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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Sights & Sounds Thursday, Nov. 13, 2008

This newsletter features the best of our multimedia offerings. To see more of our cool stuff, go to the Photos & Video front.

INTERACTIVE FEATURE

Up Above, Views of the Dome

» PANORAMAS | The new visitor's center is underground, but its skylights offer views of the Capitol dome.

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Obama Visits the White House

» PHOTOS | President George Bush and first lady Laura Bush warmly welcomed their successors, President-elect Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, to the White House. First Doggy

The Healing Fields

» MULTIMEDIA | Hundreds of uninsured Americans flock to Wise County, Va., every year to seek treatment at a makeshift field hospital operated by the Remote Area Medical Volunteer Corps.

Climbing Dangerously

»PHOTOS | French climber Alain Robert, nicknamed "Spiderman," is on a mission to climb as many skyscrapers around the world as he can, using nothing but his bare hands.

The Last Laugh: 11th Annual Mark Twain Prize Ceremony

» PHOTOS | Highlights from the 11th Annual Mark Twain Prize ceremony, where legendary comic George Carlin became the first person to be honored posthumously.

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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. In March 2007, speaking before AIPAC, a pro-Israel lobby, he said that while the U.S. "should take no option, including military action, off the table, sustained and aggressive diplomacy combined with tough sanctions should be our primary means to prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons. Obama participated in 38 fundraising events in 2005, helping to pull in US$6. We coach Little League in the Blue States and yes, we got some gay friends in the Red States. " During his first two and a half years in the Senate, Obama received Honorary Doctorates of Law from Knox College, University of Massachusetts Boston, Northwestern University, Xavier University of Louisiana, and Southern New Hampshire University. However, Hull's popularity declined following allegations of domestic abuse. The protection was not in response to any specific threat, but the campaign had received "hate mail, calls and other 'threatening materials'" in the past, and officials felt that the large crowds and increased campaign activity warranted the order. His opponent in the general election was expected to be Republican primary winner Jack Ryan. " Film critic David Ehrenstein, writing in a March 2007 Los Angeles Times article, compares the cultural sources of candidate Obama's favorable polling among whites to those of "magical negro" roles played by black actors in Hollywood movies. " 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. " 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's rapid rise from Illinois state legislator to U.S. Asked to name a "hidden talent," Obama answered: "I'm a pretty good poker player. Obama traveled to Russia, Ukraine, and Azerbaijan in August 2005 with Sen. Richard Lugar (R-IN), then Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.