Tax Payers Money Ouch!

[Cathy_H]

Obama - Odinga

http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_s...bama_odinga.jpg

Obama in Kenya

http://www.ikiw.org/wp-content/uploads/200...-horizontal.jpg

Edited to add this video - Want the facts - watch it yourself!







The Hill 9/06 ( mentions how he campainged for Odinga)

Newsweek 9/06 ( explains how Obama passionately supports Odinga)

The Economist 2/08 (reviews the relationship between the two)

CNN 1/08 (reviews the relationship between the two)

New York Times Magazine 12/07 (this one explains how Odinga made it a cornerstone of his campaign to oppose governmental crackdowns on Al Queda terrorists. The campaign that Obama spoke in rallies to support)

ABC News 11/07 ( explains how Odinga came to visit Obama during a fundraising trip to the US)

Washington Post 12/07 (this one reports Odinga and Obama are still speaking regularly

 

[tagalong]

If this was all as suspicious or as sinister as it is presented to be - do you think that the McCain campaign would have ignored it? Not a chance. They obviously vetted it and dropped it as unimportant. There was no million dollar donation. Odinga and Obama are not cousins - but may be distantly related - just as Cheney and Obama are.

Here's the investigation by Politifacts - which is also non-partisan and skewers or praises both candidates as needed. You can see their flip-o-meters and truth meters (lowest reading = pants on fire!

) on their website...

Here is the link... http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/ar...ch-their-facts/

And some selected excerpts - but you can read them in context at the link above... including an examination of the handwritten and misspelled notation that suggested the million dollar donation. Kenyan experts declared it fraudulent...

And Salim Lone, spokesman for Odinga, confirms that.
“That is absolutely ridiculous,” Lone said in an interview with PolitiFact from Kenya. “Mr. Obama did not donate a single cent to Mr. Odinga’s campaign

And now on to Odinga himself...

In a discussion about the political situation in Kenya amid fallout from a disputed election — where Odinga’s party rejected official results and vowed to install Odinga as the “people’s president” — the following exchange occurs:
Odinga: “Barack Obama’s father is my maternal uncle.”

BBC: “You’re related to him?”

Odinga: “Yes, I am.”

No, you’re not, says the Obama campaign.

We spoke to three Kenya experts who dismiss this part of the claim as well, suggesting Odinga made the connection to give himself more legitimacy during the political crisis. Odinga was one of two men who claimed to have won Kenya’s presidential election in December 2007 and the disputed results led to bloodshed.

Odinga ultimately agreed to share power with Mwai Kibaki. Odinga became prime minister and Kibaki president.

“It’s stretched to the point of ridiculousness,” said Joel D. Barkan, political science professor emeritus at the University of Iowa and senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. “To my knowledge, they are not first cousins in the normal sense. To my knowledge, there’s absolutely no relationship at all.”

Alex Awiti, a Kenyan postdoctoral fellow at Columbia University, says you have to consider the context of when Odinga was speaking, in the middle of a political crisis.

“Raila Odinga was groping all over the place, trying to find some political legitimacy to get on a high pedestal to claim leadership and using Obama was basically going to add some political points,” said Awiti, who lived in Kenya until three years ago. “This is very opportunistic and it should be totally disregarded.”

Anyway - if this was as ominous or noteworthy as some are suggesting - the McPalin campaign would have rightly focussed on it. They didn't bother.

 

[LowriseMinis]

"McPalin" is probably the best thing I've heard all night!

 

[AppyLover2]

Why is it that when people make a comment other people demand "proof" or a "link". Then when a link is provided it's not an honest, unbiased one. Good heavens we all surely know you can find anything on the internet that we want to find. We've all agreed that everyone has a right to their own opinion. But we just keep

and

. It's just plain

and has gone way beyond what should be expected of mature adults.

Sorry.....off my soap box now. Just remember that when it's all over we're ALL going to have to live with it.

 

[Southern_Heart]

Donna, I so agree with you on this.

Then also just because its not on Facts Checker, doesn't mean it isn't so.

 

[Cathy_H]

A picture is worth a million words - or in this case a video. If you don't want to believe your own eyes then don't look! ............... Take off your one way blinders first!

 

[Bassett]

Yep.

But there are going to be some people who won't believe what they see even if it is right in front of them. They will say it was put out by a biased person. So what . He is campaigning for Odinga. Look again. You will see he was there. I saw this video before and was just hoping someone would bring Odinga up. Thanks for doing so. And no I don't think Obama has a twin or it would have been brought up.

 

[littlesteppers]

WHY?? Bcause if any DEMOCRAT says anything against a african american ..he/she is racist..Now you even racist if you don't vote for Obama..Yes it has been said Murtha..No surprise..a democrat..

I find this truly amazing that we now starting to judge people by the color of their skin..like I said before..Dr. Martin Luther King..is prob turning around in his grave..why can't we all just be AMERICANS with different views..why does the race card have to be played ..z???? This will end in trouble..soo sad

 

[anita]

Had they followed Dr. Martin Luther Kings's dream they wouldn't cry for Marxism " Take from the rich and give the poor"

Translated: "Take from the hardworking and give more welfare"

 

[tagalong]

Why is it that when people make a comment other people demand "proof" or a "link". Then when a link is provided it's not an honest, unbiased one.

Some have posted in a way that is obviously not them speaking - but sourced from somewhere.... I guess I do not see what is wrong about asking for a link so one can read the entire passage in context.

You can provide whatever links you like - but when I provide one from say - Daily Kos or Huffington Post... both to the Left - OF COURSE it will have that slant. It works the other way as well. Just because it is on FoxNews does not mean it is without bias. They are as Right as MSNBC is Left.

Good heavens we all surely know you can find anything on the internet that we want to find.

Of course... and yet look at the last few posts after mine- and the comment that if I do not share their opinion I have blinders on! I have never said anything of the sort in any of these threads. I just prefer to discuss the facts instead of point fingers.

We've all agreed that everyone has a right to their own opinion.

Unfortunately - "we" have not all agreed to that - if that was the case there would be no sneering and

etc. throughout these threads.

Then also just because its not on Facts Checker, doesn't mean it isn't so.

No - but if it is on there... or snopes... politifact... or other sites that take great care to be non-partisan... to praise and/or skewer each candidate in turn, to point out where they have lied, embellished or sidestepped the issue... it has been verified and checked out for better or worse - and is not just the blusterings of Hannity or Olbermann or assorted bloggers or talking heads.

Check out politifact. Look what they say about BOTH candidates... and then tell me they are biased. www.politifact.com Check out the flip-o-meters - I think all candidates should have one of these around their necks every time they speak!

No one ever said he was not there - that is ridiculous. The investigation I linked to lays out the facts. You can read them and sneer if you wish - I just put them out there.

And again - if this was such a sinister thing.... McCain would have rightly seized on it. He didn't. And there is no way the campaign advisors would not have checked all that out and determined if there was anything they could use.

So - do they have blinders on as well? Are they ignorant? I don't think so.

"McPalin" is probably the best thing I've heard all night!

I can't claim it... I have seen it all over the blogosphere of late.

 

[susanne]

I'm shocked that the McPain strategists haven't seized upon this election-altering news. If he were my candidate, I would be on the phone demanding that they bring it to the public.

But they're most likely more concerned with Obama's involvement in the Brazilian elections, which had EIGHT candidates running under the name of Barack Obama. He has to be behind this.

 

[Pepipony]

Just wondering, since I dont have speakers on this puter, is there audio? Usually the line isnt red, so wondering. I also noticed that Obama was speaking from the steps of an Aids Awareness trailer. Could this have been just an Aids awareness thing? I never saw any Odinga for President type signage. They are also carefull that when he as on the Podium, towards the end, Odinga isnt there. Looks to me like this may be one thing made out to be another. But, since I dont have audio, this is all just a guess.

 

[littlesteppers]

I'm shocked that the McPain strategists haven't seized upon this election-altering news. If he were my candidate, I would be on the phone demanding that they bring it to the public.
But they're most likely more concerned with Obama's involvement in the Brazilian elections, which had EIGHT candidates running under the name of Barack Obama. He has to be behind this.

Oh my..you miss spelled MCCAIN..Obambi is not gonna like that!

 

[susanne]

I love it! A good play on words is always welcome!

 

[tagalong]

Just wondering, since I dont have speakers on this puter, is there audio? Usually the line isnt red, so wondering. I also noticed that Obama was speaking from the steps of an Aids Awareness trailer.

Well, it appears there was a reason to have no sound... having the sound would have shown those videos to be a sham. Edited to highlight Odinga. Sound removed when necessary. Just another over the top Swiftboating attempt that depends on people simply believing whatever they are fed. Fear-mongering. Complete BS. Which, of course is why the McCain campaign did not jump all over this. That should have been anyone's red flag that something here was amiss..

He was not campaigning for Odinga. He met all the political leaders in Kenya. This was a congressionally-approved fact-finding trip to Africa. He ended up visitng 4 nations as the trip to the Congo was cancelled due to unrest.

Sorry, it's those darned old FACTS again. And if I can find them, anyone can.

And look - I'll even use Fox News to source some of this as some actually sneer at the non-partisan sources - so this time I did not even bother with them.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,208888,00.html

I have snipped out some excerpts...

WASHINGTON When Sen. Barack Obama heads to Africa for a five-nation tour this week, he will take with him a credential no other U.S. senator can claim and one that may make Africans listen to what he has to say.
Obama is a son of the continent. His late father was a goat herder who went on to become a Harvard-educated government economist for his native Kenya. That connection, he hopes, will give a special resonance to his words.

"One of the messages I'm going to send is that, ultimately, Africa is responsible for helping itself," Obama said in an interview Wednesday.

Obama departs Friday on a 15-day tour that will take him not only to his father's homeland, but also to South Africa, Congo, Djibouti and Sudan. While he has visited Africa twice before, this trip is certain to be different.

Now, he not only is a celebrated political figure in the United States, featured on magazine covers and often mentioned by pundits and political activists as a future president or vice president, he is viewed as a hero in parts of Africa.

>> snip <<

During his trip, Obama wants to learn more about the spread of AIDS, avian flu and other diseases, the genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan, the prospects for Africa becoming a terrorist haven, and the impact of climate change on the continent.

He also plans to talk about the responsibility of Africans to take action against "a lack of basic rule of law and accountability that has hampered the ability of countries with enormous natural resources," according to an earlier interview.

"Ultimately, a new generation of Africans have to recognize the international community, the international relief organizations or the United States can't help Africa if its own leaders are undermining the possibilities of progress," Obama said.

>>snip<<

Obama plans to visit a group of Kenyan women age 50 and older who have adopted children suffering from AIDS and are making a success of it with the help of a "microcredit" program supported by his personal funds from a children's book deal.

The program, with an initial $14,000 Obama investment, enables the women to obtain small loans so they can buy such items as sewing machines or bicycles or crops at market that might enable them to start small businesses.

OH - and AIDS awareness... http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,210585,00.html

Excerpt:

NAIROBI, Kenya U.S. Senator Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, publicly visited a clinic and took AIDS tests Saturday in Kenya, where fear and social stigmas have slowed progress in fighting the disease.
Thousands of people gathered around the tiny mobile clinic in Kisumu, western Kenya, while Obama was tested in an effort to draw attention to Africa's AIDS epidemic.

"If you know your status, you can prevent illness," said Obama, the only black legislator in the U.S. Senate. "You can avoid passing it to your children and your wives."

Among Kenya's 32 million population, some 1.2 million people were infected with HIV as of 2004. Relief agencies say the national infection rate is 6.7 percent.

Here you can see a lot of the stories in one place.... http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationw...1066442.special

This swiftboating nonsense is sad... fault Obama using actual facts for his screw ups, flip-flops and the usual political crap - fine! - but to create stuff out of thin air to further an agenda of fear? Pathetic. And yet people will still choose to believe it...

The fact that someone could take an important topic like AIDS awareness and twist it into their own little agenda (minus the sound) to claim that Obama was just campaigning for Odinga sickens me....

 

[Cathy_H]

There's sound on this one (Obama campaigns for Odinga in Kenya)



Wonder why that will not apply to his term as president of our Country?

Obama's Economic Plan

Steal from the rich - give to the poor!

Sounds good, doesn't work!

But who cares if it works?

The masses will love it.

Signed, Robin Hood

 

[tagalong]

Wonder why that will not apply to his term as president of our Country?

Comparing the situation in Kenya to the US is a bit of a reach - and then some... but I guess we will just have to wait and see. The bottom line is that the Obama Campaigning For Odinga claims are a steaming load of BS. Even Fox noted that it was not a campaigning trip. Just fearmongers trying to jerk people's chains. There are REAL issues to discuss the pros and cons of and to be concerned about... not fairytales - which is what this is.

The video you referred to is one of the ones I looked at - and also uses edits to suggest that Odinga was the focus... complete with labels in case you miss the point. The speech at the end has sound... and is not campaign support. For anyone.

And if no one wants to look at the actual facts about that trip... fine. But then consider that neither Fox or the McCain campaign has ever brought this Not A Connection up. Because there is nothing there.

 

[Cathy_H]

Comparing the situation in Kenya to the US is a bit of a reach - and then some

.
I'm NOT comparing the situation in Kenya to the U.S. I'm referencing his statements at the end which I feel he should apply to our Country also - his Country...................... "Share the Wealth"

The speech at the end has sound

.
And that is where I got the above statements.

and is not campaign support

as is the rest??

complete with labels in case you miss the point

- What labels? I'm talking about the "Obama & Odinga campaign in Kenya" video.

 

[tagalong]

QUOTE and is not campaign support

as is the rest??

I am not sure what you mean here... did you mean that the rest of the video shows campaign support? It doesn't. Did you read the links I gave you - or the excerpts - about the Africa trip? It had nothing to do with supporting Odinga.

What labels? I'm talking about the "Obama & Odinga campaign in Kenya" video.

So am I.

First - it is captioned with that title to infer what you should be looking for. Second - Odinga is captioned next ... so you can be sure to note he is in the selected clips. In one shot - both Obama and Odinga are captioned again (in case you forgot). The intent is clear. From the logo in the corner this was originally a report from CBC Newsworld (Canada) - but edited with the African music dropped in as a soundtrack for a lot of it. CBC would have had the actual sound all the way through with a voiceover. But there is no point in leaving the voiceover intact when it will not support what you are trying to present. CBC would also not have bothered to slap captions on Obama and Odinga.

If anyone choses to believe that Obama went to Kenya only to campaign (not) for Odinga, his Communist cousin (not) and donated a million dollars to him (not) despite the overwhelming evidence that proves otherwise - even picked up by Fox... then that opinion is based on deliberate deceit and smears - swiftboating run amok...and agendas matter more to them than the truth does.....

ETA:

Some searching on CBC sites turned up the likely source of those edited and spliced videos... it is a CBC Newsworld show called The Passionate Eye... and was a documentary about Obama's trip to Africa.

http://www.cbc.ca/passionateeyesunday/feature_230308b.html

OBAMA GOES TO AFRICASunday March 23 at 8pm ET on CBC Newsworld

U.S. Senator and 2008 presidential hopeful Barack Obama journeys to the land of his ancestry in the timely and poignant documentary, OBAMA GOES TO AFRICA. Part personal odyssey and part chronicle of diplomacy in action, the film follows Obama as he explores the vast continent that is gaining increasing importance in this age of globalization.

In Chad, Obama visits a Darfur refugee camp, viewing firsthand the devastating effects of that country's genocide. In Kenya, he and his wife, Michelle, take an HIV/AIDS test in public to combat the stigma associated with the disease.

We see Obama's emotional homecoming in his father's hometown of Siaya, Kenya. Greeted by thousands of cheering well-wishers, he nevertheless is able to find a few quiet moments to visit with his extended family and share a meal with his 85-year-old grandmother.

Throughout it all, Senator Obama narrates the film, giving his own perspective on the journey and Africa's significance in the world today. Additional perspectives are included through interviews with Obama's family members, experts on African affairs, U.S. political commentators and African citizens.

 

[Cathy_H]

Second - Odinga is captioned next ... so you can be sure to note he is in the selected clips. In one shot - both Obama and Odinga are captioned again (in case you forgot).

Yes I saw the names but I didn't know you were calling them " captions". The only caption I saw was the title at the beginning.

If anyone choses to believe that Obama went to Kenya only to campaign (not) for Odinga,

I didn't say he went to Kenya ONLY to campaign for Odinga.

and agendas matter more to them than the truth does.

Who really knows what the truth is? With all of these questionable events and people in Obama's past - they ALL cannot be totally untrue.................. Politicians have a way of showing you an apple and convincing you it's an orange. Look at the big banks that we were told "could not fail".