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 Out of Sight By Daniel Politi Posted Monday, May 5, 2008, at 6:32 AM ET The New York Times leads with a look at how very little is known about many of the people who have died while detained by immigration authorities. The NYT obtained a list through a Freedom of Information Act request and reveals that 66 people died while in immigration custody from January 2004 to November 2007. USA Today leads with figures that show welfare rolls rose in 27 states in the last six months of 2007. This marks a reversal since the numbers had been steadily decreasing for more than a decade. "When the economy starts to tank, that's when our business starts growing," the chief of eligibility for Nevada's welfare agency said. The Los Angeles Times leads with a look at how healthcare will provide voters in November with an issue where the Republican and Democratic presidential contenders offer very different proposals. Although all the candidates say they want more Americans to have access to affordable health insurance, their strategies on how to get there offer a stark choice ultimately because "they view the problem differently." The Washington Post leads with the latest he said, she said from the campaign trail as the candidates campaigned furiously before the critical Tuesday primaries in Indiana and North Carolina. The Wall Street Journal leads its world-wide newsbox with a look at how Sen. Barack Obama has gone back to addressing voters in a more intimate setting. Even though the large rallies draw lots of people, they don't necessarily help him gain new voters and Obama's campaign now sees the arena-style events as one of the main reasons why he lost the popular vote in Texas. 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 Everything You Need To Know About Darfur in One Short Video News & Politics Hey, Supreme Court, Quit Hating on the 24th Amendment Business & Tech Could the Recession Be as Bad as the Great Depression?	Advertisement
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