
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