he's smart, but not arrogant; passionate, but not ideological; confident, but open to other points of view; black and proud of it, but not bound or consumed by race." The man of mixed race and strong character is Barack Hussein Obama, forty-fourth president of the United States. Obama first captured the attention of Americans in 2004, when the little-known state senator gave a riveting speech at the Democratic National Convention (DNC) before 20 million viewers. In 2008, nearly twice as many people watched Obama at the DNC - this time to accept the Democratic presidential nomination. What drew voters to this man who would become the first black president of the United States? As president, Obama faces one of the nation's worst economic crises. With the promise of change, Obama is working to bring hope and security to the nation once again. At his inaugural address, President Obama said "We must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and begin again the work of remaking America."

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