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.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS
Farms May Be Exempted From Emission Rules
Under pressure from agriculture industry lobbyists and lawmakers from agricultural states, the Environmental Protection Agency wants to drop requirements that factory farms report their emissions of toxic gases, despite findings by the agency's scientists that the gases pose a health threat.
(By Elizabeth Williamson, The Washington Post)

Finding Political Strength in the Power of Words
Oratory Has Helped Drive Obama's Career -- and Critics' Questions
(By Alec MacGillis, The Washington Post)

Democratic Governors See McCain As Formidable
They Cite His Life Story, His Appeal to Independents
(By Dan Balz, The Washington Post)

NATO Confronts Surprisingly Fierce Taliban
Militia Undermines Rebuilding Efforts in Southern Province of Uruzgan
(By Molly Moore, The Washington Post)

Pr. George's Ex-Official Convicted In Shooting
Self-Defense Claim Is Rebuffed by Jury
(By Ruben Castaneda, The Washington Post)

More Today's Highlights

POLITICS
Finding Political Strength in the Power of Words
The 2008 presidential campaign has witnessed the rise of a whole arsenal of new political weapons, including Internet fundraising and sophisticated microtargeting of voters. For Sen. Barack Obama, however, the most powerful weapon has been one of the oldest.
(By Alec MacGillis, The Washington Post)

Team Clinton: Down, and Out of Touch
(By Dana Milbank, The Washington Post)

Democratic Governors See McCain As Formidable
They Cite His Life Story, His Appeal to Independents
(By Dan Balz, The Washington Post)

Liberal Advocacy Groups Take Aim at McCain
(By Jonathan Weisman and Michael D. Shear, The Washington Post)

Clinton Compares Obama to Bush
Foreign Policy Experience at Issue
(By Perry Bacon Jr., The Washington Post)

More Politics

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NATION
Satellite Fuel Tank Thought Destroyed
The missile that took down a disabled spy satellite last week almost certainly destroyed a tank filled with potentially harmful hydrazine fuel, the Pentagon said yesterday.
(By Marc Kaufman, The Washington Post)

N.Y. Police on Trial in Wedding-Day Killing
50 Shots Fired At Unarmed Man
(By Robin Shulman, The Washington Post)

In Major Poll, U.S. Religious Identity Appears Very Slippery
(By Michelle Boorstein and Jacqueline L. Salmon, The Washington Post)

Farms May Be Exempted From Emission Rules
(By Elizabeth Williamson, The Washington Post)

Symphonic Diplomacy, With Odd Overtones
N.Y. Philharmonic Takes 'Bold Step' Into North Korea's Closed State
(By Blaine Harden, The Washington Post)

More Nation

WORLD
NATO Confronts Surprisingly Fierce Taliban
TARIN KOT, Afghanistan -- Lt. Col. Wilfred Rietdijk, a 6-foot-7 blond Dutchman, took command of his military's reconstruction team in the southern Afghan district of Deh Rawood in September. Tranquil and welcoming, it seemed like the perfect place for the Netherlands' mission to help rebuild this...
(By Molly Moore, The Washington Post)

South Africa to Resume Elephant Culling
End of 13-Year Ban Follows Large Growth in Herds; Opponents Threaten Tourism Boycotts
(By Craig Timberg, The Washington Post)

Symphonic Diplomacy, With Odd Overtones
N.Y. Philharmonic Takes 'Bold Step' Into North Korea's Closed State
(By Blaine Harden, The Washington Post)

Iraq Sounds Alarm on Clashes in North
Turkey Warned Not to Expand Offensive Against Kurdish Rebels
(By Sudarsan Raghavan, The Washington Post)

Putin's Likely Successor, Pledging Support for Serbia, Signs Pipeline Deal
(By Danica Kirka, The Washington Post)

More World

METRO
Tax-Relief, Transportation Proposals Essentially Killed This Year
RICHMOND, Feb. 25 -- The Virginia Senate defeated a tax-relief proposal Monday that would have given homeowners as much as a 20 percent break on their real estate assessments.
(By Sandhya Somashekhar and Tim Craig, The Washington Post)

26 Alleged Gang Members Face Indictment on Racketeering Charges
(By Ernesto Londo¿o, The Washington Post)

Bid to Buy Community Near Bethesda Aborted
(By Miranda S. Spivack, The Washington Post)

Pr. George's Ex-Official Convicted In Shooting
Self-Defense Claim Is Rebuffed by Jury
(By Ruben Castaneda, The Washington Post)

Immigration Agency Accused of Illegal Searches
(By N.C. Aizenman, The Washington Post)

More Metro

BUSINESS
Varsity Group Agrees To Sale
Varsity Group, a Fairfax firm that once had ambitions of becoming the Amazon.com for the textbook set, yesterday agreed to sell itself to an Illinois education company for about $3.8 million.
(By Zachary A. Goldfarb, The Washington Post)

In Shift, Ashcroft to Testify on Oversight Deal
(By Carrie Johnson, The Washington Post)

Financial Futures
(Martha M. Hamilton, washingtonpost.com)

Visa's IPO Could Ease Some Banks' Subprime Pain
Credit Card Firm Seeks to Raise $18.8 Billion
(By Tomoeh Murakami Tse, The Washington Post)

Immigration Agency Accused of Illegal Searches
(By N.C. Aizenman, The Washington Post)

More Business

TECHNOLOGY
FCC Head Says Action Possible on Web Limits
The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission yesterday sharply questioned Internet service providers who control consumers' Web access over their networks, and suggested the agency could intervene against the practice.
(By Cecilia Kang, The Washington Post)

Latest E-Mail Scam Offers Reprieve -- at a Price -- From Killer-for-Hire
(By Karin Brulliard, The Washington Post)

GAO Finds Data Protection Lagging
(By Christopher Lee, The Washington Post)

'Quarterlife': Blogged-Down Connections
(By Tom Shales, The Washington Post)

Satellite Fuel Tank Thought Destroyed
Pentagon Points to Analysis of Debris
(By Marc Kaufman, The Washington Post)

More Technology

SPORTS
Wizards Buzz the Hornets In Clutch
DeShawn Stevenson caps a career-night by drilling a three-pointer at the buzzer to propel the Wizards to a stunning 95-92 victory over the Hornets on Monday.
(By Ivan Carter, The Washington Post)

Clearly, He Stands Alone
(By Michael Wilbon, The Washington Post)

Cordero Has a Lot on His Plate -- a Diet Included
(By Dave Sheinin, The Washington Post)

As Goalies Go, He's a Keeper
Carvallo Joins United With the Best Endorsement of All -- Mom's
(By Steven Goff, The Washington Post)

Charlotte's Wallace Remains Woozy
(The Washington Post)

More Sports

STYLE
It Just Isn't Fair
LOS ANGELES, Feb. 25 If nature abhors a vacuum (not that anyone in this town knows what a vacuum is), does Hollywood abhor the absence of a Vanity Fair Oscars party? Oh, stop the whining. So what if it feels like a school night? We're still crashing, whatever we can, however we can. Party report...
(By William Booth and Hank Stuever, The Washington Post)

'Hold On,' Obama: This Isn't Your Song
(By Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts, The Washington Post)

Obama Photo Swaddled in Mystery of Its Intent
(By Philip Kennicott, The Washington Post)

Pullman Porters Helped Others Reach Their Destination
(By David Montgomery, The Washington Post)

'Quarterlife': Blogged-Down Connections
(By Tom Shales, The Washington Post)

More Style

LIVE DISCUSSIONS
Book World: Pictures at a Revolution
Mark Harris, columnist for Entertainment Weekly and author of "Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood," discusses his book.
(Mark Harris, washingtonpost.com)

Freedom Rock
(J. Freedom du Lac, washingtonpost.com)

Opinion Focus
(Eugene Robinson, washingtonpost.com)

Lean Plate Club
Talk About Nutrition and Health
(Sally Squires, washingtonpost.com)

The War Over the War
(Thomas E. Ricks, washingtonpost.com)

More Live Discussions

Bad Numbers
LIKE CASUALTY reports from a war of attrition, statistics about the American residential real estate market keep coming in, each grimmer than the last. The most recent alarming number is this one from Moody's Economy.com: Nearly 8.8 million U.S. homes, or about 10.3 percent of the total, are wort...
(The Washington Post)

Kenya's Last Chance
As the country's political leaders dither, the risk of civil war is mounting.
(The Washington Post)

An End to Impunity
A Prince George's jury convicts Keith Washington, and sends a message.
(The Washington Post)

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