Barack Obama
Barack Obama
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 Breaking Up is Hard To Do Posted Wednesday, April 30, 2008, at 6:24 AM ET The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal's world-wide newsbox lead with, while everyone else fronts, Sen. Barack Obama denouncing Rev. Jeremiah Wright and angrily breaking off relations with his former pastor. Obama said Wright's appearance at the National Press Club on Monday, where he reiterated some of his most controversial views and spoke well of Louis Farrakhan, amounted to "a show of disrespect to me" and "an insult to what we've been trying to do in this campaign." The Los Angeles Times leads with a look at how rising concerns about the country's economic health is leading politicians to "scramble for a response." So far at least, the proposals being put forward are not new and would do little to help the average consumer. But Washington politicians are doing a good job of pointing fingers at the other side for failing to do anything. USA Today leads with news that governments at all levels are increasing the number of workers on their payrolls faster than anytime in the past six years. In the first three months of the year, federal, state, and local governments added 76,800 jobs while private companies got rid of 286,000 workers. Economists say the government can help a tightening economy by increasing jobs, but warn that this strategy can also lead to future financial problems. The Washington Post leads locally but goes across the top with the fourth installment of its "Global Food Crisis" series, which takes a look at how "ethanol plants are swallowing more and more of the nation's corn crop" at a time when food prices are rising around the world. "The price of grain is now directly tied to the price of oil," the president of the Earth Policy Institute said. "We used to have a grain economy and a fuel economy. But now they're beginning to fuse." 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 Arts & Life Forget Miley Cyrus. Check Out Disney's Chinese Underwear Ad. News & Politics The Strategic Wisdom of Obama's Gas-Tax Position News & Politics The New York Times Travel Section Plays Hide the Salami | Advertisement  |
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