Obama's latest gaffe

[jreeves]

"I had a uncle who was one of the, who was part of the first American troops to go into Auschwitz and liberate the concentration camps," Obama said, slowly and methodically. "And the story in my family is that when he came home, he just went into the attic, and he didn't leave the house for six months. Alright? Now, obviously something had affected him deeply, but at the time, there just weren't the kinds of facilities to help somebody work through that kind of pain."

That may be a fact, the RNC noted gleefully -- but only if Obama's uncle served in the Red Army of Joseph Stalin, which liberated Auschwitz Jan. 27, 1945.

The Obama campaign says the mistake was not as horrific as it might seem. His uncle was there at the liberation of Buchenwald. Obama just confused the names of the concentration camps.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/05/27/obamas_uncle_and_the_liberatio.html

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SV1sxq8mqvA[/ame]

 

[Ravi]

Funny.

But wait, Obama never misspeaks.

 

[jreeves]

Funny.

But wait, Obama never misspeaks.

Also Obama's mother was an only child...hard to have an uncle. Of course now, they stated it was his great uncle.

 

[Annie]

My first tendency was to say, well these guys are tired. However, it seems this is nothing new, sort of like Hillary and the snipers. There're links to his speech and more:

http://www.transterrestrial.com/archives/2008/05/its_nothing_new.html

It's Nothing New

Thanks to a link from one of my Obama-admiring commenters (thank you, Robert), we learn that Obama's tales of Americans liberating Auschwitz didn't start this weekend. He was telling similar stories about his grandfather back in 2002, in his now-famous Iraq speech, which I'd never previously read:

My grandfather signed up for a war the day after Pearl Harbor was bombed, fought in Patton's army. He saw the dead and dying across the fields of Europe; he heard the stories of fellow troops who first entered Auschwitz and Treblinka.​

The first troops to enter those two camps (in Poland) were Soviet troops, so unless Patton was leading them, this can't be true.

As I noted in comments, you'd think that if he's going to be telling these kinds of stories, he'd at least attempt to make them plausible (e.g., Dachau and Buchenwald). My guess is that he's unfamiliar with the actual history of the war, and just invoked two of the most notorious camp names to make his point. Whether his grandfather (or "uncle") actually told him tales of concentration camps will probably never be known....

 

[jreeves]

My first tendency was to say, well these guys are tired. However, it seems this is nothing new, sort of like Hillary and the snipers. There's links to his speech and more:

http://www.transterrestrial.com/archives/2008/05/its_nothing_new.html

oh but.....

http://www.jibjab.com/view/230977

 

[Ravi]

This part of the article made me laugh.

Obama campaign aides were indignant that Republicans had pounced on what they called an innocent mistake over such a grave subject. Tommy Vietor, an Obama spokesman, decried "using the Holocaust and concentration camps as a political football."

I wonder how poor Bobby Kennedy is feeling after being kicked around by the Obama campaign all weekend?

 

[RetiredGySgt]

Not sure I would make a big deal of this, if in fact he does have a relative that DID participate then it is much to do about nothing. Further for all we know he was just TOLD the story and never actually met the relative.

This one won't go anywhere cause it is petty.

 

[ReillyT]

Not sure I would make a big deal of this, if in fact he does have a relative that DID participate then it is much to do about nothing. Further for all we know he was just TOLD the story and never actually met the relative.

This one won't go anywhere cause it is petty.

Agreed. Great-uncle instead of uncle. Confusing two concentration camps. How can anyone think this is even remotely interesting?

 

[Annie]

Agreed. Great-uncle instead of uncle. Confusing two concentration camps. How can anyone think this is even remotely interesting?

Not too mention 57 states; all those 'fallen heroes' in an unbroken line, some of whom were in the audience. (He and his campaign don't understand the difference between dead/wounded, Memorial Day and Veteran's Day.); equating cynicism with 'terrorists', 'Hamas' and 'Hezbollah', as IF Hamas and Hezbollah are different than terrorists? As IF cynicism, an attitude, is as dangerous as terrorists?

There's plenty more, but the media has sort of been ignoring them, though they are adding up, quickly.

 

[ReillyT]

Not too mention 57 states; all those 'fallen heroes' in an unbroken line, some of whom were in the audience. (He and his campaign don't understand the difference between dead/wounded, Memorial Day and Veteran's Day.); equating cynicism with 'terrorists', 'Hamas' and 'Hezbollah', as IF Hamas and Hezbollah are different than terrorists? As IF cynicism, an attitude, is as dangerous as terrorists?

There's plenty more, but the media has sort of been ignoring them, though they are adding up, quickly.

Some of that boils down to a question of ideology and world outlook (danger of cynism to the beliefs/attitudes/course of a country) and are a proper basis to not vote for a candidate, but...

are you really suggesting that misspeaking on the campaign trail (and these are silly misstatements, nothing major) means that one can't be a good president?

My goodness! He said 57 states instead of 57 primary contests! Wow! The Harvard law grad obviously must not know there are 50 states in the union!

In light of McCain's and Clinton's mistatements, I guess I just shouldn't vote at all.

 

[Nate Peele]

Didn't Obama also mistake what country Putin was from and claim that Iran was training al-Qaeda members?

 

[midcan5]

My father in law went into Mauthausen and has told often of the horror, Obama's story is basically true and just another example of the stupid spin of some who want to detract the voters attention.


http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/article.php?lang=en&ModuleId=10005196

 

[RetiredGySgt]

I think Obama is dangerous for this Country, but if this is the best you can do? I suggest you get real.

 

[Ravi]

I think Obama is dangerous for this Country, but if this is the best you can do? I suggest you get real.

Why do you think he's dangerous?

 

[manifold]

Why do you think he's dangerous?

Well duh! He's a neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeegro!

 

[RetiredGySgt]

Well duh! He's a neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeegro!

Not even , though nice try to claim racism. I would vote for several prominent black men. Colin Powell if he ran as a republican or against McCain. Alan Keyes also.

Obama has dangerous positions, he is going to ruin this country JUST like Carter did. And I wouldn't vote for a white racist, what makes you think I will give a pass to a black one?

 

[Glori.B]

Not even , though nice try to claim racism. I would vote for several prominent black men. Colin Powell if he ran as a republican or against McCain. Alan Keyes also.

Obama has dangerous positions, he is going to ruin this country JUST like Carter did. And I wouldn't vote for a white racist, what makes you think I will give a pass to a black one?

 

[manifold]

Not even , though nice try to claim racism. I would vote for several prominent black men. Colin Powell if he ran as a republican or against McCain. Alan Keyes also.

Obama has dangerous positions, he is going to ruin this country JUST like Carter did. And I wouldn't vote for a white racist, what makes you think I will give a pass to a black one?

It was a joke you silly person.


(and an allusion to a line from Trading Places)

 

[Ravi]

What dangerous positions do you think he has?

 

[Glori.B]

What dangerous positions do you think he has?

for one, his lack of experience with the protocol of foreign doplomacy... there is a stark contrast between him and hillary on iran for example...

his campaign has been propped up by the extreme left progressive elitists and i don't think he's experienced enough to handle the agenda he will become beholden to... his response to the rev wright issue has clearly demonstrated his propensity to be as disingenuous as any politician and so his claim to be some sort of big change in washington really rings hollow to me... and i think he and his wife do come across as not respecting our country and the heart of american in particular... ("proud for the first time in my life" "clinging to guns and religion")