Obama Photo in Turban, Robe Causes Stir

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Associated Press

By JIM KUHNHENN

WASHINGTON (AP) - A photograph circulating on the Internet of Democratic Sen. Barack Obama dressed in traditional local garments during a visit to Kenya in 2006 is causing a dustup in the presidential campaign over what constitutes a smear.

The Associated Press photograph portrays Obama wearing a white turban and a wraparound white robe presented to him by elders in Wajir, in northeastern Kenya. Obama's estranged late father was Kenyan and Obama visited the country in 2006, attracting thousands of well-wishers.

The gossip and news Web site The Drudge Report posted the photograph Monday and said it was being circulated by "Clinton staffers" and quoted an e-mail from an unidentified campaign aide. Drudge did not include proof of the e-mail in the report.


Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., right, is dressed as a Somali Elder by Sheikh Mahmed Hassan, left, during his visit to Wajir, a rural area in northeastern Kenya, near the borders with Somalia and Ethiopia in this file photo from Aug. 27, 2006. The garb was presented to Obama by elders in Wajir. Obama's estranged late father was Kenyan and Obama visited the country in 2006, attracting thousands of well-wishers. (AP Photo)


"I just want to make it very clear that we were not aware of it, the campaign didn't sanction it and don't know anything about it," Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson said in a teleconference with reporters. "None of us have seen the e-mail in question. If anybody has independent reporting that they've done on it I would welcome it."


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20080226/D8V1MMK00.html

[Ian David]

1. Really?

Bob:"Contestant Number Two... what was the strangest place YOU ever made whoopie?"
Laura: "That would be in the ass, Bob."

[Kali]

3. towel please, screen needs a wipe

:spray:

Bob:"Contestant Number Two... what was the strangest place YOU ever made whoopie?"
Laura: "That would be in the ass, Bob."

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

36. about the third picture

I wish that one in the middle would finish getting dressed.

[Skittles]

2. someone in a native costume

I don't understand what the controversy is

[Ian David]

4. Me neither. n/t

[John Gauger]

8. God forbid that a statesman graciously don the garb

of the local peoples during a visit. Any objection to that is just racism, pure and simple.

[Ian David]

10. Or imagine if he were following Arab custom by holding hands with and kissing men.

[BulletproofLandshark]

5. The RW knuckle-draggers will try to give this thing legs.

You know, the whole fear-mongering "Obama is an anti-American Islamofascist" tripe they've been trying to sell for the last couple of years,.

[Skittles]

7. ???

but......their hero bush has been known to don a costume or two - and he always manages to look ridicuous....I don't see how they could argue this at all with any credibility

[BulletproofLandshark]

12. C'mon, hypocrisy is a basic tenet for them.

[Skittles]

14. well, uh, yes

:o

[Liberal Veteran]

15. Ah, but it's okay as long Bush tries to dress up like each one of the Village People.

[gort]

17. Putin and Bush are controlled by the Chinese

[KansDem]

37. self-deleted

someone already beat me to it!

[Mike Daniels]

34. And when it's brought up a campaign officer needs to show that Republicans have done the same

Failure to do so is incompetence - plain and simple.

[OhioChick]

13. Me, Neither.

HRC was in a veil and native costume in the past. (Someone here posted a picture) And.....Everyone remembers asshat in China I believe, (standing next to Putin) wearing that polka dot costume. Anyone have a picture of that one??

[TankLV]

30. Me neither. Much ado about nothing...

Big deal.

[Submariner]

6. Eeek! Muslim clothing + Black person, must = 9/11 redux

Are we in Magenta alert #2, or is this when I'm supposed to pull out my duct tape and plastic wrap from 2001? I'm so confused. This fear shit is scary.

[murray hill farm]

9. Hillary is toast!

How do we know this? You know her campaign has hundreds of people searching and searching to find something to use against Obama.....and this is the "worst" thing that they could find? They are making the case for Obama by this silliness...if that is the best they can do.

[McCamy Taylor]

18. Pat Buchanan invented the "Phony Democratic smear of a Democrat" dirty trick in '72

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/watergate/stories/buchananmemo.htm

This one was even published in the Drudge Report, your guarantee of Right Wing origin and intentions. It's purpose is to portray Obama as a scary Muslim before the general election.

No one voting in the Democratic primary would care if Obama bowed down to Mecca in front of reporters.

Anyone who thinks that Clinton staffers did this has a screw loose.

Anyone who knows that this was circulated by Republicans trying to portray Obama as a Muslim in advance of the general election but who is pretending to think that Clinton staffers did it in order to add to the Big Lie about how women are supposed to be so bitchy---that kind of person is playing right into Republican hands and is doing lasting damage to both Obama and the Democratic Party.

[Baby Snooks]

19. Except that...

This follows the racist comments by the governor of Pennsylvania which the Clintons didn't bother to counter. About how whites in Pennsylvania wouldn't vote for an African-American. Those same whites also won't vote for someone they think is Muslim. Of course the Clinton campaign is behind this. Only a fool would think otherwise. They are depending on Ohio and Texas. And they are appealing to the racist Democrats. And if you don't think there aren't racist Democrats, you really are a fool.

[daleo]

25. I tend to agree

The right wing gets two birds with one stone this way - smear Obama, smear Clinton, and sow dissension among Democrats and progressives. Technically, I guess that's three birds.

[axollot]

28. I think there is a little bit of truth about this...of both views.

On the one hand, RW radio will, during the morning commute talk about this - On the other hand, Clinton has appeared desperate to stoop this low and to me, whose never made it a secret that I don't support her and I smelt this since Gore didn't get the White House and Bill Clinton who did many decent things also gave us NAFTA -Hanging out with Papa Bush immediately, while a popular thing for ex-prez's to do but, GEEZ, I've seen phot ops of these to together as much as I've seen photo ops of Mr & Mrs Clinton anywhere. (please don't show me a bunch of pictures of the former together. And I'm not being specific to the poster replied to).

Those families schmooze together......ewwwww ''nuff' said.

Either side is capable of this and if I was going to shoot below the belt, I wouldn't do it in my own party...so patheticly petty like, but if I WOULD - I'd send it to drudge......because many Dem's wouldn't believe it. The CYA dirty politics.

Cheers
Sandy

[daleo]

38. The picture is out there, so maybe it is just as well it came out early

I don't know who released it, but it is a real photo (i.e. not photo-shopped). It is no big dealt to me, I understand the context. It's like a politician with a Scottish background being pictured in a kilt and sporran. Nonetheless, this gives Obama more time to eliminate it as an issue. The Republicans are bound to use this (under the radar) during the general election.

It just goes to show that politicians should stay away from photos that include headgear.

[goforit]

11. Don't forget bush dressing up in honorary Chinese kimonos in China!!!

[depakid]

16. Bosom buddies

[Name removed]

21. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[CaptJasHook]

20. This is a Rethuglican double play smear

They smear Obama to benefit their base and drag Hillary into it to make the two candidates battle.

I doubt if we will ever hear the truth on this one.

[Skittles]

22. I agree

and look how many people fall for it - very disconcerting

[yardwork]

23. That makes two of us agreeing.

And lots of trolls on DU pushing the lies.

[CaptJasHook]

24. I don't think many DUers fell for it

Some of the nastier individuals are using it as another smear on Hillary. Some of the more naive members may feel like it's true, but they will wake up soon.

Come on, its Drudge!

[Skittles]

26. um

blaming it on Hillary makes the repuke tactic effective

[customerserviceguy]

27. Yep

Just hearing that Drudge was involved was enough for me to think it was a dirty trick. Now, millions of people have not only seen the picture, but have heard about the phony spat over it.

[Divine Discontent]

29. saying they weren't 'behind' it is silly... there's nothing wrong with the pic!

anyhow, outside of that ----

the very people who aren't going to vote for Obama right now because he's a secret terrrrrist and one of those Arabs, are the very people this will "play" with... the rest of us will shrug and say so what... If 527's or whoever run actual commercials with this, then, I would reply with all the images shown in this thread.


juss' sayin'

Sure hope Obama picks John as his running mate, or Wes Clark...

[MrsBrady]

31. i belive the Clinton campaign....

this seems something like the Right would do.

None of us on the Left care.

This has got to be the Right wackos trying to scare people and divide the Dems.

Let's not buy into Repuke BS please.

[bdamomma]

32. oh, this is such BS

isn't there other things to think about other than this, do they think we are that shallow???

[Scurrilous]

33. The meaning of Obama's robes

<snip>

"A photo of US presidential candidate Barack Obama wearing Somali clothing is causing a storm after it got released to the Drudge Report website.

Yusuf Garaad Omar head of the BBC's Somali Service explains the meaning of the robes.

These are the normal clothes that nomadic people wear.

The head turban is especially used by elderly people as a suggestion of respect. It is something that has no meaning whatsoever in Somalia culture.

If you see someone dressed like that in Somalia, you think it is a nomadic person - that is all.

There is no religious significance to it whatsoever. It is mainly the nomadic people who use it. Some of them are religious, some are not.

It is simply a tradition of the place where they are from."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7265115.stm

[CaseyStorm]

35. Drudge doesn't deserve all this attention

Why do people even pay attention to this guy?