Meet the USA

About the USA    

About the USA is a digital collection of background resources on american society, culture, and political processes. In addition to featuring selected websites, it provides access to documents in full text format (E-Texts) on topics ranging from the history of German-American relations, government and politics to travel, holidays and sports. About the USA is maintained by the Information Resource Centers/U.S. Diplomatic Mission to Germany. usa.usembassy.de

In Focus: Election 2008 – Results and Analysis

On November 4, Americans elected Illinois Senator Barack Obama the 44th president of the United States. Addressing supporters in Chicago November 4, the president-elect said, "[…] tonight we’ve proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity and unyielding hope." Crowds spontaneously wept, cheered and danced in the streets as they embraced news of Barack Obama's historic victory as the next president of the U.S. (Video, America.gov) For many people around the world, the election was an illustration of what they like about the U.S. -- the vitality of its democracy and the notion of the United States as a land of opportunity.

Barack Obama will not take the oath of office until January 20, 2009, but work to address the many challenges that await him in the presidency begins immediately. As campaign staffs across the country clean out their offices, a transition team begins its work to ensure the Obama administration is ready to handle the major foreign policy and economic challenges facing the United States.

Biographies

Barack Obama
President-elect

Barack Obama, a first-term senator from Illinois, will be the first African-American president of the United States. Serving in the Senate since 2004, Obama introduced a bipartisan law allowing Americans to learn online how their tax dollars are spent. He also serves on the Veterans' Affairs Committee, which helps oversee the care of soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Previously, Obama worked as a community organizer in Chicago and as a civil rights attorney. He served for eight years in the Illinois State Senate.

Obama was born August 4, 1961, in Hawaii and has lived in many places, including Indonesia. His mother was from Kansas and his father from Kenya. Obama attended Columbia University in New York and earned a law degree at Harvard University in Massachusetts.

• Transition Web site
• Barack Obama’s YouTube Channel
• Barack Obama - An American Life

Joe Biden
Vice President-elect

Joe Biden is a six-term senator from Delaware. First elected to the Senate in 1972 at age 29, Biden currently is the chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations, which reviews matters related to foreign policy including treaties, national security initiatives and humanitarian assistance.

He ran for president in 2008, but withdrew from the race shortly after the Iowa caucuses.

Biden was born November 20, 1942 in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He attended the University of Delaware and Syracuse Law School in New York. Prior to his senate career, Biden worked as an attorney. Biden and his wife Jill, a professor, have three children and five grandchildren.

• Future Vice President Joe Biden

 

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Michelle Obama
Future First Lady

Michelle Obama, who grew up in Chicago, is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School. She met her future husband while working in a Chicago law firm.

She also served as an assistant commissioner of planning at Chicago’s City Hall, and later worked at the University of Chicago, serving in many positions including executive director of community and external affairs.

The Obamas have two young daughters.

• The Obama Family

 

Last updated: November 18, 2008