So Obama's uncle was a war hero?
unsung
I stopped by on March 7 2024. First time in many years, had to update payment info. Hope all is well. Politicians suck. Bye. Posts: 9,487
http://elections.foxnews.com/2008/05/27/recollection-of-obama-familys-service-missing-key-details/
Barack Obama is getting called out again for his knowledge of history, including his own family’s, after declaring to veterans on Memorial Day that his uncle helped liberate the Auschwitz death camp at the end of World War II.
Two problems with the tale: Auschwitz was liberated by the Soviet Army, and Obama’s American mother was an only child.
Speaking in Las Cruces, N.M., on Monday, the Democratic presidential candidate said he did not serve, but comes from a family that did sacrifice for the nation. He was speaking about the many members of the military who suffer post traumatic stress disorder and should be given better care.
“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 and the story in our family is that when he came home, he just went up into the attic and he didn’t leave the house for six months, right. Now obviously something had really affected him deeply but at that time there just weren’t the kinds of facilities to help somebody work through that kind of pain,” he said.
However, a quick check on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Web site shows that Soviet forces were the first to approach Auschwitz, which was in Poland.
“On Jan. 27, 1945, the Soviet army entered Auschwitz and liberated more than 7,000 remaining prisoners,” the site reads.
U.S. forces did liberate several camps, including Ohrdruf Concentration Camp on April 4, 1945; Mittelbau-Dora Concentration Camp on April 11, 1945; Buchenwald on April 12, 1945; Dachau on April 29, 1945; and Mauthausen on May 5, 1945.
Obama was raised in part by his grandparents, and his father served in the second World War.
A request for clarification has been made to the Obama campaign. Meanwhile, the Republican National Committee seized on the comments.
“Barack Obama’s dubious claim is inconsistent with world history and demands an explanation. It was Soviet troops that liberated Auschwitz, so unless his uncle was serving in the Red Army, there’s no way Obama’s statement yesterday can be true. Obama’s frequent exaggerations and outright distortions raise questions about his judgment and his readiness to lead as commander in chief,” said RNC Press Secretary Alex Conant.
Barack Obama is getting called out again for his knowledge of history, including his own family’s, after declaring to veterans on Memorial Day that his uncle helped liberate the Auschwitz death camp at the end of World War II.
Two problems with the tale: Auschwitz was liberated by the Soviet Army, and Obama’s American mother was an only child.
Speaking in Las Cruces, N.M., on Monday, the Democratic presidential candidate said he did not serve, but comes from a family that did sacrifice for the nation. He was speaking about the many members of the military who suffer post traumatic stress disorder and should be given better care.
“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 and the story in our family is that when he came home, he just went up into the attic and he didn’t leave the house for six months, right. Now obviously something had really affected him deeply but at that time there just weren’t the kinds of facilities to help somebody work through that kind of pain,” he said.
However, a quick check on the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Web site shows that Soviet forces were the first to approach Auschwitz, which was in Poland.
“On Jan. 27, 1945, the Soviet army entered Auschwitz and liberated more than 7,000 remaining prisoners,” the site reads.
U.S. forces did liberate several camps, including Ohrdruf Concentration Camp on April 4, 1945; Mittelbau-Dora Concentration Camp on April 11, 1945; Buchenwald on April 12, 1945; Dachau on April 29, 1945; and Mauthausen on May 5, 1945.
Obama was raised in part by his grandparents, and his father served in the second World War.
A request for clarification has been made to the Obama campaign. Meanwhile, the Republican National Committee seized on the comments.
“Barack Obama’s dubious claim is inconsistent with world history and demands an explanation. It was Soviet troops that liberated Auschwitz, so unless his uncle was serving in the Red Army, there’s no way Obama’s statement yesterday can be true. Obama’s frequent exaggerations and outright distortions raise questions about his judgment and his readiness to lead as commander in chief,” said RNC Press Secretary Alex Conant.
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Can't wish for a better campaign strategy.
Another link: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/05/where_in_the_world_is_auschwit.html
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wtf...
and reveling in it's loyalty. It's made by forming coalitions
over specific principles, goals, and policies.
http://i36.tinypic.com/66j31x.jpg
(\__/)
( o.O)
(")_(")
...we're fucked
i 'm voting for that eight hundred year old mexican with the temper
iJuan McCain!
I would put this down as a "not having the full story and telling it anyway" instead of a blatant lie...like Hillary's Bosnia trip.
http://www.reverbnation.com/brianzilm
"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."
But for conservative bloggers, Obama has finally gone beyond the pale. "Sickening," huffs Red State. "Barack Obama must be the most gaffe-prone politician in memory," reports PowerLine. "The Young Gaffer Sees Dead People," chortles Hot Air.
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."
And the RNC did appear to temper its condemnation. Initially, RNC spokesman Alex Conant had blasted "Barack Obama's dubious claim" as "inconsistent with world history."
"Obama's frequent exaggerations and outright distortions raise questions about his judgment and his readiness to lead as commander in chief," Conant said this afternoon.
By this evening, the tone had changed.
"At times it appears that Barack Obama inaccurately recalls his own history and American history, so it's important that we point to the facts. In this case, we're happy to see that he took the time to set the record straight," Conant said.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/05/27/obamas_uncle_and_the_liberatio.html
cross the river to the eastside
I agree he used it, like most politicians, as a means to get more votes and popularity.
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If he had got the name of the camp RIGHT, would it have made any difference to the story whatsoever? Made it better or worse? Doubtful! So it's possible he was just telling a story the way he had taken it in as a child.
Verona??? it's all surmountable
Dublin 23.08.06 "The beauty of Ireland, right there!"
Wembley? We all believe!
Copenhagen?? your light made us stars
Chicago 07? And love
What a different life
Had I not found this love with you
Maybe it's just me and my family but I have very little contact with my great-uncles and great-aunts. And actually come to think of it, it's not just my family (maybe it's a Belgian thing, though)
I could be wrong here but I think to most politicians Memorial Day is just a great opportunity to either talk about your own service in the military or the service of your relatives, preferable your father or grandfather, but great uncle will do, I guess, in order to gather more support and more votes. I think it has little to do with actually honouring them. And an emotional speech about how your father or a distant family member liberated the jews and other prisoners from concentrations camps is perfect and might deeply affect veterans.
But then again, I could be totally wrong, after all, the US is a war-country and war has always been a central part of Americans' lives and they love taking pride in it.
Either way, I do think it's ridiculous he couldn't even get the name of the camp right. Seriously.
"Many Americans might have problems distinguishing Buchenwald and Ohrdruf from Auschwitz. But should we not expect more from a Harvard-educated presidential candidate? Is it too much to ask that an aspiring commander-in-chief knows (1) that Auschwitz (like many of the other Nazi death camps) is in Poland, and (2) that the eastern advance of the U.S. Army in World War II stopped on the river Elbe?"
From that link I posted yesterday.
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just terrible...
i agree. My great gandparents are generaly refered to as my grandparents. My great uncles are generally refered to simply as my uncles. Potato, potahto. The name of the camp also makes little difference. Its a family anecdote. Big fucking deal. It isn't like Obama said he's the one that single handedly liberetaed Auschwitz. The republicans are about as deperate as the clintons.
I agree at this point it is splitting hairs, although I still think it's rather ridiculous he doesn't even know which camp it was his uncle helped liberate. I mean, if he's so proud you'd think he at least get the story right. It's also a bit sad he doesn't know history. But when he first said this, it wasn't splitting hairs at all and I'll think you agree.
naděje umírá poslední
Verona??? it's all surmountable
Dublin 23.08.06 "The beauty of Ireland, right there!"
Wembley? We all believe!
Copenhagen?? your light made us stars
Chicago 07? And love
What a different life
Had I not found this love with you
"But Dad" I said. "I don't remember an uncle Frank. And how could both my grandfathers, who were pretty young at the time, and an uncle all have fought in WWII?"
"He was your grandmother's brother."
"Oh, so he was your uncle."
"Yeah, Uncle Frank. I don't think you ever met him."
True story. Except I don't remember if those were the exact words. I mean, I remember the conversation; after all, it was only a few weeks ago. I'm almost positive his name was Frank, though maybe it was Fred. Uncle Fred? Sorry, I mean Great-Uncle Fred? No, "Frank" sounds right. I think. Never got into what cities he bombed. Hell, for all my Dad knows about Europe, it could have been Italy.
Never mind. I must be a complete liar. Obviously none of this happened. Except that some of it did. Maybe most? How can I tell, the story was so vague? But I'm sure I had an uncle Fred, or sort-of uncle Fred. My grandmother had brothers, and most fought in the War. I mean, didn't all the guys, then? So, yeah, most had to have fought in the war - like my Great Uncle Fred. No! wait. Frank. His name was Frank. I think.
You must be exceptionally proud of your uncle.
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Seriously, though, why wouldn't I be? Actually, it's more of a family anecdote - and, for the most part I'm exceptionally proud of my family.
That is what I hate about these 24 hour news networks. The candidates all speak everyday, and often multiple times in multiple cities in the same day, usually don't use teleprompter, and when one of them makes a stupid mistake, the news networks pick it up and make a huge story out of it, just for the fact that they don't think there is any other news going on that day. Half the time it's not even a slip up, just an out of context remark... If the networks would focus on policy details or whatever instead of this mindless crap, we'd all be better off.
was like a picture
of a sunny day
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
― Abraham Lincoln
Verona??? it's all surmountable
Dublin 23.08.06 "The beauty of Ireland, right there!"
Wembley? We all believe!
Copenhagen?? your light made us stars
Chicago 07? And love
What a different life
Had I not found this love with you
Exactly - we call the government fuckers every day. It's not a big deal.
http://www.reverbnation.com/brianzilm
Peace
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