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.



Now playing: *Slate V, a video-only site from the world's leading online magazine. Visit Slate V* at www.slatev.com.
today's papers The Big To-Do List By Jesse Stanchak Posted Sunday, Nov. 9, 2008, at 7:27 AM ET The Washington Post devotes most of its front page to a package of stories about the incoming Barack Obama administration. The paper leads with a piece on the unusually graceful transition being orchestrated between the Bush and Obama staffs. The New York Times leads with a look at the issues Obama will try to tackle first. The Los Angeles Times ran its story on Obama's priorities yesterday, and so it leads with Congress looking at using infrastructure spending to stimulate the economy. The Bush administration has extended an unprecedented level of access to the Obama team, especially where the Treasury Department is concerned. The hope is that a smooth handoff will provide comfort to the already jittery financial markets. That's not to say that the old and new guards are really working together. Obama's team is already working on identifying Bush administration policies they can quickly undo without passing legislation, such as lifting limits on stem-cell research. To continue reading, click here. Jesse Stanchak is a writer living in Washington, D.C. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE \| READ MESSAGES Also In Slate All the Republicans' Problems Solved! And You Thought Obama's Virginia Victory Was Surprising The Really Scary Reasons Why Lawmakers Voted for the Bailout	Advertisement
Ideas on how to make something better? Send an e-mail to newsletters@slate.com. Manage your newsletters on Slate Unsubscribe \| Newsletter Center \| Advertising Information Please do not reply to this message since this is an unmonitored e-mail address. If you have questions about newsletters, please go here. Copyright 2008 Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive Co. LLC \| Privacy Policy Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive \| c/o E-mail Customer Care \|1515 N. Courthouse Rd. \| Arlington, VA 22201