Auntie Zeituni and the Obama campaign On Thursday, the Times ran a story about having found Barack truth about enzyte Obama's "Auntie Zeituni" living in Boston, which included this observation and quote: Speaking outside her home in Flaherty Way, South Boston, on Tuesday, Ms [Zeituni] Onyango, 56, confirmed she was the “Auntie Zeituni” in Mr Obama’s memoir. She declined to answer most other questions about her relationship with the presidential contender until after the November 4 election. “I can’t talk about it, I just pray for him, that’s all,” she said, adding: “After the 4th, I can talk to anyone." If the Obama campaign knew Auntie Zeituni was living in Boston and had asked her to keep quiet, it would defy belief that Obama did not know the Aunt he had written about fondly in his book 'Dreams from My Father' was there (after all, Obama's team showed how effectively it can uncover information when it set its sights on Joe the Plumber for daring to ask a difficult question that exposed Obama's agenda for wealth redistribution and taxation). But that is exactly the line being taken by Obama's team now it has emerged that Auntie Zeituni is allegedly an illegal immigrant who was supposed to have left the US four years ago when her asylum application was turned down. It seems that once again Obama's credibility and honesty are being called into question. What this also shows is that checks on donations to the Obama campaign fund are simply ineffective. Zeituni Onyango, as a non-US citizen and living in the country illegally, is not allowed to make a campaign donation but has stated clearly she has made one. It will be interesting to see if the US media decides to investigate this story - for there is a story here - or if it will circle the wagons again to protect the electoral chances of their chosen messiah candidate yet again. Just like the LA Times has done by refusing to release a video showing Barack Obama praising a friend of his, former PLO activist Rashid Khalid, because it shows Obama was closer to him than he has admitted to. Posted by Tony Sharp at 16:49 0 comments Links to this post Labels: Barack Obama, Deception, Presidential Race, Spin, Trust, USA Thursday, 30 October 2008 So the BBC has decided to suspend Jonathan Ross from the corporation for three months without pay as punishment for his involvement in the offensive messages incident. I believe he should have been sacked for his behaviour, but there you are. Ross is in the middle of a three-year contract with the BBC worth £18m. His suspension will therefore cost him somewhere in the region of £1,384,615. With Russell Brand having resigned that will hopefully draw a line under the matter, allowing the media to focus on more important issues. In the media's case that probably equates to Madonna and Guy Ritchie's divorce battle, or tension between Posh and Becks as David heads to Milan in January. If we look really hard we might be lucky and find a column inch or two on the recession, the economic crisis, rising unemployment, home repossessions, interest rate movements and bank liquidity. But do not hold your breath because all that stuff is far too grown up and confusing for the Socratic wonder that is the bulk of the UK media. Posted by Tony Sharp at 20:47 4 comments Links to this post Labels: BBC, Broken Britain, Celebrity, Jonathan Ross, Journalism, Media By their friends shall ye know them It might be too late for the John McCain Presidential campaign to overhaul the lead Barack Obama seems to have in opinion polling. But just maybe some undecided voters may be swayed by the revelations emerging from a Pennsylvania court house about the tactics of the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) and further evidence of links between that group and Barack Obama's campaign. Following on from this blog's previous quick glance at the ACORN-Obama relationship, it has come to light that the FBI is now investigating ACORN's voter registration efforts in several states, amid allegations that almost a third of the 1.3 million registration cards it has turned in are invalid. As for that relationship between the group and Obama and his team, the Wall Street Journal reports: It's good to see ACORN's thuggery outside of the election process exposed as well. Judging by the actions ACORN has taken against its enemies in the past, I hope Ms. MonCrief [the witness in the court case] has some protection. Posted by Tony Sharp at 17:10 3 comments Links to this post Labels: Barack Obama, Deception, John McCain, Presidential Race, Sleaze Europe responds, then backs down again Last weekend this blog commented on the desire of new Defence Secretary, John Hutton, to see Britain participate in a European Army concept. Believing such a force would be a duplicate and counterfeit version of NATO, I nonetheless noted at the time from a British perspective: No sooner said, however, than it was unsaid. After a meeting in Paris with his Australian counterpart, Kouchner admitted that EU member states had discussed a possible deployment but "a certain number of countries refused." "It's very difficult to say what we can do outside of diplomatic efforts, efforts at persuasion, and efforts so that peace can be achieved by leaning on the two countries, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda," he added, offering no further details. The clenched fist of Europe, taut with righteous indigantion and outrage, will now not so much smash down on the fighters who are killing, raping and burning people in the DRC, as smash down on a table as part of "diplomatic efforts" where they will be "leaning on" the DRC and Rwanda. After years of talking and promises of carrots the consequences for the warring parties are clear. Failure to stop the violence will result in a heady mix of yet more talk and perhaps some bigger carrots. That should do it, monsieur! Once again the paper tiger has given the illusion of being roused, quivered in a gentle breeze, then folded itself |