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 Loose Change By Daniel Politi Posted Friday, Sept. 5, 2008, at 6:28 AM ET John McCain accepted his party's nomination for president yesterday and portrayed himself as a public servant able to rise above his party and reach out across the aisle to bring about the change in Washington that voters so desperately crave. By talking so much about change, McCain "sought to claim [Barack] Obama's campaign theme as his own," notes USA Today. The Republican nominee pretty much ignored the president and directed his anger "at a perennial target of both parties: nameless faceless obstructionists in Washington," says the Los Angeles Times. "Let me offer an advance warning to the old, big-spending, do-nothing, me-first, country-second Washington crowd," he said. "Change is coming." McCain, of course, is no stranger to Washington. He "has spent nearly 26 years in Congress and, at 72, would be the oldest president elected to a first term, but he presented himself as an agent of revival for a political system in disarray," the Washington Post summarizes. Those who have been paying attention in the past couple of months were unlikely to be surprised by McCain's words. Although it was "delivered at one of the most prominent moments of a presidential campaign," much of his speech "was little different from the stump speech he has been delivering across the country," notes the New York Times. The Wall Street Journal says that the success Gov. Sarah Palin has enjoyed this week in uniting the party's base, "liberated Sen. McCain to reach beyond those voters to Democrats and independents in his own speech." But it came at a price. "Delegates who repeatedly leaped to their feet Wednesday sat stock-still during long periods when McCain spoke," the LAT observes. 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 Shafer: How Palin Will Handle Her First Press Conference News & Politics What's the Difference Between a Hockey Mom and a Soccer Mom? Business & Technology Google Just Started Another Browser War. Enjoy It.	Advertisement
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