STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Feb. 10, 2008

Nobel Laureate Fears For Obama If Elected

Writer Doris Lessing Believes Senator Would Be Assassinated If He Wins Presidency

    • Senator Barack Obama's ascendency in the race for the White House has led a Nobel Laureate to fear for his life should he become president. Photo

      Senator Barack Obama's ascendency in the race for the White House has led a Nobel Laureate to fear for his life should he become president.  (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

    • Writer Doris Lessing, who was recognized by the Nobel Prize Committee for the Photo

      Writer Doris Lessing, who was recognized by the Nobel Prize Committee for the "skepticism, fire and visionary power" of her writing, has also made polarizing statements about politics.  (AP)

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(AP)  Nobel Prize winner Doris Lessing believes Barack Obama would be assassinated if he were elected U.S. president, the British writer said in a newspaper interview.

Asked whether she supported Hillary Clinton or Obama in the presidential race, Lessing told Stockholm daily Dagens Nyheter "it doesn't matter," but suggested the two Democrats should join forces in the election.

"It would be best if they ran together. Hillary is a very sharp lady. It might be calmer if she wins and not Obama," Lessing was quoted as saying in comments translated into Swedish.

"He would probably not last long, a black man in the position of president. They would kill him," Lessing said in the interview published Saturday.

She did not specify who she believed would kill Obama.

Her agent in London did not answer phone calls seeking comment on Sunday.

Lessing, 88, who won the Nobel Prize for literature last year, is known for her fierce and sometimes contrary statements.

In October, she told a Spanish newspaper that the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks were "neither as terrible nor as extraordinary" as many people think.

The Swedish Academy, which awards the Nobel Prize, praised the British writer for her "skepticism, fire and visionary power."

© MMVIII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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by hotpaulie February 10, 2008 10:49 AM PST
Nobody shot King George so I don''t believe Obama will suffer such a fate.
Reply to this comment
by excoachken February 10, 2008 11:03 AM PST
There is a much better chance that McCain gets assassinated, if he chooses the con man Huckleberry as his VP. The neo-con Taliban Evangelical Jihad would get the job done in short order, to start their Red Neck Crusade.
Reply to this comment
by barbjc1 February 10, 2008 11:04 AM PST
Well, this isn''t Great Britain in the 1700''s. There are two very valid reasons why she is stating this. One the KKK is alive and well unfortunately here in the US, two, regardless of your personal opinion, by Muslim law (Sharia) because his biological and stepfather both are Muslim, he is considered a Muslim. He has publicly said he is a Christian. Thus he is a target to be executed by the so-called religious warriors of Islam.
Oh have you forgotten, John F Kennedy was assasinated in 1963, with a high powered rifle. That is probably why Obama wants to eliminate guns across America.
Besides Ms. Lessing, at 88 years old has seen more and knows more than you probably have. After all considering the honor she has been awarded, she has traveled internationally.
Reply to this comment
by ajironworks4 February 10, 2008 11:10 AM PST
What is this fear mongering . If we fear we lose . Gob Bless Barack Obama and keep him safe , But to fear is why we all are faced with the problems we are in the world today . The controlling interests need to back off in this time of world disparities .
there ar far greater issues at stake here over and above the simple dononation roll of world power . We are running out of Food , within the next 40 years , so attention must be taken to alter this course we are on , a course thats because of Natural Resource domination and these powers not willing to see alternatives developed to take pressure off the shortage of vital resources that we are running out of and at war over today like Oil , and soon food . The future of global farming and food supply http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Borlaug
Reply to this comment
by gkc99 February 10, 2008 11:13 AM PST
Assassination is always a threat in America, especially when the Neocons dominance and the control of the USA by the Religious Reich is so threatened.

I expect the Secret Service is on top of it, despite the fear-mongering by this geriatric case.
Reply to this comment
by kstar42 February 10, 2008 11:15 AM PST
by Muslim law (Sharia) because his biological and stepfather both are Muslim, he is considered a Muslim. He has publicly said he is a Christian. Thus he is a target to be executed by the so-called religious warriors of Islam.
Posted by BarbJC1 at 11:04 AM : Feb 10, 2008
I would have to agree with you there!
Reply to this comment
by ajironworks4 February 10, 2008 11:15 AM PST
The future of global farming and food supply http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Borlaug
The limited potential for land expansion for cultivation%u2014only 17% of cultivable land produces 90% of the world''s food crops[30]%u2014worries Borlaug, who, in March 2005, stated that, "we will have to double the world food supply by 2050." With 85% of future growth in food production having to come from lands already in use, he recommends a multidisciplinary research focus to further increase yields, mainly through increased crop immunity to large-scale diseases, such as the rust fungus, which affects all cereals but rice. Besides increasing the worldwide food supply, Borlaug has repeatedly stated that taking steps to decrease the rate of population growth will also be necessary to prevent food shortages. In his Nobel Lecture of 1970, Borlaug stated, "Most people still fail to comprehend the magnitude and menace of the
Reply to this comment
by ajironworks4 February 10, 2008 11:16 AM PST
The future of global farming and food supply http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Borl
aug

"Most people still fail to comprehend the magnitude and menace of the

''Population Monster''...If it continues to increase at the estimated present rate of two percent a year, the world population will reach 6.5 billion by the year 2000. Currently, with each second, or tick of the clock, about 2.2 additional people are added to the world population. The rhythm of increase will accelerate to 2.7, 3.3, and 4.0 for each tick of the clock by 1980, 1990, and 2000, respectively, unless man becomes more realistic and preoccupied about this impending doom. The tick-tock of the clock will continually grow louder and more menacing each decade. Where will it all end?"[20]


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by plaw7-2009 February 10, 2008 11:17 AM PST
To suggest the man would be assassinated because he is black is an absurd, baseless and a childlike view of the US. She might also be shocked to learn that we have blacks serving in: the US Supreme Court, the White House cabinet, Congress, as mayors, judges, attorneys, doctors, business execs, etc. Oh yeah and they haven''t been assassinated either. I know you''re as old as dirt, but please try to update your closed minded, pedestrian views of the US. At least root it in some form of reality. Perhaps I expect too much from someone who, after all, spent her childhood growing up in various British colonies.
Reply to this comment
by ajironworks4 February 10, 2008 11:19 AM PST
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Reply to this comment
by erasmus6 February 10, 2008 11:24 AM PST
"Nobody shot King George so I don''''t believe Obama will suffer such a fate." posted by hotpaulie

That is because King George is just a white idiot. Obama is black. To a lot of you Americans that is much worse.

I am actually amazed that with all the hatred towards Bush that someone hasn''t tried to eliminate him.
Reply to this comment
by bluestardad February 10, 2008 11:31 AM PST
THIS LADY IS A VISIONARY!....

YES THOSE WHO GAIN FROM KEEPING AMERICA IN THE MIDDLE EAST WOULD TRY TO END AN OBAMA PRESIDENT IN ANY MEANS THEY COULD...

THIS INCLUDES, OIL COMPANIES, ISRAEL, SAUDI ARABIA, NEOCONS, AND THE MILITARY INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX....

IT HAPPENED TO KENNEDY!

AMERICA STAND UP FOR CHANGE OR SHUT UP!
Reply to this comment
by erasmus6 February 10, 2008 11:32 AM PST
"To suggest the man would be assassinated because he is black is an absurd, baseless and a childlike view of the US. She might also be shocked to learn that we have blacks serving in: the US Supreme Court, the White House cabinet, Congress, as mayors, judges, attorneys, doctors, business execs, etc. Oh yeah and they haven''''t been assassinated either." posted by plaw7

Hello!? Are you an American? Obviously you don''t read many posts on this site because if you had, you would realize that racism is alive and well in the good old U.S.A.

There may be blacks serving in the White House, congress etc. but that is a whole lot different that PRESIDENT. Geez, we are talking about a country that is so racist that the blacks have to live in their own neighborhood! YIKES!
Reply to this comment
by chyke1 February 10, 2008 11:33 AM PST
httpwwwnews, you better shut up!! Obama is a better christian than you are, if you''re one!!
Reply to this comment
by aj4321-2009 February 10, 2008 11:34 AM PST
So, by voting against Obama, we will actually be saving him. It makes sense.
Reply to this comment
by Marie Zarankevich February 10, 2008 11:55 AM PST
Hello, reality check! It''s in our genetic makeup to be cautious around that which is unfamliar to us. All creatures are wary when something is different from what they''re used to. It''s so completely natural. That is not racism. We show our HUMANITY by learning to OVERCOME those natural inclinations and be able to interact freely and effectively with one another in spite of it. Our job is not to judge one another on these tiny points of difference, but to bind us together to work toward a purpose that serves us all. We become more human when we do that. As for anyone killing him, I hope that does not happen. It would damage us in ways we do not understand. Think positive thoughts, everyone.
Reply to this comment
by notopennshut February 10, 2008 11:57 AM PST
Lessing''s comments are ludicrous and sickening. Many politicians and non-politicians all over the world have been assassinated. Look at the message behind her words - you will save him by not electing him. What baloney!! Many have died and many will die for the better cause, so do not be swayed. All of us have odds on dying one day, whenever it may be. If that is to be, so be it. Just the rambling words of another eccentric who would be better of writing these words in her next book of fiction.
Reply to this comment
by pilgrimsway-2009 February 10, 2008 12:07 PM PST
I will not vote for Him but to say anything else that implies intent towards Him is very very wrong. I cannot believe C-B-S allowed this story to be published! Were is the common decency.
Reply to this comment
by ringading3 February 10, 2008 12:09 PM PST
I am no fan of Obama! But this dingALing Swed broad, Lessing, has wasted enough of the Planet''s O2, and at 88 should consider checking out herself!
Reply to this comment
by thgdriver February 10, 2008 12:17 PM PST
I don''t think he would be more or less of a target then any president. This is the most powerful political position in the world. The world is full of nut cases wanting to make a name for themselves or further there nut case cause. The secret service always has their hands full guarding the "MAN" or maybe "WOMAN".
Reply to this comment
by homespunlady February 10, 2008 12:22 PM PST
HOPE for the best, PREPARE for the worst.

The election isn''t final until November''s voting is in.

There''s primaries, natural disasters and political maneuvering that''ll go on before then.

This nation''s Economy is in SERIOUS trouble and WHOEVER is President in 09 will have to deal with a lot of "it" hitting the fan; whether it be Obama, Clinton McCain, Huckabe, Ron Paul, some come from behind 3rd party candidate or even GEORGE due to some inane excuse for Martial Law.

Americans are growing ever more saddened, disappointed and angry with the way things are going with this nation and unless there is a drastic turnaround by some miracle we''re guaranteed to be in for rough times ahead.

My guess is WHOEVER IS filling that job is going to have to be careful simply because there are so many that for one insane reason or another would try such a stupid thing and with the way things are going the THAT group is likely to increase.

Poverty Breeds Violence.
Reply to this comment
by truthspeake2 February 10, 2008 12:25 PM PST
OBAMA 2008...
Reply to this comment
by omega39-2009 February 10, 2008 12:26 PM PST
"Nobody shot King George so I don''''''''t believe Obama will suffer such a fate."
posted by hotpaulie

That''s because the people most likely to do that are in the 30% that are propping Bush up.
Reply to this comment
by thgdriver February 10, 2008 12:28 PM PST
This old hag has already dictated who will be president after the next election. She says it will be Hillary or Obama.

I got news for her. McCain will be elected. So Hillary and Obama are safe.
Reply to this comment
by croft777 February 10, 2008 12:28 PM PST
Any president is in a position of getting assasinated,although if you look back though History, presidents and leaders who have been assasinated such as Kennedy, Abraham Lincoln and Martin L. King,were similar in many ways. You will see there is a pattern. The pattern is that these leaders fought for enourmous change within our society. Change that was totally oposed by those who were extreme conservatives. They did not want the change, they prefered society the way it was. Such as MLK for civil right. If you notice, leaders who are not favored among the majority, never get assasinated, but those leaders who are favored among the majority are the ones who usually get assasinated. This is due to the fact that the minority that opposed the favored are those who do not like change, and would assasinate a leader to benefit the minority.
Reply to this comment
by croft777 February 10, 2008 12:30 PM PST
But this imposes a problem for the fact that we never had a black or a women president in the United States, this is a new breed of ideas and most likely a new breed of ideas on whom could possibly be assasinated. Would it be the black man or the woman? It is most likely that either one would have a chance of getting assasinated for the fact they are liberals, although the most likely is the one who is looking to change society in a whole different way. Obama and Clinton have very close ideas on change,and either one of them could become victims, but I think Obama more so then Clinton because of his ideas of Uniting, and how fast he wants to with draw the troops, might cause problem with the conservative thinking. Not only that but the fact that his ideas on racism is in a total different mindset then a vast majority. He sees racism a certain way through his eyes, society sees it in another way. His church has demonstrated this.
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by homespunlady February 10, 2008 12:32 PM PST
croft777 then by your reasoning President Garfield was a great man for change?
Reply to this comment
by thgdriver February 10, 2008 12:44 PM PST
Obama or Hillary have about as much chance of winning the white house as I do. FCOL!

Reply to this comment
by erasmus6 February 10, 2008 12:49 PM PST
"Obama or Hillary have about as much chance of winning the white house as I do. FCOL!" posted by thgdriver

You need to stop posting because everytime you do, you show just how DELUSIONAL you are.


Reply to this comment
by vancouverboo February 10, 2008 12:52 PM PST
I fear for the country if he isn''t elected. The blacks are ready to riot and burn down the cities at the drop of a hat. A defeat of Obama is just the spark that would set it off. LA had enough brains to get OJ off to prevent more riots there. The hands that pull the strings aren''t stupid, you know.
Reply to this comment
by pilgrimsway-2009 February 10, 2008 12:58 PM PST
I fear for the country if he isn''''t elected. The blacks are ready to riot and burn down the cities at the drop of a hat. A defeat of Obama is just the spark that would set it off. LA had enough brains to get OJ off to prevent more riots there. The hands that pull the strings aren''''t stupid, you know.

Posted by vancouverboo at 12:52 PM : Feb 10, 2008

I never thought of that another Rodney king riot?
Reply to this comment
by barbjc1 February 10, 2008 1:01 PM PST
Oh isn''t that just great, if we don''t do what the blacks want and they are 11% of the population they will riot. That makes me sick, because if they do that over an election, then this country is in more trouble than having a black President would cure.
Reply to this comment
by pilgrimsway-2009 February 10, 2008 1:03 PM PST
11% has done a lot of damage in riots yes?
Reply to this comment
by luvcomments February 10, 2008 1:03 PM PST
vancouverboo - you are a nut job. Thoughts like yours are what divide humanity, i.e. "the blacks...."

erasmus6 - you are right on the mark.

Doris Lessing - stick to poetry; this country certainly doesn''t need any more negativism than we''ve been saddled with under the present regime. Not that the same thoughts for his safety haven''t crossed my mind, but how about we actually go positive and think Yes We Can? Thoughts like yours are what stop everyone from trying anything. We love to tell people what they are unable to do. No wonder we ended up with what we''ve got !!!!!!!!

Reply to this comment
by undermyboot February 10, 2008 1:04 PM PST
Why create a whole article about a senile 88 year old woman in SWEDEN who does not understand the United States? Who''s agenda is this article pushing? It makes no sense to publish this tripe.
Reply to this comment
by rfcrtl February 10, 2008 1:20 PM PST
That is a danger and it is more likely to happen to Obama than anyone. Racists actually hate blacks, but sexists don''t HATE women, they just don''t want them to have power.
Reply to this comment
by lien2lien February 10, 2008 1:26 PM PST
Unfortunately, the leader of any country is a possible assassination target - man, woman, and regardless of race or religion.
Reply to this comment
by hell2thenaw February 10, 2008 1:41 PM PST
Why is Barack Obama''s father''s ethnicity stressed more than his mother''s?
Reply to this comment
by cdfoxtrot February 10, 2008 1:42 PM PST
Why create a whole article about a senile 88 year old woman in SWEDEN who does not understand the United States? Who''''s agenda is this article pushing? It makes no sense to publish this tripe.

Posted by UnderMyBoot

I''ve been living here for almost 20 years, and I don''t understand Americans or how they think. The fact that she''s in Sweden and not Bum-fu-ck, Tennessee, is neither here nor there. She''s clearly smart and insightful and Americans might learn a thing or two by listening to people like her. The over-reaction to 9/11 by the US is a case in point. This tiny group called Al Queda is not a serious threat to the world''s only Superpower but we''ve squandered hundreds of billions of dollars "fighting" an enemy that doesn''t exist or is too puny to be worried about.





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by tibu987 February 10, 2008 1:43 PM PST
lienlien2

Yes, but the odds are much worse for Obama.
Reply to this comment
by tibu987 February 10, 2008 1:51 PM PST
lien2lien sorry about the mispsell

The possibility of assassination is something both candidates will have to fear although the odds would be against Obama as a black man.

Still, that fear cannot stop one, like Obama, who offers the possibility of exciting and necessary change in the U.S.
I wish Obama the best and hope that he be free from harm.
There are enough whackos in this country to fill all the mental hospitals in the world and then some. We cannot change that.
Reply to this comment
by destardi February 10, 2008 1:56 PM PST
These comments prove how isolated Americans are from the rest of the world; I understand the United States is a huge country, but that''s no excuse to be unfamiliar with the ways of the rest of the world.

"undermyboot" I think she understans America more than you do...what part do you not understand?
Reply to this comment
by lien2lien February 10, 2008 1:58 PM PST
Yes, you could be right, Tibu. Whichever candidate makes it into office, my prayers will be with him or her.
Reply to this comment
by forthepeopl1 February 10, 2008 2:01 PM PST
[edit] Criminal and Civil Prosecutions
Two provisions of the MCA , MISERY HILLARY GOT THIS PAST INTO LAW...WHY

First, the MCA changed the definition of war crimes for which US government defendants can be prosecuted. Under the War Crimes Act of 1996, any violation of Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions was considered a war crime and could be criminally prosecuted. Section 6 of the Military Commissions Act amended the War Crimes Act so that only actions specifically defined as "grave breaches" of Common Article 3 could be the basis for a prosecution, and it made that definition retroactive to November 26, 1997. The specific actions defined in section 6 of the Military Commissions Act include torture, cruel or inhumane treatment, murder, mutilation or maiming, intentionally causing serious bodily harm, rape, sexual assault or abuse, and the taking of hostages. According to Mariner of Human Rights Watch, the effect is "that perpetrators of several categories of what were war crimes at the time they were committed, can no longer be punished under U.S. law."[32] The Center for Constitutional Rights adds:

The MCA%u2019s restricted definitions arguably would exempt certain U.S. officials who have implemented or had command responsibility for coercive interrogation techniques from war crimes prosecutions.
. . . .
This amendment is designed to protect U.S. government perpetrators of abuses during the "war on terror" from prosecution.[33]

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by undermyboot February 10, 2008 2:02 PM PST
America is better than this senile Swede knows. I guess she is stuck in the past. This is not the 60''s anymore.
Reply to this comment
by alanrobisch February 10, 2008 2:03 PM PST
This tiny group called Al Queda is not a serious threat to the world''''s only Superpower but we''''ve squandered hundreds of billions of dollars "fighting" an enemy that doesn''''t exist or is too puny to be worried about.
Posted by cdfoxtrot at 01:42 PM : Feb 10, 2008

you ought to tell that to the tens of thousands of people who have died at their hands or to the families who lost loved ones in 9/11.

Because she is elderly does not make her wise and ditto for for her status as nobel laureate. the head of al fatah was given nobel peace prize.

Its typical of liberals to rule out the danger of al quaeda. what if next time they manage to get their hands on an atomic bomb.
I am not personally fearful but I do not think you should dismiss it either and thats what many liberals do.

Reply to this comment
by luvcomments February 10, 2008 2:05 PM PST
tibu987
I agree with your post, entirely, but it brought a question to mind: given all the killers and those who feel they have some God-given right to do whatever they please, no matter who it hurts, and who obviously are unaccustomed to having been told "no" as they were growing up, do you suppose that if parents disciplined (were allowed to discipline) their kids as we used to, it would produce a changed attitude in the kids growing up, resulting in less violence and killings (as we used to have) ? Seems to me, we have become so willing to accept being told how we can and cannot raise our kids (and everything else) and look at the result!! I''m not talking about beatings or cruelty, just plain disclipline and that includes the word "no". Seems like many go beserk any more if they are rejected or told "no, I won''t do what you want", etc.
Reply to this comment
by tibu987 February 10, 2008 2:15 PM PST
luvcomments

Yes, you are right and I agree with you completely.
However, I do not believe that, that alone would put an end to all the tragic acts that occur in the world.
There will always be many people out there that have
emotional/mental problems that cause them to do what a rational person would not.
If that we could weed them all out, but that of course, is impossible.
Reply to this comment
by February 10, 2008 2:21 PM PST
Some trash is not news worthy!

Could the media or CBS trying to plant a seed?


All I know is, all hell and its fury would break loose on the world never seen.
Reply to this comment
by horse3farm February 10, 2008 2:22 PM PST
I got chills reading this article, because just a few weeks ago, I told my husband Obama would most likely be assassinated or an attempt.

to Luvcomment: you are right on...today''s youth would have benefitted from the parenting of the 1950s.
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