Obama received over 52% of the vote in the March 2004 primary, emerging 29% ahead of his nearest Democratic rival.

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 Healthy Debate By Jesse Stanchak Posted Sunday, July 26, 2009, at 6:37 AM ET The Washington Post leads with a look at the evolving debate over health care reform. While previous reform efforts reffered to providing universal coverage as a moral issue, President Barack Obama is instead focusing on reigning in the burgeoning cost of care. Now some experts worry that all this focus on cost may backfire, because the little administrative cuts being proposed fail to address more systemic problems with our health care system. The Los Angeles Times leads with an inside look at the deal making and petty squabbles that turned the state legislature's last-minute work on a budget bill into "a slow-moving train wreck." The New York Times leads, at least online, with a look at the difficulties facing Justice Department antitrust official Christine A. Varney as she tries to regulate a number of industries where large companies are choking competition. In addition to the usual industry opposition, Varney now finds herself having to spar with other White House officials as well. On the flip side of the health care debate, the WP points out in its off-lead story that as medical costs have grown over the years, treatment has become much more effective. For common problems like heart disease, treatment options and survival rates are dramatically higher than they were 50 years ago, but that care has also become dramatically more expensive. The paper wonders aloud if continued advances in care will devour any savings created by a health care reform bill. To continue reading, click here. Jesse Stanchak is a writer living in Washington, D.C. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Is It Better to Read Newspapers or the Web? The Results Are In! Sarah Palin Did Have One Good Idea ... Dear Jon, It's Time To Change Your Last Name Back to Leibowitz	Advertisement
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