Thinkin’bout Stuff

The Obama campaign, with the help of the MSM, has done an amazing job of protecting the candidate and controlling the message, sometimes in retrospect.

They are currently in the deny cycle about the alleged phone call from Michelle Obama to African Press International (API).  Assuming API will provide evidence that this phone call actually occurred, we can expect the spin cycle next… not sure if the “throw her under the wheels” cycle will apply to the candidate’s wife… that might be viewed as tacky.

In case you haven’t followed this, here’s some excerpts and links.

Original article:

Accusing API of colluding with American internet bloggers in an effort to bring down her husband, Mrs Obama said she decided to call API because of what she termed, API’s help to spread rumours created by American bloggers and other racist media outlets in their efforts to damage a black man’s name, saying she hopes African Media was mature enough to be in the front to give unwavering support to her husband, a man Africans should identify themselves with.

When API told her that our online news media was only relaying what the American Bloggers and other media outlets had discovered through their investigations, Mrs Obama was angered and she came out loud with the following: “African press International is supposed to support Africans and African-American view,” and she went to state that, “it is strange that API has chosen to support the racists against my husband. There is no shame in being adopted by a step father. All dirt has been thrown onto my husband’s face and yet he loves this country. My husband and I know that there is no law that will stop him from becoming the president, just because some American white racists are bringing up the issue of my husband’s adoption by His step father. The important thing here is where my husband’s heart is at the moment. I can tell the American people that My husband loves this country and his adoption never changed his love for this country. He was born in Hawaii, yes, and that gives him all the right to be an American citizen even though he was adopted by a foreigner; says Michelle Obama on telefon to API.”

<SNIP>

When asked who she was referring to as the evil people, she stated that she was not going to elaborate much on that but that many conservative white people and even some African Americans were against her husband, but that this group of blacks were simply doing so because of envy.

On Farakhan and his ministry, Mrs Obama told API that it was unfortunate that Mr Farakhan came out the way he did supporting her husband openly before the elections was over. That was not wholehearted support but one that was calculated to convince the American people that my husband will support the growth of muslim faith if he became the president, adding “even if my husband was able to prove that he is not a Muslim, he will not be believed by those who have come out strongly to destroy his chances of being the next President. Do real people expect someone to deny a religion when 80 percent of his relatives are Muslims?; Mrs Obama asked.

Mrs Obama asked API to write a good story about her husband and that will earn API an invitation to the innoguration ceremony when, as she put it , her husband will be installed as the next President of the United States of America next year.

OK, some thoughts. 

First, here we go with the race card again.  If you do not support Barack Obama’s ascension, you are either a white racists or an envious black person…  why else would you not want The One to assume his rightful place on the throne.

Second, Mrs. Obama appears to lend credence to the argument that Barack is not eligible to run for president since his adoption may have changed his citizenship.

A follow up has been published:

1. API had a telephone call from Mrs Obama after consultations with Nairobi. We will avail all the details and what transpired so that all interested parties may understand that the story is not fake.

2. API has no interest in the outcome of the US elections and we do not partner with any group in the promotion of any candidate for the presidency.

3. Our recordings will be released when we are satisfied it is not intended to be misused in any way or for any gains by an group.

Today, API received thousands of emails and replied to some from different people who wanted to know more about the story and others who wanted to get the audio recording emailed. However, we were shocked to learn that the emails replied by us were published on different blogs - made public. Our replies to the emails were not intended for publication.

Although we are not hiding anything, we would like to release all the information in the right way in order to avoid misunderstandings that may put us into problems with the Obama’s. We do not want to land into legal disputes with anyone.

The Obama campaign spokesperson(s) should not be quick to dismis the story as false. They should wait until they get all the facts on the table before making any conclussions. They should not think they control all calls Mrs Obama makes.

The timing of the interview should not be faulted on us. It was Mrs Obama who contacted us after someone took the initiative from Nairobi to connect API and her.

API requests all readers to be patient. They will get all the facts very soon, now that we have realised the importance of the story to them.

By Chief Editor Korir

African Press International - API

First, private emails should not be published.  I’ve seen the emails, they are out there if you want to see them, but I will not publish them here.

Second, these folks seem to be very concerned that they will do something that will hurt Obama while at the same time they feel compelled to defend their integrity when being called liars by the Obama campaign…  the strategy of denial may backfire on Obama this time.

UPDATE:  These notes were posted on the API site and are therefor in play:

To Rosettasister:

We appreciate that you have send to us the information below to alert us on what is happening there in the US.

I would like to let you know that I have just send in a comment to the ABC News ’s Jake Tapper story and I hope he publishes my comments.

Soon, we will expose everything - information that we have, and that will make those who doubt us to retract their sentiments. The recordings will be released if need be in the long run. We did not imagine that there would be a huge interest in the story. Today we have received over 10000 emails and they are still coming. The comments are many and will be published. We will not mislead readers in any way. API spoke to Mrs Obama and the reasons she choose us will soon be made public in necessary.

The story is true.

By Chief Editor Korir

African press International - API

 

To Rosettasister

Thank you for the information on what is going on. We appreciate. API will not be pressurised to email the recordings to individual media outlets. API was not aware that the receptients of our emails were actually forwarding them to other media outlets. We understand that the purpose of doing so is to pressure API to release the recordings. We will do so, but at our own timing, which is going to be soon, and yet as we say, we will be carefull on how we do it because we now realise that many people want to use the recording for purposes we did not intend, when we made the recordings.

Owing to the importance of the story - now that we have realised - API will do the needfull in a day or two. While doing so, we will seek not to hurt any one with the information we have.

The truth will come out soon and the Obama campaign spokesperson(s) will have a problem to deny that API actually had a telephone conversation with Mrs Obama. Mrs Obama should open up to the campaign spokesperson(s) now so that they do not continue denying what they do not know.

By Chief Editor Korir

African Press International - API

 Denying something you assume is not true is risky business…

Stumble it!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 15th, 2008 at 6:26 pm and is filed under Election 2008, Obama, Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.