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 He's in the Money By Daniel Politi Posted Friday, June 20, 2008, at 6:37 AM ET The Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal's world-wide newsbox lead with news that House and Senate leaders reached an agreement on surveillance legislation. If the measure is approved, and everyone expects that it will, the New York Times says it "would be the most significant revision of surveillance law in 30 years." The big winner? President Bush. After battling with Democrats on the issue for months, the president got pretty much everything he wanted. "The White House got a better deal than they even hoped to get," Republican Sen. Christopher Bond said. Democratic leaders insisted that the deal is a compromise, but were criticized by some of their own. Sen. Russ Feingold said the deal "is a capitulation." The New York Times and Los Angeles Times lead with Sen. Barack Obama's decision to go back on his pledge and reject public financing for the general election campaign, which will allow him to raise and spend an unlimited amount of money in the battle for the White House. By turning down $84.1 million in federal money Obama became the first major party candidate to reject public funds since the system was instituted in 1976. USA Today leads with a look at how at least 18 more levees on the Mississippi River "are at high risk of being overwhelmed this week," illustrating how outdated much of the flood protection is in the area. Many of the 31 levees that have already failed to provide adequate protection in the region were built at least 30 years ago. 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 13 New Obama Rumors You Should Forward Right Now News & Politics The Glamorous Lives of Weather Spotters Business & Tech Netflix Without the Envelopes	Advertisement
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