… What I meant to say was …

Posted by Bryan Del Monte on May 27th, 2008 No Comments Printer-Friendly

Washington, D.C. (rightcommentary.com): It just keeps getting weirder and weirder. This weekend, my family went into the District and looked at the memorials and monuments for Memorial Day. It was a really nice day in DC - warm, a bit of a breeze, and plenty of sun. We watched a parade down Constitution Avenue - veterans, bands, floats - the usual fare. That’s what I imagine a lot of Americans did yesterday - parades, flags, veterans putting on their old uniforms, and Americans cheering and remembering their sacrifice.

Now - another day in the campaign - and another controversy. Sen. Barack Obama, at a Memorial Day event in Las Cruces, N.M., credited his great-uncle, Charlie Payne, as being among the U.S. troops who liberated the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz.

The trouble with that bit of history is — as the Republican National Committee pointed out today — is that the Soviet Red Army was the military force that liberated the World War II death camp.

The RNC seized the opportunity to fire off a news release, saying that “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.” I have the GOP.com thread under “GOP News” that can be read here.

I’ll be honest - I don’t know what’s worse. Sen. Obama not being able to remember his own family’s history - and confusing Auschwitz and Buchenwald and Ohrdruf - or the RNC’s pounding the issue for political gain. I understand that the RNC has a responsibility to point out the truth - however - the “unless your grandpa and uncle were commies - then they weren’t there” tone was wholly disrespectful and inappropriate. The Soviets were our allies in WWII - they took more losses than any coalition partner - and their soldiers died attempting to push back the Nazis. We seem to forget that given our cold war heritage.

Nevertheless - the whole thing now is just a mess.

The Obama campaign soon acknowledged that the Democratic candidate made a mistake. It explained that Obama’s great-uncle was in the 89th Infantry Division that helped liberate another notorious death camp, Buchenwald. Obama, the campaign said, “is proud of the service of his grandfather and uncles in World War II — especially the fact that his great-uncle was part of liberating of one of the concentration camps at Buchenwald.”

Obama’s grand uncle served in the 89′th “Rolling W” Infantry Division. I have no doubt that he served with distinction. The 89th Infantry Division in World War II was possibly the first unit to actually come upon a Nazi concentration camp (there is some confusion historically whether it was the 4th Infantry Division or the 89th that first came to Ohrdruf - but - those are historical questions that are not really of significance for this discussion). The discovery of the Ohrdruf camp, by the 89th Infantry Division, is memorialized in the Holocaust Museum located in Washington, DC. I will just point out, however, that the campaign’s remarks today do leave the impression that Obama’s grand uncle was part of the group that went into Ohrdruf camp. That may not in fact be the case - nevertheless - it was the Rolling W, along with Ivy (4th ID), that discovered the gruesome atrocities that the Nazis had perpetrated and gave concrete evidence supporting intelligence reports that the Nazis had been persecuting and killing Jews.

Apparently, no one cares about any of this. It’s just the latest gaffe. Now, while I am not defending Sen. Clinton - when she screwed up - running under “sniper fire” in Bosnia - she got royally roasted over it. Both the left and the right let her have it.

With Sen. Obama - it’s just yet another mix up. Poor Sen. Obama - apparently he knows not what he says half the time. Either that - or his staff has to be among the worst educated bunch of morons who ever successfully mounted a Presidential nomination bid. I mean - aren’t any of the speeches fact checked, at all. What the heck is the deal? When I wrote speeches as a political - we checked every historical reference - every fact. If I had written that so and so’s grandpa wore Hitler’s hat while nancing about Wolf’s Lair - you better bet we’d have a picture of “grandpa” with his buddies in the army wearing the hat. Otherwise - it wouldn’t have made the speech. So either it’s intentional distortion - or the worst case of sloppy staffing we’ve ever encountered.

Neither is particularly comforting to me. Although I suppose one might be able to explain it by saying “well - that’s what Sen. Obama told us,” in fact checking the facts about his family.

But it’s still a massive screw up. And to make such a screw up on Memorial Day - I just feel it adds insult to injury. He throws his campaign - and grand uncle - right under the bus. I suppose since Grandma went under the bus on the “she doesn’t like black guys” remark - might as well throw grand pa and great uncle right under the bus as well. But it’s demeaning to soldiers as well - and for me makes me wonder if the guy is really ready to be President. People wondered wether or not Bush was ready to be President - and quite frankly - given Scott McClellan’s book today - a few of his aides still wonder. If Bush had said this nonsense - he’d have been undoubtedly crucified for it. If he had screwed up Auschwtiz for Buchenwald… or made up some fact about President Bush (41) war record - the media would have run him through the wringer.

So what is it Democrats? Can you tell me what the allure is? Why you continually look the other direction when he’s caught in mistakes and mistatements? Sen. Obama makes a gaffe - you all shrug it off and move on. He associates with terrorists - a youthful indiscretion. He identifies with radical black liberation theology - oh he didn’t mean it. The list goes on…

I saw this once before - this movie - where the party picked their nominee and didn’t ask quesitons about whether the dude could actually do the job. He is “the decider” now.

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