Barack Obama
Barack Obama
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 Obama: Nothing To See Here Posted Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2008, at 6:20 AM ET The New York Times leads with a look at the preparations underway in Afghanistan to arm local militias to help in the fight against the Taliban. The first batch of these armed groups would be deployed early next year in one province and could soon expand to other areas if it's successful. Commanders are, of course, trying to export a tactic that has been successful in Iraq but many Afghans and Western officials are wary of the idea and say it could create more problems than it solves. The Washington Post leads with new figures that show how the housing market has been weakening at a faster pace than analysts were expecting. There's now a widespread fear among economists "that the housing downturn has entered a new phase, fired by a recession it helped create," notes the WP. The Los Angeles Times and the Wall Street Journal's world-wide newsbox lead with the report released by President-elect Barack Obama's transition team that concluded no one acting on Obama's behalf was involved in any talks with Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich about possible deals in exchange for appointing someone to fill the state's open Senate seat. Federal prosecutors interviewed Obama, his chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, and close adviser Valerie Jarrett last week. USA Today leads with the bad weather that has hit much of the Untied States and will complicate travel plans for thousands who are trying to drive or fly somewhere for Christmas. Today "is going to be an absolute nightmare, both in the air and on the ground," a meteorologist tells the paper. The sliver of good news for travelers is that the weather should improve this weekend so the return trip promises to be less painful. 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 How To Bring More Transparency to Wall Street America's Weirdest Christmas Displays A New Report Says Christians Are Stingy. Is It True? | Advertisement  |
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