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 All Eyes on Washington Posted Sunday, Jan. 18, 2009, at 6:24 AM ET The Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times lead, and the New York Times off-leads, with word of Israel's unilateral cease-fire, declared late Saturday. Israeli soldiers remain in Gaza nonetheless, and Hamas has asserted that it will keep fighting until the troops leave. More than 1,200 people have died during 22 days of airstrikes and ground assaults, and much of the Gaza Strip has been obliterated in the process. The NYT leads with figures from a NYT/CBS News poll reporting that 79 percent of Americans are optimistic about Obama's presidency--a sharp contrast to the record-low 22 percent approval rating with which President Bush leaves office. The other papers off-lead with inauguration-related stories and photos of the Obamas' and Bidens' symbolic train ride from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C., yesterday. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced, "Hamas was hit hard" during more than three weeks of fighting, but he also said that Israeli troops would continue fighting if Hamas failed to put down its weapons. The tenuous cease-fire followed a day of heavy Israeli bombardment and criticism from the United Nations after an Israeli attack killed two young brothers (ages 5 and 7) in a U.N. school. The LAT frames the cease-fire as an Israeli decision to start out on good footing with Barack Obama when he is takes office on Tuesday, but Israeli citizens and military experts alike express skepticism that it will hold. At a summit in Egypt today, hosted by the Presidents of Egypt and France, representatives from the U.S., the U.N., and other nations will discuss reconstruction efforts in the Gaza Strip and endeavor to prevent weapons smuggling into that region. To continue reading, click here. Kara Hadge is a former Slate intern.Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Don't Be Ashamed. Go See Paul Blart: Mall Cop Forget FDR and Lincoln. Obama Is Most Like JFK. Thongs, Yo-Yos, Hideous Coins, and Other Useless Obama Kitsch | Advertisement  |
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