Campaign Says Obama Misspoke On Nazi Camp
The Barack Obama campaign said Tuesday the candidate mistakenly referred to the wrong Nazi death camp when relating the story of a great uncle who helped liberate the camps in World War II.
The Democratic presidential candidate said the story is accurate except that the camp was Buchenwald, not Auschwitz.
"Senator Obama's family is proud of the service of his grandfather and uncles in World War II - especially the fact that his great uncle was a part of liberating one of the concentration camps at Buchenwald," campaign spokesman Bill Burton said in a statement. "Yesterday he mistakenly referred to Auschwitz instead of Buchenwald in telling of his personal experience of a soldier in his family who served heroically."
Aides said Tuesday that his grandmother's brother, Charlie Payne, helped liberate a Buchenwald sub-camp in April 1945 as part of the 89th Infantry Division.
In a meeting Monday with veterans, Obama discussed the importance of improving treatment for soldiers suffering post-traumatic stress. To illustrate his point, he talked about his own family.
"I had an uncle who was part of the first American troops to go into Auschwitz and liberate the concentration camps. The story in our family was that when he came home, he just went up into the attic and he didn't leave the house for six months," Obama said. "Now, obviously something had really affected him, but at that time there just weren't the kinds of facilities to help somebody work through that kind of pain."
Auschwitz was liberated by Soviet forces as they marched across Poland in January 1945. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum says Americans liberated several death camps in Germany, including Buchenwald, Dachau and Mauthausen.
"On April 4, 1945, the 89th overran Ohrdruf, a subcamp of the Buchenwald concentration camp. Ohrdruf was the first Nazi concentration camp liberated by U.S. troops in Germany," according to the museum. "A week later, on April 12, Generals Dwight D. Eisenhower, George S. Patton, and Omar Bradley visited Ohrdruf to see, firsthand, evidence of Nazi atrocities against concentration camp prisoners."
Obama's mistaken mention of the camp on Monday quickly generated Internet chatter, ranging from puzzlement to outrage. The Republican Party demanded an explanation.
"It was Soviet troops that liberated Auschwitz, so unless his uncle was serving in the Red Army, there's no way Obama's statement yesterday can be true," said Alex Conant, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee.
© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Democratic presidential candidate said the story is accurate except that the camp was Buchenwald, not Auschwitz.
"Senator Obama's family is proud of the service of his grandfather and uncles in World War II - especially the fact that his great uncle was a part of liberating one of the concentration camps at Buchenwald," campaign spokesman Bill Burton said in a statement. "Yesterday he mistakenly referred to Auschwitz instead of Buchenwald in telling of his personal experience of a soldier in his family who served heroically."
Aides said Tuesday that his grandmother's brother, Charlie Payne, helped liberate a Buchenwald sub-camp in April 1945 as part of the 89th Infantry Division.
In a meeting Monday with veterans, Obama discussed the importance of improving treatment for soldiers suffering post-traumatic stress. To illustrate his point, he talked about his own family.
"I had an uncle who was part of the first American troops to go into Auschwitz and liberate the concentration camps. The story in our family was that when he came home, he just went up into the attic and he didn't leave the house for six months," Obama said. "Now, obviously something had really affected him, but at that time there just weren't the kinds of facilities to help somebody work through that kind of pain."
Auschwitz was liberated by Soviet forces as they marched across Poland in January 1945. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum says Americans liberated several death camps in Germany, including Buchenwald, Dachau and Mauthausen.
"On April 4, 1945, the 89th overran Ohrdruf, a subcamp of the Buchenwald concentration camp. Ohrdruf was the first Nazi concentration camp liberated by U.S. troops in Germany," according to the museum. "A week later, on April 12, Generals Dwight D. Eisenhower, George S. Patton, and Omar Bradley visited Ohrdruf to see, firsthand, evidence of Nazi atrocities against concentration camp prisoners."
Obama's mistaken mention of the camp on Monday quickly generated Internet chatter, ranging from puzzlement to outrage. The Republican Party demanded an explanation.
"It was Soviet troops that liberated Auschwitz, so unless his uncle was serving in the Red Army, there's no way Obama's statement yesterday can be true," said Alex Conant, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee.
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They will tell You All...
There was Absolutely... NONE
Posted by omaar-101 at 10:48 AM : May 29, 2008
For what Obama said--this mistake was no big deal, but for what occurred at each camp it was a big deal.
Auschwitz was a death camp, and that is all. Very few people who went in when it was first built, survived. The "Sonderkommandos" or those who had to clean out the gas chambers and deliver the bodies to the crematorium or dig pits were routinely "purged" and forced to enter the gas chamber themselves. By contrast Buchenwald was primarily a POW camp with a number of dissidents and political prisoners. Most of the deaths at Buchenwald was due to disease, starvation and privation but not to marches to gas chambers. In the end, to get out of cattle car at Buchenwald meant a fair chance at survival--to get out at Auschwitz meant a 50/50 chance of death initially and then an 85% chance of death within a few months. Auschwitz was built to kill Jews and other enemies of Germany, Buchenwald was built to hold those enemies pending transfer. They still died there, but there were not the same system, experiments, factories or camps as they had at Auschwitz.
That%u2019s it. That%u2019s the whole story. Obama said his uncle had liberated one Nazi concentration camp, when in fact, his uncle had liberated a different Nazi concentration camp. Obama got the name of the camp wrong. There was no obvious intention to deceive anyone, or exaggerate a record in a dishonest way. A presidential candidate simply misidentified the specific camp his mother%u2019s brother liberated. An innocent mistake, barely worth raising an eyebrow over.
And yet, Republicans instantly turned the Outrage Machine to 11, as if Obama had claimed to have liberated Buchenwald himself."
Exactly.
for instance, Auschwitz is much more well known than Sobibor, Bergen Belsen, Treblinka and other death camps so it is understandable that a person might confuse the most infamous with another camp (Buchenwald).But to make up elements of a story that never happened and to defend and repeat them over and over and then tell more lies to defend the first set--that is lying. After all, if the man did indeed liberate from a Nazi camp, that would still keep the key facts straight--but nothing will make sniper fire be there when it was not, nor will it change the not running to the planes, the greeting ceremony or the fact that when challenged Clinton stuck to her story in detail. Pathological Liars and detail--always their downfall--especially if there is video. Sort of like telling her story for MONTHS and repeating the RFK assassination for months now saying it was only on her mind due to Ted''''s illness. What about when it was said on March 6, 2008?
It''s harder to say that Obama is articulate, especially when he lies to his followers...
I think not.
The American people will never give Repugs power again. The screwed up too badly this time to ever risk that again.
Hillary ALL the way to the Convention!!!! :-)
Say NO to "O" Cult, Vote NO to Satanic Obama!!!
You Mean...
Real White Women did Not Vote for (Hillary) when they make Up Most of America.
Real White Men don`t want Hillary Or Bill, in the White House Again, if they Did, her A!! would be in John McCain`s Position.
Independents DID NOT VOTE for Hillary & Bill, because they Know, thats Exactly who they would be Truly Voting for...Hillary & Bill.
Note: 17 Million Americans and that does not Include all the Caucauses...Thats one He!! of a Occult.
You`ve mistaken Obama for...
(Mr.666) Himself..Ron-ald Wil-Son Rea-gan
The Reagan`s purchased a Home in BelAir California, the # was (666) and nancy Reagan had the number Changed, though Truth be Told, Changing the Number of the House, Does Not Change his Original Number...Wow What an (Omen)
Heres to (Mr.666) Himself Ron-ald Wil-Son Rea-gan &
(Mr. New World Order) Himself ..Mr. George H. Bush
Total Delegate Count
Updated 10:51 amDemocrats | 2,026 Needed to Clinch
OBAMA (1,974)
CLINTON 1,777
EDWARDS 5
Republicans | 1,191 Needed to Clinch
MCCAIN 1,419
HUCKABEE 231
ROMNEY 149
CBS News estimates. Includes super delegates.
U.S. Commander: Iran War Would Be ''Disastrous''
U.S. Navy''s Persian Gulf Commander Says War With Iran Would Cause ''Aftershocks'' in the Region
www.abcnews.com
RSS The top U.S. Navy official in the Persian Gulf warned in an interview with ABC News that war with Iran would be "pretty disastrous," with "echoes and aftershocks" reverberating throughout the region.
Vice Adm. Kevin Cosgriff, the top U.S. Navy official in the Persian Gulf, told ABC News that war with Iran would be "disastrous," and that the ideal way to interact with the country is through diplomatic methods.
Nobody I''ve spoken to suggests that going to war with Iran is a good thing," Vice Adm. Kevin Cosgriff told ABC News.
"The preferred path by far is the (Diplomatic Path), keep working with the international community to bring the right sort of pressure to bear on the Islamic Republic of Iran."
For years, there has been a swirl of speculation about the prospects of war, as the United States has accused Iran of arming militias in Iraq, trying to develop nuclear weapons and supporting terrorism.
President Bush and other top U.S. officials have repeatedly stressed diplomacy when it comes to Iran, but say "all options are on the table," including the military option.