Obama Taking Break to Visit Sick Grandmother

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama will leave the campaign trail for a few days so he can visit his ailing 86-year-old grandmother in Hawaii. Obama's campaign spokesman Robert Gibbs said Monday evening in a statement, "Senator Obama's grandmother, Madelyn Dunham , has always been one of the most important people in his life. Along with his mother and his grandfather, she raised him in Hawaii from the time he was born until the moment he left for college. As he said at the Democratic Convention, she poured everything she had into him. Recently, his Grandmother has become ill, and in the last few weeks, her health has deteriorated to the point where her situation is very serious. It is for that reason that Senator Obama has decided to change his schedule on Thursday and Friday so that he can see her and spend some time with her. He will be returning to the campaign trail on Saturday." (link)