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 Disaster Resistance By Joshua Kucera Posted Saturday, May 10, 2008, at 6:00 AM ET The Washington Post leads with Hezbollah forces taking over large swathes of Beirut, a story that also tops the world-wide newsbox in the Wall Street Journal. The Los Angeles Times leads with a poll showing both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton ahead of John McCain in head-to-head matchups. The New York Times leads with high gas prices pushing more commuters to use public transportation. The Hezbollah takeover came after three days of sectarian fighting in Beirut between Sunni militias and Hezollah and its Shiite allies. Hezbollah also shut down a rival television station and newspaper; eleven people have died so far in the fighting. And the country's security forces, which Washington has supported to the tune of $400 million? They've "largely stood aside," the Post says. They did do this, however: "The army had issued a statement saying the fighting had compromised its unity." Hezbollah helpfully handed control of some of the government offices it seized on Friday to the army. To continue reading, click here. Joshua Kucera is a freelance writer based in Washington, D.C. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE \| READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Sports How High-Def TV Will Save the NHL Arts & Life Avert Nuclear War in Two Easy Steps! Business & Tech Coming Soon: The Washington Monument, Brought to You by Samsung	Advertisement
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