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 Tale of Two Citis Posted Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2009, at 7:03 AM ET The Washington Post leads with the Bush administration official in charge of deciding which detainees at Guantanamo Bay will go to trial declaring that the U.S. military tortured Mohammed al-Qahtani, a Saudi who allegedly intended to be a part of the Sept. 11 attacks. "We tortured Qathani," Susan Crawford, the convening authority of military commissions, said. Crawford has now become "the first senior Bush administration official responsible for reviewing practices at Guantanamo to publicly state that a detainee was tortured," declares the WP's Bob Woodward. The Wall Street Journal banners word that Citigroup will soon announce a plan to get rid of several of its businesses and shrink the giant company by one-third. Executives say the move "will essentially dismantle the financial colossus built by legendary deal maker Sanford Weill," reports the WSJ. The New York Times leads with Sen. Hillary Clinton's confirmation hearing, where she vowed that the new administration would put diplomacy front-and-center, and hinted there would be a tougher stance on Israel. Although the former first lady faced some tough questions over her husband's fund-raising, she received lots of praise from lawmakers and no one doubts that she will be confirmed as the next secretary of state. The Los Angeles Times leads with a look at how hospitals are feeling the effects of the economic downturn as more patients are choosing to postpone medical care and are foregoing elective procedures. The story focuses on California but points out hospitals across the country are hurting due to the "the financial, economic and government crises" that are "hitting at once." USA Today leads an interview with President Bush, who said President-elect Barack Obama's biggest challenge will be to "protect the American people" from "an enemy attack." 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 Are You Allowed To Give Someone the Finger on Television? Federal Judge Jay Bybee Helped Write Bush's Torture Memos. Impeach Him. Is It True That You Shouldn't Use CFLs if You Live in California or Vermont? | Advertisement  |
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