by Christi Parsons and John McCormick
MIAMI - Barack Obama's mother was an adventurous woman who took her son around the globe.
His grandmother was a rock of stability, giving him the American roots that would ground his teenage years as well as his career in politics.
His mother died too young to see him become a U.S. senator, much less the Democratic presidential nominee and someone who could become the first African-American to win the White House.
Now, just two weeks before the election of his life, that other maternal figure--Madelyn Dunham, who helped raise him--is in such fragile health that family members are gathering at her bedside in Honolulu.
The country hasn't really met this important figure in Obama's life. Dunham, who will be 86 on Sunday, has rarely spoken to the press, and she doesn't appear at campaign events or important ceremonies.
Yet she is a crucial part of his story, a woman he speaks of often when he's campaigning. He has invoked memories of her at his most crucial moments in politics, notably when dealing with the complex multicultural tapestry that is his personal narrative.
Those close to Obama say she is more than just a part of that story, she's part of his personality--a towering image reflected in her grandson right alongside that of her daughter, his mother, Stanley Ann Dunham.
Read more in today's Tribune, here.
Comments
There's only one strong woman on either major party ticket and her name is Sarah Palin. Don't let the Obots fool you, their candidate has run a hate-filled, misogynistic campaign since the primaries.
The media won't report this so you have to find out about it here, a male Obama supporter physically assaulted a female McCain volunteer in September. He hit her with a stick and the police arrested the guy. Here's the link with the criminal complaint and pictures of where the Obama supporter hit the McCain volunteer: http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/obama-supporter-assaults-female-mccain-volunteer-in-new-york/
Posted by: Jeff | October 22, 2008 10:19 AM