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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Opinions Monday, Dec. 22, 2008

Robert J. Samuelson
Bankers In the Crucible
Not since the early 1980s has their role been so crucial.

Mike Leavitt
Connecting The Medical Dots
Health IT stimulus funds need to be tied to standards for the interoperability of health IT systems.

Fareed Zakaria
Now the Real Test for Obama
His presidency will be judged on how he handles the economic crisis facing the United States.

John Feinstein
A D.C. Bowl Worthy of Its Players
So-called second-tier bowl games are good for NCAA football.

Helene Gayle
In Afghanistan, Education Under Attack
Given a chance, Afghanistan can produce a generation of educated students capable of lifting their country up again.

Ann TELNAES