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 Exit Stage Left By Lydia DePillis Posted Sunday, June 8, 2008, at 5:21 AM ET The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Washington Post all lead with Sen. Hillary Clinton's concession and solid endorsement of Sen. Barack Obama's candidacy for president. In what the NYT calls a "dramatic" and even "theatrical" 28-minute speech yesterday in Washington, she both painted her campaign into the arc of feminist history and exhorted her supporters to throw their weight behind the presumptive nominee, transitioning the campaign into full-on general election mode. Widely hailed as a graceful exit from an increasingly ungraceful campaign--the Post's Dana Milbank pronounced that "the last speech of her campaign was also her best"--Clinton's concession may also mark the high point of "what went wrong" analysis. In a long retrospective that reads more like an obituary, the NYT tells the story of her fall with a few choice quotes from major players. "In the last three months, she just relaxed and let it rip," said Gov. Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania. "She became almost a Hubert Humphrey, a happy warrior, and people responded to it." Back in the op-ed pages, the paper also features 12 experts on the subject, from Mark Penn (we ran out of money!) to Christine Todd Whitman (it's because she was a woman!) to Bob Kerrey (she should have run in Illinois!). The LAT reminds us, however, that this isn't the last time we'll be hearing from Hillary: while Clinton suspended her campaign, she did not formally terminate her candidacy, allowing her to keep fundraising to pay off debts and keep her delegates, which should ensure her a prominent spot in Denver. To continue reading, click here. Lydia DePillis is a writer living in New York. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE \| READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Business & Tech Which Stocks Will Go Up If Obama Wins? No One Knows. Arts & Life The Sad Fate of Lindsay Lohan's Little Sister News & Politics Lift the Gag Order on Frank Rich	Advertisement
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