Did I say Auschwitz? I meant Selma! or Kabul! or...
Just another mistake. Just another blow to the MSM's credibility. Just a little more egg on those supporters' faces.
By Jeff Emanuel Posted in 2008 — Comments (49) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
Lo and behold, after his supporters spent the better part of their mornings defending Obama's claim that his uncle helped (the Red Army) liberate the survivors of Auschwitz concentration camp in 1945, the campaign came on out and issued a retraction. According to the AP:
Barack Obama's campaign says the candidate made a mistake when he said a great uncle helped liberate the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz during World War II.Obama said Monday that his uncle was among the first U.S. troops at Auschwitz. But Auschwitz was liberated by Soviet forces.
The campaign said Tuesday that he named the wrong camp. They said it was actually Buchenwald.
Aides said his grandmother's brother, Charlie Payne, helped liberate a Buchenwald sub-camp in April 1945 as part of the 89th Infantry Division.
Yet another retraction forced by the New Media, after a CBS reporter took the statement at face value and reported it without subjecting it to any of that healthy media skepticism we've spent the last seven-plus years hearing about the importance of.
Ah well.
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Did I say Auschwitz? I meant Selma! or Kabul! or... 49 Comments (0 topical, 49 editorial, 1 hidden) Post a comment »
The first gaffe that McCain makes will be followed by headlines questioning whether he's going senile and lots of "code words" from the Obama camp.
..a picnic?
The confusion is understandable. Birkenau was a sub-camp of Auschwitz and Buchenwald's subcamp was the one liberated by Obama's relative.
The merit behind the action is equally as honorable, what is the big deal?
BTW, Ira Lang, my grandfather's brother, was a victim of the Auschwitz Death Camp.
I don't mean to personalize this tragedy, but as a Jew, I do not find this statement particularly offensive.
sub-camp. Ohrdruf was a sub-camp of Buchenwald.
http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10006161
Barack's uncle did not liberate Auschwitz,or any of the subcamps there, according to this article.
Barack either willfully lied because he thinks we are stupid, or he is stupid. You choose.
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Just a typical, small town, British-American girl...
FTR-no one is saying that dear uncle's actions weren't honorable.
We just think that if Barack is going to use it to pander to veterans on freaking Memorial Day, perhaps he would have his sh*t straight. That is what is offensive.
And, if he is going to accuse John McCain of losing his bearings, perhaps he should make sure all of his are there and well-greased.
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Just a typical, small town, British-American girl...
He's talking to his progressive supporters, and most of them conceptualize a place like Auschwitz in terms of symbolism, not history. And I suspect that most of them don't really care why we're taking issue with Obama's lack of command with the latter.
The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC. I've been usurped!
like the Clintons before him, it appears that Obama is willing to lie when it suits him politically. Whether it was Bill Clinton talking about black churches being burned down or Hillary talking about being named after Sir Edmond Hillary, it became obvious that they were so used to lying even about inconsequential things that you couldn't believe a word they said. It's looking to be the same way with Obama.
The point is not whether or not a soldier’s service is honorable or not. I have a great amount of respect and admiration for any soldier who fought to keep America safe. It is a question of Obama's character and his propensity to use fake or modified past events in order to bring credibility to himself. It has become a democratic mantra that instead of having their current actions and ideas mean anything they weave a story about themselves in order to create someone that you just feel that you know and have to respect because of what has happened to them or how their story is woven into the American fabric.
It doesn't matter if it is Hillary discussing landing under sniper fire, or claiming that she was named after Sir Edmond Hillary (who did not even climb Everest and become famous until after she was born), or claiming that Chelsea was near the twin towers on 9/11 -- or -- Obama claiming that he was conceived because of the Selma marches, or the Kennedy family being responsible for his family coming to America, or that his uncle liberated the prisoners in Auschwitz their stories are either made up or embellished to create a connection with people.
I do not believe for one second that Obama misspoke. I find it hard to believe that Obama was so proud of his uncle that he didn't even know where he liberated all those prisoners. It has nothing to do with whether his uncle was honorable wherever he fought (as I stated I believe that his sacrifice is great and important and honorable regardless of where he happened to fight - I am amazed an humbled by that sacrifice) the issue is why did Obama happen to "misspeak" and chose the most infamous concentration camp of the Nazi regime and one that it is widely known that the Russians liberated (again for the record the soldiers who liberated Birkenau or Buchenwald were just as honorable as soldiers who liberated Auschwitz or any other captives). If it had only happened once I think that he gets the benefit of the doubt but he has a pattern (as does Mrs. Clinton) of lying or being woefully ignorant of facts and always seems to lie about them in a manner that puts him in the best light, brings him the greatest glory, or benefits him the most politically. Senator Obama goes and pander's to his present groups creating a history and a lineage that are not true because it is what the people that he happens to be speaking to at that moment want to hear and will most identify with -- and it is that which is reprehensible.
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“When you can't make them see the light, make them feel the heat.” – Ronald Reagan
Somehow I think he might be a little ticked about being dragged into this if he is.
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
Did his uncle follow his mother to Hawaii ?
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
220, 221, whatever it takes.
It seems as though Obama's assertion (however smart or dumb to make) was correct except he mentioned the wrong camp. For someone who is not literate in foreign affairs it is quite understandable to confuse the names of the camps. They were all unbelievably horrible, although Auschwitz-Birkenau is probably the worst of the worst.
Dachau is awful because it was the model; it was established in March 1933, long before war was declared. Perhaps his maternal grandfather's brother has something to say about refusing to face a growing evil threat...
Have you been reading the gaffe a day blogs? This man does not know what he is saying day to day....he has lost his marbles at such a young age...because you can well bet if McCain had made this many "mistakes" the lead in every paper would be he is senile....so WE will continue to indict Barack Obama over his lies and gaffes.
Freedom of Religion NOT Freedom from Religion
Quayle misspells a word, he's an idiot for life. Macho Bambi daily reacquaints his foot with his mouth, tells verifiable whoppers (aka LIES), and somehow he's The Jesus.
Unfair. Unbalanced. Unmedicated. -- IMAO
McCain will be fisked for every misstatement, rest assured.
Misstatements are not decisive, everyone is liable to them, but they do not support the Olympian vision of Obama to which many of his supporters are prone.
Also, since Ahmadinejad is a Holocaust denier, we should ask Obama if he's willing to bring up this piece of family history should the two chat some day.
Come on guys. Obama meant Buchenwald not Auschwitcz.
Senator Obama's family is proud of the service of his grandfather and uncles in World War II - especially the fact that his great uncle was a part of liberating one of the concentration camps at Buchenwald. Yesterday he mistakenly referred to Auschwitz instead of Buchenwald in telling of his personal experience of a soldier in his family who served heroically," said Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton this afternoon in a statement, which also clarified that the great-uncle "Served in the 89th Infantry Division that Liberated Ohrdruf, a Subcamp of Buchenwald, the First Camp Liberated by Americans, on April 4, 1945."
Its not like he lied about the WMDs in Iraq like your hero Shrub did.
It's not me, just some other troll. Still, it's nice to be remembered.
I notice the Obama hate is strong today, we might have to invent a new term... maybe Obama Derangement Syndrome, for symmetry.
Also, no mention of the McCain Bush fundraiser, no surprise there, wouldn't want to associate the two.
I'm off to write conspiracy theories involving Bohemian Grove, "... the most faggy GD thing you would ever imagine." So said Nixon, anyhow.
A population divided is a population easily controlled.
I use a term generally reserved for one of the specifically named demons and instead of pointing out our similarities you call me an idiot. Step it up a notch, I was hoping to spar on the intricacies of Biblical demonic references.
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
Growing up in a fundamentalist Christian household, I am quite familiar with it. My own journey led me to believe that a Christian should avoid war at all costs, and I generally did not buy into the notion that what is acceptable for the individual must be rejected for the nation at large (ie. "Turn the other cheek.")
Since then I've developed some theories about the nature of a Christian morality versus the morality of the State and what to do when the two conflict. I find it interesting that the State is so often allowed to override a Christian morality, and that Christians accept this.
To the beliefs of your parents. Tell me do you see the strings or do you actually believe you have cut them ?
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
This whole notion that Christians should avoid war at all costs was not a reaction to but instead an extension of, my parents' beliefs. It was difficult to hear Jesus' sayings on a daily basis and then support war.
Reactionary beliefs led to the notion that perhaps we are only as cells to a greater whole, and as such the deaths of individuals in war are no more noteworthy than the turnover of an immune system: untold numbers bred for the sole purpose of seeking out and destroying one's enemies, doomed to die. That way tends to be a bit dark and cold, though.
And I most certainly see the strings, they're rather obvious in my case. Do you know yours? We all have them.
But I'm off, it will become tiresome to seek out new IP addresses as they're banned one by one in the interest of maintaining ideological homogeneity. Not that I don't deserve it, I am unable to contribute much of value here given the vast gulf between the realities in which we believe. If anything I view it as an indictment of the system that one people in one land can differ so greatly on basic facts.
It's not your facts that get you banned. It's your disruption of the site.
Second for someone who professes such extreme adherence to christian teachings, What amount of pride do you harbor, that prevents you asking for your account to be reinstated and abiding by the rules of the site ?
Seems your narrative has a hollow ring.
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
-Thomas Paine: The American Crisis, No. 4, 1777
And I actually felt guilty about quibbling over relatively minor details. But, as I said, I don't think I can actually contribute usefully given the difference between our realities.
And I'm no Christian - the logical extension of fundamentalist tenets led me to some untenable positions. I might have some pride, but I do try to keep an open mind about things. I tend to think Cheney is not incompetent, he knows exactly what he's doing, and his policies are an attempt to maintain the American way of life during the transition to oil alternatives over the next fifty years no matter the circumstances. I still do not necessarily agree, but it's interesting to consider.
Oh, and Moe, you actually think they give a damn about the Nixon quote? Don't waste your time.
The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC. I've been usurped!
...is a query to the University of Texas to find out if they approve of their users using antigay slurs online.
The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC. I've been usurped!
The Fuzzy Puppy of the VRWC. I've been usurped!
It never ceases to amaze me how liberals act is if your last statement is true and if you really believe that it is how you never have the guts to admit that almost every democrat in Washington would have to be a liar as well. Clinton, Clinton, Gore, and almost all the way down the list made the exact same claims because virtually EVERYONE thought that it was true (and if you will go back and even the Russians, Germans, and French thought that it was true). However, that is not the issue of this thread - this issue is that your darling cannot go 2 days without lying about why he was conceived, who brought his family to this county, what his family did, the silly lie that he didn't know what his pastor and spiritual mentor of 20 years preached about, his stance on gun control or abortion, lying about McCain and his stance on staying in Iraq, oh yeah and even the fact that his is a liberal. I do find it amusing though that your excuse for Obama is well Bush did it. Like my mom told me when I was little if your friends jumped off a bridge would you?
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“When you can't make them see the light, make them feel the heat.” – Ronald Reagan
He's a marxist socialist..
I've been sightseeing up here in Philly, and have seen Obama signs here. Surrounded by the aura of our founding fathers who desired liberty abd freedom from a heavy federal government and its high tax burden, I am surprised that there are so many people willing to throw all that under the bus to let government take care of them. It just sickens me.
Maybe that's why I saw so many people of Chinese descent so happy to be around the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall yesterday. They might have a different perspective on government control.
-- A true evolutionist would let endangered species die off. Anyone care to change sides?
-- Saving baby whales and baby trees, but killing baby humans. Huh?
-- conservatism first --
Gore and Bush were on the same team. Why else would Gore surrender Florida so readily, allowing the Supreme Court to dictate the decision rather than insist on a recount.? It's not like you actually buy the idea that America would be lost and adrift without a CiC for the few days it would have taken to sort everything out.
Bush got the presidency, Gore got the Nobel Peace Prize, we're all busy duking it out over trivialities and the world marches on. /tinfoil hat
Oh, and "Clinton did it" was often heard from the mouths of conservatives.
Unfair. Unbalanced. Unmedicated. -- IMAO
Is this anything like Romney's father marching with MLK? I think the result of that was that his father ended up as having marched in a cause/support of MLK's but not actually with him. I didn't see the big deal made of that difference at the time. I mean, a story told in the family at dinners, etc and it gets changed ever so slightly in the re-tellings doesn't mean the candidate is lying about it! For that to be true you must assume he knew it was wrong, but an incorrectly re-told family story or bad memory are far more likely...
I was under the impression that a contemporary Harper's magazine confirmed Mitt's recollection, as well as those of several eyewitnesses who came out to confirm the Governor's story.
Am I mistaken?
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"If we want to take this party back, and I think we can someday, let’s get to work." – Barry Goldwater
It's pretty common that people remember things that just didn't happen. 40 years ago and people just get it wrong. This appears to be a link to the article in the Boston Paper that made this news. Note the paper from the time at the top and the quotes from it that says "But Martin Luther King Jr. didn't fault Romney for his absence, which the governor ascribed to his policy against public appearances on the Sabbath." and it says "the crowd at the Center "lustily booed," when representatives of Governor George W. Romney read a proclamation declaring "Freedom March Day in Michigan."
http://thephoenix.com/article_ektid53414.aspx
Given the local paper covering the march, which was HUGE news, I don't find it plausible that they missed the Governor of the state participating. The quote from his father with the reason he couldn't attend is pretty definitive as well although it doesn't rule out his marching and then not speaking. I think that would have been a big story in and of itself so I find that implausible as well.
Local newspaper archive from the time versus 40 years old memory. I know where to place my money.
FYI: I can't find the text of the harpers article because you need to be a subscriber. But it was certainly from the same time frame. Perhaps someone here can get it. I figure the quote from the local paper on why Romney couldn't attend on the Sabbath would be pretty definitive. He either observed that all the time, or he didn't for this event and that would have been big news.
The 40 year old memory was for the person I saw interviewed after this broke on the news who claimed to have seen this as well, not the harper's article which as you point out was contemporary as well.
Hint: a Boston paper is not local to Michigan.
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"If we want to take this party back, and I think we can someday, let’s get to work." – Barry Goldwater
That's my mistake. The paper is from Michigan if you look at it. I just mixed up the 2 Governors when thinking what state it referred to.
Can you provide a better link showing what Harper's was referring to and when it claimed they marched?
Take a close look at that linked article. Mitt Romney even claimed that he remembered his father choosing to march on the Sabbath in later questioning as this was blowing up. Did the paper get that wrong? Possible, but now it's back to 40 year old memory versus local paper and Governor of the state...
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"If we want to take this party back, and I think we can someday, let’s get to work." – Barry Goldwater
Just a quick note: Nina Easton (sp?) on the Fox news panel brought this same similarity up and her comment was "it's fuzzy" as she remembered people calling in who claimed to have seen it back then. No reference to Harpers and it appeared that Brit thought it didn't happen either. Obviously this is still "fuzzy"...
Still, interesting commentary from all of them on the original topic of this thread :)
I have a question....all these Tall tales we have been hearing from the Dems, Obama and Clinton both do it...Does anybody have stories of Repubs telling of '12-year olds giving their last 10 bucks' or 'Harrowing stories of Battlefield close-calls' and then being proven wrong?
Is there any Repubs that have been caught exaggerating about Heroic relatives?
Obama and the MSM are one in the same so no need for skepticism.
"Land of the Free and Home of da Whopper" Peter Griffin...Family Guy
conform and celebrate diversity....or else!!!