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 Is This the End? By Daniel Politi Posted Tuesday, March 4, 2008, at 6:22 AM ET The New York Times and Washington Post lead with the last day of campaigning before the potentially decisive primaries in Ohio and Texas. Voters in Rhode Island and Vermont also go to the polls today but the big focus tonight will be on the big states that could seal the fate of Sen. Hillary Clinton. The two Democratic candidates engaged in an intense battle of words yesterday over trade and national security while Clinton vowed to stay in the race. "I'm just getting warmed up," she said even as Sen. Barack Obama's aides emphasized she won't be able to catch up in the delegate count. As the Los Angeles Times emphasizes, there now seems to be general agreement that the only way Clinton will conceivably drop out is if she loses both Texas and Ohio, a prospect that is seen as highly unlikely. The Wall Street Journal's world-wide newsbox leads with Israel's withdrawal of its ground troops from the Gaza Strip. The move "lays bare" the difficult situation Israel faces as it tries to both weaken Hamas and continue peace talks with Palestinians in the West Bank. USA Today leads with an interesting poll that shows one-third of Americans ask their doctors about a prescription drug they saw advertised. Of those who asked, 44 percent ended up with the drug they had inquired about, while 82 percent walked away with some sort of prescription. "Our survey shows why the drug companies run all these ads: They work," the president of the Kaiser Foundation said. The LAT leads with the price of oil, which briefly hit an inflation-adjusted record when it reached $103.95 a barrel yesterday. The previous record was set in April 1980, when, adjusted for inflation, oil reached $103.76 a barrel. The falling dollar is seen as a key culprit and many expect oil prices to keep increasing as investors continue to seek protection in commodities. 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 The Upside of Home Foreclosures Health & Science I Hug Trees. Whom Should I Vote For? Business & Technology The Vaguely Lewd New Holiday Inn Express Ads	Advertisement
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In August 2004, with less than three months to go before election day, Alan Keyes accepted the Illinois Republican Party's nomination to replace Ryan. The speech touched off a public debate among rival leaders, some formally challenging Obama's remarks as unfair and improper, others defending his positions. " The book describes his struggles as a young adult to reconcile social perceptions of his multiracial heritage. 55 million for candidates he supports and his own 2010 re-election fund. "President Bush signs the "Coburn-Obama" Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.

In the November 2004 general election, Obama received 70% of the vote to Keyes's 27%. Obama has divested US$180,000 in personal holdings of Sudan-related stock, and he has urged divestment from companies doing business in Iran. In his preface to the 2004 revised edition, Obama explains that he had hoped the story of his family "might speak in some way to the fissures of race that have characterized the American experience, as well as the fluid state of identity—the leaps through time, the collision of cultures—that mark our modern life. Asked to name a "hidden talent," Obama answered: "I'm a pretty good poker player. His parents met while both were attending the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where his father was enrolled as a foreign student.

We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don't like federal agents poking around in our libraries in the Red States. 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. Questioning the Bush administration's management of the Iraq War, Obama spoke of an enlisted Marine, Corporal Seamus Ahern from East Moline, Illinois, asking, "Are we serving Seamus as well as he is serving us?" He continued: When we send our young men and women into harm's way, we have a solemn obligation not to fudge the numbers or shade the truth about why they're going, to care for their families while they're gone, to tend to the soldiers upon their return, and to never, ever go to war without enough troops to win the war, secure the peace, and earn the respect of the world. Speaking to an elderly Jewish audience during his 2004 campaign for U.S. Senate, Obama linked the linguistic roots of his East African first name Barack to the Hebrew word baruch, meaning "blessed. Describing his working life in Illinois, and symbolically linking his presidential campaign to Abraham Lincoln's 1858 House Divided speech, Obama said: "That is why, in the shadow of the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln once called on a house divided to stand together, where common hopes and common dreams still live, I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for President of the United States of America. " During his first two and a half years in the Senate, Obama received Honorary Doctorates of Law from Knox College, University of Massachusetts Boston, Northwestern University, Xavier University of Louisiana, and Southern New Hampshire University. In 1990, The New York Times reported his election as the Harvard Law Review's "first black president in its 104-year history. In 1985, Obama moved to Chicago to direct a non-profit project assisting local churches to organize job training programs.