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 Midnight Plane to Georgia By Daniel Politi Posted Thursday, Aug. 14, 2008, at 6:35 AM ET The Los Angeles Times, New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal's world-wide newsbox lead with President Bush announcing that U.S. military ships and planes would be sent to Georgia to help deliver humanitarian aid to the war-torn country. Bush also announced that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice would travel to Georgia and "convey America's unwavering support for Georgia's democratic government." The moves came as Bush criticized Russia for failing to abide by the cease-fire agreement and continue its military campaign into Georgia, where it has taken control of the city of Gori. "Russia must keep its word and act to end this crisis," Bush said. The Washington Post leads with news that Mark Warner, the former governor of Virginia, will deliver the keynote address at the Democratic Party's national convention in Denver. The paper sees this as a sign that the current governor, Timothy Kaine, is unlikely to be selected as Barack Obama's running mate because it would mean that two Virginians would have prime-time speaking slots on two successive days. USA Today leads with the head of the House Homeland Security Committee saying that a program designed to find problems in the airport screening process is "a waste of money" because undercover agents fails to record why they were allowed to go through with forbidden items. The Transportation Security Administration disputes the assessment and says the tests have resulted in new technology and the implementation of better screening practices. 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 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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