Barack Obama
Barack Obama
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 GOP Strikes Back Posted Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2008, at 6:26 AM ET The papers lead with the first full day of the Republican convention, where President Bush, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, and Fred Thompson praised John McCain as an independent thinker with the necessary experience to lead the country in a time of war. The Los Angeles Times notes that the GOP had two main goals for last night: "to reintroduce McCain to the country after a rocky few days and to denigrate Democratic nominee Barack Obama." The Washington Post points out that the speakers yesterday tried "to turn what Democrats have hoped would be a major liability for McCain--his vocal support for the Iraq war--into an asset by stressing his perseverance in the face of popular opinion." Bush delivered his brief remarks via satellite from Washington in a move that let him avoid "a convention appearance that political operatives predicted could have been uncomfortable" for McCain who has been trying to distance himself from the unpopular president, notes the Wall Street Journal, which focuses the lead spot of its world-wide newsbox to a look at how Republican operatives are working to prepare Palin for her convention debut. The New York Times says that if the "subplot of the Democratic convention in Denver was the lingering resentment between Mr. Obama and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, the undercurrent here is the longstanding tension" between Bush and McCain. Yesterday, Bush became the first sitting president not to attend his party's convention since 1968. And while the president avoided mentioning Obama by name, Lieberman, a Democrat turned independent, had no such qualms. USA Today gives top billing to Lieberman's speech, which the paper calls "remarkable," and notes that the man who was Al Gore's running mate described Obama as simply not ready for the job of commander in chief. "Eloquence is no substitute for record," Lieberman said. 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 GOP Cheers Bush, Change, All in One Night News & Politics Why Would You Hunt Wolves From a Plane? News & Politics Dear John McCain, Thank You SO MUCH for Choosing Palin. Love, the Media. | Advertisement  |
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