Democrat from Illinois
Barack Obama is the president of the United States. He was formerly a U.S. senator from Illinois. He was born in 1961 in Hawaii, where his parents met as students at the University of Hawaii. His father is from Kenya and his mother is from Kansas. He graduated from Columbia University and received his law degree from Harvard Law School. He previously served in the Illinois state Senate and was an instructor at the University of Chicago Law School. He and his wife, Michelle, have two daughters.
Recent statements involving Barack Obama
The Free Flow of Information Act of 2009 "would guarantee Barack Obama will never be held accountable for producing forged birth documents."
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs "lied" when he said President Obama's birth certificate is posted on the Internet.
"Medicare and Medicaid are the single biggest drivers of the federal deficit and the federal debt by a huge margin."
"In the first round of repayments" from financial institutions that received TARP money, "the government has actually turned a profit."
"If you actually took the number of Muslims [sic] Americans, we'd be one of the largest Muslim countries in the world."
Recent stories featuring Barack Obama
Obama's birth certificate: Final chapter. This time we mean it!:
We address continued Internet speculation on the document.
When in-your-face is off-the-air:
ABC refused opposing ads during Obama's town hall on health care. We explain why.
Your guide to the cap-and-trade estimates:
As Congress considers a cap-and-trade plan, supporters and opponents are citing a dizzying array of cost estimates. We delve into the numbers to see what they really say.
Hannity junkyard scheme is a clunker:
Sean Hannity says it's possible to game the system with the used car program. We examine the facts to see if it's possible.
Obama's budget doesn't reflect his promise to double the Peace Corps. But Corps supporters are hopeful Congress will increase funding anyway.
We want to hear your suggestions and comments. For tips or comments on our campaign promise database, please e-mail the Obameter. If you are commenting on a specific promise, please include the promise number. For comments about our Truth-O-Meter or Flip-O-Meter items, please e-mail the Truth-O-Meter. We’re especially interested in seeing any chain e-mails you receive that you would like us to check out.
PolitiFact is a project of the St. Petersburg Times to help you find the truth in American politics. Reporters and editors from the Times fact-check statements by members of Congress, the White House, lobbyists and interest groups and rate them on our Truth-O-Meter. We’re also tracking more than 500 of Barack Obama’s campaign promises and are rating their progress on our new Obameter. >> More
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