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 Kennedy Seal of Approval By Daniel Politi Posted Monday, Jan. 28, 2008, at 6:17 AM ET The New York Times leads with news that Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts will endorse Sen. Barack Obama today. Even though Kennedy had previously said he would stay neutral in the race, he apparently changed his mind after growing increasingly frustrated with the tone of Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign. Kennedy has vowed to campaign strongly for Obama, and could help him gain support among union workers and Hispanics, who are a core part of Clinton's supporters. Despite Obama's wide victory in South Carolina, and his newly gained establishment endorsement, he still faces a tough road ahead in the battle for the 22 states that will hold contests on Feb. 5, says the Los Angeles Times in its lead story. As the Wall Street Journal also notes in the lead spot, Obama clearly trails Clinton in nationwide polls, and is behind in most of the big states that will vote on Tsunami Tuesday. The Washington Post leads with a look at tonight's State of the Union speech and notes that it will be difficult for President Bush to get Americans to listen to what he has to say due to his low approval ratings and the fact that so much of the public's attention is being consumed by the presidential primaries. Tonight will mark the first time in four years that Bush will be able to stand up and credibly say there has been progress in Iraq, but now the economy has taken over as the top issue and that will be the real focus of tonight's address. Bush is likely to shy away from any big policy initiatives and will instead focus on "unfinished business" he hopes to get done by the end of the year. USA Today says that by focusing on legislation, and not his legacy, Bush will be "stealing a page from Ronald Reagan's playbook." USAT leads with a look at how drivers can expect to see more expensive tolls across the country as states try to deal with budget shortfalls caused by the decline in the housing and credit markets. 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 Business & Tech Zenware: How To Build a Distraction- Free Desktop Health & Science It's Time for Us To Start Drinking Toilet Water Sports I Just Bought Six Shares of a Minor League Ballplayer	Advertisement
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