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 Full Court Press By Jesse Stanchak Posted Saturday, Nov. 1, 2008, at 6:45 AM ET Going into the final weekend before the election, the Los Angeles Times leads with the presidential candidates (and their surrogates) making their last dashes across battleground states. The Wall Street Journal tops its world-wide newsbox with Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., targeting areas that typically favor Republicans, including Republican Sen. John McCain's home state of Arizona, a notion the LAT shares. The New York Times goes lower with campaign news and instead leads with worries that faltering consumer spending may give rise to deflation. The Washington Post leads with a look at how an expanded interpretation of the Constitution's "speech or debate" clause is hampering congressional corruption investigations. 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 AIG Spent $2.85 Billion on What? Sunday Night Football Extra Is the Future of Television The Peanuts Holiday Specials Make Feeling Bad Feel So Good	Advertisement
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