On Hannity & Colmes, Corsi still compounding book falsehoods with further falsehoods
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SUMMARY: On Hannity & Colmes, Jerome Corsi claimed that the "whole point" of his book The Obama Nation is that the assertion by Sen. Barack Obama that he stopped using illegal drugs when he went to college is "not reliable." But Corsi does not make that point in his book; rather, Corsi falsely asserted that Obama "has yet to answer questions" about his drug use. Sean Hannity asked Corsi, "[D]o we know if he ever sold drugs[?]" -- though Hannity has previously asserted that such a question was a manifestation of "politics of personal destruction."
During the August 12 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes, Jerome Corsi, author of The Obama Nation: Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality (Threshold Editions, August 2008), claimed that the "whole point of the book" is that the assertion by Sen. Barack Obama that he stopped using illegal drugs when he went to college is "not reliable." But in his book, Corsi does not make that point; rather, Corsi made the false assertion that Obama "has yet to answer questions" concerning whether "he stopped using marijuana and cocaine completely in college, or whether his drug use extended into law school days or beyond." As Media Matters for America has noted, Obama wrote in his autobiography, Dreams from My Father, that he "stopped getting high" shortly after moving to New York City to attend Columbia University as an undergraduate -- a statement contradicting Corsi's claim in the book that Obama had not said whether he stopped using drugs.
On Hannity & Colmes, Corsi said: "[M]y objection to what Obama says is Obama says well, you know, in college he -- it were -- he quit drugs. My whole point of the book is self-reporting from people they admit they use drugs is not reliable as to when they quit." But that point was never made in any of the book's passages about Obama's past drug use.
It was not the first time that Corsi has mischaracterized his -- false -- claim in the book. During the August 5 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, contributor Bob Beckel said to Corsi: "This book is full of innuendos, misstatements, lies. He says -- Mr. Corsi says, 'It's 300 pages, 600 footnotes, and I stand by every statement in this book.' Let me see if you stand by some of these statements, Doctor: 'Obama never revealed if or when he stopped using drugs.' That's a lie. The truth is that he said in his own book Dreams From My Father that he stopped when he got into college." Corsi then contradicted his book's false claim by making another false claim, saying, "He fully admitted his drug use, both marijuana and cocaine. He says it continued through college." In fact, Obama did not say his drug use "continued through college"; he said he stopped after moving to New York to attend Columbia.
Without providing any basis for the question, Hannity asked Corsi, "[D]o we know if he ever sold drugs[?]" But Hannity has previously asserted that such a question was a manifestation of "the politics of personal destruction" and "smear, besmirching, character assassination."
Media Matters has documented that in appearances promoting his falsehood-laden book, Corsi has issued even more falsehoods.
From the August 12 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes:
CORSI: Obama has a whole section of the book talking about Frank, who has been now fully identified as Frank Marshall Davis. And Obama said he went over -- and, you know, this is a time when he was doing drugs, doing -- was doing marijuana and cocaine, he was drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes.
HANNITY: Do we -- do we know if he ever sold drugs, which was a question that --
CORSI: I raise that question. I mean -- and my objection to what Obama says is Obama says, well, you know, in college he -- it were -- he quit drugs. My whole point of the book is self-reporting from people who admit they use drugs is not reliable as to when they quit.
HANNITY: All right. Back to these radical associations.
From the December 17, 2007, edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes:
HANNITY: Yeah, it seems like -- what do you make of -- I think we've been able to glean a little bit out of how Hillary would run in a general election, in as much as, you know, going back to the kindergarten years of Barack Obama, which was becoming a big issue. She had a surrogate on the campaign attack him and lay the foundation or the suggestion that Barack Obama -- well, the question needs to be raised, was he dealing drugs? It seems like the politics of personal destruction.
From the December 13, 2007, edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes:
HANNITY: Let me ask you this.
ANN COULTER (conservative pundit): Yeah, let's get back to the pot.
HANNITY: Yeah. What [Bill] Shaheen said was, quote -- I'm talking about the drug use -- "When was the last time? Did he ever give drugs to everybody? Did he sell them to anyone?"
COULTER: Oh, he did say that? So I take it back.
HANNITY: He did say that. And then he said, there are so many openings for Republican dirty tricks. Meanwhile, he's dumping all of this on Barack Obama. But this is what Clintons do. Politics of personal destruction, smear, besmirching, character assassination. And then they -- "Oh, I had nothing to do with it."
Pretty lame stuff. Flogging this book just reveals how little the right wing smear merchants have. Probably a very boring read.
Not necessary. It's entirely possible to bring McCain down using only the truth.
Even if I wasn't liberal, there's no farkin' way I'd vote for him. Not with his record, personal OR professional.
As far as I'm concerned, he can while away his days down at the VA until he gets his well deserved however-many-gun salute at Arlington.
I hate to say it, but technically Corsi's right here, and MMFA is wrong:
"Corsi then contradicted his book's false claim by making another false claim, saying, "He fully admitted his drug use, both marijuana and cocaine. He says it continued through college." In fact, Obama did not say his drug use "continued through college"; he said he stopped after moving to New York to attend Columbia."
The last sentence here is incorrect on MMFA's part.
MMFA has forgotten one thing: Obama went to Occidental College off of York Blvd. in L.A.'s Highland Park, for two years, before he went back East. Obama has admitted doing drugs at Oxy. So, technically, his drug use did 'continue through college.'
Unfortunately, Obama totally avoids talking about his Oxy years-- I wonder why?...and hey, I'm a supporter.
BTW, "continuing through college" means into, not necessarily all the way to the end. Two years is well enough continuing through.
So semanticists, don't try to crawl out of this one.
Obama's got a problem with his Oxy years, which he's made worse by never talking about them-- there was a good LAT article about a year ago concerning this mystery, and about the fact that he went there in the first place because he was chasing a girl.
O' is a problematical candidate, which is why many of us supported Hillary, who's been vetted over and over again.
Actually, I think that if one wanted to say that the drug use occurred during some college years, you would say "continued into college". When you say "continued through college" that suggests that it went all the way to the other side, or until he was out of college. It's the same difference between going into a forest and going through a forest.
From dictionary.com, American Heritage Dictionary:
1.In one side and out the opposite or another side of: went through the tunnel.
From dictionary.com, Unabridged:
1.in at one end, side, or surface and out at the other: to pass through a tunnel; We drove through Denver without stopping. Sun came through the window.
From Merriam-Webster's web site:
1 a (1)—used as a function word to indicate movement into at one side or point and out at another and especially the opposite side of <drove a nail through the board>
This is the primary meaning of the word, so your assertion that stopping after two years qualifies as "through" is pretty hard to swallow. And as with your last foray into semantics, there is at the very least a legitimate interpretation against your argument, so nobody's losing any credibility by disagreeing with you.
If someone has done drugs well into half their college years, then they can be said to have"continued through college." Through does not necessarily mean all the way through, or to the end.
Your dictionary definitions-- always inadequate as to usage-- by necessity would claim that "through" meant beyond his college years, as when you go "through" a tunnel so to speak you've gone out of it and beyond. But that's never what "through" means when you're talking about time.
It means 'into.' That's all.
Bottom line: Corsi was technically accurate here. It's MMFA that splitting hairs, by evading the Oxy years or somehow implying that they are not college drug use years or that O ended the use before college, which is the implication.
Even worse-- it's dumb for Dems to highlight this issue at all--- it's like complaining about race-- it gives fodder to the Right. MMFA should have ignored this aspect of it.
Just to belabor the point even more:
This whole thing started when Corsi made the claim that Obama did drugs in high school and kept doing it in college. That's what he meant by "continued through college." By context alone, Corsi was right. Obama did continue previous drug use through college.
It's dumb for anyone to dispute this-- and I suspect it's the reason why MMFA immediately dropped this particular article from their menu-- they know I'm right and it's a weak criticism of Corsi, that will only inflame the Republicans to start searching all over Eagle Rock for 80's drug evidence against Obama.
"Through does not necessarily mean all the way through, or to the end...Your dictionary definitions-- always inadequate as to usage-- by necessity would claim that "through" meant beyond his college years, as when you go "through" a tunnel so to speak you've gone out of it and beyond. But that's never what "through" means when you're talking about time."
Never? And why is that? I've heard "I made it through the year without smoking..." before. That doesn't mean to June. "I was busy through the day" doesn't mean until lunch. So if you're going to talk about "usage", then I think you have to provide some sort of evidence to back up what you're saying, because I've heard "through" used as "all the way through" regarding time quite often.
As for this semantic nonsense being a reason for MMfA to do anything, that is hilarious. You are completely delusional if you think that some highly questionable parsing is supposed to embarrass them.
As I posted later on, this is what Corsi wrote:
Still, Obama has yet to answer questions whether he ever dealt drugs, or if he stopped using marijuana and cocaine completely in college, or whether his drug usage extended into his law school days or beyond. Did Obama ever use drugs in his days as a community organizer in Chicago, or when he was a state senator from Illinois? How about in the U.S. Senate?
So Corsi is wondering if Obama did drugs in the Senate, but he's supposedly implying that Obama quit doing drugs during college. What the hell? Unless he's explicitly recanted that point from his book, there is no way to conclude that Corsi is implying anything of the sort.
SAVE DEMOCRACY, VOTE FOR A DEMOCRAT!!
How nice that we're having the conversation about the candidate's past! Yet all the time before the election, say from August to November, is about the Democrat, then from December until the year before the election it's about the Republican!
If this is a story about Obama, and a pundit with two national network political shows making it a daily story; then George W. Bush's past in and out of college must be a subject of constant coverage in 2000, or 2004, right?
What's the name of that CBS anchor and reporter from 60 Minutes that got fired for documents forged, or not, that only confirmed historical fact?
Hello American Fascism, the Republican Party's Agenda for America's future!
Happy Thoughts;
Dan Grady
That's a horrible idea. First, you have to rely on the same sort of sales, which you won't get unless someone helps with the same bulk purchases that are done with right-wing screeds. Second, the right-wing echo chamber will tear it apart, which will probably reach more people than the book's message will anyway. Third, you'll just bolster a "both-sides-are-the same" viewpoint in many people which will discourage them from voting, which ultimately defeats the purpose. And fourth, you hand conservatives an argument that they'll pull out daily to show how dishonest liberals are.
And that's just on a practical level, on an ethical level the problems are beyond obvious.
Hey John, have you stopped verbally abusing your wife?
Hey John, have you stopped cheating on your wife?
Just asking...
That's amazing. It is coming out as number 1 on the New York Times Best seller of Non-Fiction.
You are dead wrong.
It is coming out as number 1 on the New York Times Best seller of Non-Fiction.
LOL Only because conservatives bought the book in bulk hoping that it would make the list of best sellers.
How does a #1 best seller get sold at a 45% discount? One would assume that if you had a best seller, you'd sell the book for full price.
List price $28.00 -- Current price $15.50 (which is 45% off) http://www.amazon.com/...
I agree...sounds like a boooooooooring book. Once it gets pounded into the public's head that McCain cheated on his first wife and voted step for step with Bush, it will have much more of an impact than this book.
It would be interesting also to see what would put someone to sleep faster: this Corsi book or a McCain town hall meeting speech.
Good luck. They'll have to buy 4 or 5 networks to do so, and about 400 radio stations, and a newspaper in every town.
The deck is stacked, the goose is cooked. It's an unfair fight-- and that's the way the Repubs like it.
Again, unfortunately, Corsi is right about Obama's drug use continuing through college.
Obama didn't just go back East. He spent his first two years at Oxy in L.A.-- where he has admitted he did drugs.
i heard the "interview ". his PhD degree should be stripped from his family name.
Seeing as how he has been accuse of plagiarism over the years, someone should check into his PhD dissertation to see if he stole that as well. That would be grounds to strip him of that degree...
A weasly shriveled-up tome
Was penned in great haste by Jerome
He lies like a rug
Spreading slime like a slug
He should pack up his bunk and go home.
Obama states he stopped his mild drug use in college. There is no genuine reason to doubt that.
Therefore, Corsi and Hannity assert that it should be Obama's responsibility to prove that he actually did stop. In other words, Obama should prove a negative.
Conservatives: Logical Fallacies 'R' Us
And yet they had no problem with an alcoholic like George W. Bush who was also "rumored" to have enjoyed some illegal substances as well.
Waldman smacked Corsi around on Larry King about that, pointing out that Corsi had a record of making inflammatory (of some nature) posts on right-wing sites, then asked why we should believe that he doesn't do it anymore. All Corsi could do was say that he posts at WND, and then Waldman asked how we knew he wasn't doing it anonymously. When Corsi asserted that he never posted anonymously, Waldman pointed out that all we have is Corsi's word for that, which isn't enough.
BottleBlonde, "Ad Hominem" must have been on the wingnut bizarro vocabulary list. There are a few con posters here who have been led to believe that having their argument taken apart, or their lack of credibility(justifiably, based on history) mentioned, is an Ad Hominem attack.
Same with "Attacking the Messenger", which has been used to defend links to constantly debunked right wing websites. These are some of the most common lazy debate tactics I see at this site, deliberately misunderstanding logical fallacies (or being fooled into distorting them) so that any refutation of BS can be dismissed as a personal attack.
I know it doesn't fool anybody except the already fooled, but it sure gets tedious.
Well, if I make a load of baseless accusations against you, then to expect you to refute them is asking you to prove a negative. So Corsi can say that Obama has Muslim ties, is racially radical, might have done drugs in Congress, etc., but if there's no credible evidence for any of that then there's no factual refutation to be made. It's up to Corsi to behave more responsibly, and in the meantime it's fair to respond by labeling what he says as untrue.
Dear Mr. Turns:
Mr. Waldman did a fine job on Larry King's show. (And Larry King, for all the grief he takes from some quarters, did a pretty good job, too.) Rather than get into a litany of Mr. Corsi's falsehoods and baseless smears, Mr. Waldman instead pointed folks to the list of Mr. Corsi's errors on the Media Matters Web site. And in the course of the program he noted Mr. Corsi's baseless allegations regarding Sen. Obama's drug use. (Mr. Waldman didn't have to point out that Sen. Obama's own book, which Mr. Corsi supposedly read, proved Mr. Corsi was lying because the book DID say when his drug use stopped. Mr. Waldman didn't have to point that out because Larry King pointed it out first.) Mr. Waldman also expertly pilloried Mr. Corsi by using Mr. Corsi's own smear tactics against him.
Like Mr. Corsi, you seem pathologically disposed to write without reading, to argue without thinking, and then to accuse those who have the truth of doing what you yourself have just done. Mr. Turns, I pity you.
Obama states he stopped his mild drug use in college. There is no genuine reason to doubt that.
yes, but that's not what this MMFA article is about.
MMFA is saying that Corsi lied about Obama's drug use continuing through college, but MMFA is wrong. Obama spent his first two years at Oxy where he did drugs-- he stopped only when he WENT TO COLUMBIA, afterwards.
MMFA really goofed here. Corsi is wrong to claim further use-- unless he has evidence-- but MMFA has lost cred on this one.
No, I think you're using the phrasing inaccurately. I agree with Brabantio regarding the phrase "through college." If he stopped while attending college it is not true to say he used drugs through college. If I see the phrase "through college" I, and I believe most people, would read that as meaning from beginning to end. Because Obama stopped part way into his college years it is accurate to say "into college" and inaccurate to say "through college."
I don't believe we're simply talking semantics. Using the phrase "through college" gives a genuinely false impression of the facts.
Also we have to remember what Corsi wrote:
Still, Obama has yet to answer questions whether he ever dealt drugs, or if he stopped using marijuana and cocaine completely in college, or whether his drug usage extended into his law school days or beyond. Did Obama ever use drugs in his days as a community organizer in Chicago, or when he was a state senator from Illinois? How about in the U.S. Senate?
It's hard to look at that and then interpret "through college" as "for two years of college". His point obviously is that we don't know if Obama ever stopped using drugs, so it's bizarre to think Corsi might have meant something different here.
Sorry after watching the video where Obama was talking about his drug use, he did day through college, then he corrected him self and said...."THROUGH HIGH SCHOOL"
What am I missing here? Or are you all missing it?
Well, watch the vid....
Obama did say college first, then, corrected himself and said through High School.
Which one of "us" did NOT experiment through high school....or college for that matter? Whether with alcohol or drugs. Not saying it is right or wrong, just who has NOT tried something new before? hmm?
All I am saying is Corsi said something other than what Obama has said. Which I call lying after watching the video. Corsi, King, and Waldman all watched that same clip, and not one of them pointed out that Obama said, college, then corrected himself and said through "high school".
Oh crap, my bad.
I was commenting on the Larry King, Corsi, Waldman interview, lol.
That is where everything I was talking about happened.
Apologies.....8-)
Sean Hannity asked Corsi, "[D]o we know if he ever sold drugs[?]"
Do we know if Sean Hannity ever sold drugs? Or, do we know if Sean Hannity ever had sex with a donkey? You can ask any any question you want and to some viewers even if the answer is "I don't know" then they assume the person must be guilty if they already dislike him. This is school yard crap... Are you sure we're talking about a presidential race?
Irony,
I agree completely...and mmfa did a nice job of pointing out the fact that when Hannity alleged the question was raised by Hillary's campaign it was "politics of personal destruction"...yet when he raises the question it's a legitimate question...just raised by a simple great American looking out for his country.
Well, he's simple for sure. His popularity rests squarely on the shoulders of a small minority of tone deaf, right wing radicals who follow his one note agenda without question...that's one reason why his program ratings aren't growing...he's maxed out his base.
Beck today on the radio was associating obama to hitler in terms of his charisma and some sort of obama hand signal.
Coarsi sees liberalism as an ideology designed to create the cult of personality
For years hannity, rush, o'riely and wiener savage have stressed again and again that liberals. progressives, etc are more than misinformed - they ultimately are traitors and America haters.
Anyone who listens to this conservative echo chamber and takes it at face value would assume that liberals are bad, dangerous people. Is it no wonder that we have seen armed violence against political operatives? While there is a lot more to know about today's incident in Arkansas, I find it interesting that the attacker mentioned that he lost his job. If the attacker was a listener or reader of coarsi and his friends, his frustrations seem to have an outlet that would appear logical to the reciepient of the message that liberals are dangerous America haters.
Hannity clearly sees no problem with the politics of personal destruction when it comes to the non-conservative challangers to his ideological project for transforming our country. Anyone who buys into his and the rush crowds message must eventually consider cleaning up the country of liberal deviants. Many people can't stand listening to these guys but they should know that the message is, if you are not with us, your against us and the "us" is the only part of America that matters - loyal patriotic conservatives.
All of you lefty's out in Kool Aid land. List all the accomplishments Obama has individually conceived. Nothing!
He is also left handed. Which falls into his left wing agenda.
Bluh-blah-bluh-blah-blaaahhh...
You sound like Charlie Brown's teacher.
He is also left handed. Which falls into his left wing agenda.
Again, nothing intelligent so say.
Take a toy from the box on your way out. Bye Bye
D'oh !
OK, BVDs, now list all of the accomplishments Grampy has... uh.. individually conceived. Whatever that means. Feel free to use bullet points.
Hannity has been pretty hilarious lately, I think he's about ready to just snap into a fetal position. From what I've caught of his radio & TV clown shows, he's dividing up his time between the standard Republican victim mentality ("I'm being attacked by Obama/ Rev. Wright/ Flager, etc.--- Really, Seanny? The people you've spent your every waking hour smearing the past year are responding? They're unhinged.)and bragging that he's got the "right people" attacking him (this confirmed by dirtbag Newt Gingrich).
Most of his shtick is the "who, me?" incredulous amazement that his dirty little life gets reactions. He's very surprised, for example, that John Kerry can't stop talking about the Swift Boat Veterans, as Kerry commented on the liars being back, in response to Corsi's book.
In fact, Hannity tried to paint Kerry as obsessed , unable to figure out with his tiny marmoset brain why Kerry is talking about the SBVs more than anybody else. (Hint, Sean: They were a hit group focused specifically on lying about Kerry to derail his bid for the presidency. It would seem natural to most humans that Kerry would be "interested" in their re-emergence from the swamp more than the average citizen)
I know a lot of rational people can't stand to listen to a minute of Hannity, but I find it weirdly entertaining. This whiny imbecile spends 3(?) hours a day on the radio as conductor of the "Stop Radical Obama Express", then does an hour on TV doing a slightly milder version. Then he imagines himself as important when Obama mentions what a douchebag Hannity is.
However, I think McCain is going to switch to the right hand so he can get people like bcvb1949a to vote for him.
It makes me worry what he would do to appease the pedophile wing of the republican party.
He is also left handed. Which falls into his left wing agenda.
Not quite.....
Left-Handed U.S. Presidents
James A. Garfield (1831-1881) 20th
Herbert Hoover (1874-1964) 31st
Harry S. Truman (1884-1972) 33rd
Gerald Ford (1913- ) 38th
Ronald Reagan (1911 - ) 40th
George H.W. Bush (1924- ) 41st
Bill Clinton (1946- ) 42nd
Source: http://www.indiana.edu/~primate/left.html#U.S.%20Presidents
Are you gonna tell us that Reagan and Poppy Bush had a "left wing agenda"??????
As usual, a Republican Bush Blowhard, running off at the mouth, trying to smear anyone who might de-throne His Majesty, King George.
I watched part of the Corsi interview on Hannity & Colmes. Corsi attempted to associate Sen. Obama with the recent post-election violence in Kenya by using smears, innuendo, and false statements. He called Obama a "tribesman" which illustrates a complete disregard for rational discourse. The publications and public statements of Jerome Corsi are consistent with someone who is a pathological liar.
now wait just one minute col.! i feel compelled to defend the honor of marmosets everywhere, as they are not able to do so themselves. to wit:
" In fact, Hannity tried to paint Kerry as obsessed , unable to figure out with his tiny marmoset brain"
this is a foul slur against marmosets, being compared to sean hannity! they've done nothing to deserve this, and i think you owe them an apology! :)
Thanks Corsi for helping my favorite candidate in the long run. I would buy you a cigar but the cost of fuel prohibits that.
Read this for a run-down of some of Jerome Corsi's other right wing nuttiness...
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0808/12526.html
CORSI: I raise that question. I mean -- and my objection to what Obama says is Obama says, well, you know, in college he -- it were -- he quit drugs. My whole point of the book is self-reporting from people who admit they use drugs is not reliable as to when they quit.
People should remember this quote from Corsi every time they hear George W. Bush talk about how he quit drinking on his 40th birthday, or when Jeff Christie says that he no longer takes OxyContin......
"My whole point of the book is self-reporting from people they admit they use drugs is not reliable as to when they quit."
Comical. With this logic, we can assume that Rush Limbaugh is still hoovering pain killers and that George W. Bush guy is still snorting lines and driving home drunk.
Can someone with a brain be put on TV with this guy and evicerate him please?
Still waiting for the book to come down to $1.00...shouldn't be long now.
It will still be overpriced, IMHO.
Any book editor that let pass critical information _not_ obtained from court records or authentic documentation would (should) be fired immediately
Jerome Corsi.
In addition to his other failings, he has been embracing loony 9/11 conspiracy theories, such as the towers collapsing.
In January 2008, Corsi was on the rightwing Alex Jones Show, and he mentioned his year-long study of this craziness. HE IS ON TAPE DISCUSSING THIS.
I've put together a short YouTube with some highlights.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQ_00O3rC0Y
The original interview is available here:
http://www.alexjonesfan58.com/mp3/20080129_alexjones_corsi.mp3
Corsi is utterly without merit as a thinker and an researcher.
Bolo,
IMHO, Corsi is without merit as a HUMAN BEING.
I almost busted a gut laughing when he said he was a correspondent for "Wolrd Net Daily".
I mean really....these are also the guys that keep perpetuating the Messiah is coming crap too for the extremist christians. The RIFID stuff as the mark of the beast....
ETC ETC ETC.......
Hal Lindsey, another WND writer....has this to say about Obama
So, who would that be referring to now, lol. Last sentence makes it abundantly clear just to whom he is referring.
You can bet Corsi and everyone of the people that write for WND have the exact same opinion.
yeah....another opinion posted on WND..
Wonder if Corsi thinks that too, if he does, and one would think he does since he has been writing for WND for so long, then it is no effing wonder why he has written such a slanderous book. Including the one about Kerry. (which btw, WND also tried to link Kerry to the anti-christ and the number 666)
SHEESH
If we allow this Swift Boating to bring about a GOP win this Fall, I don't know that I can stay in this country any longer. The first thing I did yesterday with one of the Obama Fellows down here in FL is ask him how and when they are going to fight back on this book. John Kerry waited too long and it cost us an election.
Great reporting on this Media Matters...kudos for uncovering the dirt and the lies.
Dear Fox News,
I am not oblivious of the fact that you are a republican leaning channel. Despite that, I still watch your channel along with other news channels. I have to admit that you try to be fair by eliciting opinions from both sides of the debate. However, sometimes you may not be able to secure the relevant knowledge for this to happen in a specific debate/issue. For example, in your interview with the author of the book “Obama Nation” – Dr. Jerome Corsi, I noticed that your lack of knowledge of Kenya and Kenya’s politics let you down. In the interview, Dr. Corsi made some serious allegations which are factually incorrect in order to tighten his accusation of Obama.
In one of his accusations, he claimed - “…Odinga family which is tied to Obama’s family made an agreement with Muslim clerics [leaders] including one sheik Abdula [Abdullahi] that if he (Odinga) wins he will expand Sheria law…” Why did you not challenge him to produce evidence for such a claim? My recollection is that the issue was investigated and found to be false. Odinga promised Muslims he will try to improve their situation if his party won the elections. If you read about the plight of people who live along Kenya’s coast (majority of whom are Muslims), and who were Odinga’s audience on the occasion, you will understand why he promised not to marginalize them but improve their situation.
I think he also stated that criminals/terrorists captured on Kenya’s soil should be tried under Kenyan law and if there are cases that require deportation, then such deportation should be lawful (see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7115387.stm and http://www.islamkenya.com/bulletin/FridayBulletin228.pdf for report on the issue). From the reports, you will realise that the allegation that there was a MoU between Odinga and Muslim clerics [leaders] to introduce Sheria law was propaganda by PNU (the opposing party) to scare voters from voting for ODM (Odinga’s party). Indeed, Dr. Jerome will realise, if he bothered to investigate, or not ignored available information that Christian leaders (not Muslims) have been severely criticized for their conduct in the stolen election and the violence that followed.
Dr. Jerome also claimed that “…Luo mobs (a tribe which Odinga and the senior Obama belongs) burned a church and killed many people in Eldoret…” The later claim is not only false, but dangerous too. Such mis-reporting led to the unfair targeting of members of the Luo ethnic community living outside Nyanza province for retaliation. For instance, in Naivasha many people belonging to the Luo tribe including nine members of a family were burnt to death (by Kikuyus) in the false belief that Luos had killed Kikuyus in Eldoret. Also, Dr. Corsi will realise that it is impossible for Luo mobs to kill Kikuyus in Eldoret because they (Luos) are vastly outnumbered there by both Kikuyus (the victims in this case) and Kelenjins (the alleged perpetrators). I can’t believe Dr. Corsi continues to perpetuate such a blatant lie even after some Kelenjins are on trial for the crime.
Obama isn’t beyond criticism, but such criticism, I think, should be based on verifiable facts.
I am interested to read sections of Dr. Corsi’s book about the links in Kenya and may be advice him to research his work properly if the book is not purely for cheap political expediency. If you want to inform us, the lazy armchair folks, write truthful and verifiable stories. On that end Dr. Corsi, you may be best served by the opinions of people who know Kenya and Kenya’s politics well. The late (?) former ambassadors to Kenya Mr. Smith Hempstone and Ms. Bushnell would be an invaluable source because during their time in Kenya they demonstrated a good understanding of Kenya and Kenya’s politics, I think. There are also re-known scholars such as Prof. Ali Mazrui who teaches at The Institute of Global Cultural Studies, Binghamton University.
That is my two cents worth of opinion.
Thank you.
Victor.