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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Opinions Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2008

Susan E. Woodward
Rescued by Fannie Mae?
How Fannie Mae can help the Treasury.

David S. Broder
Closing a Deal in Pa.
It's hard to see how McCain can overcome the odds in the Keystone State.

Eugene Robinson
Time to Be Outward Bound
After eight years of the Bush administration, the Republican Party is a mess and a fraud.

Richard Cohen
A Few Debate Questions
I have taken it upon myself to suggest some questions for Wednesday's debate.

Anne Applebaum
In Korea, Rituals of Absurdity
It's worth focusing again on the strange nature of the relationship between North Korea and the outside world.

Andres Martinez's Stumped
Should McCain Avoid Rev. Wright?
And was ever going to be smart for him to attack Obama personally? Submit your question.

E.J. Dionne Jr.
McCain and the Raging Right
Has McCain become the midwife of a new movement built around fear, xenophobia, racism and anger?

Tom TOLES