July 18, 2008

Get the Inside Scoop on the Candidates

Everything you always wanted to know about Barack Obama

Compiled by Jessie Maxwell

This summer, the Democratic and Republican parties will hold political conventions. Each party will nominate its candidate for President. Here's your chance to get to know Barack Obama before the big celebrations begin. To find out where the candidate stands on the important questions facing our country, go to "Inside the Issues."

Barack Obama

Political Party:

Democratic

Height:

6'2"

Wife's Name:

Michelle

Children's Names:

Malia and Sasha

Car:

Ford Escape Hybrid

Awards:

Obama is a two-time Grammy Award winner. He won Best Spoken Word Album in 2005 for the audio book edition of Dreams From My Father(2004), and again in 2007 for the audio book edition of The Audacity of Hope (2006).

Hobbies:

Obama enjoys playing Scrabble, poker, and basketball.

Favorite Books:

The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison; Moby Dick by Herman Melville; Shakespeare's Tragedies; Parting the Waters by Taylor Branch; Gilead by Marilynn Robinson; Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson; The Bible; Lincoln's Collected Writings

Favorite Movies:

The Godfather I and II and Lawrence of Arabia

Favorite TV Shows:

The Wire, Sportscenter, Monday Night Football, M.A.S.H., and the U.S. Senate on C-Span

Favorite Quote:

"The Arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice." --Martin Luther King Jr.

Personal Heroes:

Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, Pablo Picasso and John Coltrane.

Making the Grade:

Although Obama graduated magna cum laude, which means "with great honor" from Harvard Law School, he got a D in 8th grade French.

When I Grow Up:

Obama says that if he had to choose another career, he would be an architect.

Chef Obama:

Obama loves to make chili. He has been using the same chili recipe since college.

Did You Know?

Obama says he would like Will Smith to play him in a movie.

Back to all headlines