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 Fight To Save Citi By Daniel Politi Posted Monday, Nov. 24, 2008, at 6:21 AM ET The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and Wall Street Journal lead with the late-night announcement of a plan to rescue ailing banking giant Citigroup. Under a plan that the NYT describes as "radical" and "complex," the federal government will protect Citigroup from potential losses on a pool of troubled assets worth around $306 billion. On top of that, the Treasury Department will inject $20 billion into the company, on top of the $25 billion the financial institution has already received from the department's Troubled Asset Relief Program. The LAT highlights that this is "the largest single rescue effort thus far in the current financial crisis." The Washington Post off-leads the Citigroup rescue but leads with word that President-elect Barack Obama and Democratic leaders are considering a huge fiscal stimulus plan that could total $700 billion over the next two years. Transition officials aren't confirming that something of that magnitude is being considered but more Democrats are raising it as a possibility. USA Today leads with a look at how those that will be flying over the Thanksgiving holiday have a better chance of making it to their destination on time this year. Efforts to decrease congestion at New York airports coupled with the schedule cutbacks by financially struggling airlines have cut down on congestion and decreased delays. 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 Cheer Up! This Crisis Is Nothing Like the Great Depression. The Sensible, Serious Superstars on Obama's National-Security Transition Team How Much Can the President Change the Decor of the White House?	Advertisement
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In December 2006, Obama spoke at a New Hampshire event celebrating Democratic Party midterm election victories in the first-in-the-nation U.S. presidential primary state. Obama's campaign reported raising US$25.8 million between January 1 and March 31 of 2007. He then returned to Honolulu to live with his maternal grandparents while attending Punahou School from 5th grade until his graduation in 1979.

Addressing the Chicago Council on Global Affairs in November 2006, Obama called for a phased withdrawal of troops and an opening of diplomatic dialogue with Iraq's neighbors, Syria and Iran. The family moved from their Hyde Park, Chicago condominium to a nearby US$1.6-million home in 2005. Obama has encouraged Democrats to reach out to evangelicals and other religious people, saying, "if we truly hope to speak to people where they’re at—to communicate our hopes and values in a way that’s relevant to their own—we cannot abandon the field of religious discourse. He was overwhelmingly reelected to the Illinois Senate in 1998 and 2002, officially resigning in November 2004, following his election to the U.S. Senate.

US$24.8 million of Obama's first quarter funds can be used in the primaries, the highest of any 2008 presidential candidate. His first bill was the "Higher Education Opportunity through Pell Grant Expansion Act.

The donations came from 104,000 individual donors, with US$6.9 million raised through the Internet from 50,000 of the donors.