Robed Obama picture ignites row

**Maggy** · 26-02-2008, 00:17

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7263783.stm

What the hell is this about?.Who cares what the man wears on visits abroad?If he was pictured in a black rubber balaclava and crotchless pantees I'd say it had some significance but this is total rubbish.

Tezcatlipoca · 26-02-2008, 02:12

Quote:

Originally Posted by Incognitas

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7263783.stm

What the hell is this about?.Who cares what the man wears on visits abroad?If he was pictured in a black rubber balaclava and crotchless pantees I'd say it had some significance but this is total rubbish.

The idea may be that some people may falsely assume the photo means that Obama is some sort of scary secret Muslim...& therefore vote against him.

[Even though he is not a Muslim, not that it should matter, and he was simply wearing traditional Kenyan garb while in - shock horror - Kenya, & his father is originally from Kenya]

Of course, he's not the first leader / potential leader to wear local clothes...

http://www.drudgereport.com/flashoa.htm

(pics of both Clintons plus Dubya at the bottom)

BBKing · 26-02-2008, 08:27

Quite, Matt. If this comes from the Clinton camp, as alleged, it beggars belief.

I don't particularly think Obama will make a great President (we need another FDR, not another Kennedy), but he's way better than McCain and better than Clinton, if this is how she lets her campaign run.

Osem · 26-02-2008, 08:46

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matt D

The idea may be that some people may falsely assume the photo means that Obama is some sort of scary secret Muslim...& therefore vote against him.

That's probably a very safe bet in some parts of the US.

BBKing · 26-02-2008, 09:09

Yes, but the US people appear to be dragging themselves out of their blind idiocy of the last few years, Bush is down at 19% in the polls, so if McCain thinks running as New Super Bush (the same, but more concentrated) is going to work, he's nuts.

In other good news, one of the worst people in the Bush administration, William Haynes, has left. He wrote this:

Quote:

the President "enjoys complete discretion in the exercise of his Commander-in-Chief authority", and that "In light of the President's complete authority over the conduct of war, without a clear statement otherwise, criminal statutes are not read as infringing on the President's ultimate authority in these areas." Also: "Any attempt by Congress to regulate the interrogation of unlawful combatants would violate the Constitution's sole vesting of the Commander-in-Chief authority in the President."

Basically saying that the President is above the law. Hard to pretend that's in any way compatible with American values, really. Not sure about FDR, they may need a Lincoln and Washington rolled into one, really.

**Maggy** · 26-02-2008, 12:44

As to the wearing of local costume..how many times have we seen royalty forced to wear the local stupid hat or costume to appease whomever they have been sent to suck up to?Do we think they are going native or changing culture or changing religion?No of course not.

Mind IF they dress up as a Nazi as a fancy dress costume for a bit of a joke at a party they have to apologise profusely.But then I think that was more an anti monarchy finger wagging situation than anything else.

So again it just proves how much a certain section of the US electorate is being duped into thinking everything Muslim is bad.

BBKing · 26-02-2008, 12:57

The Nazi thing is a bit different, since Prince Harry's ancestors didn't have Nazi sympathies. Well not many of them*. Obama's father was actually Kenyan, so it's no sillier than John McCain dressing up in a kilt on a visit to Edinburgh. I wonder if he is actually Scottish, if it comes to that?

Ronald Reagan famously tried a pint of Guinness on a trip to Ireland, and looked like he liked it about as much as raw sewage, I remember.

* Edward VIII, Harry's great-great-uncle, was a bit iffy on the subject.

**Damien** · 26-02-2008, 14:56

Clinton obviously leaked this, It may not seem a big deal leaders usually wear local dress but they have already tried to tie in Obama with Muslims and this image is obviously trying to re-inforce that.

BBKing · 26-02-2008, 15:05

The other Obama smear this week was that he wasn't wearing a Stars and Stripes lapel badge, and this means he's UnAmerican. Pathetic smear, really. His response was pretty good, I thought, and shows why the election needs someone with impeccable anti-Iraq War credentials:

Quote:

About not wearing an American flag lapel pin, Obama said Republicans have no lock on patriotism.

"A party that presided over a war in which our troops did not get the body armor they needed, or were sending troops over who were untrained because of poor planning, or are not fulfilling the veterans' benefits that these troops need when they come home, or are undermining our Constitution with warrantless wiretaps that are unnecessary?

"That is a debate I am very happy to have. We'll see what the American people think is the true definition of patriotism."

Wallop. So good to see he didn't rush round and cover himself in the flag, but actually went for the real issue.

Russ · 26-02-2008, 15:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by BBKing

Wallop. So good to see he didn't rush round and cover himself in the flag, but actually went for the real issue.

What's the point? To seemingly most Americans your first suggestion would be more attractive.

**Damien** · 26-02-2008, 16:17

Obama's response is perfect, Has anyone been watching Bill O'Rielly (of Fox News) daily attacks (presented as 'no-spin of course) on Obama?

26-02-2008, 16:39

I keep having intruding thoughts of Obama being assassinated! I guess i'm just paranoid. After a quick google, it seems that i'm not alone.

Quote:

An ugly topic is capturing attention on the Internet: Today the phrase "assassinate Obama" appeared on a list of the top 100 Google search terms.

http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/t...ves/129063.asp

BBKing · 26-02-2008, 16:47

Quote:

To seemingly most Americans your first suggestion would be more attractive.

Actually, I think the old 'fool all of the people some of the time' thing is beginning to come home to roost now. There's something about seeing your house in danger of repossession, your job in jeopardy, tax cuts for the rich being enshrined and billions being poured into the deserts of Iraq that spells trouble for the Right-wing Noise Machine, even without its repeated foot-in-mouth episodes. For example, Obama quoted an Army captain's experiences of being sent to war by Bush and co. thus:

Quote:

I heard from a Army captain, who was the head of a rifle platoon, supposed to have 39 men in a rifle platoon. Ended up being sent to Afghanistan with 24, because 15 of those soldiers had been sent to Iraq. And as a consequence, they didn't have enough ammunition; they didn't have enough humvees.

They were actually capturing Taliban weapons because it was easier to get Taliban weapons than it was for them to get properly equipped by our current commander in chief.

This was jumped on with both feet by the RNM (along the lines of 'it can't be true, since a platoon isn't led by a captain, but a lieutenant') until someone got in touch with the soldier in question and found it was perfectly true, and he'd been a lieutenant *at the time*, but promotion is quick these days. The only bit where Obama had slightly exaggerated was implying that they were actively capturing Taliban weapons rather than just picking them up after fights, because apart from anything else the bearded boys use the same weapons as the Afghan Army. Hardly a serious misrepresentation.

O'Reilly in particular is pretty much shot credibility wise. Fox apparently had someone on the other day who actually *attacked the station for being biased [gasp]*. Does Gavin still watch them, I wonder?

Quote:

At the end of the segment, Camp said, “What is Fox News? It’s just a parade of propaganda, isn’t it? It’s just a festival of ignorance.”

George Bush is 19% in the polls.

Tezcatlipoca · 26-02-2008, 21:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enuff

I keep having intruding thoughts of Obama being assassinated! I guess i'm just paranoid. After a quick google, it seems that i'm not alone.

Have you been watching too many old eps of "24"?

Quote:

Originally Posted by BBKing

O'Reilly in particular is pretty much shot credibility wise. Fox apparently had someone on the other day who actually *attacked the station for being biased [gasp]*.

Biased?! But they're so "Fair & Balanced"TM!

NitroNutter · 27-02-2008, 10:47

Quote:

Originally Posted by Damien

Clinton obviously leaked this, It may not seem a big deal leaders usually wear local dress but they have already tried to tie in Obama with Muslims and this image is obviously trying to re-inforce that.

Not nessecarily true, it could have been leaked from the Obama camp discreetly knowing full well where the directions of any finger pointing would be. For the Clinton camp to release this would be like taking a double barrel shotgun and pointing it at your own chin, then again maybe it was neither camp, they want Obama as the front runner, we all know Hillary has no chance any way so reinforcing the Obama lead would be the best route to follow. I just dred the day america gets a russian president, then the fan will hit the sh....