The Kalam Cosmological Argument Part 1

Here's a nifty little argument:

1. Anything that begins to exist must have a cause.
2. The universe began to exist.
   
   Therefore...
   
   
3. The universe had a cause.

The first thing to notice is that the argument is valid. That is, if the premises are true, then the conclusion must be true. So, two questions are obvious: are the premises true (that is, are (1) and (2) above true)? What kind of cause is necessary?

In the posts to come, I'll tackly defending both premises, and then I'll move into analyzing what kind of cause has to be responsible for the creation of the universe.