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 A Second Front? Posted Thursday, Jan. 8, 2009, at 6:36 AM ET Early morning reports reveal that at least three rockets fired from southern Lebanon exploded in northern Israel today. Israel fired back in what a spokesman called "a pinpoint response." Israeli officials had said they were prepared to deal with an attack from Lebanon since it began its incursion into the Gaza Strip, but it raises the possibility that the violence could spread and open a second front for Israel. No one has claimed responsibility and the Lebanese government condemned the attack. The Los Angeles Times includes news of the attack in its inside pages and notes that the rockets were "the kind Hezbollah used during its 34-day war with Israel in mid-2006." The Washington Post leads with a local story that looks at street closings planned for Inauguration Day and off-leads the Red Cross accusing Israel of neglecting the wounded in Gaza and preventing ambulances from reaching a devastated area, where rescue workers found at least 15 bodies and several emaciated children yesterday. The Post includes early word of the rockets from Lebanon and notes they were the first fired into northern Israel since the 2006 war. USA Today leads with the Congressional Budget Office predicting that the budget deficit would reach a record $1.2 trillion, and that's without counting the stimulus package currently under discussion and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The New York Times mentions the CBO projections in its lead story but focuses on President-elect Barack Obama saying that "a central part" of his efforts to decrease federal spending will involve an overhaul of Medicare and Social Security. The Wall Street Journal leads its world-wide newsbox with Obama affirming that he'll continue to pursue a massive stimulus plan despite the projected deficit. The LAT leads locally and off-leads a look at how it appears to be increasingly likely that lawmakers won't pass an economic stimulus package until mid-February. Many experts warn that if the package is delayed for too long, or gets bogged down by pet projects, it might not be as effective in propping up the moribund economy. 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 The Day She Was Sent to Auschwitz Girl Who Pretended To Be a Guy Now Pretends To Be Crazy The Proper Way To Flagellate Yourself During Ashura | Advertisement  |
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