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.

Saturday, January 05, 2008

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS
Act II: A Change In States, Stakes
PORTSMOUTH, N.H., Jan. 4 -- Barack Obama brought his surging presidential campaign to New Hampshire on Friday, looking to put himself in control of the Democratic race with a victory here Tuesday, while Republican Mitt Romney sought to head off a potentially crippling loss by launching a fresh at...
(By Dan Balz and Shailagh Murray, The Washington Post)

Playing Catch-Up May Be Harder This Time
Short Primary Calendar Means Candidates With Momentum Could Just Keep Rolling
(By Michael D. Shear and Peter Baker, The Washington Post)

U.S. Envoy Heads to Kenya as Focus Shifts to Diplomacy
(By Stephanie McCrummen, The Washington Post)

Fighting Reputation of Waste, Electronics Show Goes Green
(By Kim Hart, The Washington Post)

At Darkest Moment, Gibbs Found Spark
Show of Confidence Lifted the Redskins
(By Mike Wise, The Washington Post)

More Today's Highlights

POLITICS
Mum's the Word
NASHUA, N.H., Jan 4 She is indisputably her mother's daughter, as they stand stoically side by side, their wary eyes scanning the crowded, cavernous airplane hangar, facing yet another unsettling crisis, another battle in full public view. The younger woman sidles up to the older one and rubs her...
(By Lois Romano, The Washington Post)

In Calling The Race, The Media Miss by a Mile
(By Howard Kurtz, The Washington Post)

Hedge Fund Lobby Courting Rep. Baker
Capital Markets Expert Mulls Offer
(By Jeffrey H. Birnbaum, The Washington Post)

In West Granite, the Bypassing Parade
Uneasy Neighborhood Finds It's a Dead End On Campaigns' Trail
(By Kevin Merida, The Washington Post)

After a Win, No Time to Lose
(By Dana Milbank, The Washington Post)

More Politics

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NATION
Justices to Consider Death Penalty Issue
The Supreme Court said yesterday that it will decide whether the death penalty may be imposed on someone who rapes a child, reopening the issue of which crimes are punishable by death.
(By Robert Barnes, The Washington Post)

Gun Law Prevents Harm, D.C. Argues
Strict Controls Are Warranted to Quell Violence, Says Brief to Supreme Court
(By Robert Barnes and David Nakamura, The Washington Post)

A Darker Shade Of Green Zone
In Baghdad, Low Expectations Have Supplanted High Ideals
(By Karen DeYoung, The Washington Post)

NATION IN BRIEF
(The Washington Post)

Iowa Winners Woo Opponents' Donors
(By Matthew Mosk, The Washington Post)

More Nation

WORLD
Terror Suspects Hone Anti-Detection Skills
MILAN, Italy -- In an age of spy satellites, security cameras and an Internet that stores every keystroke, terrorism suspects are using simple, low-tech tricks to cloak their communications, making life difficult for authorities who had hoped technology would give them the upper hand.
(By Craig Whitlock, The Washington Post)

Mexican Drug Cartels Threaten Elections
(By Manuel Roig-Franzia, The Washington Post)

U.S. Envoy Heads to Kenya as Focus Shifts to Diplomacy
(By Stephanie McCrummen, The Washington Post)

A Darker Shade Of Green Zone
In Baghdad, Low Expectations Have Supplanted High Ideals
(By Karen DeYoung, The Washington Post)

46,000 Iraqis Have Left Syria
Returns Reflect Security Gains, Aid Workers Say
(By Amit R. Paley, The Washington Post)

More World

METRO
Judge Delays Ruling On GOP Challenge
WESTMINSTER, Md., Jan. 4 -- An attorney for Republican legislative leaders asked a judge Friday to overturn $1.4 billion in Maryland tax increases, alleging that the General Assembly acted fraudulently during a special session in November.
(By Philip Rucker, The Washington Post)

Area Liberians Recount Horrors for Commission
(By Karin Brulliard, The Washington Post)

At 108, 'It's a Beautiful Life'
A Very Senior Citizen Celebrates a Day Most Don't Live to See
(By Yolanda Woodlee, The Washington Post)

Tractor-Trailer Collides With Car on I-270
(By Clarence Williams and Martin Weil, The Washington Post)

Showtime for the Faraway Faithful
Redskins Fans in Seattle Get Some Company Today: The Hometown Team
(By Nick Miroff, The Washington Post)

More Metro

BUSINESS
Job Woes Deepen Economic Anxiety
The unemployment rate soared and job growth came to a near-halt in December, the government said yesterday, as the housing downturn rippled through the economy. It is the strongest evidence to date that growth is slowing.
(By Neil Irwin, The Washington Post)

Area Federal Workers Get 4.49% Raise
Bush Signs Order Affecting About 336,000 in the Region
(By Stephen Barr, The Washington Post)

Hedge Fund Lobby Courting Rep. Baker
Capital Markets Expert Mulls Offer
(By Jeffrey H. Birnbaum, The Washington Post)

Maker of Tainted Dog Food Settles
(By Meg Kinnard, The Washington Post)

Goodbye to Bob
He tested toys relentlessly and became the symbol of the nation's underfunded product safety system, but now America bids . . .
(By Annys Shin, The Washington Post)

More Business

TECHNOLOGY
FDA to Back Food From Cloned Animals
Having completed a years-long scientific review, the Food and Drug Administration is set to announce as early as next week that meat and milk from cloned farm animals and their offspring can start making their way toward supermarket shelves, sources in contact with the agency said yesterday.
(By Rick Weiss, The Washington Post)

Anti-Missile System to Be Tested On Some American Airlines Jets
(By David Koenig, The Washington Post)

Fighting Reputation of Waste, Electronics Show Goes Green
(By Kim Hart, The Washington Post)

Showtime for the Faraway Faithful
Redskins Fans in Seattle Get Some Company Today: The Hometown Team
(By Nick Miroff, The Washington Post)

Warner Bros. Picks Blu-ray Over HD DVD
(By Alex Veiga, The Washington Post)

More Technology

SPORTS
At Darkest Moment, Gibbs Found Spark
Following the death of Sean Taylor, Redskins Coach Joe Gibbs was forced to reevaluate both his coaching and religious values.
(By Mike Wise, The Washington Post)

What a Journey, Man
(By Liz Clarke, The Washington Post)

Congressional Panel Asks Clemens to Testify
(By Dave Sheinin, The Washington Post)

Wizards Cruise In Milwaukee
Wizards 101, Bucks 77
(By Ivan Carter, The Washington Post)

Ayala Expects to Recover from Hunting Injury
(By Barry Svrluga, The Washington Post)

More Sports

STYLE
Mum's the Word
NASHUA, N.H., Jan 4 She is indisputably her mother's daughter, as they stand stoically side by side, their wary eyes scanning the crowded, cavernous airplane hangar, facing yet another unsettling crisis, another battle in full public view. The younger woman sidles up to the older one and rubs her...
(By Lois Romano, The Washington Post)

NAMES & FACES
(The Washington Post)

Horror Without The Gore
In Spanish-Language Movies, Terror Is in the Dark Corners of the Soul
(By Desson Thomson, The Washington Post)

In West Granite, the Bypassing Parade
Uneasy Neighborhood Finds It's a Dead End On Campaigns' Trail
(By Kevin Merida, The Washington Post)

In Calling The Race, The Media Miss by a Mile
(By Howard Kurtz, The Washington Post)

More Style

EDITORIALS
Purple Promises
UNDERSTANDABLY, much has been made of the Iowa caucus results as a reflection of voters' desire for change. Both winners, Republican Mike Huckabee and Democrat Barack Obama, took on their parties' establishments, and both promise a new era in Washington. But the two share something else as well: a...
(The Washington Post)

Georgia's Way Back
It starts, but does not end, with elections today.
(The Washington Post)

Judge Hogan
The District will miss his leadership and versatility.
(The Washington Post)

More Editorials

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