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.
" He describes his Kenyan father as "raised a Muslim," but a "confirmed atheist" by the time his parents met, and his Indonesian step-father as "a man who saw religion as not particularly useful.
Hillary Clinton (D-NY) who placed first with 28% of the responses.
Also during the first month of the 110th Congress, Obama introduced the "Iraq War De-Escalation Act," a bill that caps troop levels in Iraq at January 10, 2007 levels, begins phased redeployment on May 1, 2007, and removes all combat brigades from Iraq by March 31, 2008.
"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.
" The audio book edition earned Obama the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album.
He married in 1992 and has two daughters.
Obama took an active role in the Senate's drive for improved border security and immigration reform.
Of his early childhood, Obama writes: "That my father looked nothing like the people around me—that he was black as pitch, my mother white as milk—barely registered in my mind.
55 million for candidates he supports and his own 2010 re-election fund.
I've been chewing Nicorette strenuously.
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.
Boosted by increased national standing, he went on to win election to the U.S. Senate in November 2004 with a landslide 70% of the vote in an election year marked by Republican gains.
Obama sponsored 152 bills and resolutions brought before the 109th Congress in 2005 and 2006, and cosponsored another 427.
Obama traveled to Russia, Ukraine, and Azerbaijan in August 2005 with Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN), then Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
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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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.
Also during the first month of the 110th Congress, Obama introduced the "Iraq War De-Escalation Act," a bill that caps troop levels in Iraq at January 10, 2007 levels, begins phased redeployment on May 1, 2007, and removes all combat brigades from Iraq by March 31, 2008.
" 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.
Obama left for his third official trip in August 2006, traveling to South Africa and Kenya, and making stops in Djibouti, Ethiopia and Chad.
Obama's mother died of ovarian cancer a few months after the publication of his 1995 memoir, Dreams from My Father.
Beginning in 2005, he co-sponsored the "Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act" introduced by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).
He was a lecturer of constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School from 1993 until his election to the U.S. Senate in 2004.
" In January 2007, Obama spoke at an event organized by Families USA, a health care advocacy group.
In February 2007, standing before the Old State Capitol building in Springfield, Illinois, Obama announced his candidacy for the 2008 U.S. presidential election.
They were married in 1992 and have two daughters, Malia, born in 1999, and Natasha ("Sasha"), born in 2001.
Obama left for his third official trip in August 2006, traveling to South Africa and Kenya, and making stops in Djibouti, Ethiopia and Chad.
"After graduating from Punahou, Obama studied at Occidental College for two years, then transferred to Columbia University, where he majored in political science with a specialization in international relations.
During his 2004 U.S. Senate campaign, Obama won the endorsement of the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police, whose officials cited his "longtime support of gun control measures and his willingness to negotiate compromises," despite his support for some bills the police union had opposed.
US$24.8 million of Obama's first quarter funds can be used in the primaries, the highest of any 2008 presidential candidate.
" He describes his mother, raised by non-religious parents, as detached from religion, yet "in many ways the most spiritually awakened person that I have ever known.
After the visits, Obama traveled to Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian territories.
He has responded to and personally participated in online discussions hosted on politically-oriented blog sites.
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.
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.
His opponent in the general election was expected to be Republican primary winner Jack Ryan.
Born to a Kenyan father and an American mother, Obama grew up in culturally diverse surroundings.
Asked to name a "hidden talent," Obama answered: "I'm a pretty good poker player.
I've got an ironclad demand from my wife that in the stresses of the campaign I don't succumb.
It was an immediate bestseller and remains on the New York Times Best Seller List.
Obama's candidacy was boosted by an advertising campaign featuring images of the late Chicago Mayor Harold Washington and the late U.S.
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.
The first, Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance, was published after his graduation from law school and before entering politics.
" 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.
The book's last chapters describe his first visit to Kenya, a journey to connect with his Luo family and heritage.
"He was an early opponent of Bush administration policies on Iraq.
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.
His parents met while both were attending the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where his father was enrolled as a foreign student.
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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" He completed his J.D. degree magna cum laude in 1991.
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.
Obama's parents separated when he was two years old and later divorced.
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.
Senator Paul Simon; the support of Simon's daughter; and political endorsements by the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times.
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.
The donations came from 104,000 individual donors, with US$6.9 million raised through the Internet from 50,000 of the donors.
Obama spoke out in June 2006 against making recent, temporary estate tax cuts permanent, calling the cuts a "Paris Hilton" tax break for "billionaire heirs and heiresses.
" The audio book edition earned Obama the 2006 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album.
In a June 2006 podcast, Obama expressed support for telecommunications legislation to protect network neutrality on the Internet, saying: "It is because the Internet is a neutral platform that I can put out this podcast and transmit it over the Internet without having to go through any corporate media middleman.
Obama was sworn in as a Senator on January 4, 2005.
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
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 describes his mother, raised by non-religious parents, as detached from religion, yet "in many ways the most spiritually awakened person that I have ever known.
Obama's fundraising prowess was affirmed again in the second quarter of 2007, when his campaign raised an additional $32.5 million, the most ever raised by a Democratic Presidential candidate in a single quarter.
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.
The Rasmussen polling organization reported in May 2007 that 49% of Americans consider it "somewhat likely" or "very likely" that Obama will be elected.
" He joined with Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI) in strengthening restrictions on travel in corporate jets to S.1, the Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act of 2007, which passed the Senate with a 96-2 majority. Obama joined Charles Schumer (D-NY) in sponsoring S. 453, a bill to criminalize deceptive practices in federal elections, including fraudulent flyers and automated phone calls, as witnessed in the 2006 midterm elections.
President Bush signed the Secure Fence Act into law in October 2006, calling it "an important step toward immigration reform.
US$24.8 million of Obama's first quarter funds can be used in the primaries, the highest of any 2008 presidential candidate.
" 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.
Obama began podcasting from his U.S. Senate web site in late 2005.
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.
Since announcing his candidacy in February 2007, Obama has emphasized ending the Iraq War and implementing universal health care as campaign themes.
Obama said, "The time has come for universal health care in America Z...Z I am absolutely determined that by the end of the first term of the next president, we should have universal health care in this country.
Obama was sworn in as a Senator on January 4, 2005.
Born to a Kenyan father and an American mother, Obama grew up in culturally diverse surroundings.
While in Israel, Obama met with Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom.
Its enthusiastic reception at the convention and widespread coverage by national media gave him instant celebrity status.
Obama said, "The time has come for universal health care in America Z...Z I am absolutely determined that by the end of the first term of the next president, we should have universal health care in this country.
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.
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.
The first such poll, taken in November 2006, ranked Obama in second place with 17% support among Democrats after Sen.
Questioning the Bush administration's management of the Iraq War, Obama spoke of an enlisted Marine, Corporal Seamus Ahern from East Moline, Illinois, asking, "Are we serving Seamus as well as he is serving us?" He continued: When we send our young men and women into harm's way, we have a solemn obligation not to fudge the numbers or shade the truth about why they're going, to care for their families while they're gone, to tend to the soldiers upon their return, and to never, ever go to war without enough troops to win the war, secure the peace, and earn the respect of the world.
In the same week, Zogby International reported that Obama leads all prospective Republican opponents in polling for the 2008 general election.
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.
In early May 2007, the U.S. Secret Service announced that Obama had been placed under their protection.
I'm opposed to dumb wars.
"After graduating from Punahou, Obama studied at Occidental College for two years, then transferred to Columbia University, where he majored in political science with a specialization in international relations.
"A theme of Obama's keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, and the title of his 2006 book, The Audacity of Hope, was inspired by his pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
He married in 1992 and has two daughters.
" Three months into his Senate career, and again in 2007, Time magazine named Obama one of "the world's most influential people.
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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Obama delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention while still an Illinois state legislator.
Obama has encouraged Democrats to reach out to evangelicals and other religious people, saying, "if we truly hope to speak to people where they’re at—to communicate our hopes and values in a way that’s relevant to their own—we cannot abandon the field of religious discourse.
Supporters and critics have likened Obama's popular image to a cultural Rorschach test, a neutral persona on which people can project their personal histories and aspirations.
"Lugar-Obama" expands the Nunn-Lugar cooperative threat reduction concept to conventional weapons, including shoulder-fired missiles and anti-personnel mines.
I've got an ironclad demand from my wife that in the stresses of the campaign I don't succumb.
They were married in 1992 and have two daughters, Malia, born in 1999, and Natasha ("Sasha"), born in 2001.
" In January 2007, Obama spoke at an event organized by Families USA, a health care advocacy group.
Also during the first month of the 110th Congress, Obama introduced the "Iraq War De-Escalation Act," a bill that caps troop levels in Iraq at January 10, 2007 levels, begins phased redeployment on May 1, 2007, and removes all combat brigades from Iraq by March 31, 2008.
" Obama writes: "It was because of these newfound understandings—that religious commitment did not require me to suspend critical thinking, disengage from the battle for economic and social justice, or otherwise retreat from the world that I knew and loved—that I was finally able to walk down the aisle of Trinity United Church of Christ one day and be baptized.
Beginning in 2005, he co-sponsored the "Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act" introduced by Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).
" 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.
Obama also met with a group of Palestinian students two weeks before Hamas won the January 2006 Palestinian legislative election.
He spent most of his childhood in the majority-minority U.S. state of Hawaii and lived for four years in Indonesia.
Obama participated in 38 fundraising events in 2005, helping to pull in US$6.
" In January 2007, Obama spoke at an event organized by Families USA, a health care advocacy group.
" Reviewer Michael Tomasky writes that it does not contain "boldly innovative policy prescriptions that will lead the Democrats out of their wilderness," but does show Obama's potential to "construct a new politics that is progressive but grounded in civic traditions that speak to a wider range of Americans.
Two weeks ago I flew to Tokyo, crossing over the North Pole. Does that make me an expert on Santa Claus?
