BARACK OBAMA
Barack Hussein Obama II is the current president of the United States of America. Obama, a Democrat, defeated Republican John McCain in the 2008 Presidential election. He is the 44th president in U.S. history, with his term started on January 20, 2009. Barack Obama is the first African American president, being the child of a Kenyan father and a Caucasian mother.
OBAMA HISTORY
Born in Hawaii on August 4th, 1961, Obama was raised in a small village, where he herded goats as a child. Three years after his birth, his parents divorced, with his father eventually returning to Kenya. His mother later remarried, but died in 1995. Obama's grandmother became a major influence in his life, and only recently passed away in 2008. Barack and his wife Michelle have two daughters, Malia Ann and Natasha.
OBAMA POLITICS
Barack Obama is considered to be a liberal politician. He has favored the New Deal policies of ex-president Franklin Roosevelt, while denouncing some of the military spending of recent administrations. He was an early opponent of the war in Iraq, speaking at an anti-war rally in Chicago on the same day (Oct. 2, 2002) that the joint resolution between President George Bush and Congress authorized the invasion of Iraq. President Obama has shown an inclination to support the poor in America. His campaign promise to repeal tax breaks for the rich, and give tax cuts to the middle and lower classes was a deciding factor in the Presidential Election. His greatest strength as a leader seems to be the ability to reach across cultural lines that have divided America in the past. In fact, Obama's appeal has reached past American borders, as he has already established relationships with foreign leaders around the world.