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 When Giants Fall By Daniel Politi Posted Monday, Sept. 8, 2008, at 6:22 AM ET The New York Times, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times lead with the news the papers have been previewing all weekend as the U.S. government officially took control of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac yesterday. In basic terms this means that the government now has control over the companies that fund around two-thirds of all new home mortgages. Or, as the LAT succinctly summarizes: "Washington's move means the federal government will directly back the great majority of the nation's home mortgages." And if the magnitude of that fact is still not clear, the papers all make sure to emphasize that this is A Big Deal. The NYT calls it "a seismic event" and the Wall Street Journal characterizes it as the "most dramatic market intervention in years." USA Today fronts the Fannie and Freddie news but leads with a new poll taken over the weekend that shows John McCain got a big bounce from the Republican convention. He now leads Barack Obama by 50 percent to 46 percent, a marked turnaround. Among likely voters, McCain leads 54 percent to 44 percent. The huge 19-point advantage that Obama had on handling the economy has virtually disappeared, and Republicans are also much more enthusiastic about voting than before the convention. Experts are quick to warn that post-convention bounces are often fleeting. "It is really surprising how quickly convention memories fade," one political scientist said. The WSJ leads its world-wide newsbox with Hurricane Ike that killed dozens in Haiti as Cuba rushed to evacuate those in the path of the category-3 storm. The hurricane is expected to reach the Gulf Coast this week. 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 Arts & Life The Netflix Rentals Slate Readers Just Can't Bring Themselves To Watch News & Politics The GOP's Idiotic Attack on Community Organizers News & Politics Can McCain Use "Barracuda" Without Heart's Permission?	Advertisement
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