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.



Now playing: *Slate V, a video-only site from the world's leading online magazine. Visit Slate V* at www.slateV.com.
today's papers The Big Steal By Daniel Politi Posted Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2008, at 6:32 AM ET The Washington Post and USA Today lead with Sen. Barack Obama's decisive victory over Sen. Hillary Clinton in the Wisconsin primary. With almost all the precincts reporting, Obama managed to get 58 percent of the vote to Clinton's 41 percent to mark his ninth-straight victory since Super Tuesday. On the Republican side, Sen. John McCain continued racking up victories over Mike Huckabee in Wisconsin and Washington. During his victory speech, McCain acted as if the Democratic nominee had already been decided and pointedly criticized Obama for offering "an eloquent but empty call for change." As was widely expected, Obama also won the Hawaii caucuses by a landslide, according to early-morning wire reports. The Los Angeles Times and the Wall Street Journal's world-wide newsbox lead with, and everybody fronts, Fidel Castro's announcement that he will step down as Cuba's head of state after holding on to power for almost 50 years. "The resignation closes a singular chapter in modern political history," says the Post. Leaders in Washington emphasized there isn't likely to be any modifications in U.S. policy toward Cuba and most believe there won't be any big changes in the island while Castro is still alive. Meanwhile, in Pakistan, the winners of Monday's election made it clear there are lots of changes in store, says the New York Times in its lead story. The leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party said his party would seek to hold talks with militants in the country's tribal areas and move away from a reliance on the military that is widely seen as following orders from the United States. He also said the new parliament would quickly restore independence to the judiciary and get rid of restrictions on the media. 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 Lexus' Cryptic New Hybrid Ad News & Politics Why Recall Meat Sold Two Years Ago? News & Politics Obama's Michelle Problem	Advertisement
Ideas on how to make something better? Send an e-mail to newsletters@slate.com. Manage your newsletters on Slate Unsubscribe \| Newsletter Center \| Advertising Information Please do not reply to this message since this is an unmonitored e-mail address. If you have questions about newsletters, please go here. Copyright 2008 Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive Co. LLC \| Privacy Policy Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive \| c/o E-mail Customer Care \|1515 N. Courthouse Rd. \| Arlington, VA 22201