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 Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2008

Richard Cohen
Pardon My Exception
Eric Holder's role in the pardon of Marc Rich raises questions about his ability to say no to power.

Robert Kagan
The Sovereignty Dodge
What Pakistan can't do, the world should.

E.J. Dionne Jr.
Crunch Time for The Big 3
The burden this week should be on the CEOs to explain how a bailout could be a good deal.

Eugene Robinson
A Team in Need of a Plan
A black-and-white view on terrorism doesn't take you very far toward useful policy choices.

Anne Applebaum
Russia's Caribbean Farce
A Russian visit to Venezuela isn't a Cuban missile crisis, even if it is supposed to remind us of one.

Dan Froomkin's White House Watch
The Return of Debate?
In assembling his brain trust, President-elect Barack Obama is making clear that he wants his thinking challenged.

Tom TOLES