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 Tehran Down the House By Jesse Stanchak
Posted Sunday, June 14, 2009, at 5:14 AM ET The New York Times, the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times all lead with reports of rioting in Tehran after Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced he had won Friday's election by a landside 62.6 percent of the vote. Meanwhile, reform candidate and second-place finisher Mir Hossein Mousavi is still insisting that he won, even though official results show him garnering just 34 percent of the vote. Ayatollah Khamenei says he won't get involved in the election, meaning there's no way Mousavi can challenge the results. Following the controversial announcement, police and protesters fought, journalists were harassed and several political opponents were arrested, possibly including Mousavi. Why are voters so suspicious of the results? The LAT explains that during the last 6 Iranian presidential elections, conservative candidates have only won in elections with low turnout-- like the 2005 election that swept Ahmadinejad to power. That year just 48 percent of Iranians voted, compared with up to 86 percent this year. Analysts say they think it's unlikely that so many more people would turn out just to support the incumbent. In a news analysis column, NYT Executive Editor Bill Keller writes that Ahmadinejad's victory will hobble reform efforts in Iran. Keller notes Ahmadinejad shows none of Mousavi's concern about human rights issues and he isn't likely to suddenly reverse his frosty stance toward the West. This leaves President Barack Obama in the uncomfortable position of trying to work for peace with a belligerent leader who may have rigged his reelection. Yet the election is good news for right-wing governments, Keller writes, since the outcome makes it easier for them to continue taking a hard-line stance on Iran. To continue reading, click here. Jesse Stanchak is a writer living in Washington, D.C.
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