Obama's Radical Roots And Rules

[confedup]

By INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY | Posted Thursday, August 14, 2008 4:20 PM PT

Election '08: Most Americans revile socialism, yet Barack Obama's poll numbers remain competitive. One explanation: He's a longtime disciple of a man whose mission was to teach radicals to disguise their ideology.

The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee's choice of the word "change" as his campaign's central slogan is not the product of focus-group studies, or the brainstorming sessions of his political consultants.

One of Obama's main inspirations was a man dedicated to revolutionary change that he was convinced "must be preceded by a passive, affirmative, nonchallenging attitude toward change among the mass of our people. They must feel so frustrated, so defeated, so lost, so futureless in the prevailing system that they are willing to let go of the past and change the future."

Sen. Obama was trained by Chicago's Industrial Areas Foundation, founded in 1940 by the radical organizer Saul Alinsky. In the 1980s, Obama spent years as director of the Developing Communities Project, which operated using Alinsky's strategies, and was involved with two other Alinsky-oriented entities, Acorn and Project Vote.

On the Obama campaign Web site can be found a photo of him teaching in a University of Chicago classroom with "Power Analysis" and "Relationships Built on Self Interest" written on the blackboard — key terms utilized in the Alinsky method.

The far-left Alinsky had no time for liberalism or liberals, declaring that "a liberal is (someone) who puts his foot down firmly on thin air." He wanted nothing less than transformational radicalism. "America was begun by its radicals," he wrote. "America was built by its radicals. The hope and future of America lies with its radicals." And so, "This is the job for today's radical — to fan the embers of hopelessness into a flame to fight. To say, '. . . let us change it together!' "

Alinsky students ranged "from militant Indians to Chicanos to Puerto Ricans to blacks from all parts of the black power spectrum, from Panthers to radical philosophers, from a variety of campus activists, S.D.S. and others, to a priest who was joining a revolutionary party in South America."

Capitalism always was considered the enemy. "America's corporations are a spiritual slum," he wrote, "and their arrogance is the major threat to our future as a free society." Is it surprising that an Alinsky disciple such as Obama can promise so blithely to increase taxes on CEOs?

Obama calls his years as an Alinskyesque community organizer in Chicago "the best education I ever had, and where I learned the true meaning of my Christian faith." But as radicalism expert Richard Lawrence Poe has noted, "Camouflage is key to Alinsky-style organizing. In organizing coalitions of black churches in Chicago, Obama caught flak for not attending church himself. He became an instant churchgoer."

Indeed, Alinsky believed in sacrificing ethics and morals for the great cause. "Ethical standards must be elastic to stretch with the times," Alinsky wrote in his last book, "Rules for Radicals," adding that "all values are relative in a world of political relativity."

Published a year before Alinsky's death in 1972, "Rules for Radicals" includes a dedication in which he gives "an over-the-shoulder acknowledgment to the very first radical . . . who rebelled against the establishment and did it so effectively that he at least won his own kingdom — Lucifer."

Alinsky's writings even explain what often seems like Obama's oversized ego. In New Hampshire in January, for example, the senator told an audience that "a beam of light will come down upon you, you will experience an epiphany . . . and you will suddenly realize that you must go to the polls and vote for Obama."

It was a bizarre spectacle, but consider that Alinsky believed that "anyone who is working against the haves is always facing odds, and in many cases heavy odds. If he or she does not have that complete self-confidence (or call it ego) that he can win, then the battle is lost before it is even begun."

According to Alinsky, "Ego must be so all-pervading that the personality of the organizer is contagious, that it converts the people from despair to defiance, creating a mass ego."

Alinsky also readily admitted that he didn't trust the people themselves. "It is the schizophrenia of a free society that we outwardly espouse faith in the people but inwardly have strong doubts whether the people can be trusted," he wrote. "Seeking some meaning in life," the middle class, according to Alinsky, "turn to an extreme chauvinism and become defenders of the 'American' faith."

This is evocative of Obama's remark during the primaries that small-town Americans are "bitter" and "cling to guns or religion."

Obama is also following Alinsky's instructions to the hard left for attaining power in America. In the last chapter of "Rules for Radicals," titled "The Way Ahead," is found this declaration: "Activists and radicals, on and off our college campuses — people who are committed to change — must make a complete turnabout."

Alinsky noted that "our rebels have contemptuously rejected the values and way of life of the middle class. They have stigmatized it as materialistic, decadent, bourgeois, degenerate, imperialistic, war-mongering, brutalized and corrupt."

According to Alinsky, "They are right," but he cautioned his comrades that "the power and the people are in the big middle-class majority." Therefore, an effective radical activist "discards the rhetoric that always says 'pig' " in reference to police officers, plus other forms of disguise, "to radicalize parts of the middle class."

Obama's rhetorical window-dressing is easily recognizable as Alinskyesque camouflage. New annual spending of more than $340 billion, as estimated by the National Taxpayers Union, is merely a wish to "recast" the safety net woven by FDR and LBJ, as Obama describes it in his writings. The free market is disparaged as a "winner-take-all" economy. Big tax increases masquerade as "restoring fairness to the economy."

Barack Obama's "Change We Can Believe In" is simply socialism — imposed by stratagem because Americans have never believed in Marxist economics. Saul Alinsky understood this, and his ghost is alive and well — and threatening to haunt the White House.

[skylndrftr]

1)this isn't even an opinion piece its a book review2)I noticed my local barnes and noble has filed the book under fiction (I lol'ed)3)you wanna discuss this tuff? post some facts and maybe your opinion...you provide someone else as both. Think for yourself, I know its hard in your case (the thinking part)4) I provide an even longer response... (they see me pastin...they hatin )

FACTUAL INACCURACIES IN CORSI’S BOOKCorsi’s book is rife with inaccuracies. He claims to have 700 footnotes and yet he gets some of the most basicfacts about Barack Obama wrong—like the year the Obamas were married. Corsi writes throughout his bookthat Obama has refused to acknowledge details about his life, but a quick search through Obama’s twothorough books shows that, despite Corsi’s claims, Obama does in fact talk about his sister’s birth and diddedicate “Dreams from My Father” to his family, for example. But Corsi makes more troubling inaccurateclaims as well, such as saying that Obama gave a million dollars to a Kenyan politician, when numerous outletshave shown that to be a lie. And Corsi’s claims that Obama would leave the country unsafe by destroying themilitary are spurious and untrue. While these are certainly not all the inaccuracies in the book, they includesome important points we thought should be pointed out.LIE: “Nowhere in the autobiography does Obama disclose that his wife-to-be accompanied him toAfrica on the 1992 trip.” [p 25]REALITY: OBAMA WROTE ABOUT TAKING MICHELLE TO KENYAObama: “After Our Engagement, I Took Michelle To Kenya…” Obama wrote in Dreams, “After ourengagement, I took Michelle to Kenya to meet the other half of my family. She was an immediate success thereas well, in part because the number of Luo words in her vocabulary very soon surpassed mine. We had a finetime in Alego, helping Auma on a film project of hers, listening to more of Granny’s stories, meeting relativesI’d missed the first time around.” [Dreams, p 439]LIE: “Obama failed to discuss his father’s alcoholism and polygamy in his autobiography.” [p 24]“Obama’s story of his father’s life is dense, presented in anything but a straightforward manner,often glorified or embellished so as to mask much of the harsh and, for Obama, probably painfultruth.” [p 37]REALITY: OBAMA WROTE EXTENSIVELY ABOUT HIS FATHER’S FLAWS IN “DREAMS”Obama Wrote About His Father’s Drinking Throughout Dreams from My Father. Obama writes Aumasaid, “At the time, I just saw that life at home became very difficult. The Old Man never spoke to Roy or myselfexcept to scold us. He would come home very late, drunk, and I could hear him shouting at Ruth, telling her tocook him food. Ruth became very bitter at how the Old Man had changed… Finally Roy just left. He juststopped coming home and started living with different people. So I was left alone with the Old Man. SometimesI would stay up half the night, waiting to hear him come through the door, worrying that something terrible hadhappened. Then he would stagger in drunk and come into my room and wake me because he wanted companyor something to eat. He would talk about how unhappy he was and how he had been betrayed. I would be sosleepy, I wouldn’t understand anything he was saying. Secretly, I began to wish that he would just stay out onenight and never come back.” [p 216-217]Obama Wrote He Asked Himself If His Father Was “A Bitter Drunk.” “Now, as I sat in the glow of asingle light bulb, rocking slightly on a hard-backed chair, that image had suddenly vanished. Replaced by . . .what? A bitter drunk? An abusive husband? A defeated, lonely bureaucrat? To think that all my life I had beenwrestling with nothing more than a ghost!” [p 220]6Obama Wrote His Father’s First Wife Was Kezia, Mother To Four of His Children. Obama’s father’s wifewas Kezia Obama. Before he left Kenya, he fathered Auma and Roy with Kezia. After he had returned to Kenyayears later, she also gave birth to Bernard and Abo. [Africa News, 8/15/04; Dreams from my Father, p 316, p335]Obama Wrote His Mother Said There Was No Legal Documentation That Could Show a Divorce FromHis First Wife. In Dreams From my Father, Obama writes that his mother Ann Dunham said, “your father’sfirst wife...he had told me they were separated, but it was a village wedding, so there was no legal documentthat could show a divorce.” [Dreams from my Father, p 126]Obama Writes That His Father’s Third Wife Refused To Life With His First Wife. In Dreams from myFather, Obama writes that one of his relatives said, “once Barack [Sr.] agreed to marry Ruth, she could notaccept the idea of his having Kezia as a second wife.” Ruth was the mother to Mark and David. [Dreams frommy Father, p 213, p 423]Obama Wrote Obama Sr. Fathered His Last Child With an Unnamed Woman. Obama writes that beforehe died, Obama Sr. “had just fathered another son, George, with a young woman he was living with.” Obamawrites that his sister Auma said, “The Old Man’s last girlfriend, the mother of our baby brother, George— shewanted everything.” [Dreams from my Father, p 265-266, p 218]LIE: ”We find there is even uncertainty whether Stanley Ann and Obama Senior were ever married in achurch. No marriage license for this first marriage surfaces in any of the now-growing volume ofresearch being done...Yet even this remains murky.” [p. 44]REALITY: CORSI ADMITS ON THE SAME PAGE THAT OBAMA’S PARENTS HAD A LEGALAMERICAN MARRIAGETIME Reported On Obama’s Parents’ Divorce Records. TIME reported, “On Feb. 2, 1961, several monthsafter they met, Obama’s parents got married in Maui, according to divorce records.” [TIME, 4/9/08]• Corsi Cites Time Story To Say “Divorce Papers Confirm…” Corsi wrote, “Other sources saydivorce papers confirm that a civil ceremony was held on Maui, on February 2, 1961, when Ann wasthree months pregnant with Obama.” Corsi cites the April 9th, 2008 Time story for his reference toObama’s parents’ wedding. [p. 44]Corsi “Baselessly” Suggests That Barack Obama Sr. Divorced Ann Dunham “Following The PrescriptsOf Islamic Sharia Law.” “Corsi baselessly suggests that Obama’s father, Barack Obama Sr., may havedivorced his mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, ‘following the prescripts of Islamic sharia law.’ Corsi’s sole sourcefor this statement is a blogger who made the claim in a March 20 post, which featured the false headline,“BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA WAS MUSLIM FOR 31 YEARS” and misstated Obama’s mother’s name as‘Shirley Ann.’ The blogger Corsi cited, ‘Majalah Bulanan Kumunitas Indonesia Di Edmonton,’ provided nosubstantiation for the claim that ‘the senior Obama divorced Dunham according to Sharia law.’” [MediaMatters, 8/4/08]LIE: “Obama devotes the entire second chapter of his autobiography to his time in Indonesia, butremarkably, he makes no reference to Maya’s birth.” [p 48]7REALITY: OBAMA DID MAKE REFERENCE TO HIS SISTER’S BIRTHObama: “My Mother And Lolo Would Remain Cordial Through The Birth Of My Sister, Maya…”Obama wrote, “Such arguments were rare, though; my mother and Lolo would remain cordial through the birthof my sister, Maya, through the separation and eventual divorce, up until the last time I saw Lolo, ten yearslater, when my mother helped him travel to Los Angeles to treat a liver ailment that would kill him at the age offifty-one.” [p 47]Corsi “Falsely” Claims That Obama Did Not Mention The Birth Of His Sister In Dreams. “Corsi falselyclaims that Obama does not mention the birth of his half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, during the chapter in Dreamsin which he discusses his time living in Indonesia. Corsi writes: In the midst of the personal drama being playedagainst the background of this Indonesian turmoil, on August 15, 1970, Obama’s half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng,was born to his mother and stepfather. Obama devotes the entire second chapter of his autobiography to his timein Indonesia, but remarkably, he makes no reference to Maya’s birth [Page 48]. In fact, on Page 47 of Dreams,in the chapter discussing his time in Indonesia, Obama writes that ‘my mother and Lolo would remain cordialthrough the birth of my sister, Maya.’” [Media Matters, 8/4/08]LIE: “Obama did not dedicate Dreams from My Father to his mother, or to his father, Barack Senior,or to his Indonesian stepfather. Missing from the dedication are the grandparents who raised himin Hawaii, especially during the years his mother abandoned him to return to Indonesia to bewith Lolo.” [p 49]REALITY: OBAMA DID DEDICATE HIS BOOK TO HIS FAMILYObama Wrote That He Owed “The Deepest Gratitude” And “Dedicated” His Book To “My Mother, MyGrandparents, My Siblings, Stretched Across Oceans And Continents.” “It is to my family, though -- mymother, my grandparents, my siblings, stretched across oceans and continents -- that I owe the deepest gratitudeand to whom I dedicated this book. Without their constant love and support, without their willingness to let mesing their song and their toleration of the occasional wrong note, I could never have hoped to finish. If nothingelse, I hope that the love and respect I feel for them shines through on every page.” [Dreams From My Father, pxvii]LIE: “According to the blog, his religion was listed as Islam.” [p 53]REALITY: RELIGION OF THE FATHER WAS WHAT WAS LISTEDObama’s Parents Registered Obama As A Muslim For “Convenience” Because It Was The “CommonPractice…To List The Father’s Faith.” Obama’s stepfather was nominally Muslim. ‘At the public school,which welcomed pupils of various faiths, Obama’s parents registered him as ‘Muslim’ only for convenience.The Indonesian Communist Party had just been destroyed, and atheistic Marxism outlawed. Pupils wererequired to state an affiliation with a major world religion. When enrolling a child, the common practice was tolist the father’s faith.’” [Mercury News, 2/1/2007]Obama Was Registered As The Religion Of His Stepfather. Israella Dharmawan said Obama “wasregistered as a Muslim because his father, Lolo Soetoro, was Muslim.” [Los Angeles Times, 3/16/07]8LIE: Zulfan “Adi said neighborhood Muslims worshipped in a nearby house. When the muezzinsounded the call to prayer, Adi remembered seeing Lolo and Barry walk together to themakeshift mosque.” [p 56]REALITY: ADI “WAS NOT CERTAIN” WHEN PRESSED ABOUT HIS RECOLLECTIONSFormer Classmate Who Said Obama Attended Services With Lolo Soetoro “Told The Tribune He WasNot Certain About That When Pressed About His Recollections.” The Chicago Tribune reported, “ZulfanAdi, a former neighborhood playmate of Obama’s who has been cited in news reports as saying Obamaregularly attended Friday prayers with Soetoro, told the Tribune he was not certain about that when pressedabout his recollections. He only knew Obama for a few months, during 1970, when his family moved to theneighborhood.” [Chicago Tribune, 3/25/07]LIE: “Obama always acknowledged his stepfather was Muslim, though he did his best to downplayIslam as an important force in his stepfather’s life.” [p 58]REALITY: LOLO WAS A NOMINAL MUSLIMLolo Soetoro Was A “Nominal Muslim” Who Enjoyed Bacon. “The grandparents who helped raise Mr.Obama were nonpracticing Baptists and Methodists. His mother was an anthropologist who collected religioustexts the way others picked up tribal masks, teaching her children the inspirational power of the commonnarratives and heroes. His mother’s tutelage took place mostly in Indonesia, in the household of Mr. Obama’sstepfather, Lolo Soetoro, a nominal Muslim who hung prayer beads over his bed but enjoyed bacon, whichIslam forbids.” [New York Times, 4/3/07]Obama: Lolo Soetoro “Followed A Brand Of Islam That Could Make Room For The Remnants” OfOther Faiths. Obama wrote, “Like many Indonesians, Lolo followed a brand of Islam that could make roomfor the remnants of more ancient animist and Hindu faiths.” [Dreams, p. 37]LIE: “As a vice president, Madelyn Dunham would have earned enough to be well off, even if notrich.” [p 71]REALITY: DUNHAMS LIVED MODESTLYObama’s Grandparents Rented A Two Bedroom Apartment In Honolulu. The Chicago Tribune reported,“At age 11, Obama was sent to Hawaii to live with his grandparents. They lived in a modest two-bedroomHonolulu apartment in order to save money for Obama’s tuition to attend the Punahou Academy, an eliteprivate school.” [Chicago Tribune, 10/22/2004]LIE: “Still, Obama has yet to answer questions whether he ever dealt drugs, or if he stopped usingmarijuana and cocaine completely in college, or where his drug usage extended into his lawschool days or beyond. Did Obama ever use drugs in his days as a community organizer inChicago, or when he was a state senator from Illinois? How about in the US Senate?” [p 77]9REALITY: OBAMA HAS MADE CLEAR REPEATEDLY THAT HE STOPPED USINGMARIJUANA IN COLLEGE, WHICH PEERS HAVE AFFIRMEDObama Said He Inhaled Pot, But Said He Hadn’t Done “Anything” Since He Was 20. “When I was in highschool, I tried pot,” said Obama. “And I won’t say that I didn’t inhale. I did inhale.” He said some of thebehavior extended to college. “By the time I was 20, I don’t think I indulged again,” he said. The graduate ofHarvard Law School also admits there was a time “I drank six-packs of beer in a single night.” Any other illegaldrugs? “I haven’t done anything since I was 20 years old,” he said. “That’ll suffice.” [State Journal-Register(Springfield, IL), 11/9/03]Scott: In New York, Obama “Stopped Getting High.” Janny Scott wrote in the New York Times, “SenatorObama, an Illinois Democrat now seeking the presidency, suggests in his book that his years in New York werea pivotal period: He ran three miles a day, buckled down to work and “stopped getting high,” which he says hehad started doing in high school.” [New York Times, 10/30/07] Obama’s Roommate In New York Said He Refused Offers Of Drugs. The AP reported, “While Obamahas acknowledged using marijuana and cocaine during high school in Hawaii, he writes in the memoir thathe stopped using soon after his arrival in New York. His roommate had no such scruples. But Siddiqi saysthat during their time together here, Obama always refused his offers of drugs.” [AP, 5/15/08] Smith: “I Invested A Fair Amount Of Time In An Obama-In-New York Piece…The Conclusion MayBe That Obama’s New York Life Was Much Less Interesting That A Few Lines In His BookSuggest.” Ben Smith wrote, “I invested a fair amount of time in an Obama-in-New-York piece earlier thisyear, and eventually gave up and wrote a short blog item. (I didn’t think “Impressive, charismatic pol wasonce impressive, charismatic young man” made much of a story.) I think the conclusion may be thatObama’s New York life was much less interesting than a few lines in his book suggest.” [Politico, 11/6/07]LIE: “But the key role Frank Marshall Davis plays in the autobiography is not to provide Obama withwords from his poems as a voice for Obama’s black rage. Instead Davis is the mentor Obamaseeks for wisdom and advice, for instance when he has a crisis with his grandmother that was sotraumatic Obama still mentions it today.” [p 87]REALITY: OBAMA MEMOIR CHARACTERIZED FRANK DAVIS MARSHALL AS A FIGUREFROM HIS YOUTH WHO “FELL SHORT” AND WHOSE VIEW OF RACE WAS“INCURABLE”Obama Wrote Of Frank As Someone Who “Fell Short” Of The “Lofty Standards” Of “Martin AndMalcolm, Dubois And Mandela.” “Yes, I’d seen weakness in other men—Gramps and his disappointments,Lolo and his compromise. But these men had become object lessons for me, men I might love but neveremulate, white men and brown men whose fates didn’t speak to my own. It was into my father’s image, theblack man, son of Africa, that I’d packed all the attributes I sought in myself, the attributes of Martin andMalcolm, DuBois and Mandela. And if later I saw that the black men I knew— Frank or Ray or Will or Rafiq—fell short of such lofty standards; if I had learned to respect these men for the struggles they went through,recognizing them as my own—my father’s voice had nevertheless remained untainted, inspiring, rebuking,granting or withholding approval. You do not work hard enough, Barry. You must help in your people’sstruggle. Wake up, black man!” [Dreams From My Father, Pg. 96]Obama Wrote That “The Relationship Between Black And White, The Meaning Of Escape, WouldNever Be Quite The Same For Me As It Had Been For Frank, Or For The Old Man, Or Even For Roy.”10“The relationship between black and white, the meaning of escape, would never be quite the same for me as ithad been for Frank, or for the Old Man, or even for Roy.” [Dreams From My Father, Pg. 277]Obama Recounted Frank’s Diatribe About What Would Happen To Him In College And ThenDescribed Frank As “Incurable” And Living In The “Sixties Time Warp That Hawaii Had Created.”““What had Frank called college? An advanced degree in compromise. I thought back to the last time I had seenthe old poet, a few days before I left Hawaii. We had made small talk for a while; he complained about his feet,the corns and bone spurs that he insisted were a direct result of trying to force African feet into European shoes.Finally he had asked me what it was that I expected to get out of college. I told him I didn’t know. He shook hisbig, hoary head…’Leaving your race at the door,” he said. “Leaving your people behind.” He studied me overthe top of his reading glasses. “Understand something, boy. You’re not going to college to get educated. You’regoing there to get trained. They’ll train you to want what you don’t need. They’ll train you to manipulate wordsso they don’t mean anything anymore. They’ll train you to forget what it is that you already know. They’ll trainyou so good, you’ll start believing what they tell you about equal opportunity and the American way and all that****. They’ll give you a corner office and invite you to fancy dinners, and tell you you’re a credit to your race.Until you want to actually start running things, and then they’ll yank on your chain and let you know that youmay be a well-trained, well-paid ******, but you’re a ****** just the same…It made me smile, thinking back onFrank and his old Black Power, dashiki self. In some ways he was as incurable as my mother, as certain in hisfaith, living in the same sixties time warp that Hawaii had created.” [Dreams From My Father, Pg. 96-97]Davis: “I Cannot Support The African American Extremist Postulate That All White Are Our Enemies.Unless You Have Allowed Yourself To Become Completely Dehumanized By American Racism, YouValue And Retain Your Proven Friends, No Matter What Their Color.” An article on Frank MarshallDavis wrote, “Although involvement with the labor movement was Davis’s opportunity to work for betterwages and conditions for both African Americans and whites, perhaps most significant about this period inChicago was that Davis and other African American intellectuals had a chance to mix freely in interracialsituations, thereby opening doors for those who came after. Davis understood more than ever that the problemsin America caused by class inequities were intricately woven with racial inequities. The Chicago Renaissancewas a period when it was possible for interracial friendships to form and new levels of communication to occur.‘I felt equal to my white peers. Around them I could not sniff the offensive odor of condescension. You see, Ilike people despite being basically a loner, but experience had taught me never to immediately trust anybodywhite ... and in a determined effort to become cosmopolitan, I participated in all... I still have warm personalfeelings for those with whom I worked. This is a big reason why I cannot support the African Americanextremist postulate that all whites are our enemies... Unless you have allowed yourself to become completelydehumanized by American racism, you value and retain your proven friends, no matter what their color (1992,248-249).’” [Western Journal of Black Studies, 12/22/02]LIE: “Despite all they had done for him, his grandparents were still ‘white folks’ and ‘white folks’ areracists.” [p 88]REALITY: OBAMA SAID CALLING HIS GRANDPARENTS “WHITE FOLKS” WOULDN’TRESONATE WITH HIMObama Said That The Phrase “White Folks” Did Not Resonate With Him, Because Of His Love For HisMother And Grandparents. Obama wrote, “White folks. The term itself was uncomfortable in my mouth atfirst; I felt like a non-native speaker tripping over a difficult phrase. Sometimes I would find myself talking toRay about white folks this or white folks that, and I would suddenly remember my mother’s smile, and thewords that I spoke would seem awkward and false. Or I would be helping Gramps dry the dishes after dinner11and Toot would come in to say she was going to sleep, and those same words—white folks—would flash in myhead like a bright neon sign, and I would suddenly grow quiet, as if I had secrets to keep.” [Dreams, p. 81 – 82]LIE: “The Obama campaign denied the photo [of him in Somali clothing] proves any connectionbetween Obama and Islam.” [p 93]REALITY: SOMALI OUTFIT HAD “NO RELIGIOUS SIGNIFICANCE”The Somali Clothes Obama Was Wearing Are The Traditional Clothes Nomadic People In Somalia WearAnd Have No Religious Significance Whatsoever. Yusuf Garaad Omar, head of the BBC’s Somali Servicewrote, “These are the normal clothes that nomadic people wear. The head turban is especially used by elderlypeople as a suggestion of respect. It is something that has no meaning whatsoever in Somalia culture. If you seesomeone dressed like that in Somalia, you think it is a nomadic person - that is all. There is no religioussignificance to it whatsoever. It is mainly the nomadic people who use it. Some of them are religious, some arenot. It is simply a tradition of the place where they are from. In this particular place, Wajir in north-east Kenya,the community is majority ethnic Somali. They have a council for Peace and Development, and when they getdelegates they dress them as a nomadic person.” [BBC News, 2/26/08]LIE: “Senator Barack Obama came full circle with his father’s past by openly supporting RailaOdinga during his visit to Africa in 2006. He took up his father’s battle with Kenyatta and joinedforces with the most extreme Luo in Kenyan politics, Raila Odinga, the son of the communistOdinga Odinga, who was ousted by Kenyatta.” [p 103]REALITY: OBAMA WAS IMPARTIAL IN KENYAN POLITICSObama Did Not Take Sides, Said That Each Leader Should Go To Negotiations “Unconditionally.”“Obama said President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga should sit down and talk‘unconditionally,’ and he urged them to ‘welcome the assistance if your concerned friends.’ Aides to Obamasaid he gave the statement after consulting with U.S. Ambassador Mike Rannenberger, at the U.S. embassy inNairobi. The address was broadcast live during the morning commute in Kenya on Capital FM Radio inNairobi.” [Chicago Tribune, 1/29/08]Awiti: Raila Odinga Was Using Obama To Add Some Political Points And It Should Be TotallyDisregarded. “Alex Awiti, a Kenyan postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University, says you have to considerthe context of when Odinga was speaking, that being in the middle of a political crisis. ‘Raila Odinga wasgroping all over the place, trying to find some political legitimacy to get on a high pedestal to claim leadershipand using Obama was basically going to add some political points,’ said Awiti, who lived in Kenya until threeyears ago. ‘This is very opportunistic and it should be totally disregarded.’” [Politifact]LIE: “Senator Obama could claim to be a citizen of Kenya, as well as of the United States. Obama cantrace his heritage back to his mother, who was born in the United States and was an Americancitizen when he was born, and to his father, who was born in Kenya and was a Kenyan citizenwhen Obama was born.” [p 103]REALITY: OBAMA CANNOT CLAIM KENYAN CITIZENSHIP12Kenya Does Not Allow Dual Citizenship Applications for People Over 21 Years of Age. The U.S. Office ofPersonnel Management writes of Kenya, “DUAL CITIZENSHIP: Not recognized except for persons under 21years old.” The Kenyan Constitution writes, “A person who, but for the proviso to section 87 (1), would be acitizen of Kenya by virtue of that subsection shall be entitled, upon making application before the specified datein such manner as may be prescribed by or under an Act of Parliament, to be registered as a citizen of Kenya:Provided that a person who has not attained the age of twenty-one years (other than a woman who is or has beenmarried) may not himself make an application under this subsection, but an application may be made on hisbehalf by his parent or guardian.” [U.S. Office of Personnel Management; Kenyan Constitution]Even if Obama Had Applied for Dual Citizenship Before He Was 21—Which He Did Not—It WouldHave Expired. ”A person who, upon the attainment of the age of twenty-one years, is a citizen of Kenya andalso a citizen of some other country other than Kenya shall, subject to subsection (7), cease to be a citizen ofKenya upon the specified date unless he has renounced his citizenship of that other country, taken the oath ofallegiance and, in the case of a person who was born outside Kenya, made and registered such declaration of hisintentions concerning residence as may be prescribed by or under an Act of Parliament.” [Kenyan Constitution]LIE: “Even as Kenya entered this postelection violence, Senator Obama has continued to inserthimself into Kenyan politics.” [p 104]REALITY: SECRETARY RICE ASKED OBAMA TO TAPE A RADIO ADDRESSKlein Praised Obama For Finding “The Time To Do Some Diplomatic Scut-Work” For Kenya. Joe Kleinwrote, “One of the more extraordinary stories of the Obama campaign has been playing out behind the scenesover the past week as the candidate has been working on a daily basis to try to calm things down in his father’shomeland and his grandmother’s home, Kenya, where a contested election has led to riots. On January 1, twodays before the Iowa caucuses, Obama left a message for Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. According toRobert Gibbs, Obama’s Communications Director, Rice called back ‘as we were driving from Sioux City toCouncil Bluffs on January 1. They talked about the situation and Rice asked Obama to tape a Voice of Americamessage calling for calm.’…I haven’t been able to talk to Obama directly about this--he is sort of busy rightnow--but it does seem noteworthy that, in the midst of the most amazing week of his life, Barack Obama hasfound the time to do a some diplomatic scut-work. I suspect we’ll be seeing a lot of this sort of thing if he winsthe nomination and is elected President.” [TIME, 1/7/08] Obama Called On The Opposition To “Turn Away From The Path Of Mass Protest And Violence.”Obama said, “The rule of law and the rights of the Kenyan people, including freedom of the media and thefreedom of peaceful assembly, must be restored…The opposition must turn away from the path of massprotest and violence in seeking participation in government.” [Chicago Tribune, 1/29/08] Obama Did Not Take Sides, Said That Each Leader Should Go To Negotiations “Unconditionally.”Obama said President Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga should sit down and talk‘unconditionally,’ and he urged them to ‘welcome the assistance if your concerned friends.’ Aides toObama said he gave the statement after consulting with U.S. Ambassador Mike Rannenberger, at the U.S.embassy in Nairobi. The address was broadcast live during the morning commute in Kenya on Capital FMRadio in Nairobi.” [Chicago Tribune, 1/29/08]13LIE: “This reference establishes that Obama Senior was considered at the time to be ‘a radicaleconomist’ and leaves no doubt that Obama Senior had gravitated from his longtime familysupporter Tom Mboya to the more extreme communist position openly advocated by andidentified with Odinga Odinga.” [pp 110-111]REALITY: NO ONE WITH “A SHRED OF INTEGRITY” OR INTELLIGENCE WOULD CALLOBAMA SR A COMMUNIST BASED ON HIS ACADEMIC WORKNoam Scheiber: “No One With More Than Well-Below-Average Intelligence Or A Shred Of Integrity”Could Conclude From Reading Obama Sr.’s Paper That He “Was An Ardent Communist.” “Accordingto the development expert Ben Smith and Jeffrey Ressner consulted for their Politico piece, the paper is anartifact of an esoteric debate about the right way to implement a set of Kenyan economic reforms back in 1965--and absolutely can’t be understood outside of the historical/economic/political context in which it was written.In other words, no one with more than well-below-average intelligence or a shred of integrity would concludefrom it that Obama Sr. was an ardent Communist. And no one who met a quarter of those criteria would makethe additional, preposterous leap between this paper and the worldview of Barack Obama the presidentialcandidate. Sadly, that doesn’t appear to include the right-wing hacks spreading this nonsense. I await theforthcoming Bill Kristol column...” [TNR, 4/15/08]Kenya Expert, Economist And UCLA Visiting Professor Dr. Omwami Said That Obama Sr.’sProjections And Critiques Are So Spot On That He Plans On Assigning The Paper In His Future Classes.“But Kenya expert Dr. Raymond Omwami, an economist and UCLA visiting professor from the University ofHelsinki who has also worked at the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, said Obama Sr. could not beconsidered a socialist himself based solely on the material in his bylined piece. Omwami points out Obama Sr.’spaper was primarily a harsh critique of the controversial 1965 government document known as the “SessionalPaper No. 10.” Sessional Paper No. 10 rejected classic Karl Marx philosophies then embraced by the SovietUnion and some European countries, calling instead for a new type of socialism to be used specifically inAfrica… Obama Sr.’s projections and critiques are so spot on, says Omwami, that he plans on assigning thepaper to his classes in the future.” [Politico, 4/15/08]LIE: “The funding memo listed seventy-two top individuals and organizations allegedly contributingto Odinga’s presidential campaign, including over $1 million from ‘Friends of Senator BO,’widely interpreted as friends of Senator Barack Obama…” [pp 115-116]REALITY: OBAMA NEVER CONTRIBUTED MONEY TO ODINGAPolitifact: The Claim That Obama Contributed $1 Million To Odinga “Are As Baseless As AnythingYou’ve Read From An Anonymous Blogger” And Earned A Rating Of “Pants On Fire” Wrong. “A chaine-mail that originates with a letter from American missionaries working in Kenya warns about Sen. BarackObama’s ties to Kenya and its opposition party, encouraging readers ‘not to be taken in by those that arepromoting him.’ Among the many allegations is one about Obama’s ties to Kenyan Prime Minister RailaOdinga: ‘Obama under ‘friends of Obama’ gave almost a million dollars to the (Kenya) opposition campaignwho just happened to be his cousin, Raila Odinga, who is a socialist trained in East Germany.’ The e-mail readslike a bad game of ‘telephone,’ its claims drawn from assorted people and sources that have been stitchedtogether. And yet, because it is signed by real people, who have a life in Africa, it somehow carries morecredence than your average blog posting — and it’s spreading rapidly. But even with the credibility of a realauthor, the claims in this e-mail are as baseless as anything you’ve read from an anonymous blogger.”[Politifact]14Obama Never Gave Money To Prime Minister Odinga. “Not to mention, the Obama campaign says thesenator never gave money to Kenyan Prime Minister Odinga. And Salim Lone, spokesman for Odinga whomwe spoke with in Kenya, confirms that. ‘That is absolutely ridiculous,’ Lone said in an interview withPolitiFact. ‘Mr. Obama did not donate a single cent to Mr. Odinga’s campaign.’ Just to be certain, we did ananalysis of Federal Election Commission reports of disbursements from Obama’s principal presidentialcampaign committee, Obama for America, during the 2008 election cycle. We searched for ‘Kenya,’ ‘Odinga’and ‘ODM,’ (the Orange Democratic Movement) the latter being Odinga’s political party, and came up with nomatches.” [Politifact]There Is No “Friends Of Senator BO” PAC. ”On the legible version, you can see the underlined entry says,‘Friends of Senator BO,’ presumably Barack Obama. Only, there is no political action committee namedFriends of Senator BO or Friends of Barack Obama. So says Obama’s campaign. And a search of the FederalElection Commission Web site and Opensecrets.org, the Web site of the Center for Responsive Politics, pullsup neither. In fact, there’s no PAC name even close.” [Politifact]LIE: “No one in Obama’s paternal or maternal family had ever resided in Chicago.” [p 123]REALITY: OBAMA’S GREAT UNCLE LIVED IN CHICAGOObama’s Great-Uncle Charlie Payne Left Kansas For The Army And Returned For College; PayneAttended Graduate School At The University Of Chicago And Stayed, Retiring As The Assistant DirectorOf Their Library. The AP reported, “During the war, home was Augusta, a small town in central Kansas.Payne had enlisted in 1943 along with most of his high school graduating class. He served in a mortar squad,then a communications squad rigging telephone lines. After the war, Payne went to college in Kansas on the GIBill and then to graduate school at the University of Chicago, where Obama would later lecture onconstitutional law. He later became interested in computers and how they could be used in libraries. He retiredat age 70 as assistant director of the University of Chicago’s library.” [AP, 7/24/08]LIE: “…Obama mentions in passing that in 1984 he had just graduated from college and was workingas a community organizer out of the Harlem campus of the City College of New York. This is ajob Obama does not mention in his autobiography, Dreams from My Father.” [p 129]REALITY: OBAMA DID MENTION HIS JOB IN DREAMSObama Wrote About His Job At City College In Dreams. Obama wrote, “I spent three months working fora Ralph Nader offshoot up in Harlem, trying to convince the minority students at City College about theimportance of recycling.” [Dreams, p 139]LIE: “In the 1980s, Kellman was a known figure in community organization and it is doubtful hewould have driven from Chicago to New York just to meet a newly graduated college kid whowrote a letter looking for a job. More likely, Kellman went to New York to see if the reportscoming out of New York City about Obama were right, that Obama’s profile might just fit inwith Kellman’s organization.” [p 130]15REALITY: KELLMAN WAS IN NEW YORK VISITING FAMILY AND SET UP AN INTERVIEWWITH OBAMAKellman “Had Plans To Visit Family In New York Anyway, So He Called Obama And Set Up AnInterview.” The Chicago Tribune reported, “Kellman had plans to visit family in New York anyway, so hecalled Obama and set up an interview. They met at a coffee shop on the Upper West Side, and Kellman quicklybegan testing Obama with pointed questions…Kellman hired Obama on the spot for roughly $10,000 a year. Hethrew in an extra $2,000 so Obama could buy that beater of a Honda and get moved. A month later he was at aSouth Side church being introduced to leaders of CCRC’s Chicago branch, which soon would be spun off intothe Developing Communities Project.” [Chicago Tribune, 3/30/07]LIE: “Rush, for instance, has charged that activist Hazel Johnson discovered asbestos in AltgeldGardens housing project long before Obama latched on to the issue and made it a major part ofthe community organizing story he tells about himself in Dreams from My Father.” [p 135]REALITY: JOHNSON’S ALLEGATIONS HAVE BEEN DISPUTED AND SHE HAS TOLDDIFFERENT STORIESChicago Tribune: “Johnson’s Allegations Were Disputed By Several Members Of DCP.” The ChicagoTribune reported, “But Hazel Johnson, a longtime Altgeld resident, recently accused Obama of stealing creditfor the work of the environmental group she runs. ‘He wants to make himself look good,’ said Johnson, whoclaimed Obama assisted her group on other problems with the CHA but not the asbestos issue. Johnson’sallegations were disputed by several members of DCP, who said Obama was in the thick of the asbestos protestsand they were right alongside. The only inaccuracy in the book, Kellman said: It was Obama himself whodiscovered the problem and not a DCP member.” [Chicago Tribune, 3/30/07]Chicago Sun-Times: “Johnson Told Fornek A Different Version Of The Events In 2004.” The ChicagoSun-Times reported, “The Times article quotes Altgeld resident and community activist Hazel Johnson. Mycolleague, Sun-Times political writer Scott Fornek, interviewed her in 2004 and again on Monday. Fornekreports that Johnson, 72, objects to Obama taking credit for helping force the CHA to remove asbestos atAltgeld Gardens. Johnson has not read Obama’s book. She said he played no role in the asbestos-removal fight.She said he did help get ‘angel hair,’ another type of dangerous insulation, removed from attics in the complex’srow houses -- and worked on public transportation issues and helped get a library built. ‘He was not with us onthe asbestos,’ she said. But Johnson told Fornek a different version of the events in 2004 during an interviewfor a profile on Obama during that year’s U.S. Senate race. She said Obama worked on the asbestos removalafter the angel hair project. ‘We worked together.’ Another colleague, Sun-Times reporter Tim Novak, talked toCheryl Jackson, her daughter. She said her mother was exploited by Obama when he failed to include herefforts in his book. ‘My mother worked too hard and too long of a time. That hurts when someone who hasbeen a sole soldier for so long and continues to be a soldier for environmental issues…for someone to exploitthe work that she has done is not fair.’” [Chicago Sun-Times, 2/20/07] THEN: Obama And Johnson Worked On Asbestos Clean Up After Fiber Glass. “Altgeld Gardensresident Hazel Johnson, 69, worked with Obama in the Developing Communities Project on pushing theChicago Housing Authority to remove asbestos from public housing and other issues. She remembersObama renting a bus to take a group of residents downtown to protest at CHA headquarters. ‘He even gotus coffee and doughnuts,” she said. “And he didn’t have to do that.’” [Chicago Sun Times, 10/3/04]16 NOW: Obama Didn’t Help With The Asbestos Clean Up After Fiber Glass. “And, they claim, Obamadidn’t work cleaning up asbestos at Altgeld, but fiber glass, another environmental hazard.” [CBS2Chicago,2/20/07] NOW?: Johnson: Obama Was “A Good Organizer. I’ve Got To Hand It To Him.” The Nationreported, “Hazel Johnson, a longtime Altgeld Gardens environmental activist, says, ‘Yeah, he’s a goodorganizer. I’ve got to give it to him.’” [The Nation, 4/3/07]LIE: “Sol Stern, a contributing editor of Chicago’s City Journal, has observed that while Ayers today‘is widely regarded as a member in good standing of the city’s civic establishment, not anunrepentant domestic terrorlst,’ the impression of Ayers’s good citizenship is incorrect.” [p 140]REALITY: AYERS AND DOHRN ARE MEMBERS OF THE ESTABLISHMENT WITH TIES TOTHE MAYORMayor Daley: Bill Ayers Worked With Me In Shaping Our Now Nationally-Renowned School ReformProgram And Tarring Obama For Knowing Him Is Another Reason Americans Are Angry WithWashington. “There are a lot of reasons that Americans are angry about Washington politics. And one moreexample is the way Senator Obama’s opponents are playing guilt-by-association, tarring him because hehappens to know Bill Ayers. I also know Bill Ayers. He worked with me in shaping our now nationallyrenownedschool reform program. He is a nationally-recognized distinguished professor of education at theUniversity of Illinois/Chicago and a valued member of the Chicago community. I don’t condone what he did 40years ago but I remember that period well. It was a difficult time, but those days are long over. I believe wehave too many challenges in Chicago and our country to keep re-fighting 40 year old battles.” [Tribune,4/17/08]FIU Law Professor Stanley Fish: I Too Have Eaten Dinner At Bill Ayers House (More Than Once),Served On A Committee With Him, And He Was One Of Those Who Recruited My Wife And Me At AReception When We Were Considering Positions At UIC. Davidson-Kahn Distinguished UniversityProfessor and a professor of law at Florida International University, in Miami Stanley Fish wrote, “Confessiontime. I too have eaten dinner at Bill Ayers’s house (more than once), and have served with him on a committee,and he was one of those who recruited my wife and me at a reception when we were considering positions at theUniversity of Illinois, Chicago. Moreover, I have had Bill and his wife Bernardine Dohrn to my apartment, wasa guest lecturer in a course he taught and joined in a (successful) effort to persuade him to stay at UIC and sayno to an offer from Harvard. Of course, I’m not running for anything, but I do write for The New York Timesand, who knows, this association with former fugitive members of the Weathermen might be enough in the eyesof some to get me canned. Did I conspire with Bill Ayers? Did I help him build bombs? Did I aid and abet hisevasion (for a time) of justice? Not likely, given that at the time of the events that brought Ayers and Dohrn topublic attention, I was a supporter of the Vietnam War. I haven’t asked him to absolve me of that sin (of which Ihave since repented), and he hasn’t asked me to forgive him for his (if he has any). Indeed in all the time I spentwith Ayers and Dohrn, politics — present or past — never came up.” [New York Times, 4/27/08]Stanford Law Professor Lawrence Marshall: Ayers And Dohrn Are “Absolutely UpstandingEstablishment Citizens.” The Washington Post reported, “‘It’s kind of laughable for people who have workedwith Bernadine and Bill in the most boring and mundane settings and recognize that they’re absolutelyupstanding establishment citizens today,’ said Lawrence C. Marshall, a Stanford University law professor. Herecalled a juvenile justice project: ‘Judges who were lifelong ardent conservatives had no trouble recognizingthat the work that Bernadine and Bill are now doing is completely divorced from anything in theirbackground.’” [Washington Post, 4/8/08]17LIE: “Is presidential candidate Barack Obama’s decision to support Israel merely a matter of politicalconvenience?” [p 144]REALITY: OBAMA HAS A LONG RECORD OF SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL2000: Obama Said That The US Must Be Israel’s Ally In Her Quest For Peace And That “Israel CanTake Risks For Peace Only Because Of Unwavering American Support.” A CityPAC questionnaire read inpart, “Throughout its history, Israel has been anxious to make peace with its Arab neighbors. If successful, thecurrent peace process is a potential opportunity for Israel to increase its security, normalize relations with itsneighbors, and create a more stable and prosperous Middle East. Resolution of the conflict depends on directnegotiations between the parties based on mutual respect and recognition. The United States’ commitment toIsrael must continue so Israel can negotiate with its former and current adversaries from a position of strength.Senator Obama believes that Israel can take risks for peace only because of unwavering American support.”[CityPAC Questionnaire, 2000 Congressional Primary]2002: Obama Passed A Resolution That Condemned terrorlst Attacks Against Israel; Called On ArafatTo Put An End To terrorlst Attacks “Which Emanate From Areas Under His Jurisdiction.” Obamasponsored and passed a resolution that stated that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has entered a new phase ofterrorism against Israeli civilians; and whereas The United States of America is committed to the safety andsecurity of its citizens everywhere; and whereas the United States of America has made it a national priority toput an end to the scourge of such barbaric terror attacks; therefore, be it resolved that the Members of theIllinois State Senate wish a speedy recovery to the above-mentioned citizens as well as the others wounded inthe recent barbaric attack; and be it further resolved that we express our collective outrage at theencouragement, support, and praise given to such terrorists and terror attacks; and be it further resolved that wecall upon Palestinian Authority Chairman, Yassar Arafat, to put an end to all such encouragement, support, andpraise for these terror attacks, which emanate from areas under his direct jurisdiction; and be it further resolvedthat the Members of the Illinois State Senate support the policy of the United States government in resistingterrorism throughout the world, and in seeking peace for Israel and its neighboring nations seeking a permanentpeace accord; and be it further. [92nd GA, SR 346, Adopted 4/18/02]2004: Obama Said “Our First And Immutable Commitment Must Be To The Security Of Israel.” TheChicago Daily Herald reported, “‘Our first and immutable commitment must be to the security of Israel, ouronly true ally in the Middle East and the only democracy,’ Obama said in a July speech to the Chicago Councilon Foreign Relations.” [Chicago Daily Herald, 10/18/04]2006: Obama Cosponsored And Passed The Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act Which Would DiscourageInternational Aid To Hamas Unless It Recognizes Israel, Disarms And Renounces Violence. In 2006,Obama cosponsored the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act of 2006, which: (1) States that it shall be U.S. policy tosupport a peaceful, two-state solution to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians in accordance with thePerformance-Based Roadmap to a Permanent Two-State Solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (Roadmap),and oppose those organizations, individuals, and countries that support terrorism and violently reject such twostatesolution; (2) provides assistance to the Hamas-controlled PA only during a period for which a presidentialcertification has determined that no PA ministry, agency, or instrumentality is controlled by Hamas unless theHamas-controlled PA has publicly acknowledged the Jewish state of Israel’s right to exist and the HamascontrolledPA has made demonstrable progress toward purging from its security services individuals with ties toterrorism. [S. 2370, Became Public Law No: 109-446, 12/21/06]182006: Obama Cosponsored And Passed A Resolution Endorsing Israel’s Right To Self-Defense AndCondemning Hamas And Hezbollah. In 2006, Obama cosponsored a resolution condemning Hezbollah andHamas and their state sponsors and supporting Israel’s exercise of its right to self-defense. The resolution (1)reaffirmed steadfast support for Israel, (2) supports Israel’s right of self-defense and its right to take appropriateaction to deter aggression by terrorlst groups and their state sponsors, (3) urges the President to continue to fullysupport Israel in exercising its right of self-defense in Lebanon and Gaza, (4) calls for the immediate andunconditional release of Israeli soldiers held captive by Hezbollah or Hamas, (5) condemns the governments ofIran and Syria for their continued support for Hezbollah and Hamas and holds these governments responsiblefor the acts of aggression carried out by Hezbollah and Hamas against Israel. [S. Res 534, Passed/agreed to inSenate, 7/18/06]2007: Obama Spoke With Prime Minister Olmert As Annapolis Talks Began, Reiterated HisCommitment To Israel’s Security As The Basis For Peace Negotiations. Obama said in a release,“Annapolis is a hopeful development because Israelis and Palestinians are engaged in serious discussions againand the countries of the region are involved, and I commend Prime Minister Olmert and President Abbas formaking the effort. I spoke with Prime Minister Olmert today, and assured him of my strong support for thiseffort and my unshakeable commitment to Israel’s security as a core principle as negotiations move forward.The Administration deserves credit for finally trying to use presidential diplomacy to bring the parties together.It’s a big change from the last six and a half years, when President Bush badly neglected this conflict.Recognizing the complexity of the issues under discussion and the importance of the conflict, it is my hope thatthis conference is just the start of a sustained push by the United States, the Israelis and the Palestinians toachieve the goal of two states living side-by-side in peace and security.” [Press Release, 11/27/07]2008: Obama Said Israel Was Among America’s “Most Important Allies And Their Security IsSacrosanct.” The Jerusalem Post reported, “While discussing issues of anti-Semitism, Obama said: ‘One of thereasons why so many of my supporters come from the Jewish community...is that I have been a stalwart friendof Israel and supported the special relationship we enjoy with it... They are among our most important allies andtheir security is sacrosanct.’” [Jerusalem Post, 2/27/08]LIE: “The year 1995 was a banner one for Obama. He had just married Michelle and the couple boughta Hyde Park condo, the first home Obama ever owned.”[p 145]REALITY: OBAMAS MARRIED IN 1992 AND BOUGHT A CONDO IN 199310/3/92 Obama And Michelle Robinson Were Married. [Chicago Sun-Times, 10/3/07]1993 Obama Bought a Condo for $277,550. [Chicago Sun-Times, 1/22/06]LIE: “Instead of stepping aside in deference to Palmer, Obama decided to fight her for thenomination.” [p 146]REALITY: PALMER PULLED HER OWN PLUGBarbara Flynn Currie: Alice Palmer “Pulled Her Own Plug.” “‘I thought the world of Alice Palmer,’ saidstate Rep. Barbara Flynn Currie (D-Chicago), now the House majority leader. But ‘at that point she had pulledher own plug.’” [Chicago Tribune, 4/3/07]19Preckwinkle: Obama Did The Right Thing. “Toni Preckwinkle (D), a 4th Ward alderman, believes Obamadid the right thing, although his maneuver left some hard feelings.” [Washington Post, 11/13/07]Obama Said He Was “Abiding By The Rules That Had Been Set Up” In Challenging Alice Palmer’sPetitions. “In a recent interview, Obama granted that ‘there’s a legitimate argument to be made that youshouldn’t create barriers to people getting on the ballot.’ But the unsparing legal tactics were justified, he said,by obvious flaws in his opponents’ signature sheets. ‘To my mind, we were just abiding by the rules that hadbeen set up,’ Obama recalled. ‘I gave some thought to … should people be on the ballot even if they didn’tmeet the requirements,’ he said. ‘My conclusion was that if you couldn’t run a successful petition drive, thenthat raised questions in terms of how effective a representative you were going to be.’ Asked whether thedistrict’s primary voters were well-served by having only one candidate, Obama smiled and said: ‘I think theyended up with a very good state senator.’” [Chicago Tribune, 4/3/07]LIE: “Besides, Obama had to know who Ayers is and what he stands for, especially with Ayersmaking this splash on 9/11.” [p 147]REALITY: AYERS COMMENTS WERE PUBLISHED ON SEPTEMBER 11; THE INTERVIEWOCCURRED PRIOR TO PUBLICATIONOn September 11, 2001, A Story About William Ayers’ Memoir Was Published In The New York Times;The Interview Occurred Prior To Publication. “‘I don’t regret setting bombs,’ Bill Ayers said. ‘I feel wedidn’t do enough.’ Mr. Ayers, who spent the 1970’s as a fugitive in the Weather Underground, was sitting in thekitchen of his big turn-of-the-19th-century stone house in the Hyde Park district of Chicago.” [New YorkTimes, 9/11/01]LIE: “But when Chicago Sun-Times reporters finally confronted Obama on Friday, March 14, 2008,for an extended interview in the newspaper offices, the senator changed his tune.” [p 154]REALITY: BEFORE OBAMA SAT DOWN FOR THREE TOTAL HOURS WITH THE CHICAGOTRIBUNE AND THE CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, HE HAD REPEATEDLY ADDRESSEDQUESTIONS RELATED TO REZKOChicago Tribune: Obama “Pledged To Answer Every Question” The Reporters Posed About Rezko“And He Did.” The Chicago Tribune wrote in an editorial, “The most remarkable facet of Obama’s 92-minutediscussion was that, at the outset, he pledged to answer every question the three dozen Tribune journalistscrammed into the room would put to him. And he did.” [Chicago Tribune, 3/16/08] 11/06: Obama said, “My working assumption was that as long as I operated in an open, up-front fashion,and all the T’s were crossed and I’s were dotted, that it wouldn’t be an issue…If it was a neighbor I didn’tknow at all, would I have behaved any differently? I felt like the answer was no.” [Chicago Tribune,11/1/06] 11/06: Sweet wrote, “Obama, in a session with local reporters said ‘I’m human like everybody else and I’mgoing to make mistakes.’” [Chicago Sun-Times, 11/7/06] 11/06: Obama said, “I think it created an appearance that he was potentially doing me a favor. And that’ssomething that, you know, I’ve always tried to stay very far away from that line, which is why I don’t evenlet lobbyists buy me lunch.” [National Public Radio, 11/16/06]20 12/06: The Chicago Tribune reported, “Obama further told Tribune editors and reporters Dec. 14: ‘Inretrospect, it was stupid. So I’m happy to own up to that. And, I will also acknowledge that from hisperspective, he no doubt believed that, by buying the piece of property next to me, that he would, if not bedoing me a favor, that it would help strengthen our relationship.’” [Chicago Tribune, 12/24/06] 12/06: “There’s no doubt that this was a mistake on my part. ‘Boneheaded’ would be accurate,’ Obama saidin a telephone interview Friday.” [Washington Post, 12/17/06] 4/07: There was also a hastily arranged April, 23, 2007, session where Obama talked to some Chicagoreporters. [Politico, 4/24/07; Chicago Sun-Times, 3/3/08] 5/07: Stephanopoulos said, “This exact same day several months later you bought part of the plot backfrom him. All at that time it was known that he was being investigated for corruption and kickbacks. Whatwere you thinking?” Obama said, “Well, obviously I wasn’t thinking enough. You know, I’m very proud ofmy ethics record. I mean, I was famous in Springfield for not letting lobbyists even buy me lunch. And so,you know, this is one time where I didn’t see the appearance of impropriety because I paid full price for theland. There has been no allegations of anything other than that. But it raised the possibility that here wassomebody who was a friend of mine who was doing me a favor and I said it was a bone-headed mistake.”[This Week, 5/13/07] 11/07: Russert asked, “Is he still your friend?” Obama said, “You know, I have not talked to him since hegot into trouble with the law.” Russert confirmed, “Period.” Obama said, “Never had a conversation withhim.” [Meet The Press, 11/11/07] 1/08: I’m happy to respond. Here’s what happened. I was a associate at a law firm that represented a churchgroup that had partnered with this individual to do a project, and I did about five hours worth of work onthis joint project. That’s what she’s referring to. Now, it’s fine for her to throw that out, but the larger reasonthat I think this debate is important is because we do have to trust our leaders and what they say. [Debate,1/21/08] 1/08: Obama said, “My relationship is he was somebody who I knew and had been a supporter for manyyears. He was somebody who had supported the wide-range of candidates all throughout Illinois. Nobodyhad an inkling that he was involved in any problems. When those problems were discovered we returnedmoney from him that had been contributed. And, what is true is is that I also purchased a piece of land fromhim. Everything was above board and there’s been no allegations that there wasn’t.” [CBS Early Show,1/23/08] 1/08: Obama said, “Well, we have returned any money that we know was associated to Mr. Rezko and thatis something that if there’s additional information we don’t know about. We would be happy to return themoney.” [Good Morning America, 1/23/08] 1/08: Obama said, “I mean, I think what’s striking is this is the best folks can dig up on me – is somethingthat where it’s undisputed and all the Chicago papers have acknowledged, I did absolutely nothing wrongother than make a bone-headed decision to buy a 10 foot piece of land from the guy that created theappearance of potentially an impropriety. But that was done completely in a market price. Other than that,there have been no real allegations, you know, even from my worst opponents, of how I was involved insomething untoward. So, you know, if this is the worst that the Republicans can come up with, then mysuspicion is I’m doing pretty well.” [St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Editorial Board Interview, 1/25/08] 1/08: George Stephanopoulos said, “One more time, Senator, you need to divulge all there is to know about[your relationship with Tony Rezko.] Take that opportunity here.” Obama said, “Well, George, this is astory that has been out there for a year, and has been thoroughly gnawed on by the press, both in Chicagoand nationally. Tony Rezko was a friend of mine, a supporter, who I’ve known for 20 years. He was acontributor not just myself but Democrats, as well as some Republicans, throughout Illinois. Everybodyperceived him as a businessman and developer. He got into trouble that was completely unrelated to me.And nobody has suggested that I have been involved in any of those problems. I did make a mistake bypurchasing a small strip of property from him, at a time where, at that point, he was under the cloud of apotential investigation. And I’ve acknowledged that that was a mistake. But again, nobody has suggestedany wrongdoing. And you know, I think, at this point, it’s important for people to recognize that I haveactually provided all the information that’s out there about it.” [This Week, 1/27/08]21 3/08: “He got into trouble that was completely unrelated to me and the trouble that he’s in right now iscompletely unrelated to anything that I have done.” [ABC News, 3/2/08] 3/08: He took some questions on Rezko, breaking no real new ground. [Politico, 3/3/08]LIE: “Undoubtedly, Obama’s advance for the book had worn thin and Project Vote! was work he wasqualified to do, given his community organizing experience and his law degree.” [p 157]REALITY: OBAMA WAS RECRUITED TO PROJECT VOTENewman Approached Obama For Project Vote. Chicago Magazine reported, ““Project Vote! is nonpartisan,strictly nonpartisan. But we do focus our efforts on minority voters, and on states where we can explain to themwhy their vote will matter. Braun made that easier in Illinois.” So [Sandy] Newman decided to open a CookCounty Project Vote! office and went looking for someone to head it. The name Barack Obama surfaced. “I wasasking around among community activists in Chicago and around the country, and they kept mentioning him,”Newman says. Obama by then was working with church and community leaders on the West Side, and he waswriting a book that the publisher Simon & Schuster had contracted for while he was editor of the law review.He was 30 years old. When Newman called, Obama agreed to put his other work aside. “I’m still not quite surewhy,” Newman says. “This was not glamorous, high-paying work. But I am certainly grateful. He did one hellof a job.” [Chicago Magazine, 1/93]LIE: “As we shall see, Rezko was persistent, ultimately convincing Obama to drop working forpolitical organizing causes so he could supplement the dwindling advance he had received atHarvard to write a book with real income as a lawyer, working in the small Chicago law firmwhere the lead partner did much of Rezko’s slumlord legal work for him.” [p 157] … “if Obamadid not want to work directly for Rezko, then having Obama in David Miner Barnhill & Gallandwas possibly the next best thing for Rezko.” [p 158] … “The liklihood is that Rezko played arole in getting Obama to join Davis Miner Barnhill & Galland.” [p 158]REALITY: JUDSON MINER RECRUITED OBAMA TO HIS FIRM OUT OF HARVARDJudson Miner Recruited Obama To Miner Barnhill Out Of Harvard. The AP reported, “Attorney JudsonMiner called Harvard to offer a job to a graduating student named Barack Obama and didn’t expect to beshowered with gratitude. Still, he wasn’t expecting the reception he got. ‘You can leave your name and take anumber,’ the woman who answered the phone at the Harvard Law Review said breezily. ‘ You’re No. 647.’That was 1991 and even then Obama -- the Illinois senator now seeking the Democratic presidential nomination-- was a hot commodity. As the first black president of the Harvard Law Review, Obama had his pick of toplaw firms. He chose Miner’s Chicago civil rights firm, where he represented community organizers,discrimination victims and black voters trying to force a redrawing of city ward boundaries.” [AP, 2/20/07]LIE: “Rezko found the house for Obama.” [p 165]REALITY: OBAMAS LOOKED AT SEVERAL HOUSES VIA THEIR BROKER, HOUSE LISTINGIS AVAILABLE ON OBAMA’S WEBSITE22Obama Said That Michelle Obama Toured The House And Had Most Contact With Agent, AskedObama To See It Himself And Obama Did. “So just fast forward – I win the Senate race, we go toWashington. Because of the good fortune of publicity, the book starts selling, I have more money, our kids aregrowing, and we become interested in moving out our condo and buying a house. So at that point, I contact ourbroker who had helped us buy our condo, a woman named Mariam Zeltzerman, and who was with a real estateagency called Urban Search, which is very prominent in the Hyde Park area, and told her that we’d like to listour condominium for sale, and that we were interested in buying a new house. I was in Washington much ofthis time, this is the beginning of 2005 – or somewhere in 2005. So Michelle started taking some tours withMariam, and at some point ends up being shown the house which we now live in. Michelle calls me and says ‘Ilove this house, but it’s more than we were talking about paying for, but I really think it’s a great house and youshould go take a look at it.’ I did, and I also thought it was a terrific house.’” [Transcript, Chicago TribuneEditorial Board Meeting, 3/14/08]Obama Said Michelle Obama And Realtor “Probably Looked At Ten Houses” But Both He And MichelleObama Fell In Love With The South Greenwood Property. “‘[The broker] and Michelle went off andprobably looked at 10 houses. One of the last ones they looked at was the house on Greenwood, which Michellefell in love with and was actually slightly above, well it was above, what we’d originally intended to pay.Michelle called me. She says, ‘I saw this house, I really like it, it’s more than we originally budgeted for. I’dlike you to take a look at it.’ So I went with Miriam to take a look at the house. It was a wonderful house.”[Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Bo

[skylndrftr]

Obama’s Home Listing Is Publicly Available. On Barack Obama’s website, the public can view the listing ofObama’s house. [BarackObama.com]LIE: “The letters appeared to contradict statements from Obama that he never did any favors forRezko.” [p 162]REALITY: THE LETTER WAS WRITTEN – UNSOLICITED – TO SUPPORT WHAT WOULDBECOME A SUCCESSFUL SENIORS HOUSING PROJECTObama Supported The Project “Because It Was Going To Help People In His District…It’s A SuccessfulProject…And He’s Proud To Have Supported It.” Burton said, “I don’t know that anyone specifically askedhim to write this letter nine years ago…There was a consensus in the community about the positive impact theproject would make and Obama supported it because it was going to help people in his district…They had awellness clinic and adult day-care services, as well as a series of social services for residents. It’s a successfulproject. It’s meant a lot to the community, and he’s proud to have supported it.” [Chicago Sun-Times, 6/13/07]Rezko Attorney: “Rezko Never Spoke With, Nor Sought A Letter From, Senator Obama In ConnectionWith That Project.” Rezko’s attorney, Joseph Duffy, told the Sun-Times: “Mr. Rezko never spoke with, norsought a letter from, Senator Obama in connection with that project.” [AP, 6/14/07]5/2006: Cottage View Terrace “Successfully Completed Inspection Without Finds Or Violations OfRegulations.” Rosalyn Banks-Jordan, an Associate Asset Manager for the Illinois Housing DevelopmentAuthority, wrote in a cover letter to the inspection report, “Please note that this development has successfullycompleted the inspection without findings or violations of regulations.” [IHDA Letter, 5/15/06]23LIE: “Yet Obama’s campaign characteristically denied Obama had been involved in working at thelaw firm for Rezko or his rehab projects.” [p 163]REALITY: “OBAMA NEVER REPRESENTED REZKO. NEVER. EVER.”Zeldin: “No One Who Has Ever Practiced Law…Could Argue, With A Clear Conscience, That TheseFive Hours On Behalf Of A Church Group…Equated Knowingly Representing A Chicago Slumlord.”Michael Zeldin, a former independent counsel and federal prosecutor wrote “No one who has ever practicedlaw, let alone Mrs. Clinton, could argue, with a clear conscience, that these five hours on behalf of a churchgroup that partnered with a man who at a later point in time would be alleged to be a scoundrel equated toknowingly representing a Chicago slumlord. Yet she could not resist leveling the accusation.” [Wall StreetJournal, 1/31/08]Russell: “Obama Never Represented Rezko. Never. Ever.” Karen Russell wrote, “Clinton claimed Obamarepresented Tony Rezko. Obama never represented Rezko. Never. Ever.” [Yahoo, 1/24/08]FactCheck.org Says It’s “Untrue” That Obama Represented Rezko. Factcheck.org reported, “Obama wasassociated with a law firm that represented the community groups working with Rezko on several deals. There’sno evidence that Obama spent much time on them, and he never represented Rezko directly. So it was wrongfor Clinton to say he was “representing ... Rezko.” That’s untrue.” [FactCheck.org, 1/21/08]Chicago Tribune Review Of “Land And Court Document And Law Firm Files As Well AsCorrespondence And Other Records…Supports [Obama’s] Contention That He Did Not DirectlyRepresent Rezko’s Development Firm.” The Chicago Tribune reported, “Obama angrily rejected Clinton’saccusation at Monday’s Democratic debate. And a Tribune review of land and court documents and law firmfiles as well as correspondence and other records related to Obama’s eight years as an Illinois state lawmakersupports his contention that he did not directly represent Rezko’s development firm. Instead, the records show,he represented non-profit community groups that partnered with Rezko’s firm.” [Chicago Tribune, 1/23/08] Tribune Examined Miner Barnhill’s “260 Civil And Criminal Cases,” IHDA And DOH Files, ClientsFrom Obama’s “Unusually Frank Ethics Disclosure Reports” And Found Obama Represented TheNon-Profit Partner. The Chicago Tribune reported, “At the Tribune’s request, Cook County Circuit CourtChief Judge Timothy Evans produced a list of all 260 civil and criminal cases in which the firm filedappearances, and the Tribune separately examined 1990s lawsuits that Rezmar Corp. listed in applicationsfor government grants. The paper also examined files from the Illinois Housing Development Authority andthe city housing department, as well as the hundreds of clients Obama listed in the unusually frank ethicsdisclosure reports he filed as a state senator from December 1995 through April 2004. Those and otherrecords disclosed five instances in which Obama did legal work for ventures that included Rezmar Corp.The case of City of Chicago vs. Central Woodlawn Limited Partnership is one example. In 1992, thatcommunity group partnered with Rezmar Corp. to rehab the former slum apartment building at 6107-6115S. Ellis Ave. As work was ongoing, city officials sued the developers, alleging 16 serious code violations atthe property, including a dangerously dilapidated porch. Obama and a co-counsel filed appearances inFebruary 1994, but the court records show they appeared on behalf of Central Woodlawn, Rezko’s nonprofitpartner, not Rezko or his company.” [Chicago Tribune, 1/23/08]LIE: “Rezko came up with a solution. His wife, Rita, bought the vacant lot at full price, permittingObama and Michelle to negotiate buying the house for $1.65 million, a discount of $300,000from the asking price.” [p 165]24REALITY: OBAMAS MADE THE THREE OFFERS ON THE HOUSE, INCLUDING THEHIGHEST; THE PRICE OF THE HOUSE WAS NOT CONTINGENT ON THE PRICEOF THE LOTThe Sellers Did Not Discount The Price Of The House Based On The Lot, Obamas Made Several OffersFor The House Including The Highest. Bloomberg reported, “Burton said a campaign adviser discussed thesale with Wondisford by phone and followed up with an e-mail to Wondisford repeating his points. Wondisfordresponded: ‘I confirm that the three points below are accurate,’ according to the e-mail, provided to BloombergNews and authenticated through records shown by the adviser. The e-mail says that the sellers ‘did not offer orgive the Obamas a ‘discount’ on the house price on the basis of or in relation to the price offered and acceptedon the lot.’ It also says that ‘in the course of the negotiation over the sales price,’ Obama and his wife, Michelle,‘made several offers until the one accepted at $1.65 million, and that this was the best offer you received on thehouse.’” [Bloomberg, 2/18/08]Zorn: There Was No “Special Discount” And The Price Of The Lot Was Not Inflated. Eric Zorn wrote,“The Obamas did not get a special discount on the house” and “The sellers rejected two lower bids from theObamas” and “The Rezkos did not pay an inflated price for the vacant lot.” [Chicago Tribune, 6/10/08]Brown: “I See No Proof” That Obama Did Something Improper In The Purchase Of His House. MarkBrown wrote, “On the central question: Did Obama do something improper in the purchase of the house? I seeno proof he did, other than that he had no business at all getting involved with Rezko in any personal financialtransaction.” [Chicago Sun-Times, 3/15/08]AP: Obama “Has A Spotless Reputation” And “Has Been Accused Of No Wrongdoing Involving RezkoOr Anything Else.” The AP reported, “Obama, who has a spotless reputation after 11 years in public offices,has been accused of no wrongdoing involving Rezko or anyone else.” [AP, 1/22/08]LIE: “Rezko agreed to pay the $14,000 cost of building the fence and Obama agreed to pay hislandscaper to mow Rita’s lot for her.” [p 166]REALITY: MUNICIPAL CODE STATED THAT REZKO HAD TO PAY FOR THE FENCEObama Said Rezko Was Obligated To Pay For The Fence Under The Municipal Code. Obama was asked,“Was the paying for the fence by Tony, uh, would you consider that a gift?” Obama replied, “No. He wasobligated to do so under the municipal code.” [Chicago Tribune Editorial Board Transcript, 3/14/08]Chicago Municipal Code: It Is The Duty Of The Owner Of An Open Lot To Maintain A Fence. TheChicago Municipal Code read in part, “It shall be the duty of the owner of any open lot located within the Cityof Chicago to cause the lot to be surrounded with a noncombustible screen fence as defined in Section 13-96-130 of this code, except that this section shall not apply to any governmental agencies or units of localgovernments, nor to sideyards. The owner shall maintain any such fence in a safe condition without tears,breaks, rust, splinters or dangerous protuberances and to vehicular traffic by obstructiving the view of drivers.”[Chicago Municipal Code, Article VI, 7-28-750]LIE: “Obama could offer no explanation of why Rita Rezko bought the vacant lot instead…” [p 169]25REALITY: OBAMA DIDN’T KNOW THAT THE LOT WAS IN RITA REZKO’S NAME UNTIL ITWAS IN THE CHICAGO TRIBUNEObama Said Rezko Never Explained That He Was Putting The Lot Under Rita Rezko’s Name AndObama Said He Didn’t Discover It Until The Story Broke In The Tribune. Obama was asked, “Did he everexplain to you what he was doing?” Obama replied, “No. I didn’t discover it until the issue of him purchasingthis lot broke through, uh, through you.” [Chicago Tribune Editorial Board Transcript, 3/14/08]LIE: “As fully expected, the Obama campaign continued to maintain Obama had never met Auchi,saying in effect that Levine had committed perjury.” [p 173]REALITY: AUCHI DOES NOT RECALL MEETING THE OBAMASAuchi Did Not Recall Any Direct Contact With Obama. “Mr Auchi’s lawyer told the Standard: ‘As far as hecan remember he has had no direct contact with Mr Obama.’” [The Evening Standard (London), 2/27/08]Pepper: Auchi Had “No Recollection” Of Meeting Obama Or Michelle. The Washington Post reported, “Alawyer for Auchi, Alasdair Pepper, told me by phone from London that his client also had ‘no recollection’ ofany meeting with either Obama or his wife.” [Washington Post, 4/16/08]LIE: “When he was incarcerated in Iraq, Alsammarae contacted multiple elected officials in theUnited States to help him. Obama’s Senate office has admitted Obama sought information fromthe US State Department about Alsammarae on October 16, 2006, and got a reply from the USconsul in Iraq about a week later.” [p 174]REALITY: SENATE OFFICE SENT “ROUTINE” LETTER AFTER A REQUEST FROMALSAMMARAE’S DAUGHTERObama Senate Office Emails Regarding Alsammarae Appear “Routine.” Newsweek reported, “Obamaclaims that his administration would be ‘open’ and ‘transparent.’ To prove the point, his campaign released emailshis Senate office exchanged with U.S. officials on behalf of a man imprisoned in Iraq. The interventionhad the potential to cause trouble for Obama because the man, Aiham Al-Sammarae, was a business associateof Antoin (Tony) Rezko, the political fund-raiser now on trial for corruption in Chicago. Obama has taken heatfor his murky relationship with Rezko, a political fixer who had a part in Obama’s purchase of a house. (Obamanow calls that transaction ‘boneheaded’ and says he has given Rezko-related campaign donations to charity.)Conservative bloggers have played up the Al-Sammarae connection as a key to the Rezko story. Despiterequests from NEWSWEEK, the Obama camp initially declined to release the e-mails. Late last week they did,and the e-mail exchange appears routine.” [Newsweek, 3/17/08]Obama’s Office Contacted State, Forwarded The Reply To Alsammarae’s Daughter And “Took NoFurther Action.” “Alsammarae’s family contacted multiple elected officials, including Obama’s U.S. Senateoffice, when Alsammarae was being held in Iraq. Obama’s office sought information from the State Departmentabout Alsammarae on Oct. 16, 2006, and got a reply from the U.S. Consul in Iraq about a week later. Obama’sstaff forwarded that reply to Alsammarae’s daughter and took no further action.” [Chicago Sun-Times, 4/29/08]Obama’s Office Was Contacted By Alsammarae’s Daughter, Sent Letters To The US Embassy In IraqAnd The US State Department. The Chicago Daily Herald reported, “The daughter of an Oak Brook man26who returned to his native Iraq to help rebuild the country is pleading for the federal government to step in afterhe was found guilty on corruption charges…Dania Alsammarae said her father, Aiham, is innocent and believeshe could be killed if sent to an Iraqi prison. Now, the family is reaching out to Illinois’ U.S. senators, BarackObama and d!ck Durbin, to shield the elder Alsammarae from Iraqi prison…Obama’s office has sent letters tothe U.S. Embassy in Iraq and to the U.S. State Department seeking a probe into the matter, said Julian Green,Obama’s spokesman. Green said both agencies are investigating the case. ‘This is an active investigation andwe haven’t gotten any additional information to give any type of idea of how this investigation is going to turnout,’ Green said.” [Chicago Daily Herald, 10/19/06]LIE: “After Kellman hire him, Obama followed Alinsky’s rules by moving into the Hyde Park-Kenwood area he had been assigned to organize.” [p 184]REALITY: OBAMA LIVED IN HYDE PARK, BUT ORGANIZED IN ALTGELDObama Was A Community Organizer In Altgeld Gardens. US News reported, “As a community organizerin the Altgeld Gardens public housing project in the mid-1980s, Obama, then 23, quickly emerged as a tirelessand pragmatic advocate for the community—traits that characterize the kind of president he says he wants tobe.” [US News, 8/26/07]Obama Lived In Hyde Park-Kenwood When He Was A Community Organizer. The Los Angeles Timesreported, “Obama shared a one-bedroom apartment with his gray cat, Max, in Hyde Park-Kenwood - theracially and economically diverse University of Chicago neighborhood where he lives today in an elegantGeorgian revival house with his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters. Back then he owned little more than abed, a table and crates stacked with fiction and social science books.” [Los Angeles Times, 3/2/08]LIE: “When the 1995 Chicago Reader article surfaced in 2008, Obama supporters predictably tried todistance him from the Million Man March, arguing Obama had attended the event as anobserver, not as a participant. Still, Obama’s reaction at the time was enthusiastic.” [p 191]REALITY: IN 1995, OBAMA CRITICIZED – AT LENGTH – FARRAKHAN’S MESSAGEObama Praised The March For Bringing African American Men Together, But Criticized The MarchFor Its Lack Of Positive Agenda And For Its Separatist Goals. Obama said, “What I saw was a powerfuldemonstration of an impulse and need for African-American men to come together to recognize each other andaffirm our rightful place in the society…here was a profound sense that African-American men were ready tomake a commitment to bring about change in our communities and lives. But what was lacking among marchorganizers was a positive agenda, a coherent agenda for change. Without this agenda a lot of this energy isgoing to dissipate. Just as holding hands and singing ‘We shall overcome’ is not going to do it, exhorting youthto have pride in their race, give up drugs and crime, is not going to do it if we can’t find jobs and futures for the50 percent of black youth who are unemployed, underemployed, and full of bitterness and rage. Exhortationsare not enough, nor are the notions that we can create a black economy within America that is hermeticallysealed from the rest of the economy and seriously tackle the major issues confronting us.” [Chicago Reader,12/8/95]Obama Said That Solutions For Black America Must Come From A “Multicultural, Interdependent,And International Economy” Because “Cursing Out White Folks Is Not Going To Get The Job Done.Anti-Semitic And Anti-Asian Statement Are Not Going To Lift Us Up.” Obama said, “Any solution to our27unemployment catastrophe must arise from us working creatively within a multicultural, interdependent, andinternational economy. Any African-Americans who are only talking about racism as a barrier to our successare seriously misled if they don’t also come to grips with the larger economic forces that are creating economicinsecurity for all workers--whites, Latinos, and Asians. We must deal with the forces that are depressing wages,lopping off people’s benefits right and left, and creating an earnings gap between CEOs and the lowest-paidworker that has risen in the last 20 years from a ratio of 10 to 1 to one of better than 100 to 1. This doesn’tsuggest that the need to look inward emphasized by the march isn’t important, and that these African-Americantribal affinities aren’t legitimate. These are mean, cruel times, exemplified by a ‘lock ‘em up, take no prisoners’mentality that dominates the Republican-led Congress. Historically, African-Americans have turned inward andtowards black nationalism whenever they have a sense, as we do now, that the mainstream has rebuffed us, andthat white Americans couldn’t care less about the profound problems African-Americans are facing. Butcursing out white folks is not going to get the job done. Anti-Semitic and anti-Asian statements are not going tolift us up. We’ve got some hard nuts-and-bolts organizing and planning to do. We’ve got communities tobuild.” [Chicago Reader, 12/8/95]LIE: “Kessler claimed he and Obama both heard Wright preach a sermon that day in which thepreacher blamed the ‘white arrogance’ of America’s Caucasian majority for the world’ssuffering, especially the oppression of blacks.” [p 196]REALITY: OBAMA WAS IN FLORIDA THE DAY OF WRIGHT’S SERMONNew York Times: Obama Was In Florida On The Day That Kessler Said He Was In Chicago. The NewYork Times reported, “Mr. Obama, however, was giving a speech in Florida that afternoon, and his campaignreported he had not attended Mr. Wright’s church that day.” [New York Times, 8/13/08]LIE: “Axelrod most likely liked how the speech worked with his client in Massachusetts and sodecided to try it once again with Obama, perhaps thinking no one would notice.” [p 227]REALITY: PLAGIARISM ATTACK WAS A “BASELESS AND DESPERATE PLOY”Obama And Patrick Have Admitted To Trading Each Others’ Lines. Obama said, “But you know in theend, don’t vote your fears. I’m stealing this line from my buddy (Massachusetts Gov.) Deval Patrick who stole awhole bunch of lines from me when he ran for the governorship, but it’s the right one, don’t vote your fears,vote your aspirations. Vote what you believe.” [The New Republic, 2/18/08; ABC News, 12/21/07]Melber: Attack “Panned As A Baseless And Desperate Ploy.” Ari Melber wrote, “The Clinton Campaign’sattack on Obama’s use of the line ‘just words’ was widely panned as a baseless and desperate ploy. Her coverupmight go over even worse.” [The Nation, 2/19/08]Jimmy Carter Speechwriter Fallows: Plagiarism Charge Is “Bogus And Overstated.” James Fallowswrote, “The “plagiarism” flap over Barack Obama is bogus and overstated. It makes me think worse aboutwhoever is pushing this complaint, rather than about Obama himself…Moreover, on the specific Patrick/Obamapoint at issue: it’s not as if no one had thought of this argument (about hope and inspiration), or these examples-- FDR, JFK, MLK Jr -- before Deval Patrick uttered them. Speechwriters could hardly exist without this themeor these illustrations!...The list goes on and leads to this: Talk about hope and inspiration, and you are going touse the examples both Patrick and Obama used -- and that I, as just one political speechwriter among legions,have used many times.” [James Fallows, 2/19/08]28Bill Clinton Speechwriter Kusnet: “Next Scandal, Please.” Bill Clinton speechwriter David Kusnet wrote,“If plagiarism is borrowing rhetoric without permission, Patrick most likely is happy to have Obama soundsimilar notes, such as hope and inspiration being more than “just words.” Even if Obama and Patrick didn’tknow each other, they might use some of the same phrases because similar public figures frequently draw oncommon streams of public rhetoric…Next scandal, please.” [The New Republic, 2/18/08]LIE: In a section on borrowed lines from movies, Corsi wrote, “Obama has repeatedly used the wordsbamboozled and hoodwinked in framing his argument that the truth has been hidden fromvoters.” [p 228]REALITY: MANY USE THE WORDS HOODWINKED AND BAMBOOZLEDKeith Cook: “We Were Left Feeling Hoodwinked And Bamboozled.” Keith D. Cook is co-chair of theNorthern Orange Education Task Force and a former member of the school board, “This board-approved planmight have been legal. However, missing was the transparency that we expect from our elected bodies, and wewere left feeling hoodwinked and bamboozled. It is important for the school board to be transparent and tooperate in the best interests of our children at all times. They didn’t this time -- they acted in their own bestinterest.” [Chapel Hill Herald, 1/16/08]Jesse Jackson Jr: “We’ve Been Hoodwinked, Bamboozled…” Fortunately, the new truth is this: No one--black or white--is buying Beavers’ old-guard, old-thinking, backroom-dealing, race-card playing politicsanymore. We’ve been hoodwinked, bamboozled, run amok and led astray by Al Jolson politics before. Votersare fed up and starting to elect people who will stand up to elected officials who are selfishly focused ongouging taxpayers for the sake of protecting insiders. [Chicago Tribune, 12/1/07]Sen. Cleo Fields Said He Was “Hoodwinked, Bamboozled” Into Voting For School Takeover In NewOrleans. Sen. Cleo Fields said lawmakers will debate whether to abolish the Recovery School District andreturn public schools in New Orleans to the control of the Orleans Parish School Board in the upcominglegislative session, which begins in April. Fields, who voted in favor of the school takeover in New Orleansafter Hurricane Katrina, explained his vote Monday by saying he was “hoodwinked, bamboozled. The bottomline is I’m going to fix that when this session starts.” [AP, 2/5/07]City Councilman Thomas Stith Said Constituents Were Being “Hoodwinked And Bamboozled” OverProperty Taxes. Bell also took a couple swipes at his only announced challenger, City Councilman ThomasStith…Stith, who announced his candidacy a week ago, has frequently found himself on the short end of 6-1votes on the council and cast the only vote against the 2007-08 budget. He opposed the 2.5 percent increase inthe property burden the budget required and said residents were being “hoodwinked and bamboozled and ledastray.” [Durham Herald-Sun, 7/18/07]New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin: New Orleanians Have Been “Hoodwinked And Bamboozled” IntoThinking That The City Wouldn’t Be Rebuilt. New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin said his city is recoveringand that people have been “hoodwinked and bamboozled” into believing it won’t be rebuilt. Nagin spoke at theEssence Music Festival’s empowerment seminars, being held outside New Orleans for the first time because oflingering effects of Hurricane Katrina. “We are moving forward,” he said. “New Orleans is a city that is inrecovery and it is coming back.” [Miami Times (Florida), 7/12/06]Keith Douglas Williams: “The Voters Of Alabam Will Not Be Hoodwinked, Bamboozled…” “In the racefor state treasurer, Democrats Keith Douglas Williams, a Mobile resident, and Steve Segrest, a Montgomery29real estate agent, are competing for the chance to face incumbent Kay Ivey in the November generalelection…”Over 1 million Alabamians are owed money by the state treasurer’s office. This is shameful anddisgraceful,” Williams said. “The voters of Alabama will not be hoodwinked, bamboozled, flimflammed or fallfor the ol’ razzle dazzle.”“ [Montgomery Advisor, 5/18/06]Cook County Clerk Dorothy Brown: “We Won’t Be Hoodwinked Or Bamboozled By George Bush.” Soit is not surprising President Bush’s remarks before the National Urban League, in which he accused theDemocratic Party of taking the African-American vote for granted, were downplayed by some delegates. Fewwere willing to admit Bush poked a sore spot. ‘We won’t be hoodwinked or bamboozled by George Bush,’ saidCook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown, rattling off a list of Bush’s slights: ‘He announced hisopposition to affirmative action on Martin Luther King’s Birthday,’ she said. ‘We are going to stay focused onthe fact that he disenfranchised African-American voters in Florida.’” [Chicago Sun-Times, 7/24/07]LIE: “On February 18, 2008, at a rally in Madison, Wisconsin, Michelle Obama made a politicalgaffe, implying to the audience she had not been proud of America until her African-Americanhusband had ascended to be a front-running candidate for president.” [p 230]REALITY: REPUBLICANS, INCLUDING LAURA BUSH, HAVE ADMITTED TOUNDERSTANDING WHAT MICHELLE WAS TRYING TO SAYLaura Bush: “I Think” Michelle Meant “I’m More Proud” But Cautioned That One Has To Be CarefulOf Words Because In Many Cases [Your Words Can Be] Misconstrued.” ABC News reported,“Responding to Michelle Obama’s recent remarks that ‘for the first time in my adult life, I’m proud of mycountry,’ Mrs. Bush said ‘I think she probably meant ‘I’m more proud’’ but cautioned ‘you have to be verycareful in what you say’ on the campaign trail. ‘That’s one of the things you learn and that’s one of the reallydifficult parts both of running for president and for being the spouse of the president and that is everything yousay is looked and in many cases misconstrued.’” [ABC News, 6/9/08]Republican Strategist Bob Beckel Said That He’s Convinced Michelle Obama Meant That She Had SeenPeople Unify Around The Basic Issues And It Made Her Proud. Republican Strategist Bob Beckel saidabout Michelle Obama’s comment, “She should not have said it the way she said it, but in fairness to her, shesaid that she had seen people unify around the basic issues and it made her proud. But she was talking aboutwas the fact that she was proud that people were starting to deal with politics from the top down. I amconvinced that she meant it that way.” [Fox News Roundtable, 2/19/08]Republican Elisabeth Hasselbeck Said About Michelle’s Comment That That Michelle Should Have TheOpportunity To Be Excited For Her Husband. Elisabeth Hasselbeck said about Michelle Obama’s comment,“I think we should let her have the opportunity to be thoroughly excited even just for her husband. It isincredibly moving. The fact that we’re supposed to be this country of opportunity for all, right? Now for thefirst time we have a black man and a woman running that could actually be sitting in our white house. That’sincredible.” [The View, 2/19/08]Michelle Obama Explained Her Remarks, Saying That Her Pride Was In The Political Process And ThatShe Was “Absolutely” Always Proud Of America. The New York Times reported, “Asked today to clarifythe remark by a local news station in Rhode Island, which holds its primary during the next round, on March 4,she said, ‘What I was clearly talking about was that I’m proud in how Americans are engaging in the politicalprocess,’ according to the Associated Press. ‘For the first time in my lifetime, I’m seeing people rolling up theirsleeves in a way that I haven’t seen and really trying to figure this out — and that’s the source of pride that I30was talking about.’ She added that she has ‘absolutely’ always felt proud of her country and that she and herhusband owed where they are today to America’s possibilities.” [New York Times, 2/21/08]LIE: “Christopher Hitchens noted on Salon.com that Michelle announces in her Princeton thesis thatshe has been influenced by the definition of ‘black separatism’ given by Stokely Carmichael andCharles Hamilton in their 1867 book Black Power: The Politics of Liberation in America.” [p232]REALITY: USING A DEFINITION IS NOT THE SAME THING AS HAVING INFLUENCEThe Thesis Used Carmichael And Hamilton’s Definition Of Black Separationism In Her Study But DidNot Suggest She Was “Influenced” By It. Michelle Obama wrote in her thesis, “Stokely Carmichael andCharles Hamilton’s (1967) developed definitions of separationism in their discussion of Black Power whichguided me in the formulation and use of this concept in the study…Thus, Carmichael and Hamilton defineseparationism as a necessary stage for the development of the Black community before this group integratesinto the “open society”. The idea of creating separate social structure and cultural structures as suggested bythese authors serves to clarify definitions of separationism/pluralism as they function in the dependent variablewhich tries to measure the 26 respondents’ ideologies concerning political and economic relations between theBlack and White communities.” [Michelle Obama’s Thesis]LIE: Writing about “Born Alive” legislation: “Not wanting to be the only Illinois state senator to voteagainst the bill, a move that Obama realized would be politically unpopular with hisconstituency, he took the easy way our and voted ‘Present.’ [P. 238]REALITY: 20 ILLINOIS SENATORS OPPOSED BORN ALIVE BILLS, 15 VOTED PRESENT ONONE OR MORE OF THE BILLS20 Different Senators, Or 34% Of The Entire Senate, Voted Present Or No On One Or All Of The BornAlive Bills. The Senators voting “Present” were: Bowles, Clayborne, del Valle, Halvorson, Hendon, Jacobs,Lightford, Molaro, Myers, Obama, Radogno, Shadid, Viverito, Weaver, Welch. The Senators voting “No”were: Link, Madigan, Parker, Ronen, Silverstein, Welch and Del Valle voted no on one or all born alive bills.[92nd GA, SB 1093, 3/30/01, 3R P; 34-6-12; 92nd GA, SB 1094, 3/30/01, 3R P; 34-5-13; 92nd GA, SB 1095,3/30/01, 3R P; 33-6-13]LIE: “Critics on the right, who were anything but enthusiastic, sarcastically renamed the bill the‘Global Poverty Tax.” [p 250]REALITY: GLOBAL POVERTY ACT DOES NOT INCREASE TAXESGlobal Poverty Act Does Not Impose A Tax Or Allow Any Other Body To Impose A Tax On The UnitedStates. Media Matters reported, “In his book, Corsi writes that the Global Poverty Act, sponsored by Obama,would “increase taxes on U.S. citizens to pay for world poverty through the United Nations.” As evidence,Corsi quotes a February 12 column by Accuracy in Media editor Cliff Kincaid, which falsely asserted that thebill “would commit the U.S. to spending 0.7 percent of gross national product on foreign aid, which amounts toa phenomenal 13-year total of $845 billion over and above what the U.S. already spends.” But as Media Matters31for America has repeatedly documented, the bill does not impose a tax or allow any other body to impose a taxon the United States. Further, the bill would establish no specific funding source and would not commit theUnited States to any targeted level of spending. The bill directs the president, acting through the secretary ofstate, to develop a strategy to meet the goal of reducing poverty. It also states that strategy “should include”among its components “mproving the effectiveness of development assistance and making availableadditional overall United States assistance levels as appropriate,” but it does not require that foreign aid beincreased or mandate a funding level for foreign assistance. The Global Poverty Act is currently pending on theSenate floor after the Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved the bill with amendments on April 24. Theamended bill also does not establish a specific funding source or commit the United States to any targeted levelof spending. A companion version of the bill, introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Adam Smith(D-WA), passed the House by voice vote on September 25, 2007.” [Media Matters, 8/4/08]LIE: “He has pledged to reduce the size of the military and stop spending money on expensive newmilitary systems, so we can redirect the savings to social welfare spending.” [p 257]REALITY: OBAMA WOULD INCREASE THE SIZE OF THE MILITARYMcCain Advisor Kagan: “Actually, Obama Wants To Increase Defense Spending.” Robert Kagan hasbeen advising John McCain’s presidential campaign on an informal and unpaid basis. He wrote of Obama’sforeign policy speech, Okay, you say, but at least Obama is proposing all this Peace Corps-like activity as asubstitute for military power. Surely he intends to cut or at least cap a defense budget soaring over $500 billiona year. Surely he understands there is no military answer to terrorism. Actually, Obama wants to increasedefense spending. He wants to add 65,000 troops to the Army and recruit 27,000 more Marines. Why? To fightterrorism. He wants the American military to ‘stay on the offense, from Djibouti to Kandahar,’ and he believesthat ‘the ability to put boots on the ground will be critical in eliminating the shadowy terrorlst networks we nowface.’ He wants to ensure that we continue to have ‘the strongest, best-equipped military in the world.’ Obamanever once says that military force should be used only as a last resort. Rather, he insists that ‘no presidentshould ever hesitate to use force -- unilaterally if necessary,’ not only ‘to protect ourselves…when we areattacked,’ but also to protect ‘our vital interests’ when they are ‘imminently threatened.’” [Washington Post,4/29/07]Obama Said The “In The Immediate Future” The Defense Budget Would Need To Be “SomewhatHigher…Just To Restore Readiness And Replace Equipment.” “‘Indeed,’ [Obama] says, ‘given thedepletion of our forces after the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, we will probably need a somewhat higher budgetin the immediate future just to restore readiness and replace equipment.’” [AP, 10/12/06]Obama Said That He Supported A Higher Defense Budget In The Future To “Restore Readiness AndReplace Equipment.” Obama wrote, “For starters, our defense spending and the force structure of our militaryshould reflect the new reality…Indeed, given the depletion of our forces after the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,we will probably need a somewhat higher budget in the immediate future just to restore readiness and replaceequipment.” [Audacity of Hope, pp 306-307]Obama “Often Tells Democrats Things Many Don’t Care To Hear” Including That Military SpendingWould Not Be Immediately Cut In An Obama Administration. Yepsen wrote in the Des Moines Register,“In appearances, he often tells Democrats things many don’t care to hear. For example, at his rally in CedarRapids on Saturday, he was asked about cutting military spending in order to free up money for other priorities,something liberal Democrats have been after for decades. But Obama said ‘in terms of the overall militarybudget, I will tell you that we are going to have problems making immediate cuts, because one of the untoldstories about this war is the way it has depleted our military. The fact of the matter is, we are going to need32more troops that we currently possess’ because of the pressure Iraq has placed on the National Guard andreserves, he said. ‘We’re going to have to build up the size of our active regular forces. We’re going to have toreplace the equipment that has been depleted...There’s probably going to be a bump in initial military spendingjust to get back to where we were.” [Des Moines Register, 2/12/07]LIE: “He has been endorsed by Hamas and had to fire a Middle Eastern advisor who had beenprivately meeting with Hamas.” [p 257]REALITY: HAMAS DID NOT ENDORSE OBAMA, INFORMAL ADVISOR RESIGNEDWashington Post Fact Checker: It Is An Exaggeration To Say That Hamas Endorsed Obama ForPresident. “Similarly, it is an exaggeration to say that the extreme Hamas faction in Gaza has ‘endorsed’Obama for president.” [Washington Post, 5/1/08]Informal Advisor for Obama Resigned after Hamas Meeting. “Rob Malley, a Middle East policy adviser tolikely Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama, resigned after news surfaced that he had beenmeeting with Hamas -- something Obama pledged he himself would never do…. LaBolt, downplaying Malley’srole, said, ‘Rob Malley has, like hundreds of other experts, provided informal advice to the campaign in thepast. He has no formal role in the campaign and he will not play any role in the future.’” [Chicago Sun-Times,5/11/08]LIE: “Another Obama advisor with decidedly anti-Israel views is General Merrill ‘Tony’ McPeak,retired US Air Force chief of staff under President Clinton, who is currently a senior foreignpolicy advisor to Obama and co-chairman of Obama’s presidential campaign committee.” [p267]REALITY: SMEARING MCPEAK AS AN ANTI-SEMITE IS “GROTESQUE”James Fallows: The “Attempt To Paint Merrill McPeak As An Anti-Semite Is Grotesque.” JamesFallows wrote, “That they would bless this attempt to paint Merrill McPeak as an anti-Semite is grotesque. Idoubt that the author of the hit job ever bothered to speak with or interview McPeak. I have done so manytimes, during and after his days as Air Force chief of staff (which he was during the first Gulf War). People canagree or disagree with McPeak’s foreign policy or his record at the Pentagon -- but that’s not what we’re talkingabout here. Any attempt to fish out a quote that will banish him as a bigot is exactly as fair and accurate asdepicting Bill Clinton as being personally a racist based on his ‘fairy tale’ and ‘Jesse Jackson’ comments aroundthe time of the South Carolina primary. I say this having heard McPeak lay out his views, starting while theGulf War was underway 17 years ago, about how to maintain general stability, US interests, and Israeli securityin the Middle East.” [The Atlantic, 3/26/08]LIE: “Critics charge that Obama’s ‘No Nukes’ policy also bears another resemblance to thebestselling rock album: both sounded good, but neither had any realistic chance of accomplishingthe policy goal they proclaimed.” [p 261]REALITY: ELIMINATING NUCLEAR ARSENAL IS A BIPARTISAN GOAL AND OBAMA HASWORKED WITH REPUBLICAN d!ck LUGAR TO THAT END33Shultz, Perry, Kissinger, Nunn: “We Endorse Setting The Goal Of A World Free Of Nuclear Weapons.”George P. Shultz, William J. Perry, Henry A. Kissinger and Sam Nunn wrote a joint op-ed in the Wall StreetJournal calling for America to work toward eliminating the world’s nuclear arsenal. The op-ed read in part,“Reassertion of the vision of a world free of nuclear weapons and practical measures toward achieving that goalwould be, and would be perceived as, a bold initiative consistent with America’s moral heritage. The effortcould have a profoundly positive impact on the security of future generations. Without the bold vision, theactions will not be perceived as fair or urgent. Without the actions, the vision will not be perceived as realisticor possible. We endorse setting the goal of a world free of nuclear weapons and working energetically on theactions required to achieve that goal, beginning with the measures outlined above.” [Wall Street Journal, Op-Ed, 1/4/07]Gary Hart: Obama “Deserves Attention And Respect” For “Placing The Issue Of The Elimination OfNuclear Arsenals At The Center Of His Foreign Policy.” A Council For A Livable World press release read,“Senator Gary Hart, chairman of Council for a Livable World, applauded Obama’s pledge. Hart remarked ‘Byplacing the issue of the elimination of nuclear arsenals at the center of his foreign policy, Senator BarackObama has performed a great public service and deserves attention and respect from all those who see this issueas crucial to our times and who have been watching and waiting for strong leadership and courage.’” [PressRelease, 10/3/07]Obama Passed Legislation To Keep Weapons Of Mass Destruction Out Of The Hands Of Terrorists;Lugar Said He And Obama Worked With The Administration To Improve Nuclear Counter-Proliferation Policies And Increase Budget. In 2006, Obama was an original co-sponsor of legislation toexpand U.S. cooperation to destroy conventional weapons. It also expands the State Department’s ability todetect and interdict weapons and materials of mass destruction. The legislation was included in anappropriations bill that was later signed into law by the president. Senator Lugar said the following in supportof the joint, bipartisan, Lugar-Obama legislation aimed at comprehensive nonproliferation: “Senator Obama andI are attempting to ensure that everything possible is being done to secure such stockpiles worldwide …SenatorObama and I have sought to work closely with the administration on our legislation. Last month, SenatorObama and I wrote to Secretary Rice urging full funding for programs aimed at counter-proliferation andsafeguarding conventional weapons stockpiles…Senator Obama and I are hopeful for a constructive responsethat recognizes the nuances of the threats involved and the necessity of preventing bureaucratic obstacles toaction. We are hopeful for a partnership with the administration that assigns these tasks a high priority. We lookforward to working closely with the administration to get this done.” [Congress, S. 2566, Placed on SenateLegislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 456, 5/25/06; Provisions included in H.R. 6060/P.L.109-706; Transcripts, Foreign Relations Senate Committee Hearing, 2/9/06] Obama Passed An Amendment Based On The Lugar-Obama Cooperative Threat Reduction Act. In2005, Obama was an original cosponsor of an amendment, which passed on a floor vote, based on theLugar-Obama bill that facilitated implementation of the Cooperative threat reduction program by removingthe self-imposed restrictions that complicate or delay the destruction of weapons of mass destruction. Theamendment was included in the final version of the bill that was signed into law. [SA 1380 agreed to inSenate, Vote 200, Yea-Nay Vote. 78 – 19; S. 1042/H.R. 1815 Became Public Law No: 109-163] Obama Passed An Amendment That Increased Threat Reduction Funding By $8 Million. In 2006,Obama was an original cosponsor of an amendment that increased by $8,000,000 funding for the FormerSoviet Union Threat Reduction Account the amount appropriated for Cooperative Threat Reduction. Thefunding was retained in the bill signed into law. [SA 3599 agreed to in Senate by Voice Vote, 4/27/06]

[confedup]

If you are going to cut and paste something then make it legible or it's not worth my time to try and decipher it.

Seems posting others opinion is not allowed here for discussion if it's against the mighty Obama? What is allowed here, posting anti bush or mccain rhetoric only?

[rn79870]

2)I noticed my local barnes and noble has filed the book under fiction...

/end thread. Next player please.

[rn79870]

If you are going to cut and paste something then make it legible or it's not worth my time to try and decipher it.

I have to agree. Walls of words are sometimes too much to face for me. There is a "preview" feature that will help you see what your post will look like. And please everyone, make paragraphs, lots of paragraphs so slower people like me can keep up.

[srellim234]

Better yet, just provide the link to where you're getting it from along with a very brief synopsis or opinion based on what's there. If we care enough (which from the heated exchanges here, we do) we'll click on it and read it. Or dismiss it every bit as easily as just scrolling over the huge post.

The site where you're getting it from has already invested the time and effort to make it legible, and perusing that site gives us some further insight into where the original site is coming from. It may also provide further ammo to debate the position pro OR con..

[skylndrftr]

yeah sorry I am just really sick of his approach of just posting a wall of text. I mean no attempt is made to offer these as his opinion, or heck even an opinion. He just posts things that are actively and intentionally false as if they were fact. That was my 'see I can be annoying as well post'

I just find it frankly disgusting that the so called human being Jerome Corsi is considered anything approaching a valid source by a subset of America.

heres the link http://my.barackobama.com/page/invite/corsibut I would really like to leave the other posts as they are...

[heliochrome85]

well naturally, thats how the welfare state works.

[audtatious]

of course. And that is the largest growing state in the union.