Reply #19: He was blessed with an EXTENDED FAMILY--not quite "It Takes A Village" but that idea....

[MADem]

He had a stepfather who loved him (he didn't divorce Obama's mother until Obama was around eighteen), a younger half sister who still is close, and DOTING grandparents (grandma is still alive), as well as a divorced mother. The father left, and came back for a one month visit, but he was "not present."

He went to one of the best and most prestigious private secondary schools in the United States--small class size, rigorous education, the whole nine yards--what EVERY parent would love to give their kid. He lived in a paradise of a state that has some of the best social services in the nation.

His grandparents even came all the way across country to see him at Columbia--that's a long way for an older couple:




A bit more background: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080214/ap_on_el_pr/obama_hawaii