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 Truth, Lies, and Intelligence By Daniel Politi Posted Monday, March 10, 2008, at 6:28 AM ET The Los Angeles Times leads with word that the Senate Intelligence Committee is getting ready to release a critical analysis of claims that were made by Bush administration officials in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq. The long-delayed report, which is one of the last in a series of investigations relating to the Iraq war, sounds like it could be a bombshell but officials emphasized it reaches a "mixed verdict" in its evaluation of whether the White House misused intelligence to make the case for war. USA Today leads with new documents that claim Federal Aviation Administration officials gave Southwest Airlines preferential treatment and allowed the company to skip important safety inspections for years. The New York Times leads with news that the leaders of Pakistan's two main political parties agreed to a power-sharing deal and vowed to reinstate judges who were fired by President Pervez Musharraf. The announcement is likely to lead the new government into a direct confrontation with Musharraf since the judges could decide to challenge his reelection. The new coalition also said it would work toward rescinding many of Musharraf's powers, including his ability to dissolve Parliament. The Washington Post leads with a look at how colleges and universities are working to adapt to changes in the country's demographic landscape (the NYT had a similar story yesterday). Starting next year, there will be fewer high school graduates coupled with a steep increase in the number of minority students who traditionally are less likely to go to college. Some higher education institutions, including big public universities, are likely to adapt well to these changes, while smaller schools in remote areas could suffer. The Wall Street Journal leads its world-wide newsbox with Sen. Barack Obama's victory in Wyoming, which is likely to be followed by a win in tomorrow's Mississippi primary. The paper also notes up high that several big-name Democrats have come out in favor of holding mail-in primaries in Michigan and Florida. 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 Why Aren't Iraq War Veterans More Anti-War? News & Politics Three Lawsuits That Could Really Mess Up the Democratic Campaign Arts & Life A Reality Show About High-School Reunions	Advertisement
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