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.

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

TODAY'S HIGHLIGHTS
Frustrated Senators See No Exit Signs
Asked repeatedly yesterday what "conditions" he is looking for to begin substantial U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraq after this summer's scheduled drawdown, Army Gen. David H. Petraeus said he will know them when he sees them. For frustrated lawmakers, it was not enough.
(By Karen DeYoung and Thomas E. Ricks, The Washington Post)

Federal Credit Cards Misused
GAO Cites Charging Of Frivolous Items
(By Dan Eggen, The Washington Post)

The Gospel, According to Luke
Pittsburgh's Young Mayor Wants City to Line Up Behind Clinton
(By Eli Saslow, The Washington Post)

Losing a Best Friend Along With the House
(By Steve Hendrix, The Washington Post)

Airline Passengers Face Even More Fees
Higher Charges Aim To Offset Fuel Costs
(By Del Quentin Wilber, The Washington Post)

More Today's Highlights

POLITICS
A 'Conditions-Based' Answer
Several senators asked Gen. David H. Petraeus when and under what conditions he would recommend further reductions of U.S. forces from Iraq, after an assessment this summer. The general's responses, as an exchange with Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.) shows, were less than specific.
(The Washington Post)

ANALYSIS: Frustrated Senators See No Exit Signs
(By Karen DeYoung and Thomas E. Ricks, The Washington Post)

Federal Credit Cards Misused
GAO Cites Charging Of Frivolous Items
(By Dan Eggen, The Washington Post)

A Plea From Petraeus
Extending the Drawdown in Iraq Could Imperil Gains, General Tells Lawmakers
(By Peter Baker and Jonathan Weisman, The Washington Post)

The Gospel, According to Luke
Pittsburgh's Young Mayor Wants City to Line Up Behind Clinton
(By Eli Saslow, The Washington Post)

More Politics

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NATION
Airline Passengers Face Even More Fees
Airline passengers, already enduring persistent flight delays and other customer service headaches, are confronting another aggravation: mounting fees for everything from checking a second bag to sending a child alone on a trip.
(By Del Quentin Wilber, The Washington Post)

Federal Credit Cards Misused
GAO Cites Charging Of Frivolous Items
(By Dan Eggen, The Washington Post)

ANALYSIS: Frustrated Senators See No Exit Signs
(By Karen DeYoung and Thomas E. Ricks, The Washington Post)

Dissent May Shift Torch's Route at Last Minute
(By Karl Vick, The Washington Post)

Inside the Compound
(The Washington Post)

More Nation

WORLD
Sadr Cancels Million-Man Rally in Baghdad
BAGHDAD, April 8 -- Moqtada al-Sadr, the anti-American Shiite cleric whose militia has been battling Iraqi and U.S. soldiers over the past two weeks, said Tuesday he was calling off a million-man rally because he feared it would lead to further bloodshed.
(By Amit R. Paley, The Washington Post)

China Uses Heavy Hand Even With Its Gadflies
(By Edward Cody, The Washington Post)

Taking On the President's Family
Legislator Accuses Chávez Relatives of Stealing From State
(By Juan Forero, The Washington Post)

IOC Panel To Discuss Altering Torch Relay
Disruptive Protests Might Bring End To International Leg
(By Jill Drew, The Washington Post)

A Plea From Petraeus
Extending the Drawdown in Iraq Could Imperil Gains, General Tells Lawmakers
(By Peter Baker and Jonathan Weisman, The Washington Post)

More World

METRO
Compromises Play Key Role in O'Malley Legislative Wins
By the time the confetti fell at the close of Maryland's 90-day legislative session Monday night, Gov. Martin O'Malley had racked up far more wins than losses. But some of those victories arguably should be recorded with asterisks.
(By John Wagner, The Washington Post)

Bank Robbery Remains Baffling
Bowie Man's Friends and Family Saw Nothing to Predict Fatal Act
(By Hamil R. Harris and Dan Morse, The Washington Post)

Losing a Best Friend Along With the House
(By Steve Hendrix, The Washington Post)

A Capital City With The Devil in the Details?
These Roads Aren't Paved With Good Intentions
(By Dan Morse, The Washington Post)

One Living Memorial and Too Many Dead
(By Courtland Milloy, The Washington Post)

More Metro

BUSINESS
Despite Growing Bad Rap, NAFTA a Net Plus, Experts Say
The North American Free Trade Agreement is once again a prime scapegoat for the nation's growing economic troubles, drawing blame for sending jobs overseas and flattening wages for U.S. workers. That sentiment has intensified as the economy has deteriorated, a fall punctuated last week by the ste...
(By Michael A. Fletcher, The Washington Post)

IMF Puts Cost of Crisis Near $1 Trillion
Problems 'Metastasized' To Threaten Economy Worldwide, Report Says
(By Neil Irwin, The Washington Post)

Off Balance at the Top
Executives Raid the Tip Jar to Feed Their Piggy Banks
(By Steven Pearlstein, The Washington Post)

Disappointing Earnings, Fed's Caution Lead to Moderate Pullback in Stocks
(The Washington Post)

Labor Trouble Brews at Marshals Service
(By Stephen Barr, The Washington Post)

More Business

TECHNOLOGY
House Staffers Livid Over Web Site
Working from a cramped loft apartment a mile from the Capitol, a small Internet company has sparked a privacy rights battle with hundreds of angry top House staffers upset that the Web site has begun posting details about their personal finances.
(By Paul Kane, The Washington Post)

Start-Up Kids Grow Up to Be Millionaires So Fast
(By Steven Levy, The Washington Post)

In an Instant, Message Has a Lasting Impact
Online Posting Leads to Suspension
(By Preston Williams, The Washington Post)

Federal Credit Cards Misused
GAO Cites Charging Of Frivolous Items
(By Dan Eggen, The Washington Post)

More Technology

SPORTS
Parker and Tennessee Back on Rocky Top
For the second straight year, center Candace Parker dominates the women's basketball title game, leading Tennessee to a 64-48 win Monday night.
(By Kathy Orton, The Washington Post)

The Star Comes Out to Play
(By Mike Wise, The Washington Post)

For Woods, Masters Is Just Step One
(By Leonard Shapiro, The Washington Post)

In an Instant, Message Has a Lasting Impact
Online Posting Leads to Suspension
(By Preston Williams, The Washington Post)

Ravens Kicker Wants Union Head Replaced
(By Mark Maske, The Washington Post)

More Sports

STYLE
Kitchen Diplomacy
HACKENSACK, N. J. Waiting for the North Korean ambassador to show up for dinner, Bobby Egan, who is the world's only barbecue chef/self-appointed unofficial American ambassador to rogue nations, launches into an impassioned monologue on why he, Bobby Egan, is a better diplomat than America's real...
(By Peter Carlson, The Washington Post)

The Reliable Source
(By Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts, The Washington Post)

A Capital City With The Devil in the Details?
These Roads Aren't Paved With Good Intentions
(By Dan Morse, The Washington Post)

Un-an-tici-pat-ed: adj. Lacking Foresight in Hindsight
(By Paul Farhi, The Washington Post)

Arena's 'View': A Revealing Look at Desire's Dark Side
(By Peter Marks, The Washington Post)

More Style

LIVE DISCUSSIONS
Washington Nationals
Washington Post writer Barry Svrluga takes your questions and comments about how the Nats look this spring, the new stadium and what to expect from the team this season.
(Barry Svrluga, washingtonpost.com)

Wizards/NBA
(Ivan Carter and Michael Lee, washingtonpost.com)

Dirda on Books
(Michael Dirda, washingtonpost.com)

The Masters
(Leonard Shapiro, washingtonpost.com)

White House Watch
(Dan Froomkin, washingtonpost.com)

More Live Discussions

Iraq Report Redux
WHEN GEN. David H. Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker last testified before Congress in September, the military results of the U.S. troop surge in Iraq, though significant, were still so preliminary that much of the debate centered on whether they were real. When the two men appeared again y...
(The Washington Post)

Health-Care Prescription
The D.C. Council needs to look before it leaps into a promising plan for universal coverage.
(The Washington Post)

A Fall and a Lesson
The guilty pleas of three trial lawyers signal a need for balanced tort reform.
(The Washington Post)

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