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Sunday, June 21, 2009

The First Dad. Happy Father's Day!

What Being A Father Means To Barack Obama:
Excerpts from Interview with Men's Health
November, 2008

"I would like to think that most of the issues related to my father have been resolved." "That's part of what writing Dreams from My Father was about: understanding him, his own personal tragedy. He wasn't a presence in my life, he was an idea that I had to wrestle with for a long time."

"Somebody once said that every man is either trying to live up to his dad's expectations or makeup for his dad's mistakes. And I'm sure I was doing a little bit of both. But I feel that somewhere in my late 20s or early 30s I sort of figured out what his absence had meant. It is part of what I think has made me a pretty good dad. I don't think it would have too much of an impact on my decision-making as president. There's no doubt that it has contributed to my drive. I might not be here had it not been for that absent father prodding me early in life."

Check out more pictures of the Obama Family Moments.