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 What's Good for GM is Good for Obama By Daniel Politi Posted Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2008, at 6:22 AM ET The Washington Post leads with a look at how things haven't gone quite as planned for Fannie Mae and American International Group after the government took them over. Both say the government set up such strict terms when it effectively nationalized the companies that it's impossible for them to succeed. As was already reported yesterday, the government unveiled a new investment in AIG. In its lead story, the Los Angeles Times poignantly wonders: "Will $700 billion be enough?" When an individual company gets so much money it's bound to get other industries to wonder why they can't get a piece of the pie as well. The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal's world-wide newsbox lead with President-elect Barack Obama urging President Bush to extend financial support to the U.S. auto industry and to back a new financial stimulus package. Bush said he might be willing to support those measures if Democrats agree to drop their opposition to the Colombia free-trade deal. USA Today leads with a look at how many state and local governments continue to spend heavily despite the ongoing economic slump. In the third quarter, state and local spending increased 7.4 percent while the governments continued to increase hiring at a pace not seen in the vast majority of the private sector. Some insist the increased spending is helping to soften the economic downturn, but it also means states will be facing some steep budget shortfalls next year. 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 Shafer: Rumors of the Drudge Report's Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated Will President Obama Bring His Facebooky Web Site to the White House? Obama Is Catching Five Lucky Breaks on Foreign Policy	Advertisement
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