Barack Obama
Barack Obama
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 The Director's Cuts Posted Friday, Jan. 11, 2008, at 6:05 AM ET The New York Times leads with Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke hinting that the Fed will, once again, be cutting interest rates soon. In his first speech of the year, Bernanke recognized the troubles that lie ahead for the U.S. economy and said the Fed is ready to take "substantive additional actions," which was interpreted to mean that the short-term interest rate will be cut by half a percentage point at the end of the month. The Los Angeles Times leads, and the Wall Street Journal goes across its front page, with news that Bank of America is currently in negotiations to buy Countrywide Financial, the biggest mortgage lender in the country that has seen its stock drop 88 percent in the past year. Countrywide's shares soared 51 percent yesterday when news of the negotiations became public. A takeover by Bank of America would prevent Countrywide from collapsing and causing a huge dent in the U.S. economy. It would be a risky move for Bank of America, but also one that could bring huge financial rewards, assuming the housing market recovers. The Washington Post leads with President Bush saying that Palestinian refugees and their descendents should be compensated for the homes they left behind. After he became the first U.S. president to visit the West Bank city of Ramallah, Bush also declared that it is time for Israel to "end the occupation that began in 1967." USA Today leads with word that only $1 billion of the $4.5 billion in federal money approved for reconstruction of the Gulf Coast has been spent. It's "a sign that key pieces of the region's recovery effort are languishing in red tape," says the paper. The WSJ leads its world-wide newsbox with Sen. John Kerry's endorsement of Barack Obama. To continue reading, click here. Daniel Politi writes "Today's Papers" for Slate. He can be reached at todayspapers@slate.com.Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate News & Politics Don't Laugh. Huckabee's Tax Plan Is Actually Brilliant. News & Politics The Coming Naval War With Iran-- and How To Stop It News & Politics J.K. Rowling Reveals Her Inner Voldemort | Advertisement  |
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