CNN disproves Obama smear, but exempts Beck from criticism
SUMMARY: CNN's Howard Kurtz noted Fox
News' role in advancing the "bogus charge" -- first made in an article on InsightMag.com -- that Sen. Hillary Rodham
Clinton was behind an allegation that Sen. Barack Obama was educated for
several years in a madrassa. And a CNN report flatly disproved the Obama-madrassa allegation. But CNN did not report on air that Glenn Beck had
also promoted the "bogus charge" against Clinton.
On the January 22 Situation Room, CNN media critic Howard Kurtz stated that a smear reported by InsightMag.com "got a big boost from Rupert Murdoch's media empire." The InsightMag.com article forwarded an accusation that "researchers connected to" Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) had said that Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) "spent at least four years in a so-called Madrassa, or Muslim seminary, in Indonesia." Kurtz, who is also The Washington Post's media writer, cited a segment in which Fox News host John Gibson stated that "[t]he New York senator has reportedly outed Obama's madrassa past." Kurtz added: "This, unfortunately, is how the media food chain works. A bogus charge appears in some magazine or on some website and works its way up to bigger news outlets, all based on little or no evidence." But, in attacking Fox News, Kurtz left out one of the promoters of the smear -- CNN Headline News' Glenn Beck. On the January 19 edition of CNN Headline News' Glenn Beck, Beck noted that the source of the story "is a conservative blog" and that "the odds of this being true pretty darn close to zero," but nevertheless said that "if you live in Chappaqua, New York, and you hear a strange grinding noise coming from the Clinton estate, it could be Hillary Clinton sharpening her knives in the basement." Beck, after saying that there was "no evidence" for the charge that Obama "attended a madrassa," continued to assert that Clinton had a "lot to gain" from the story and that she is "that desperate."
He later added:
In today's political climate, it's wise to air your dirty laundry before anybody else does. But the decision to release this absolutely unsubstantiated claim that Barack lied about his past, to imply somehow or another that he's been indoctrinated in radical Muslim ideals, is not only irresponsible, but it reeks of desperation.
Now, who's that desperate? You know, no matter who leaked this statement -- a Democrat, a Republican, a yeti, the Tooth Fairy, I don't know -- there are a few characters out there that have a lot to gain. And there is no one with more to gain than Hillary Clinton.
Now, I am not in any way saying that she released this. Remember, it came from a conservative blog. But if her campaign did smear Obama, then they have set a new high in low blows. Hillary is in old-guard politics, I believe that's the way she is perceived. And a sketchy move like this is even more dated than her hairstyle.
Beck has not mentioned the InsightMag.com story or its allegations on his CNN Headline News program since. At no point in his coverage -- on the January 21 edition of Reliable Sources, in his January 22 post on his "Media Notes" column on washingtonpost.com, or on his report on the January 22 edition The Situation Room -- did Kurtz note Beck's statements.
On the January 22 edition of CNN's The Situation Room, host Wolf Blitzer aired a report "to debunk a possible smear campaign against Senator Barack Obama" and said that, by "check[ing] out the fact," CNN was acting "as a serious news organization should do." The report by CNN correspondent John Vause, visited "Barack Obama's elementary school in Jakarta" and stated that he's "been to madrassas in Pakistan, and this school is nothing like that." (The report did not address the charge that Clinton was behind the story.)
Teasing Vause's report, host Anderson Cooper said: "Other news organizations ran with Insight's story. They didn't check the facts; we did." After Vause's report, Cooper, in an apparent reference to Fox News, said: "Well, that's the difference between talking about news and reporting it. You send a reporter, he checks the facts, and you decide at home."
While no one noted on air that Beck had also echoed one of the allegations in the InsightMag.com article, a January 23 CNN.com article that summarized CNN's debunking of the accusation did include Glenn Beck in a list of news outlets that reported on the InsightMag.com article. From the article:
The Insight article was cited several times Friday on Fox News and was also referenced by the New York Post, The Glenn Beck program on CNN Headline News and a number of political blogs.
A January 20 New York Post article, which appeared after Beck's statements, quoted Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson saying: "We have no connection to this story." The article further reported that Obama strategist David Axelrod said he did not "believe ... for a second" the allegation that Clinton's camp was behind the story.
Despite Beck's record of advancing conservative misinformation and his history of inflammatory statements, ABC recently announced that it has hired him as a "regular commentator" for its Good Morning America program.
From the January 22 edition of CNN's The Situation Room:
BLITZER: And as allegations swirl about Senator Barack Obama's education abroad, it's 5 a.m. in Indonesia, where we actually went to check out the facts, as a serious news organization should do, to debunk the rumors. We have a CNN exclusive that you will want to see, this hour.
[...]
BLITZER: Also, potentially damaging rumors swirling about Senator Barack Obama's early education as he eyes the White House. We've debunked them. We're going to show you the truth behind these allegations. This is an exclusive report. We've done serious journalism, gone to Jakarta, in Indonesia, to check out these rumors.
[...]
BLITZER: Plus, a CNN exclusive -- we sent one of our correspondents to Indonesia, to Jakarta, to debunk a possible smear campaign against Senator Barack Obama. We're going to show you what we found on the scene.
[...]
BLITZER: And still to come, our exclusive report on Senator Barack Obama's early education. We actually sent a correspondent to Jakarta, Indonesia, to take a look at these rumors that may be part of a smear campaign against the popular Democrat as the eyes -- as he eyes the White House. You're going to want to see our special report.
[...]
BLITZER: And just ahead, an important story: the education of Senator Barack Obama. As rumors swirl, we're actually on the scene doing serious journalism in Indonesia. We're finding out the facts. You'll see an exclusive report of what's going on. Stay with us.
[...]
[begin video clip]
KURTZ: The allegations got a big boost from Rupert Murdoch's media empire, with the New York Post running this headline: " 'Osama' Mud Flies at Obama." And Murdoch's Fox News Channel touted the claims on two programs.
GIBSON: The gloves are off. Hillary Clinton reported to be already digging up the dirt on Barack Obama. The New York senator has reportedly outed Obama's madrassa past.
KURTZ: But as we now know, there is no madrassa past. Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs, who called Fox's broadcasting of the madrassa tale "appallingly irresponsible," says he didn't think much of a clarification carried this morning on the program Fox & Friends.
Fox News executive Bill Shine says some of the network's hosts were simply expressing their opinions and repeatedly cited Insight as the source of the allegations. Some conservatives say Obama should expect his personal life to come under journalistic scrutiny.
JONAH GOLDBERG (National Review Online editor-at-large): I think the background on Obama, when all he's running on is his background, is fair game. If this thing is a lie or a smear, then it needs to be denounced and pelted from the public sphere for being an unfair and untrue allegation.
[end video clip]
KURTZ: This, unfortunately, is how the media food chain works. A bogus charge appears in some magazine or on some website and works its way up to bigger news outlets, all based on little or no evidence. What makes the madrassa story unusual is that the false allegations are about a candidate's elementary school, nearly 40 years ago, and the attempt to blame this rumor-mongering on the rival campaign of Hillary Clinton -- Wolf.
BLITZER: Howard Kurtz, reporting for us. Howie, thanks.
And CNN did what any serious news organization is supposed to do in this kind of a situation. We actually conducted an exclusive first-hand investigation inside Indonesia to check out the school that Barack Obama attended as a little 6-year-old boy. We sent our correspondent John Vause to Jakarta -- John.
VAUSE: Wolf, I came here to Barack Obama's elementary school in Jakarta looking for what some have been calling an Islamic madrassa like those that teach violence and hate in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Well, Wolf, I've been to madrassas in Pakistan, and this school is nothing like that.
[begin video clip]
VAUSE: In the quadrangle of this elementary school, boys and girls, age from 6 to 12, neatly dressed in uniform, playing together, just as a young Barack Obama would have done almost 40 years ago. Here, they're taught science and math and practice traditional Indonesian dance.
Besuki Elementary follows a national curricula, just like it did in the '60s and '70s. Take a close look at Obama's teachers, women and men, all in Western-style dress.
There are religion classes once a week. Most of the 450 students are Muslim and are taught about Islam. The handful of Christians learn that Jesus is the son of God.
The deputy headmaster tells me he's unaware that his school has been labeled an Islamic madrassa by some in the United States and bristles at the thought.
"This is a public school. We don't focus on religion," he told me. "In our daily lives, we try to respect religion, but we don't give preference to one or the other."
Bandung Winadijanto attended Besuki with Obama. Back then, he was known as Barry. They were in Boy Scouts together. And he says, in all these years, not a lot has changed at his old elementary.
WINADIJANTO: No, it's not an Islamic school. It is common -- I mean, it's general, because there's also a lot of Christian students, Buddhists -- Buddhism students, and also [inaudible] students.
[end video clip]
VAUSE: And Wolf, in almost every way, this school is typical of all state-run schools in Indonesia, except this is probably one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Jakarta. The U.S. ambassador lives just up the road, and this school is probably better off than most -- Wolf.
BLITZER: All right -- John Vause in Jakarta for us. An excellent, excellent report. Glad we could bring that to our viewers.
From the January 22 edition of CNN's Anderson Cooper 360:
COOPER: So, was Senator Barack Obama schooled in Islamic radicalism when he was a little boy?
Well, last week, Insight magazine, which is owned by the conservative Washington Times, reported that Obama attended a madrassa, or a Muslim religious school, in Indonesia when he was 6 years old. The article also accused him of supposedly hiding that he was raised as a Muslim.
Obama has acknowledged he went to a predominantly Muslim school in Jakarta but calls allegations it was a madrassa completely false. Other news organizations ran with Insight's story. They didn't check the facts; we did.
[...]
COOPER: Well, that's the difference between talking about news and reporting it. You send a reporter, he checks the facts, and you decide at home.
From the January 19 edition of CNN Headline News' Glenn Beck:
BECK: I can't believe it. We are still nearly two years away from the presidential '08 election, and the gloves have already come off. The candidates are getting ready to rumble. There is a blog report out today.
Now, I saw this on Fox News this morning -- and it is an outrageous claim -- that Barack Obama spent at least four years studying at a madrassa, which is a Muslim seminary, in Indonesia. The report goes on to suggest that the information was leaked by a political opponent within the Democratic Party. I wonder if the name rhymes with Killery Hinton.
It's widely known that most madrassas are funded by Saudi Arabia. Experts agree that the variety of Islam taught in these Muslim schools is Wahhabism. This is the most radical, extreme, and anti-American form.
But before I go any further, it was a little misleading, the report I heard today. I want to be very, very clear. The source of this story is a conservative blog. So, the odds of this being true, pretty darn close to zero.
Here's "The Point" tonight. There is no confirmation, no evidence, nothing, that Barack Obama attended a madrassa. We contacted his office for a definitive answer. We were told, "No comment."
However, what is confirmed by this report is just how dirty the political candidates on both sides are prepared to play. I can't help but get the feeling, and I'm not connecting it to this story, but if you live in Chappaqua, New York, and you hear a strange grinding noise coming from the Clinton estate, it could be Hillary Clinton sharpening her knives in the basement.
Here's how I got there. You know, I have my doubts about Barack Obama's qualifications to be president. I just don't see it, at least not now, anyway. And I'm a conservative and he's a liberal.
But to his credit, Barack has been very forthcoming about his past. He's talked about, you know, that he tried pot and cocaine -- and he went a step further and said he did inhale. Good for you. And thank you for telling us the truth and telling us first.
In today's political climate, it's wise to air your dirty laundry before anybody else does. But the decision to release this absolutely unsubstantiated claim that Barack lied about his past, to imply somehow or another that he's been indoctrinated in radical Muslim ideals, is not only irresponsible, but it reeks of desperation.
Now, who's that desperate? You know, no matter who leaked this statement -- a Democrat, a Republican, a yeti, the Tooth Fairy, I don't know -- there are a few characters out there that have a lot to gain. And there is no one with more to gain than Hillary Clinton.
Now, I am not in any way saying that she released this. Remember, it came from a conservative blog. But if her campaign did smear Obama, then they have set a new high in low blows. Hillary is in old-guard politics, I believe that's the way she is perceived. And a sketchy move like this is even more dated than her hairstyle.
Maybe that's why lifelong Clinton supporters are leaving her campaign like rats jumping off a ship. Three of her closest confidants have already defected to rival campaigns. Now, I knew that Hillary was a political animal when she didn't throw Bill Clinton's clothes out on the lawn of the White House after the [Monica] Lewinsky scandal. I would have paid money to see that.
She made a deal, I believe, to run for the presidency. And she is playing all the angles to stay in the game. Write this down -- I'm predicting tonight that Hillary Clinton will not be the Democratic nominee for president. I want you to know, I say write it down so you can cross it out when I change my mind in about six months.
Even though I think that releasing this report about Barack Obama was dirty pool, now that it's out, we have to deal with it. So, tonight, here's "What I Know." Rumors are going to fly this campaign season, and it's our responsibility as voters and Americans to separate that fact from fiction. Because this one report is on this one blog, does that make it true? No. Not even close to it.
But as a voter, now we have to investigate it. A candidate's past should be reconciled with their present. "What I Don't Know" is, how nasty can this race get? I mean, if this is the sign of things to come, this election will seem more like extreme fighting matches than any kind of democratic process. At least it's not on pay-per-view.
"there are a few characters out there that have a lot to gain. And there is no one with more to gain than Hillary Clinton. Now, I am not in any way saying that she released this. Remember, it came from a conservative blog. But if her campaign did smear Obama, then they have set a new high in low blows."
I'm not saying this is true, but IF Glenn Beck, as some have alleged, does indeed dress up in women's clothing and smoke a doobie during commercial breaks of his show, he has set a new low in talk-show journalism. I am not in any way saying this is true, but it MIGHT be, and if so it's shameful.
" Now, I am not in any way saying that she released this. Remember, it came from a conservative blog. "
Of course it is true that he went to a madrassa. He says so in his books 'Dreams of My Father' and in 'The Audacity of Hope'. Why would you even try to deny that or deflect that truth? But, the good news is that he became a Christian and is forgiven of his sins of the past, therefore why would it matter if he went to a madrassa? So, what if Hilary releases the info or even some right wing blog (you would expect that from them in the situation they are in)? Barack has already wrote about it and it is public knowledge for anyone who wants to learn. Just keep in mind that he is a Christian now. That should help the democrat sleep better.
"But, the good news is that he became a Christian and is forgiven of his sins of the past"
Which sins are you talking about? Do you mean that it's sinful to be something other than a Christian?
That's good, worrierking. Take a knock at Christianity every chance you get. All sins. So, if he did any sinning when he was younger, he is forgiven. You've been in war (right?), even you can have your sins forgiven if you become a Christian. Unless you don't have any sins, then you don't need to be forgiven.
You might want to clarify PC - you have to do more then just become a Christian. You actually have to follow and practice the teachings of Christ in good faith. It's not a get out of jail free card just because you claim to be Christian. That also means that you have to follow all the teachings, not just a select few that suit your own ideology.
I was not knocking Christianity. In your original post, you implied that his sin was in not being a Christian.
I've been a Christian for more than fifty years.We are all sinners. One sin I am not guilty of is the sin of damning someone who is not a Christian.
" One sin I am not guilty of is the sin of damning someone who is not a Christian. "
Neither did I. I just point out what is taught about salvation in Christianity. If you don't believe, then you will not be saved. Making it the only unforgivable sin. If someone is of another religion and do not believe Jesus is their savior by paying for thier sins with His blood then....
In the war you fought in, did you consider it a "just" war? Or did you fight in it against your better judgement? Did you follow orders you thought were immoral? Did you do as your leaders told you without considering what your God told you was right? There's the answer to if your war history is sin or not.
Even I can be forgiven? For going to war?
That means that there are 3,500,000 million Vietnam Vets in need of forgiveness. That also implies that everyone who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan is committing sin by being there. Not to mention all of the Veterans of WWII and prior wars.
How dare you imply such a thing? If that's the case your president will be burning in hell for a lot longer than anyone else.
And if we, who went to war, committed sin by going, what does that say about the nation that sent us? What does that say about citizens who support the policy of war? And since you are committing sin by supporting this president and his war, you are the one who is committing the greatest sin of all.
Worrierking,
I totally see your point there, but you need to relax a little. It's really not worth arguing with someone who has the arrogance to wear their religion as a badge. I mean really, who calls themselves PROUDCHRISTIAN? For goodness sake, PRIDE is one of the seven deadly sins - they may as well call themselves LUSTFULCHRISTIAN or GLUTTONOUSCHRISTIAN or GREEDYCHRISTIAN or SLOTHFULCHRISTIAN or WRATHFULCHRISTIAN or ENVIOUSCHRISTIAN. I honestly believe that people like this are all about judging others in the belief that because of their loudly professed Christianity, they will not, themselves receive ultimate judgement.
At the time, Samuel Johnson was right to say that "patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel," but these days I'm beginning to believ that professed faith now provides that refuge. More and more we are seeing people cloak themselves in a narrow understanding of faith in order to appear virtuous and decent - all the while spewing ignorance and contempt for other cultures and faiths - how many examples of hypocritical so-called Christians do we need to see before, as a society we start to view them with some serious scepticism? Look at the number of so-called Christians who cheer at gay funerals, who willingly send their kids off to die in an unjust, foolish war because a former alcoholic who claims to have found God tells them to. Look at the hatred so many so-called Christians spew at compassionate, open-minded progressives who are essentially following the UNIVERSAL spiritual principle of "do unto others." Ignorant, boastful Christians are so self-absorbed, so blindly sure of themselves that they don't recognise that "do unto others" is an essential element of ALL religions - it is the point at which the world can be united in various faiths - the real goal for these people is to have something that is all theirs; that defines an us and them; that fulfills the instinct to HATE, to judge and to feel superior; that facilitates the cowardice of not trying to understand or to reach out.
True faith is daily challenge that should take place inside the heart and the mind of the individual. It is not a collection of cheap slogans coughed up by some "preacher" whose qualification comes from a cereal box. It is not something you can buy at a discount from the 700 club. Faith is a matter of demonstrated character not a sound-bite, not a necklace with a cross on it, not a badge.
A few more thoughts for the so-called Christians out there.......
GOLDEN RULES: JUDAISM: “What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow men. That is the entire Law, all the rest is commentary.”The Talmud BUDDHISM:“Hurt not others with that which pains yourself.”Udana-Varqa ISLAM:“No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself”Hadith (sayings of The Prophet Muhammed) HINDUISM:“This is the sum of duty: do naught to others which if done to thee would cause thee pain.”The Mahabharata (sacred text) CHRISTIANITY:“All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law of the prophets.”The Gospel of Matthew.SIKH: Precious like jewels are the minds of all. To hurt them is not at all good. If thou desirest thy Beloved, then hurt thou not anyone's heart."(Guru Aranj Devji 259, Guru Granth Sahib)TAOISM: "Pity the misfortunes of others; rejoice in the well-being of others; help those who are in want; save men in danger; rejoice at the success of others; and sympathise with their reverses, even as though YOU WERE in their place.""The sage has no interests of his own, but regards the interests of the people as his own. He is kind to the kind, he is also kind to the unkind: for virtue is kind."(T'ai Shang Kan Ying P'ien) CONFUCIANISM:"Do not unto others what you would not have them do unto you."(Analects, 15:23)"If one strives to treat others as he would be treated by them, he will come near the perfect life."(Book of Meng Tzu)I'll try that again.....
GOLDEN RULES:
JUDAISM: “What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow men. That is the entire Law, all the rest is commentary.”The Talmud BUDDHISM:“Hurt not others with that which pains yourself.”Udana-Varqa ISLAM:“No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself”Hadith (sayings of The Prophet Muhammed) HINDUISM:“This is the sum of duty: do naught to others which if done to thee would cause thee pain.”The Mahabharata (sacred text) CHRISTIANITY:“All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law of the prophets.”The Gospel of Matthew.SIKH: Precious like jewels are the minds of all. To hurt them is not at all good. If thou desirest thy Beloved, then hurt thou not anyone's heart."(Guru Aranj Devji 259, Guru Granth Sahib)TAOISM: "Pity the misfortunes of others; rejoice in the well-being of others; help those who are in want; save men in danger; rejoice at the success of others; and sympathise with their reverses, even as though YOU WERE in their place.""The sage has no interests of his own, but regards the interests of the people as his own. He is kind to the kind, he is also kind to the unkind: for virtue is kind."(T'ai Shang Kan Ying P'ien) CONFUCIANISM:"Do not unto others what you would not have them do unto you."(Analects, 15:23)"If one strives to treat others as he would be treated by them, he will come near the perfect life."(Book of Meng Tzu)
There was no knock on Christianity in worrierking's post.
>>Of course it is true that he went to a madrassa.
No, he didn't. See the CNN report on this, which makes it absolutely clear that though he went to a scool in Indonesia, it was by no means a madrassa.
Exactly! Not all Muslim schools are Madrassas. I think that is where Proud Christian is mistaken.
Now I don't know if it's true, but some people have alleged that John McCain has an anger managment problem, that certain Republicans do not trust this guy with his finger on the nuclear button. Maybe it was Rudy Gulliani.
Of course Gulliani had prostate surgery. How can we elect a president who can't get an erection? Of course I don't know if it's true or not.
I say give me 8 more years like the first 8 Clinton years, and I'll be happy.
Is "punditry" an easy job or what? No factchecking, no accountability, no need to perform the basic functions of your profession.
The way to get rich is to find a profession where everyone in it is dumber than you.
The real beauty of this double smear (the Obama lie followed by the lie about who planted the lie) is that now you've got the media examining the lies... and therefore publicizing the lies even more. I hadn't even heard this latest outrage until the denials.
All around sad.
Headline News is CNN's cheap immitation of Faux. Beck & Nancy Grace are not quite as awful as the Faux hosts they're up against, but they are similarly unwatchable. I don't really understand why CNN would WANT a Faux awfuliate--I thought they were a serious news outfit--but I guess they see that mediocrity sells (Faux does get ratings.)Doesn't surprise me at all to read that Beck got it wrong. He's just another right wing wannabe who wasn't even good enough (or should that be "bad enough") to be sucked onto planet Faux, where accuracy is optional, but a loud rant will take you places...
CNN was never very good (compared to international broadcasters like the BBC or Deutsche Welle), but since they were bought by Time/Warner, they've gone straight towards being another fascist propaganda-spewer.
The reason they all mimic FOX is because FOX does it on the cheap. They spend all the budget on graphics and pundits and none on field journalists. They just repeat what comes down from the White House Press Service as gospel fact, far cheaper than having to pay people to check facts and investigate stories. The cheaper, the better...more profits that way.
Now, I'm not saying that Hillary Clinton eats babies for breakfast, in fact she probably doesn't. But you have to ask yourself "who has the most to gain from such a rumour?" The answer: other Democrats! It certainly wouldn't be a GOP tactic to give the impression of disunity, enmity and an unbridled lust for power within the Democratic party. Certainly, this has no resemblance to the suggestion that the Clinton campaign "leaked" information about Obama's, sorry Osama's experimentation with drugs in his youth; a story that was in fact part of a memoir that Obama, sorry Osama, wrote several years ago. Now, the Obama, sorry Osama, Maddrassa smear started on a conservative blog, was advanced by a conservative magazine and widely spread by a conservative "news" network....it's elementary my dear Watson....all roads clearly lead to Clinton. Gosh Mr Beck, you sure are smartified!!!! Although I take exception to the suggestion that Senator Clinton is sharpening knives in her basement. She is, in fact sharpening her teeth. In preparation for the campaign proper, she has started a diet of toddlers served with a side dish of late term abortions to keep up her strength. The toddlers have tough bones and her naturally occuring vampire teeth just ain't sharp enough to cut through those more developed bodies.
Now, you must remeber that I'm not accusing Hillary of anything here, I'm simply stating the facts as i understand them and then immediately going on to mention Hillary, her unbridled lust for power and the fact that her hair is styled in such a way as to hide the small horn stumps that keep growing out of her obviously demonic skull....remember folks, it's up to us as voters to sort fact from fiction in this campaign because God knows, the "media" ain't gonna do it for ya!
Following on from this story is our "Word of The Day segment..... todays word is Obfuscation...say it with me now...Ob-fu-scay-shun. In our last item for the day, "scientists" recommend that the key to true happiness in this crazy modern world of ours is to stay stupid and focus on getting fatter. Thank you and goodnight.
I received this email today from my mother. This is what is going around. She asked me what I thought of it so I told her.
LET US REMAIN ALERTProbable U. S. presidential candidate, Barack Hussein Obama was born inHonolulu, Hawaii, to Barack Hussein Obama, Sr., a black Muslim fromNyangoma-Kogel, Kenya and Ann Dunham, a white atheist from Wichita, Kansas.Obama's parents met at the University of Hawaii .When Obama was two years old, his parents divorced. His father returnedto Kenya . His mother then married Lolo Soetoro, a radical Muslim fromIndonesia . When Obama was 6 years old, the family relocated to Indonesia.Obama attended a Muslim school in Jakarta . He also spent two years in aCatholic school.Obama takes great care to conceal the fact that he is a Muslim. He isquick to point out that, "He was once a Muslim, but that he also attendedCatholic school."Obama's political handlers are attempting to make it appear that Obama'sintroduction to Islam came via his father, and that this influence wastemporary at best. In reality, the senior Obama returned to Kenya soonafter the divorce, and never again had any direct influence over his son'seducation. Lolo Soetoro, the second husband of Obama's mother, Ann Dunham,introduced his stepson to Islam. Osama was enrolled in a Wahabi school inJakarta . Wahabism is the radical teaching that is followed by the Muslimterrorists who are now waging Jihad against the western world.Since it is politically expedient to be a Christian when seeking majorpublic office in the United States , Barack Hussein Obama has joined theUnited Church of Christ in an attempt to downplay his Muslim background.Let us all remain alert concerning Obama's expected presidentialcandidacy
Don't leave us hangin... What'd you tell her?
I told her that Hillary would most likely be the nominee and don't believe everything you read. That's the rated "G" version.
Send her to snopes
Was it signed "Your friend, Hillary"?
LOL !!!
Hang on hang on hang on. Let me get this straight. If Obama was educated in a Moslem country at a Moslem school - then we should consider this a 'potentially damaging allegation????'
I guess this confirms that in America, being a Moslem is to be a suspect. Being an educated moslem is akin to being a criminal.
Is America 'ready' for a black president? a female president? a moslem president?
Still not quite out of the stoneage, are you, guys?
So you would vote for Jerry Falwall for president?
No - because I'm not an American. What I would do, if I was, is vote for the right person. I wouldn't exclude people because they were of a particular religious background. I ESPECIALLY wouldn't consider it a 'damaging fact' that a guy im looking at voting for spent 2 years in a Moslem school, or any variation on that particular possibility.
what does voting for Jerry Farwell have to do with this conversation?
Your logic is warped.
So you would vote for Jerry Falwall for president?
Yes, if he were a completely different human being.
Considering both are right-wingers from the DLC side of the Democrat Party, I think we'd be better off if both of them found a high bridge and took a flying leap.
I can just see the campaigns now...all based on their gender and skin color. Issues? Who cares! The press are gonna do their super-shallow act once again and ignore all the issues, jsut to go on and on about the candidates' religions or whether they wear high heels.
Why does this moron still have a job???
Whose pencil is he sharpening at CNN???
Where is the missinformation???
I think that this is a bad post by MM. CNN did a good job in debunking the lie made by the conservative blog, took a jab at FOX news and made it harder for people to make up more stories about Obama. CNN raised the bar on the coverage of the campaigns. If Beck wants to keep on being stupid and trying to spin it, his going to know about it in the long run.
"Beck has not mentioned the InsightMag.com story or its allegations on his CNN Headline News program since. At no point in his coverage -- on the January 21 edition of Reliable Sources, in his January 22 post on his "Media Notes" column on washingtonpost.com, or on his report on the January 22 edition The Situation Room -- did Kurtz note Beck's statements"
Apparently it´s working...
What I find fascinating is that Beck and the odious Gibson both use the phrase "the gloves are off" to begin their pathetic mewlings. I am not suggesting a vast right wing media conspiracy, but it is most curious.....
That struck me too. I think that the spin is that they are trying to play the negative campaign-angel on the democratic primary race. Karl Rove and co have taken a lot of heat for it and now the right wing pundits are trying to make the case on Hillarys and Obamas campaigns. If tehy can make it stick they can shout DUBBLE STANDARD!
If I had anything to say my advice would be that the democratic party should go out with a statement that they are going to campigan on the issues and not sink to the smear-campaign level in the primarys. A big foto op with all the candidates. That would give them a the edge of the highroad when who ever wins has to take on the republicans in the presidental race. All these swiftboat idiots would be proven to be the morons that they are when they have to meet a higher standard of campaigning.
But thats propably a wish that has to be made to a magical genie to become true.
I doubt that CNN would do such a thing to one of their own employees, no matter how retarded they are.
Rove and company and their minions at Fox and the other "headline" networks have reached a new low by making up lies about Obama and then attributing these lies to Hillary. It seems to be working since yesterday AM I heard Matt "Burr-head" Lauer repeating these same lies in an interview with Obama and then adding "after all, your middle name is Hussein." This from the supposedly liberal media at NBC! Shills like Lauer and the other "morning show" hosts don't wait long to repeat these right-wing rumors. Obama's response was that the American people are too smart to fall for this kind of hate mongering. I'm not so sure -- it has worked repeatedly over the past six years.
Wanna be shocked?
Realize that NPR is spouting the same crap. Robin Young had a segment about Hillary Clinton getting into the race a few days ago on her show "Here and Now", a nationally aired NPR 'magazine show' and repeated the story that Hillary was 'behind it'. Young said this immediately after an audio clip of Hillary announcing "I'm in".
Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times, a guest on the show basically told Young it was sensastionalism to repeat rumors.
Young laughed it off.
Just to give you all folks an idea of the flavor of that segment, later on Lee Bandy {a 'retired reporter', another 'guest' on the show} speaking of Barack Obama said "Osama doesn't have the experience".
And today, on 'Talk of the Nation' I heard a variation of the same garbage being strewn, and no challenge to the newsworthiness of even repeating the ridiculous charges.
When is Media Matters going to start taking on NPR, or are they a sacred cow here?
I am Indonesian and I went the same elementary school with Obama. I can assure you that Besuki Elementary School is a public school which respects the diversity of religions. Religion is not a focus on most of public school in Indonesia. We focus more on math, science etc.like all elementary school in US or other countries.
I am tired of the western media who position Indonesia as radical and extreme country. We are an archipelago with more than 15,000 islands with diversity of ethnic, language. Eventhough we are the biggest moslem population country in the world but we are not a moslem country because all other religions have the same rights. Religion is a personal matter and never been a constitution.
Our country even impose a very strong sanction to terorism act (death penalty for the Bali Bombers).
I am a moslem - please dont even think that we are the kind of moslem like in most of Arabic countries. I never wear veil in my life - I wear Western brand of clothing, bags and shoes.
So for the medias please check and recheck your source of news so you dont look like you know anything but in fact you know nothing. In Indonesia we call it a frog in a bowl. The term for naivety - people who think they know the globe but the globe is only in their head.