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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Fareed Zakaria Bow Out, Governor Can we now admit the obvious? Sarah Palin is utterly unqualified to be vice president.
Lawrence Summers A Bailout Is Just a Start A time when confidence is lagging in the consumer, financial and business sectors is not a time for government to step back.
In it he recalls his childhood in Honolulu and Jakarta, college years in Los Angeles and New York City, and his employment as a community organizer in Chicago in the 1980s.
I am not opposed to all wars.
He received his B.A. degree in 1983, then worked for one year at Business International Corporation.
" Expressing a similar view, New York Daily News columnist Stanley Crouch wrote: "When black Americans refer to Obama as 'one of us,' I do not know what they are talking about.
In 2000, he made an unsuccessful Democratic primary run for the U.S. House of Representatives seat held by four-term incumbent candidate Bobby Rush.
In January 2006, Obama joined a Congressional delegation for meetings with U.S. military in Kuwait and Iraq.
" But in an October 2006 article titled "Obama: Black Like Me," British columnist Gary Younge describes Obama as "a black man who does not scare white people.
Ehrenstein says these films are popular because they offer U.S. audiences a comfort for "white guilt.
" Before the conference, 18 pro-life groups published an open letter stating, in reference to Obama's support for legal abortion: "In the strongest possible terms, we oppose Rick Warren's decision to ignore Senator Obama's clear pro-death stance and invite him to Saddleback Church anyway.
The family moved from their Hyde Park, Chicago condominium to a nearby US$1.6-million home in 2005.
"I've quit periodically over the last several years.
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
Looking Back in Anger
By Daniel Politi Posted Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2008, at 6:19 AM ET
The Los Angeles Times, New York Times, and USA Todaylead with the continuing bailout politics as the Bush administration sent some of its top officials to Capitol Hill yesterday in an effort to convince lawmakers they need to pass the $700-billion plan as soon as possible. Instead of falling in line as many had expected, Congressional opposition to the bailout seems to be growing every day. The men of the hour, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, appeared before the Senate Banking Committee to push lawmakers toward action. In what USAT calls perhaps his "darkest economic assessment" since becoming chairman, Bernanke warned that the current crisis is unlike anything the country has ever seen and failing to approve the bailout would have "significant adverse consequences for the average person." Despite these dire predictions, Congressional opposition, particularly from Republicans in the House, was so strong that by last night "it was no longer certain that a version of the Paulson-Bernanke plan could win passage," the LAT declares.
The Wall Street Journal banners, and the NYT off-leads, news that Warren Buffett will invest $5 billion in Goldman Sachs. The WSJ calls the cash infusion by the famous investor "one of the biggest expressions of confidence in the financial system since the credit crisis intensified early this month." Financial stocks, including Goldman's, surged in after-hours trading as Buffett's decision "immediately heartened investors," says the NYT. The Washington Postleads with a new presidential election poll that suggests the economic turmoil is helping Barack Obama, who now has the first clear lead in the general-election campaign. Among likely voters, Obama leads John McCain by 52 percent to 43 percent. A mere 9 percent rated the economy as good or excellent, and 50 percent cited it as the most important issue. That undoubtedly helps Obama, who has a sizable advantage as the candidate best suited to handle the current financial crisis.
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Following Obama's statement, opinion polling organizations added his name to surveyed lists of Democratic candidates.
Among his major accomplishments as a state legislator, Obama's U.S. Senate web site lists: "creating programs like the state Earned Income Tax Credit"; "an expansion of early childhood education"; and "legislation requiring the videotaping of interrogations and confessions in all capital cases.
The Rasmussen polling organization reported in May 2007 that 49% of Americans consider it "somewhat likely" or "very likely" that Obama will be elected.
Speaking to an elderly Jewish audience during his 2004 campaign for U.S. Senate, Obama linked the linguistic roots of his East African first name Barack to the Hebrew word baruch, meaning "blessed.
I am not opposed to all wars.
Obama wrote and delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention in Boston, Massachusetts, while still serving as a state legislator.
He was overwhelmingly reelected to the Illinois Senate in 1998 and 2002, officially resigning in November 2004, following his election to the U.S. Senate.
" Time magazine's Joe Klein wrote that the book "may be the best-written memoir ever produced by an American politician.
In his preface to the 2004 revised edition, Obama explains that he had hoped the story of his family "might speak in some way to the fissures of race that have characterized the American experience, as well as the fluid state of identity—the leaps through time, the collision of cultures—that mark our modern life.
55 million for candidates he supports and his own 2010 re-election fund.
His mother married Lolo Soetoro, an Indonesian foreign student, with whom she had one daughter, Maya.
He hired former Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle's ex-chief of staff for the same position, and Karen Kornbluh, an economist who was deputy chief of staff to former Secretary of the Treasury Robert Rubin, as his policy adviser.
Obama took an active role in the Senate's drive for improved border security and immigration reform.
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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Robert J. Samuelson Paulson's Panic As world financial markets verged on panic, Henry Paulson did the same.
Harold Meyerson Wall Street's Man in Washington China, Singapore and the oil emirates cut a deal for their people. Why won't Hank Paulson cut one for his?
Michael Gerson Nominees In Need Of Ideas The death of policy in this election will make governing -- on the economy and other issues -- much more difficult.
George F. Will Our Federal Economy The line between the public and private sectors is being blurred to indistinctness.
William H. Gross How Main Street Will Profit The Treasury proposal will not only be a bailout of Wall Street.
Dan Froomkin's White House Watch Fat Cats First A consistent result of virtually every major Bush policy, from tax cuts to war, has been to enrich the already wealthy.
Anne Applebaum The Smart Money in Afghanistan Every mistake ever made in an underdeveloped economy is being repeated here.
The "Coburn-Obama Transparency Act" provides for a web site, managed by the Office of Management and Budget, listing all organizations receiving Federal funds from 2007 onward, and providing breakdowns by the agency allocating the funds, the dollar amount given, and the purpose of the grant or contract.
" An Italian translation was published in April 2007 with a preface by Walter Veltroni, Mayor of Rome, and a Spanish paperback edition was published in June 2007.
Describing his working life in Illinois, and symbolically linking his presidential campaign to Abraham Lincoln's 1858 House Divided speech, Obama said: "That is why, in the shadow of the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln once called on a house divided to stand together, where common hopes and common dreams still live, I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for President of the United States of America.
In July 2005, Samantha Power, Pulitzer-winning author on human rights and genocide, joined Obama's team.
After describing his maternal grandfather's experiences as a World War II veteran and a beneficiary of the New Deal's FHA and G.I. Bill programs, Obama said: No, people don't expect government to solve all their problems.
" Expressing a similar view, New York Daily News columnist Stanley Crouch wrote: "When black Americans refer to Obama as 'one of us,' I do not know what they are talking about.
In August 2004, with less than three months to go before election day, Alan Keyes accepted the Illinois Republican Party's nomination to replace Ryan.
In February 2007, standing before the Old State Capitol building in Springfield, Illinois, Obama announced his candidacy for the 2008 U.S. presidential election.
He was also criticized by a rival pro-choice candidate in the Democratic primary and by his Republican pro-life opponent in the general election for having voted either "present" or "no" on anti-abortion legislation.
"I've quit periodically over the last several years.
In early May 2007, the U.S. Secret Service announced that Obama had been placed under their protection.
" Three months into his Senate career, and again in 2007, Time magazine named Obama one of "the world's most influential people.
In early opinion polls leading up to the Democratic primary, Obama trailed multimillionaire businessman Blair Hull and Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes.
Speaking to an elderly Jewish audience during his 2004 campaign for U.S. Senate, Obama linked the linguistic roots of his East African first name Barack to the Hebrew word baruch, meaning "blessed.
But the big telephone and cable companies want to change the Internet as we know it.
After describing his maternal grandfather's experiences as a World War II veteran and a beneficiary of the New Deal's FHA and G.I. Bill programs, Obama said: No, people don't expect government to solve all their problems.
presidential candidate has attracted conflicting analyses among commentators challenged to align him with traditional social categories.
In December 2006, Obama spoke at a New Hampshire event celebrating Democratic Party midterm election victories in the first-in-the-nation U.S. presidential primary state.
" The audio book edition earned Obama the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album.
His second book, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream, was published in October 2006, three weeks before the 2006 midterm election.
In early May 2007, the U.S. Secret Service announced that Obama had been placed under their protection.
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.
Now playing: Slate V, a video-only site from the world's leading online magazine. Visit Slate V at www.slateV.com.
today's papers
Bail Me Out Tonight
By Daniel Politi Posted Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2008, at 6:30 AM ET
The Washington Post, New York Times, and Los Angeles Timeslead with news that the Bush administration and Congressional leaders are moving closer to agreeing on the $700-billion bailout plan for financial firms. The LAT says that in its rush to pass the plan, the Bush administration is agreeing to measures that "would have been inconceivable even a few weeks ago." But deep skepticism remains on both sides of the aisle and suddenly lawmakers aren't being shy about questioning whether the plan would really succeed in shoring up the nation's ailing financial system. The WP points out that some lawmakers are now saying it might be unrealistic for them to pass a plan by Friday. And as doubts increased in Capitol Hill, investors responded in kind and continued to send the markets on the dizzying rollercoaster ride that has been all too familiar lately. The Dow Jones industrial average tumbled 372 points, or 3.3 percent, which more than erased Friday's huge gains. "It marked the first time in the Dow's history that it has moved more than 350 points, four days in a row," notes the Wall Street Journalin a Page One piece.
The WSJ's world-wide newsbox leads with a look at the presidential candidates' assessments of the bailout plan. Neither candidate said how he would vote if the bailout reaches the Senate floor, though they agreed on several key aspects they want to see changed. Barack Obama and John McCain both want to put limits on executive pay as well as increase oversight of the Treasury while also demanding greater transparency of how the money is spent. USA Todayleads with word that the Department of Veteran Affairs will publish new regulations today that will "substantially increase" the disability benefits for veterans with mild traumatic brain injuries. The move marks the first time the government has officially acknowledged that even those with mild symptoms can struggle to make a living when they get back home. These veterans could receive $600 a month, whereas they now collect a mere $117. The department expects somewhere between 3,500 and 5,000 veterans to benefit from the new regulation.
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Following Obama's statement, opinion polling organizations added his name to surveyed lists of Democratic candidates.
"President Bush signs the "Coburn-Obama" Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006.
"Obama's rapid rise from Illinois state legislator to U.S.
In Chapter 6 of the book, titled "Faith," Obama writes that he "was not raised in a religious household.
"The announcement followed months of speculation on whether Obama would run in 2008.
The U.S. Senate Historical Office lists him as the fifth African American Senator in U.S. history and the only African American currently serving in the U.S. Senate.
Finally, he spoke for national unity: The pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats.
He used alcohol, marijuana, and cocaine during his teenage years, Obama writes, to "push questions of who I was out of my mind.
He spent most of his childhood in the majority-minority U.S. state of Hawaii and lived for four years in Indonesia.
In the memoir, Obama describes his experiences growing up in his mother's American middle class family.
After describing his maternal grandfather's experiences as a World War II veteran and a beneficiary of the New Deal's FHA and G.I. Bill programs, Obama said: No, people don't expect government to solve all their problems.
" Reviewing Obama's career in the Illinois Senate, a February 2007 article in the Washington Post noted his work with both Democrats and Republicans in drafting bipartisan legislation on ethics and health care reform.
The family moved to Jakarta in 1967, where Obama attended local schools from ages 6 to 10.
" In December 2006, Obama joined Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) at the "Global Summit on AIDS and the Church" organized by church leaders Kay and Rick Warren.
You want a fight, President Bush? Let's finish the fight with Bin Laden and al-Qaeda, through effective, coordinated intelligence, and a shutting down of the financial networks that support terrorism, and a homeland security program that involves more than color-coded warnings.
Obama also met with a group of Palestinian students two weeks before Hamas won the January 2006 Palestinian legislative election.
We coach Little League in the Blue States and yes, we got some gay friends in the Red States.
However, Ryan withdrew from the race in June 2004, following public disclosure of child custody divorce records containing sexual allegations by Ryan's ex-wife, actress Jeri Ryan.
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.
Now playing: Slate V, a video-only site from the world's leading online magazine. Visit Slate V at www.slateV.com.
today's papers
Mortgaging the Future
By Jesse Stanchak Posted Saturday, Sept. 20, 2008, at 7:11 AM ET
The Bush administration announced Friday that it would seek to stabilize the financial sector by buying up the distressed mortgages that were at the heart of last week's market calamities. All the papers lead with their analysis of the plan, although details are still scant and questions abound. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson had yet to formally present a formal proposal by the time the papers were put to bed, but he had briefed lawmakers on his plan via conference call.
According to the New York Times, the plan's goal is to restore stability by soaking up assets that aren't easily turned into cash, increasing the availability of capital. The Washington Postsays the government will also look to insure money-market mutual funds, which currently comprise $3.5 trillion in investments, in order to maintain a ready supply of short-term funding for corporations. This aspect of the plan displeases bankers, who fear that insuring these funds will destabilize banks by luring away customers from savings accounts. The Los Angeles Times, however, reports that any money market insurance plan would most likely last for one year only.
The biggest question is what this plan, potentially the biggest government intervention in the market since the Great Depression, will cost. The WP says $500 billion. The NYT says possibly as much as $1 trillion. The LAT thinks the price tag could reach $2 trillion. That money wouldn't all be spent at once. It's unclear how many mortgages would be bought up and how quickly. The Wall Street Journalsays the government would most likely use a reverse auction model, buying up cheaper properties first and so giving banks an incentive to offer them a deal. The paper worries, however, that if the government negotiates too aggressively it will only hurt banks further.
Stocks surged in anticipation of the plan on Friday, with the Dow Jones industrial average posting its "biggest back-to-back point gains in more than eight years," according to the LAT. Fridays' bump all but erased the losses sustained earlier in the week. Never the less, the NYTreports that investors are unhappy about new restrictions imposed in the wake of last week's chaos.
To different degrees, the papers all suggest that the biggest hurdle the plan will face is getting past Congress. Both Secretary Paulson and Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke have been leaning toward large-scale intervention for some time, according to the WP, but they didn't want to propose a plan only to have Congress reject it, spurring further panic in the market. But by Wednesday, says the WSJ, the two men felt they had no choice. Now they must hope that the urgency of last week's events will give their proposal the momentum it needs to quickly clear Congress.
Still, as the NYT notes, the two parties are in no mood to cooperate six weeks before an election. Both sides also have plenty of misgivings about the proposal. Democrats worry it will only help wealthy financiers, and Republicans are concerned by the plan's price tag. Timing is also an issue: Lawmakers were planning on adjourning next Friday and staying in recess until after the November elections. Before they go, they'll face several other high-profile bills, including a resolution to continue funding the government past Oct. 1.
The WP uses the mortgage buyout as a news peg for its offlead analysis of President Bush's second term. The paper argues that the plan, which some Republicans say violates the tenets of small-government conservatism, is just the latest in a string of signs that Bush has become less ideologically rigid in his second term.
The LATdecides to use the current financial mess as a test of the leadership styles of Sens. Barack Obama and John McCain. The paper concludes that their responses closely mirror their campaign styles, with McCain looking to attack the problem head on and Obama deferring in hopes of building consensus.
The NYTgives Sen. Joe Biden a glowing review for his performance on the campaign trail last week but says his efforts are generating little notice. The paper says the Obama camp is now trying to reintroduce its VP pick to the nation after Sarah Palin grabbed the spotlight during the week of the Republican National Convention.
Meanwhile, inside the WPdeclares that Palin and McCain have created a "new way of campaigning" by touring the country together, instead of splitting up to cover more ground as most running mates do. Unfortunately, the paper doesn't do much to explain why the McCain camp has chosen to campaign this way. The paper says that women like Palin and that she draws a crowd, but she would do the same if she were touring alone. Is touring together more effective? If so, why do Obama and Biden travel separately? What is it about the McCain-Palin ticket that makes this arrangement preferable? The piece does say, "McCain likes having Palin along," but TP would hope there's more to the story than that.
The WP fronts coverage of a high-class fundraiser for second-hand retailer Goodwill. The story quickly turns into a look at how sales at thrifts shops have surged across the nation this year. The articles suggest that in hard times, even the well-to-do enjoy a bargain, and a growing recognition that second hand stores sometimes contain hidden treasures has only fueled the chain's popularity.
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" He completed his J.D. degree magna cum laude in 1991.
His second book, The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream, was published in October 2006, three weeks before the 2006 midterm election.
I am not opposed to all wars.
In early opinion polls leading up to the Democratic primary, Obama trailed multimillionaire businessman Blair Hull and Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes.
Through the fall of 2006, Obama had spoken at political events across the country in support of Democratic candidates for the midterm elections.
" In January 2007, Obama spoke at an event organized by Families USA, a health care advocacy group.
Obama took an active role in the Senate's drive for improved border security and immigration reform.
We coach Little League in the Blue States and yes, we got some gay friends in the Red States.
Obama traveled to Russia, Ukraine, and Azerbaijan in August 2005 with Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN), then Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
"Writing about Obama's political image in a March 2007 Washington Post opinion column, Eugene Robinson characterized him as "the personification of both-and," a messenger who rejects "either-or" political choices, and could "move the nation beyond the culture wars" of the 1960s.
" Entered in fulfillment of a campaign promise, the bill proposed increasing the maximum amount of Pell Grant awards to help students from lower income families pay their college tuitions.
After describing his maternal grandfather's experiences as a World War II veteran and a beneficiary of the New Deal's FHA and G.I. Bill programs, Obama said: No, people don't expect government to solve all their problems.
There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported the war in Iraq.
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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He's shocked and outraged that Wall Street's preening Masters of the Universe threw a drunken toga party and smashed all the furniture -- but he helped buy the beer and told the cops to look the other way.
In a public gesture aimed to encourage more Kenyans to undergo voluntary HIV testing, Obama and his wife took HIV tests at a Kenyan clinic.
Obama was sworn in as a Senator on January 4, 2005.
"Obama's rapid rise from Illinois state legislator to U.S.
"In 1988, while employed as a summer associate at the Chicago law firm of Sidley & Austin, Obama met Michelle Robinson, who also worked there.
In July 2005, Samantha Power, Pulitzer-winning author on human rights and genocide, joined Obama's team.
He was also criticized by a rival pro-choice candidate in the Democratic primary and by his Republican pro-life opponent in the general election for having voted either "present" or "no" on anti-abortion legislation.
Obama traveled to Russia, Ukraine, and Azerbaijan in August 2005 with Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN), then Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The New York Times described Obama as "the prize catch of the midterm campaign" because of his campaigning for fellow Democratic Party members running for election in the 2006 midterm elections.
" Time magazine's Joe Klein wrote that the book "may be the best-written memoir ever produced by an American politician.
His opponent in the general election was expected to be Republican primary winner Jack Ryan.
" In an October 2006 interview on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Obama highlighted the diversity of his extended family: "Michelle will tell you that when we get together for Christmas or Thanksgiving, it's like a little mini-United Nations," he said.
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.
Now playing: Slate V, a video-only site from the world's leading online magazine. Visit Slate V at www.slateV.com.
today's papers
Settling Dust
By Posted Sunday, Sept. 14, 2008, at 5:44 AM ET
The New York Timesleads with the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, which officials say could be the worst since Hurricane Alicia 25 years ago. The Los Angeles Times leads with the aftermath of a giant train wreck, which has so far killed 25 people due to an engineer who ignored a traffic signal and the lack of recommended safety equipment that would have provided some insurance against human error. The Washington Post leads with the slightly more remote aftermath of the Cheney vice presidency with another installment in its award-winning series, this time laying out the high-level play-by-play around the presidential wiretapping program. A picture emerges of lawyers in the office of the general council attempting to bring the program in line with the law and loop in the attorney general's office, each time to be thwarted by the vice president's top lawyers. The story ends with a cliffhanger, to be resolved in tomorrow's paper.
While not as bad as federal officials feared, Ike has done a serious number on the Gulf Coast--so serious, in fact, that Barack Obama canceled an appearance of Saturday Night Live out of fears that it might seem inappropriate, and a game between the Texans and Baltimore Ravens might have to be postponed, since the storm has torn large chunks of steel off Reliant stadium. The NYT has the stories of those who hunkered down and rode out the storm rather than fleeing for Texas' tranquil interior--fully 140,000 ignored evacuation orders, frustrating state officials--while the Post surveys the resulting bump in gas prices around the country. The LAT's later deadline picks up three deaths as being storm-related, and documents rescue efforts slowed by highways that have been blocked by the wreckage of boats tossed ashore by a "wall of water."
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In a nationally televised speech at the University of Nairobi, he spoke forcefully on the influence of ethnic rivalries and corruption in Kenya.
He received his B.A. degree in 1983, then worked for one year at Business International Corporation.
The trip focused on strategies to control the world's supply of conventional weapons, biological weapons, and weapons of mass destruction, as a strategic first defense against the threat of future terrorist attacks.
Obama's candidacy was boosted by an advertising campaign featuring images of the late Chicago Mayor Harold Washington and the late U.S.
Obama participated in 38 fundraising events in 2005, helping to pull in US$6.
But they sense, deep in their bones, that with just a slight change in priorities, we can make sure that every child in America has a decent shot at life, and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all.
There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported the war in Iraq.
The family moved from their Hyde Park, Chicago condominium to a nearby US$1.6-million home in 2005.
presidential candidate has attracted conflicting analyses among commentators challenged to align him with traditional social categories.
We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don't like federal agents poking around in our libraries in the Red States.
On the first day of the Democratic-controlled 110th Congress, in a column published in the Washington Post, Obama called for an end to "any and all practices that would lead a reasonable person to believe that a public servant has become indebted to a lobbyist.
But they sense, deep in their bones, that with just a slight change in priorities, we can make sure that every child in America has a decent shot at life, and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all.
Two weeks ago I flew to Tokyo, crossing over the North Pole. Does that make me an expert on Santa Claus?
