Who is Barack Obama? This question is on all the channels, and there is no clear answer. Yes, he is a first-term senator, still unfinished.

He is a short-term American resident with an important portion of his younger life spent in Jakarta, Indonesia. It is alleged that when he was six he spoke Indonesian and attended two different religious schools: Muslim and Roman Catholic.

Barack Hussein Obama was born in Honolulu. When he was six, his mother and stepfather, Lolo Soetoro, a Muslim, moved to Jakarta. His mother and birth father had divorced when he was two years old. They had met when they were students at the University of Hawaii. His father was a radical Muslim and returned to Kenya after the divorce.

Barack Obama is reportedly a member of the United Church of Christ, to remove the Muslim background.

His voting record as a senator is punctuated by the following 'no' votes: Permanently repealing the death tax; flag-burning amendment; extending tax relief; against Samuel Allito; against John G. Roberts as Chief Justice; opposed free trade; and against confirmation of John Bolton.

He voted 'yes' on amnesty for illegal aliens and on pulling the troops from Iraq. This is just a small picture of his positions.

With his political celebrity almost certified, the real question is: What does Obama really believe?

Barton F. Walker Jr.

Pinehurst