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 The Joe Abides By Barron YoungSmith Posted Sunday, Aug. 24, 2008, at 6:12 AM ET All the papers lead with Barack Obama and Joe Biden's first joint appearance as running mates. Biden launched into a "lusty attack" on John McCain, saying he hardly recognized his close friend anymore; while Obama touted Biden's statesmanship, his working-class roots, and his perseverance against adversity. The Los Angeles Times calls the event "an odd balancing act": Biden's been a Senator for 35 years, so Obama had to tweak his message. "He has brought change to Washington, but Washington hasn't changed him." A separate LAT profile of Biden states unequivocally that this is actually the case. Biden commutes out of Washington via AMTRAK every night, and he eschews most D.C. fundraisers and social events. To continue reading, click here. Barron YoungSmith is a reporter-researcher at The New Republic. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE \| READ MESSAGES Also In Slate News & Politics Shafer: One of The New Yorker's Most Annoying Tics Arts & Life Artists Who Turn Information Into Beauty Business & Tech How To Fight Back Against the Evil, Lying Ink-and-Toner Cabal	Advertisement
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