Can you imagine the media frenzy if it was Bush or McCain that said this? (h/t Sister Toldjah)
(CBS News) Obama also spoke about his uncle, who was part of the American brigade that helped to liberate Auschwitz. He said the family legend is that, upon returning from war, his uncle spent six months in an attic. “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,†Obama said. “That’s why this idea of making sure that every single veteran, when they are discharged, are screened for post-traumatic stress disorder and given the mental health services that they need – that’s why it’s so important.â€
So veteran’s are all nuts, Obama?
Following the link to Michelle Malkin’s we get to Ace Of Spades HQ
Auschwitz of course is in Poland. It was liberated by the Red Army on Jan 27 1945. Poland, on most maps is usually placed to the east of Germany, although we may need to investigate the geography textbooks the Messiah used as a child…
The Allies were wrapping up the battle of the bulge in late January of 1945 — the Rhine crossings were still well into the future when Auschwitz was liberated.
Michelle writes: Either Obama’s uncle served in the Red Army, or he’s spinning Clintonesque lies about Auschwitz to sell his government programs. Based on what Barack NMN Obama is attempting to do to the United States, I’d go with that Red Army thang!
Only in Liberal World can Obama pulling stories out of his ass be the fault of the Right. Come to the light, Excitable MattY, join us in Reality.
The Nitpicker can only throw out ad hominum attacks and a strange defense that has nothing to do with the issue at hand.
Others: Hot Air, Flopping Aces, Newsbusters, Confederate Yankee, Jules Crittenden, plus more at Memeorandum
Wednesday Update: Over at Transterrestrial Musings, one of the commentors found this gem
My grandfather signed up for a war the day after Pearl Harbor was bombed, fought in Patton’s army. He saw the dead and dying across the fields of Europe; he heard the stories of fellow troops who first entered Auschwitz and Treblinka.
So, his grandfather was having lots of contacts with soldiers in the Red Army? Because that is the military force which first entered both of those death camps.
My guess? He’s just making this stuff up. Because it sounds good to the ignorant rubes, and he’s a good speechifier. It’s all part of that “new politics” we’ve heard so much about.
Bet the media won’t challenge him on it, either.
BTW, from Right Pundits:
Actually, his great-uncle was in the American Army and helped liberate one of the hundreds of subcamps of Buchenwald Concentration camp which apparently really is in Germany. I kinda think Obama might shoulda googled that before he told that story ….
I kinda think that Obama is either unable to remember important details, or he is purposefully changing the story to make it sound better.
OK, so he said Auschwitz instead of Buchenwald (which his great uncle did help to liberate). He didn’t lie, he just said the wrong name. As for advocating for better health care for veterans (especially mental health care), I can support that.
Kind of a big mistake to make for a story he knows so well, wouldn’t you think, Silke?
And, seriously, when have Democrats ever really cared about the military, except as political pawns when it suits them? They sure did not care about the military during the 2000 elections when they tried to block all their overseas votes.
He misspoke. It happens. That’s very different from a lie or an exaggeration.
Why does Obama get a pass on this, Silke? You think McCain or Bush would get a pass? He just misspoke about a family story that had his great uncle went in to a different concentration camp? Or, was he just changing it up so it sounded “sexier?” How many would know what Buchenwald was right off the bat?
BTW, I never said it was a lie. It was a gaff. There is a difference
Teach said: Why does Obama get a pass on this, Silke?
Well for me personally all the candidates get a pass when they make a harmless error such as this. McCain misspoke when he stated Iran was allowing al-Qaeda fighters into the country to be trained and returned to Iraq. I know what he meant. It’s no big deal. Mistakes are going to happen when candidates are on the trail constantly giving speeches. Hillary’s story about Bosnia was a flat out lie, though, and she was rightly called on it.
You think McCain or Bush would get a pass?
No. I think the media uses any opportunity it can to fill its 24-hour news cycle with gotcha stories like this. Blogs are even worse because they tend to be so partisan.
It’s unfortunate the bigger story (the one about Obama advocating for better health care for soldiers) was missed in all this. As a former soldier and the spouse of a current soldier I can tell you this is an important issue. A lot more can and should be done to help soldiers cope with the mental health issues they are experiencing upon returning from Iraq. The same is true for the families who are dealing with multiple deployments, by the way. I’m disappointed you took that to mean Obama thinks “veterans are all nuts.†I think he recognizes what a tremendous strain the military is under – which is true.
I would rather have a President who made a mistake about his uncle’s war story than a man like McCain who repeatedly mistakes Sunnis for Shia.
Which do you think is a more important fact to keep straight ??
Comrade John Romanov Ryan never makes mistakes? Let’s hear it for Hellary Sniper Fire Clinton and Barack Hussein Vladimir Obama! These freaks – like NY Slimes writer Jason Blair… just make the sh*t up as they go. “Follow the yellow brick road of yellow journalism…their mainstream is also YELLOW!”
Although I hate, and baby I mean HATE, Obama; I’ll let him slide on this one as well. Being that Auschwitz was the most widely known camp, I’m sure it’s what pops into everyone’s mind first.
Now, the 57 states thing? I can’t get past that one. Even my 11 year old laughed at him for that.
More then likely, Obama was just trying to patronize the audience by changing the story. It is more of the aggrandizing type gaffe.
Hey, I feed my husband bullshit all the time to appease him. It’s a tactic that must sometimes be used for the greater good. ;)