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 7.9 By Daniel Politi Posted Tuesday, May 13, 2008, at 6:34 AM ET The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal's world-wide newsbox all lead with the 7.9-magnitude earthquake that hit southwestern China yesterday afternoon and killed nearly 10,000 people. The quake's epicenter was approximately 60 miles northwest of Chengdu, the Sichuan provincial capital. Most of the casualties appear to be in Sichuan province, but the "quake was so powerful that it was felt hundreds of miles away, from Beijing to Bangkok," reports the LAT. Everybody warns that the death toll is likely to climb further as rescue workers reach some of the worst-hit cities and towns in the mountainous region that were quickly cut off from the rest of the country because of severe damage to roads and communication lines. There are reports that more than 80 percent of the buildings collapsed in some places close to the epicenter and the NYT points out that China's state media reported today there are still 10,000 people buried under rubble in Mianzhu. USA Today fronts news of the earthquake but devotes its traditional lead spot to a new poll that reveals a majority of Democrats still think Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton should continue the campaign. Meanwhile, the number of Democrats who want Clinton to drop out of the contest has increased by 12 percentage points in a week. Overall, 55 percent of Democrats want Obama to choose Clinton as his vice president, but it's clear that backers of the former first lady are most enthusiastic about a joint ticket. 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 A Drastic Remedy for the Catastrophe in Burma News & Politics Hitchens: How Long Will Israel Survive? Arts & Life How To Stop Making Stupid Choices	Advertisement
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