Barack Obama (1961)/biography

Barack Hussein Obama (born, ) is the  from  and a member of the. The lists him as the fifth  Senator in  and the only African American currently serving in the U.S. Senate.

Born to a black n father and a white mother, Obama grew up in culturally diverse surroundings. He lived for most of his childhood in the U.S. state of  and spent four of his pre-teen years in the multi-ethnic n capital city of. A graduate of and, Obama worked as a , university , and  lawyer before running for. He served in the from 1997 to 2004, launching his campaign for U.S. Senate in 2003.

Obama delivered the keynote address at the while still an Illinois. He went on to win election to the U.S. Senate in November 2004 with a 70% of the vote in an  marked by  gains. As a member of the Democratic minority in the, Obama co-sponsored the enactment of control and  legislation, and made official trips to Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. In the, he has sponsored legislation on and , , and care for returned  personnel.

He is among the Democratic Party's leading candidates for nomination in the. Since announcing his in February 2007, Obama has emphasized ending the  and implementing  as campaign themes. He married in 1992 and has two daughters. He has authored two bestselling books: a memoir of his youth titled ', and ', a personal commentary on U.S. politics.

Early life and career
Obama was born in, to Barack Obama, Sr. (born in , ) and Stanley Ann Dunham (born in , ). His parents met while both were attending the, where his father was enrolled as a. Obama's parents separated when he was two years old and later divorced. His father went to to pursue  studies, then returned to Kenya, where he died in an auto accident when the younger Obama was twenty-one years old. His mother married Lolo Soetoro, an n foreign student, with whom she had one daughter, Maya. The family moved to in 1967, where Obama attended local schools from ages 6 to 10. He then returned to Honolulu to live with his maternal grandparents while attending from 5th grade until his graduation in 1979. Obama's mother died of a few months after the publication of his 1995, Dreams from My Father. Obama's ancestors hail from seven countries:, , , , , and the. Also, his second cousin of his great-great-great-great-great grandfather is. He is also an eighth cousin of Vice President Dick Cheney; both are descendants of, a 17th century French immigrant.

In the memoir, Obama describes his experiences growing up in his mother's family. His knowledge about his absent father came mainly through family stories and photographs. Of his early childhood, Obama writes: "That my father looked nothing like the people around me—that he was black as pitch, my mother white as milk—barely registered in my mind." The book describes his struggles as a young adult to reconcile social perceptions of his heritage. He used, , and during his teenage years, Obama writes, to "push questions of who I was out of my mind."

After graduating from Punahou, Obama studied at for two years, then transferred to, where he majored in  with a specialization in. He received his degree in 1983, then worked for one year at  before moving to  to take a job as a. He entered in 1988. In 1990, The New York Times reported his election as the 's "first black president in its 104-year history." He completed his degree  in 1991. On returning to Chicago, Obama directed a. As an associate with Miner, Barnhill & Galland from 1993 to 1996, he represented community organizers,  claims, and  cases. He was a lecturer of at the   from 1993 until his election to the U.S. Senate in 2004.

State legislature
Obama was elected to the in 1996 from the state's 13th District in the south-side Chicago neighborhood of. In 2000, he made an unsuccessful Democratic primary run for the seat held by four-term incumbent candidate. He was reelected to the Illinois Senate in 1998 and 2002, officially resigning in November 2004 following his election to the U.S. Senate. As a state legislator, Obama worked with both Democrats and Republicans in drafting successful legislation on and. He sponsored a law enhancing s for low-income workers, negotiated, and promoted increased subsidies for. Obama also led the passage of legislation mandating videotaping of homicide interrogations, and a law to monitor by requiring police to record the race of drivers they stopped. During his 2004 general election campaign for U.S. Senate, Obama won the endorsement of the Illinois, whose president credited him with having been "immensely helpful in working with police organizations" on reform. He was criticized by a rival candidate in the Democratic primary and by his Republican  opponent in the general election for having voted either "present" or "no" on anti- legislation.

Keynote address at 2004 Democratic National Convention
xximage:Obamakeynote2004.jpg|right|thumb|Obama addresses the as keynote speaker. ]]

Obama wrote and delivered the keynote address at the in, , while still serving as a. After describing his maternal grandfather's experiences as a veteran and a beneficiary of the   and  programs, Obama said:

"No, people don't expect government to solve all their problems. But they sense, deep in their bones, that with just a slight change in priorities, we can make sure that every child in America has a decent shot at life, and that the doors of opportunity remain open to all. They know we can do better. And they want that choice."

Questioning the management of the, Obama spoke of an enlisted , Corporal Seamus Ahern from , , asking, "Are we serving Seamus as well as he is serving us?" He continued: "When we send our young men and women into harm's way, we have a solemn obligation not to fudge the numbers or shade the truth about why they're going, to care for their families while they're gone, to tend to the soldiers upon their return, and to never, ever go to war without enough troops to win the war, secure the peace, and earn the respect of the world."

Finally, he spoke for national unity: "The pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into ; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I've got news for them too. We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don't like federal agents poking around in our libraries in the Red States. We coach in the Blue States and yes, we got some gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported the war in Iraq. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America."

The speech was Obama's introduction to most of America. Its enthusiastic reception at the convention and widespread coverage by national media gave him instant celebrity status.

Senate campaign
In 2003, Obama began his run for the U.S. Senate vacated by. In early opinion polls leading up to the Democratic, Obama trailed businessman  and Illinois. However, Hull's popularity declined following allegations of. Obama's candidacy was boosted by an advertising campaign featuring images of the late Chicago Mayor and the late U.S. Senator ; the support of Simon's daughter; and political endorsements by the ' and '. Obama received over 52% of the vote in the March 2004 primary, emerging 29% ahead of his nearest Democratic rival. His opponent in the general election was expected to be primary winner. However, Ryan withdrew from the race in June 2004, following public disclosure of divorce records containing sexual allegations by Ryan's ex-wife, actress. In August 2004, with less than three months to go before election day, accepted the Illinois Republican Party's nomination to replace Ryan. A long-time resident of, Keyes established legal residency in Illinois with the nomination. Through three televised debates, Obama and Keyes expressed opposing views on, , , , and s. In the November 2004 general election, Obama received 70% of the vote to Keyes's 27%.

Senate career
Obama was sworn in as a Senator on,. In a move considered exceptional for a first-term incoming senator, he recruited Pete Rouse, a 30-year veteran of the Washington political scene and former chief of staff to Senate Democratic Leader, as his chief of staff. , an economist who was deputy chief of staff to former Secretary of the Treasury was hired as Obama's policy adviser. In July 2005,, Pulitzer-winning author on human rights and genocide, joined Obama's team. He holds assignments on the Senate Committees for ; ; ; and, and is a member of the.

109th Congress
Obama sponsored 152 bills and resolutions brought before the in 2005 and 2006, and cosponsored another 427. He took an active role in the Senate's drive for improved and. Beginning in 2005, Obama co-sponsored the "Secure America and Orderly Immigration Act" introduced by Sen. (-). He later added three amendments to, the "Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act," sponsored by Sen. (-). S. 2611 passed the Senate in May 2006, but failed to gain majority support in the. In September 2006, Obama supported a related bill, the, authorizing construction of fencing and other security improvements along the. President Bush signed the Secure Fence Act into law in October 2006, calling it "an important step toward immigration reform."

xximage:5e076810-1dc2-4b71-a5fc-c5ed5f90a9dd.jpg‎|thumb|right|Senate bill sponsors (-) and Obama join President Bush at the signing ceremony for the. ]]

Partnering first with Sen. (-), and then with Sen. (-), Obama successfully introduced two initiatives bearing his name. "Lugar-Obama" expands the concept to s, including  and s.  The "" provides for a web site, managed by the, listing all organizations receiving Federal funds from 2007 onward, and providing breakdowns by the agency allocating the funds, the dollar amount given, and the purpose of the grant or contract. In December 2006, President Bush signed into law the " Relief, Security, and Democracy Promotion Act," marking the first federal legislation to be enacted with Obama as its primary sponsor.

As a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Obama made official trips to Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. In August 2005, he traveled to, , and. The trip focused on strategies to control the world's supply of, , and as a first defense against potential  attacks. Following meetings with in  and  in January 2006, Obama visited, , and the. At a meeting with students two weeks before  won the, Obama  warned that "the U.S. will never recognize winning Hamas candidates unless the group renounces its fundamental mission to eliminate Israel." He left for his third official trip in August 2006, traveling to, , , and. In a nationally televised speech at the, he spoke forcefully on the influence of ethnic rivalries and. The speech touched off a public debate among rival leaders, some formally challenging Obama's remarks as unfair and improper, others defending his positions.

110th Congress
On the first day of the newly Democratic-controlled, in a column published in the Washington Post, Obama called for an end to "any and all practices that would lead a reasonable person to believe that a public servant has become indebted to a lobbyist." He joined with Sen. (-) in strengthening restrictions on travel in corporate jets to S.1, the Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act of 2007, which passed the Senate with a 96-2 majority. Obama joined Charles Schumer (-) in sponsoring S. 453, a bill to criminalize deceptive practices in federal elections, including fraudulent flyers and automated phone calls, as witnessed in the. Obama's initiatives scored pluses and minuses with, who welcomed his sponsorship with Sen. (-) of a bill to reduce  emissions by two-thirds by, but were skeptical of Obama's support for a bill promoting  production. Also during the first month of the 110th Congress, Obama introduced the "," a bill proposing to cap troop levels in Iraq, begin phased redeployment, and remove all combat brigades from Iraq before April 2008.

Later in 2007, Obama sponsored with (-) an amendment to the 2008  adding safeguards for personality disorder s, and calling for a review by the  following reports that the procedure had been used inappropriately to reduce government costs. He sponsored the "Iran Sanctions Enabling Act" supporting divestment of state pension funds from Iran's oil and gas industry, and joined Chuck Hagel (-) in introducing legislation to prevent nuclear terrorism. He also sponsored a Senate amendment to the (CHIP) to provide one year of job protection for family members caring for soldiers with combat-related injuries. After passing both houses of Congress with bipartisan majorities, CHIP was by President Bush in early October 2007, a move Obama declared "shows a callousness of priorities that is offensive to the ideals we hold as Americans."

Presidential campaign
xximage:Flickr Obama Springfield 01.jpg|thumb|220px|left|Obama on stage with his wife and two daughters just before announcing his presidential campaign in Springfield, Illinois, on. ]]

In February 2007, standing before the building in, , Obama announced his  for the. Describing his working life in Illinois, and symbolically linking his presidential campaign to 's 1858 speech, Obama said: "That is why, in the shadow of the Old State Capitol, where Lincoln once called on a house divided to stand together, where common hopes and common dreams still live, I stand before you today to announce my candidacy for President of the United States of America." The announcement followed months of speculation on whether Obama would run in 2008.

Through the fall of 2006, Obama had spoken at political events across the country in support of Democratic candidates for the midterm elections. In September 2006, he was the featured speaker at Senator 's annual steak fry, an event traditionally attended by presidential hopefuls in the lead-up to the. Speculation intensified in October 2006 when Obama first said he had "thought about the possibility" of running for president, departing from earlier statements that he intended to serve out his six-year Senate term through 2010. Following Obama's statement, ing organizations added his name to. The first such poll, taken in November 2006, ranked Obama in second place with 17% support among Democrats after Sen. (-) who placed first with 28% of the responses. In December 2006, Obama spoke at a event celebrating Democratic Party midterm election victories in the  U.S. presidential primary state.

Obama's campaign raised 58 million during the first half of 2007, topping all other candidates and exceeding previous records for the first six months of any year before an election year. Small donors, those contributing in increments of less than $200, accounted for 29% of Obama's record-breaking total, more than for any other 2008 presidential campaign. His campaign has reported adding over 75,000 new donors through third quarter fundraising. In May 2007, Obama became the first presidential candidate to be newly assigned protection more than 18 months before a general election. The polling organization reported in May 2007 that 49% of Americans consider it "somewhat likely" or "very likely" that Obama will be elected. Also in May and again two months later, reported that Obama leads all prospective Republican opponents in polling for the 2008 general election. If elected, Obama would become the first black U.S. president.

Political advocacy
xximage:ObamaSouthCarolina.jpg|right|thumb|upright|Obama speaking at a rally in on. ]] On the role of in  affairs, Obama has written: "we should be asking ourselves what mix of policies will lead to a dynamic  and widespread economic security, entrepreneurial innovation and  [...] we should be guided by what works." Speaking before the in April 2005, Obama defended the  social welfare policies of, associating  proposals to establish private accounts for  with. In May 2006, he joined four other farming state Senators in calling for the preservation of a US$0.54 per gallon  on imported. Obama spoke out in June 2006 against making recent, temporary cuts permanent, calling the cuts a "" tax break for "billionaire heirs and heiresses." In a speech to the health care advocacy group, made shortly before announcing his presidential campaign, Obama said: "I am absolutely determined that by the end of the first term of the next president, we should have universal health care in this country."

Obama favors tying the to inflation and has been a vocal advocate for. In November 2006, he told members of, a union-backed , "You gotta pay your workers enough that they can actually not only shop at , but ultimately send their kids to college and save for retirement." Courting support for his presidential campaign from Iowa members of the in July 2007, Obama said: "We are facing a  that has thrown open its doors to the most anti-union, anti-worker forces we've seen in generations." At the same forum he also vowed to walk a with union organizers if elected. At a May 2007 meeting in, , he said: "Let’s all acknowledge that to some degree  is here.… The world is smaller than it used to be." Obama added, "When we negotiate trade deals, we’ve got to make sure there are strong labor and environmental provisions in those trade deals."

He was an early opponent of Bush administration policies on Iraq. In the fall of 2002, before the start of the, Obama addressed an anti-war rally in Chicago, saying:

"I know that an invasion of Iraq without a clear rationale and without strong international support will only fan the flames of the Middle East, and encourage the worst, rather than best, impulses of the Arab world, and strengthen the recruitment arm of . I am not opposed to all wars. I'm opposed to dumb wars. You want a fight, President Bush? Let's finish the fight with Bin Laden and al-Qaeda, through effective, coordinated intelligence, and a shutting down of the financial networks that support terrorism, and a homeland security program that involves more than color-coded warnings."

Speaking to the in November 2006, Obama called for a "phased redeployment of U.S. troops from Iraq" and an opening of diplomatic dialogue with  and. In March 2007, in a speech to, a pro-Israel , he said that while the U.S. "should take no option, including military action, off the table, sustained and aggressive diplomacy combined with tough sanctions should be our primary means to prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons." In August 2007, in a speech detailing his strategy for fighting, Obama said:

xximage:Capital building and darfur rally.JPG|right|thumb|Obama addressed the rally at the  in  on. ]]

I understand that President [of ] has his own challenges. But let me make this clear. There are terrorists holed up in those mountains who murdered 3,000 Americans. They are plotting to strike again. It was a terrible mistake to fail to act when we had a chance to take out an al Qaeda leadership meeting in 2005. If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won’t act, we will.

In a December 2005 Washington Post opinion column, and at the rally in April 2006, Obama called for more assertive action to oppose  in the  of. He has US$180,000 in personal holdings of Sudan-related stock, and has urged divestment from companies doing business in Iran. In the July-August 2007 issue of , Obama called for an outward looking post-Iraq War foreign policy and the renewal of American military, diplomatic, and moral leadership in the world. Saying "we can neither retreat from the world nor try to bully it into submission," he called on Americans to "lead the world, by deed and by example."

Obama has encouraged Democrats to reach out to and other  people, saying, "if we truly hope to speak to people where they’re at—to communicate our hopes and values in a way that’s relevant to their own—we cannot abandon the field of religious discourse." In December 2006, he joined Sen. (-) at the "Global Summit on and the Church" organized by church leaders Kay and. Together with Warren and Brownback, Obama took an HIV test, as he had done in Kenya less than four months earlier. He encouraged "others in public life to do the same" to show "there is no shame in going for an HIV test." Before the conference, 18 groups published an  stating, in reference to Obama's support for : "In the strongest possible terms, we oppose Rick Warren's decision to ignore Senator Obama's clear  stance and invite him to  anyway." Addressing over 8,000 members in June 2007, Obama challenged "so-called leaders of the Christian Right" for being "all too eager to exploit what divides us."

Personal life
In 1988, while employed as a summer associate at the Chicago law firm of, Obama met , who also worked there. They were married in 1992 and have two daughters, Malia, born in 1999, and Natasha ("Sasha"), born in 2001. The family moved from their condominium to a nearby US$1.6-million home in 2005. Obama plays, a sport he participated in as a member of his high school's varsity team. Before announcing his presidential candidacy, he began a well-publicized effort to. "I've never been a heavy smoker," Obama told the Chicago Tribune. "I've quit periodically over the last several years. I've got an ironclad demand from my wife that in the stresses of the campaign I don't succumb. I've been chewing strenuously." Replying to an Associated Press survey of 2008 presidential candidates' personal tastes, he specified "" as his alternate career choice and "" as his favorite meal to cook. Asked to name a "hidden talent," Obama answered: "I'm a pretty good player."

A theme of Obama's keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, and the title of his 2006 book, The Audacity of Hope, was inspired by his pastor, Rev. . In Chapter 6 of the book, titled "Faith," Obama writes that he "was not raised in a religious household." He describes his mother, raised by non-religious parents, as detached from religion, yet "in many ways the most spiritually awakened person that I have ever known." He describes his Kenyan father as "raised a ," but a "confirmed atheist" by the time his parents met, and his Indonesian step-father as "a man who saw religion as not particularly useful." The chapter details how Obama, in his twenties, while working with local churches as a, came to understand "the power of the African American religious tradition to spur social change." Obama writes: "It was because of these newfound understandings—that religious commitment did not require me to suspend critical thinking, disengage from the battle for economic and social justice, or otherwise retreat from the world that I knew and loved—that I was finally able to walk down the aisle of one day and be baptized."

Books authored
xximage:AudacityofHope2.jpg|thumb|left|upright|, with "#1 New York Times Bestseller" banner.]]

Obama has authored two bestselling books. The first, , was published after his graduation from law school and before running for public office. In it he recalls his childhood in and, college years in  and , and his employment as a community organizer in  in the 1980s. The book's last chapters describe his first visit to Kenya, a journey to connect with his family and heritage. In his preface to the 2004 revised edition, Obama explains that he had hoped the story of his family "might speak in some way to the fissures of race that have characterized the American experience, as well as the fluid state of identity—the leaps through time, the collision of cultures—that mark our modern life." Time magazine's wrote that the book "may be the best-written memoir ever produced by an American politician." The edition earned Obama the 2006.

His second book, , was published in October 2006, three weeks before the 2006 midterm election. It was an immediate bestseller and rose to number 1 on the by early November 2006. The Chicago Tribune credits the large crowds that gathered at book signings with influencing Obama's decision to run for president. Former presidential candidate describes the book as Obama's "thesis submission" for the U.S. presidency: "It presents a man of relative youth yet maturity, a wise observer of the human condition, a figure who possesses perseverance and writing skills that have flashes of grandeur." Reviewer writes that it does not contain "boldly innovative policy prescriptions that will lead the Democrats out of their wilderness," but does show Obama's potential to "construct a new politics that is progressive but grounded in civic traditions that speak to a wider range of Americans." An Italian translation was published in April 2007 with a preface by, Mayor of. Spanish and German editions were published in June 2007.

Cultural and political image
xximage:Flickr Obama Austin 01.jpg‎|thumb|right|Supporters at a campaign rally in, , on. Obama's campaign estimates 20,000 people attended this event. ]] Supporters and critics have likened Obama's popular image to a cultural, a neutral persona on which people can project their personal histories and aspirations. Obama's own self-narrative reinforces what a May 2004  magazine article described as his "" image. In Dreams from My Father, he ties his maternal family history to possible ancestors and distant relatives of, president of the southern  during the. Speaking to an elderly ish audience during his 2004 campaign for U.S. Senate, Obama linked the linguistic roots of his n first name Barack to the word , meaning "blessed." In an October 2006 interview on , Obama highlighted the diversity of his extended family: "Michelle will tell you that when we get together for Christmas or Thanksgiving, it's like a little mini-," he said. "I've got relatives who look like, and I've got relatives who look like . We've got it all."

With his Kenyan father, upbringing in Honolulu and Jakarta, and education, Obama's early life experiences differ markedly from those of African American politicians who launched their careers in the  through participation in the. During his Democratic primary campaign for U.S. Congress in 2000, two rival candidates charged that Obama was not sufficiently rooted in Chicago's black neighborhoods to represent constituents' concerns. In January 2007, "The End of Blackness" author warned against drawing favorable cultural implications from Obama's political rise. "Lumping us all together," Dickerson wrote in , "erases the significance of and continuing  while giving the appearance of progress." Expressing puzzlement over questions about whether he is "black enough," Obama told an August 2007 meeting of the that the debate is not about his physical appearance or his record on issues of concern to black voters. "What it really lays bare," Obama offered, is that "we're still locked in this notion that if you appeal to white folks then there must be something wrong."

Writing about Obama's political image in a March 2007  opinion column, characterized him as "the personification of both-and," a messenger who rejects "either-or" political choices, and could "move the nation beyond the s" of the 1960s. Obama, who defines himself in The Audacity of Hope as "a Democrat, after all," has been criticized for his political actions by self-described commentator, and complimented for his "can't we all just get along?" manner by columnist. But in a December 2006  editorial headlined "The Man from Nowhere," former speech writer  advised Will and other "" commentators to get "down from your tippy toes" and avoid becoming too quickly excited about Obama's still early political career. Echoing the, Obama acknowledged his youthful image, saying in an October 2007 campaign speech, "I wouldn't be here if, time and again, the torch had not been passed to a new generation."

Recognition and honors
An October 2005 article in the British journal  listed Obama as one of "10 people who could change the world." In 2005 and again in 2007,  magazine named him one of "." During his first three years in the U.S. Senate, Obama received Doctorates of Law from  (2005),  (2006),  (2006),  (2006),  (2007), and  (2007).

Cited works

 * Obama, Barack. , Times Books, 1995. Reprint edition, 2004; ISBN 1-4000-8277-3
 * Obama, Barack., Crown, 2006. ISBN 0-307-23769-9.