WASHINGTON, Aug. 22, 2008

VP Guessing Game Nears Conclusion

Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh Ruled Out; Sen. Joe Biden Reportedly A Leading Contender

  • Play CBS Video Video Obama's V.P. Selection

    Millions have eagerly awaited word from the Obama campaign announcing the candidate's choice for his vice presidential running mate. Dean Reynolds reports on possible contenders for the position.

  • Video Obama Seeks Strong V.P.

    "Exclusive": Sen. Barack Obama responds to criticism and talks to Harry Smith about his choice for vice president.

  • Video Sen. Obama's Birthday Greeting

    "Caught On Tape": Sen. Barack Obama sings 'Happy Birthday' to Harry Smith, but doesn't deliver on Harry's wish for telling who his vice presidential pick will be.

    • Photo

       (CBS/ AP)

    • Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., pulls into his home driveway and is met by the news media Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2008, in Greenville, Del. Biden, Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh and Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine are believed to be on Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's short list. Photo

      Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., pulls into his home driveway and is met by the news media Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2008, in Greenville, Del. Biden, Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh and Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine are believed to be on Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's short list.  (AP Photo/Bradley C Bower)

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(CBS/AP)  On a day and night of political suspense, Delaware Sen. Joe Biden emerged as a leading contender Friday to become Barack Obama's vice presidential pick as two running mate rivals learned they had been eliminated.

Virginia Gov. Tom Kaine spread word he had been ruled out and Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana was told he was not Obama's choice, according to party officials.

The normally loquacious Biden maintained a low profile as associates said they believed - but did not know - that he would be tapped. They added they had been asked to stand by in case their help was needed.

Additionally, several associates of Obama - including some at his campaign headquarters in Chicago - said they believed Biden was the choice, though they cautioned they had not been told directly.

Compounding the mystery, conservative Rep. Chet Edwards of Texas emerged - however briefly - as a contender.

Former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton's chances remained uncertain on a day filled with them. Senior aides said the Obama campaign had never requested financial or other records from her.

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius rounded out the roster of likely contenders - a list that did not take into account any surprises that Obama might harbor.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no, nooooo," Sebelius told reporters who asked for her latest thoughts on the months-long search.

Three days before Democrats open their convention in Denver, officials said the Obama campaign had taken the trouble to print material bearing the names of several potential ticket mates. The result was to minimizing the significance of a report that one company was churning out signs bearing Bayh's name. >

Read More On What Obama's Top Contenders Did Today

"I think right now they're just trying to tease us," said CBS News chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer. "They want to drag this out, build suspend into it."

In an interview that aired Friday on CBS News' The Early Show, Obama talked about the process.

"Obviously, the most important question is: Is this person ready to be president?" he said. "Can this person help me govern? Are they going to be an effective partner in creating the kind of economic opportunity here at home and guiding us through some dangerous waters internationally?"

And, he added: "I want somebody who is going to be able to challenge my thinking and not simply be a 'yes person' when it comes to policymaking.
(Click here for the exclusive interview with Harry Smith).

Obama told reporters on Thursday he had made his choice, and aides used the prospect of a text-message announcement to try and attract additional supporters by soliciting their cell phone numbers and e-mail addresses.

Even that became occasion for intrigue.

Late Friday, several officials said the text message announcement would be distributed Saturday morning, a few hours before a scheduled rally at the Old State Capitol in Springfield, Ill., where the Democratic ticket would appear for the first time.

Hundreds of miles to the west, carpenters, electricians, sound stage gurus and others transformed the Pepsi Center in Denver into a made-for-television convention venue.

Tucked away in one corner were thousands of lightweight rolled cardboard tubes, ready-made handles for signs bearing the names of the Democratic ticket - once the identity of Obama's running mate was known.

VP Hot Sheet: CBSNews.com Tracks Veepstakes Buzz:
McCain's Top 10 Contenders
Obama's Top 10 Contenders

Edwards, whom House Speaker Nancy Pelosi had touted for running mate, told The Associated Press in Waco, Texas, "I have had interactions with the Obama campaign over the last several months but I will not get into details."

Kaine, a moderate governor from a swing state, boarded a private plane at a small airport for a flight that aides said would take him to suburban Denver.

Bayh, a second-term senator, attended tennis camp with one of his sons, while Biden, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, evidently spent the day at his home in Delaware.

Clinton is apparently not under serious consideration and spent the day at the New York State Fair in Syracuse. Sources say she was not vetted by the campaign, but her supporters are still holding out hope Obama will pick her, reports CBS News correspondent Dean Reynolds.

"My answer to any question about the subject that I think you're referring to is that all inquiries should be directed at Senator Obama's campaign," said Clinton, the former first lady who came close to capturing the nomination in the primaries of last winter and spring.

Despite the advice, neither Obama nor his aides were saying.

Among those believed in the running, Edwards and Biden fit the mold of running mate with experience in defense or foreign policy - areas in which Obama is rated relatively poorly in the polls compared with Republican Sen. John McCain.

Clinton's credentials were forged in the primaries and caucuses where she ran a close second to Obama in the battle for the nomination. She maintains a loyal following among Democrats, many of whom have yet to swing behind the man who defeated her.

There was no shortage of other speculation, ranging from GOP Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, who traveled with Obama to Iraq and Afghanistan, to Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the 2004 Democratic presidential nominee, to Democratic Sen. Chris Dodd of Connecticut.

The emergence of Edwards as a possible selection was the surprise of the day.

Edwards is a favorite of Pelosi, who praised his "extraordinary credentials" on ABC's "This Week" on Aug. 3 and said: "I hope he will be the nominee."

One Democratic official with knowledge of the conversation said Obama told Pelosi recently that she would be pleased with the choice. Other Democratic officials said he was on the short list. All spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss Obama's selection process. .

Read More On Speculation About Rep. Chet Edwards Today

Edwards, chairman of the Appropriations Committee's military construction and veterans affairs subcommittee, is a nine-term moderate Democrat representing the GOP-leaning Texas district. He is well-known in Texas but does not have a national profile.

Several GOP officials said Friday that Arizona Sen. McCain, Obama's Republican rival, had not settled on a running mate - nor offered the job to anyone - although former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty were under serious consideration. It's likely McCain will wait to see who Obama selects before picking his running mate.

Officials said the campaign also was preparing for an "unconventional" nominee, an indication that oft-mentioned former Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge, an abortion-rights supporter, or Connecticut Democrat-turned-independent Joe Lieberman still could be in the running. That category also could include non-politicians whom McCain deeply admires, such as Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq.

Two officials close to Romney said he had not been offered the job. Pawlenty batted away questions Friday in a CNN interview, saying, "I'm sure he'll make a wonderful choice for our party and for our country, and we'll just have to wait until next Friday to find out the answer to those questions."

The GOP convention begins Sept. 1 in St. Paul, Minn.


©MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Add a Comment See all 257 Comments
by vastr-wcon August 22, 2008 2:58 PM EDT
.
Reflecting his character as a Kerry-like shallow, arrogant, platitude-spouting, inexperienced, elitist, narcissistic, flip-flopping gas-bag, hussein will likely pick a running mate who is so bland, unknown and undistinguished he won''t even have a shadow. That is the only way the empty-suit hussein won''t be upstaged by a VP with all those things he doesn''t have, like experience, competence, skill, good judgment, accomplishments, etc.

AMNESTY-JOHN, on the other hand, needs desperately to have a competent, experienced running mate who can take over the Presidency when the inevitable occurs. That makes Romney the best choice.

/
Reply to this comment
by August 22, 2008 4:59 PM EDT
Obama is desperate and he will choose Hillary or he will lose. I personally hope that if he does ask her, she tells him thanks but no thanks. If he chooses Hillary he will come off as the biggest phony of all time, but he is desperate to win and his supporters will hang in there with him.
Reply to this comment
by vietnam21 August 22, 2008 6:53 PM EDT
CHANGE?

From CNN...

In his first race for office, seeking a state Senate seat on Chicago''s gritty South Side in 1996, Obama effectively used election rules to eliminate his Democratic competition.

As a community organizer, he had helped register thousands of voters. But when it came time to run for office, he employed Chicago rules to invalidate the voting petition signatures of three of his challengers.

The move denied each of them, including incumbent Alice Palmer, a longtime Chicago activist, a place on the ballot. It cleared the way for Obama to run unopposed on the Democratic ticket in a heavily Democrat district.

"That was Chicago politics," said John Kass, a veteran Chicago Tribune columnist. "Knock out your opposition, challenge their petitions, destroy your enemy, right? It is how Barack Obama destroyed his enemies back in 1996 that conflicts with his message today. He may have gotten his start registering thousands of voters. But in that first race, he made sure voters had just one choice."

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/05/29/obamas.first.campaign/
Reply to this comment
by vietnam21 August 22, 2008 6:54 PM EDT
CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN...
CHANGE?

From realclearpolitics.com on his record of voting "present" in the Illinois Legislature...

"For example, in 1997, Obama voted "present" on two bills (HB 382 and SB 230) that would have prohibited a procedure often referred to as partial birth abortion. He also voted "present" on SB 71, which lowered the first offense of carrying a concealed weapon from a felony to a misdemeanor and raised the penalty of subsequent offenses.

In 1999, Obama voted "present" on SB 759, a bill that required mandatory adult prosecution for firing a gun on or near school grounds. The bill passed the state Senate 52-1. Also in 1999, Obama voted "present" on HB 854 that protected the privacy of ***-abuse victims by allowing petitions to have the trial records sealed. He was the only member to not support the bill.

Reply to this comment
by vietnam21 August 22, 2008 6:55 PM EDT
MORE CHANGE....
In 2001, Obama voted "present" on two parental notification abortion bills (HB 1900 and SB 562), and he voted "present" on a series of bills (SB 1093, 1094, 1095) that sought to protect a child if it survived a failed abortion. In his book, the Audacity of Hope, on page 132, Obama explained his problems with the "born alive" bills, specifically arguing that they would overturn Roe v. Wade. But he failed to mention that he only felt strongly enough to vote "present" on the bills instead of "no."

And finally in 2001, Obama voted "present" on SB 609, a bill prohibiting strip clubs and other adult establishments from being within 1,000 feet of schools, churches, and daycares."

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2007/02/the_everpresent_obama.html
Reply to this comment
by vietnam21 August 22, 2008 6:56 PM EDT
MORE CHANGE.....???
CHANGE?

The now famous...

"You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing''s replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton Administration, and the Bush Administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not. And it''s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren''t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."
Reply to this comment
by vietnam21 August 22, 2008 6:57 PM EDT
CHANGE?

from the Chicago Sun-Times re: Rezko...

1. They met in 1990. Obama was a student at Harvard Law School and got an unsolicited job offer from Rezko, then a low-income housing developer in Chicago. Obama turned it down.

2. Obama took a job in 1993 with a small Chicago law firm, Davis Miner Barnhill, that represents developers -- primarily not-for-profit groups -- building low-income housing with government funds.

3. One of the firm''s not-for-profit clients -- the Woodlawn Preservation and Investment Corp., co-founded by Obama''s then-boss Allison Davis -- was partners with Rezko''s company in a 1995 deal to convert an abandoned nursing home at 61st and Drexel into low-income apartments. Altogether, Obama spent 32 hours on the project, according to the firm. Only five hours of that came after Rezko and WPIC became partners, the firm says. The rest of the future senator''s time was helping WPIC strike the deal with Rezko. Rezko''s company, Rezmar Corp., also partnered with the firm''s clients in four later deals -- none of which involved Obama, according to the firm. In each deal, Rezmar "made the decisions for the joint venture," says William Miceli, an attorney with the firm.
Reply to this comment
by vietnam21 August 22, 2008 6:58 PM EDT
CHANGE?????
4. In 1995, Obama began campaigning for a seat in the Illinois Senate. Among his earliest supporters: Rezko. Two Rezko companies donated a total of $2,000. Obama was elected in 1996 -- representing a district that included 11 of Rezko''s 30 low-income housing projects.

5. Rezko''s low-income housing empire began crumbling in 2001, when his company stopped making mortgage payments on the old nursing home that had been converted into apartments. The state foreclosed on the building -- which was in Obama''s Illinois Senate district.
Reply to this comment
by vietnam21 August 22, 2008 6:59 PM EDT
And more CHANGE...

6. In 2003, Obama announced he was running for the U.S. Senate, and Rezko -- a member of his campaign finance committee -- held a lavish fund-raiser June 27, 2003, at his Wilmette mansion.

7. A few months after Obama became a U.S. senator, he and Rezko''s wife, Rita, bought adjacent pieces of property from a doctor in Chicago''s Kenwood neighborhood -- a deal that has dogged Obama the last two years. The doctor sold the mansion to Obama for $1.65 million -- $300,000 below the asking price. Rezko''s wife paid full price -- $625,000 -- for the adjacent vacant lot. The deals closed in June 2005. Six months later, Obama paid Rezko''s wife $104,500 for a strip of her land, so he could have a bigger yard. At the time, it had been widely reported that Tony Rezko was under federal investigation. Questioned later about the timing of the Rezko deal, Obama called it "boneheaded" because people might think the Rezkos had done him a favor.

8. Eight months later -- in October 2006 -- Rezko was indicted on charges he solicited kickbacks from companies seeking state pension business under his friend Gov. Blagojevich. Federal prosecutors maintain that $10,000 from the alleged kickback scheme was donated to Obama''s run for the U.S. Senate. Obama has given the money to charity.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/watchdogs/757340,CST-NWS-watchdog24.article
Reply to this comment
by realpatriot1 August 22, 2008 7:00 PM EDT
vietnam21,

You folks can''t get it through your head why legislators voote present. It''s a means to bargian for changes to imperfect bills to make them better before they''re ultimately voted up or down.

His present vote wasn''t a vote for partial birth abortion but it was a vote for Roe vs. Wade.

In the Senate Obama voted against partial birth abortion but the people accusing him of infanticide never mention that.
Reply to this comment
by vietnam21 August 22, 2008 7:00 PM EDT
CHANGE?

Totality of Bills written by Obama in the 110th congress that have passed...

Jun 26, 2007 S.Con.Res. 25: A concurrent resolution condemning the recent violent actions of the Government of Zimbabwe against peaceful opposition party activists and members of civil society.

Jul 13, 2007 S.Res. 268: A resolution designating July 12, 2007, as "National Summer Learning Day".

Passed Senate
Mar 28, 2007 S.Res. 133: A resolution celebrating the life of Bishop Gilbert Earl Patterson.
Reply to this comment
by vietnam21 August 22, 2008 7:02 PM EDT
CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN ??????
AND MORE CHANGE ...
Reply to this comment
by interobserv August 22, 2008 7:07 PM EDT
And let''s not forget "The Keating 5." After all, if McCain hadn''t gotten greedier than the rest of his neocon republickher friends, he may have had a chnce at being president.
Reply to this comment
by vietnam21 August 22, 2008 7:10 PM EDT
CHANGE...
Obama can''t vote ''present'' when he''s president so he''s probably freaking out about that. "You mean I have to take a stand yes or no on something?? Can''t I just keep saying Change and everyone believe me?"
Reply to this comment
by vietnam21 August 22, 2008 7:14 PM EDT
If you find reading facts about Obama''s record OF CHANGE...you should stop asking CHANGE.... questions.
Reply to this comment
by wellhell3 August 22, 2008 7:16 PM EDT
What a pack of HORSE HOCKEY over his VP selection KRAP! Who the hell cares except the freaking media hypes in case they don''t know FIRST! And except Obscamma''s egotistical bull ***** drawing attention to his scam campaign!

Why doesn''t the little rock star just say I haven''t made the decision and I''ll let you know when I make it instead of all tis tittalizing KRAP! It''s just a a lame EGO TRIP!
Reply to this comment
by wellhell3 August 22, 2008 7:18 PM EDT
In the Senate Obama voted against partial birth abortion but the people accusing him of infanticide never mention that.


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Posted by realpatriot1 at 04:00 PM : Aug 22, 2008

Actually his vote was very clear...he is and has been FOR partial birth abortions! His not so charming gas bag wife held fund raisers for those lobbying for it at his events!
Reply to this comment
by wellhell3 August 22, 2008 7:19 PM EDT
And let''''s not forget "The Keating 5." After all, if McCain hadn''''t gotten greedier than the rest of his neocon republickher friends, he may have had a chnce at being president.


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Posted by Interobserv at 04:07 PM : Aug 22, 2008

Four of the Keating 5 were democraps, lest ya not forget! And McCain was acquitted of charges.
Reply to this comment
by vietnam21 August 22, 2008 7:20 PM EDT
The facts on Obama''s voting record are scary. But he is for change so may be I should just ignore the facts on this one and take his word for it. He is a politician so he wouldn''t lie to me. :)
Reply to this comment
by zorar-2009 August 22, 2008 7:28 PM EDT
Obama has picked Hillary..
per democratic text message
Reply to this comment
by vietnam21 August 22, 2008 7:31 PM EDT
CHANGE..
I think he picks Edwards (I DO NOT HAVE *** WITH UHM...), Clinton or Bin Laden.

Reply to this comment
by oneamerican_ August 22, 2008 7:40 PM EDT
From The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

"U.S. Sen. Barack Obama%u2019s presidential campaign paid more than $800,000 to an offshoot of the liberal Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now for services the Democrat''s campaign says it mistakenly misrepresented in federal reports.

An Obama spokesman said Federal Election Commission reports would be amended to show Citizens Services Inc. %u2014 a subsidiary of ACORN %u2014 worked in "get-out-the-vote" projects, instead of activities such as polling, advance work and staging major events as stated in FEC finance reports filed during the primary.

FEC spokeswoman Mary Brandenberger said it is not unusual for campaigns to amend reports, even regarding large sums of money.

But, said Blair Latoff, spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee: "Barack Obama''s failure to accurately report his campaign''s financial records is an incredibly suspicious situation that appears to be an attempt to hide his campaign%u2019s interaction with a left-wing organization previously convicted of voter fraud. For a candidate who claims to be practicing ''new'' politics, his FEC reports look an awful lot like the ''old-style'' Chicago politics of yesterday."
Reply to this comment
by whyafghan August 22, 2008 7:42 PM EDT
I heard Obama was selecting Michael Vick as his VP. He said he wants the best expert available if this election turns into a DOG FIGHT.
Reply to this comment
by zorar-2009 August 22, 2008 7:42 PM EDT
if he doesnt pick HRC, he can kiss even a majority of DEMOCRATS goodbye


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Posted by fenner at 04:20 PM : Aug 22, 2008

You got that right & Obama knows that also whether he admits it or not
Reply to this comment
by bigwhtpony August 22, 2008 7:48 PM EDT
This week, Barack Obama''s challenge is to select a running mate who''s young, hip, and whose accomplishments in life don''t overshadow Obama''s. Allow me to suggest Kevin Federline.
Reply to this comment
by whyafghan August 22, 2008 7:52 PM EDT
When asked about his cocaine addiction, the Kenyan born Barack Obama said it is a culture thing. Well at least 1/2 of it was.
Reply to this comment
by bigwhtpony August 22, 2008 7:53 PM EDT
But most stunningly, when Warren asked Obama if he supported a constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman, Obama said he did not "because historically -- because historically, we have not defined marriage in our Constitution."
Reply to this comment
by bigwhtpony August 22, 2008 7:54 PM EDT
Do we know for a fact Barack Obama has read the Constitution? Obama''s Facebook profile: "I''m pro-infanticide, I love sunsets, and I don''t get the 13th Amendment!"
Reply to this comment
by whyafghan August 22, 2008 7:55 PM EDT
Obama Karma is coming back to haunt him - ILLEGAL BIRTH IN US. LMAO - only Obama
Reply to this comment
by bigwhtpony August 22, 2008 7:56 PM EDT
This is the guy who thinks he can condescend to Clarence Thomas? Asked at the Saddleback forum which Supreme Court justice Obama would not have nominated, Obama said ... the black one!
Reply to this comment
by credibility2 August 22, 2008 8:04 PM EDT
The media is so childish. So Obama has picked his running mater. Big deal. The media is making this out to be like it''s the second-coming. I''m surprised they don''t report minute by minute each time he uses the lavatory, or when he belches, burps or passes gas. After all, aren''t these also newsworthy to the mindless general electorate who are clutching their cellphones and Blackberrys awaiting for that life-changing moment, when they receive enmasse a text message identifying the person he''s selected as his crutch?
Reply to this comment
by pinkneygreen August 22, 2008 8:05 PM EDT
Obama is going after Texas, It''s going to be Rep. Chet Edwards the next Vice President of the United States of America.
Reply to this comment
by kissamaarse August 22, 2008 8:15 PM EDT
What''s what with McCain''s cheek? Is he cloning his choice for vice president, or is it Cheney experiencing a rebirth? Does JukeBox John know which house he''ll be living at this weekend?
Reply to this comment
by benighse August 22, 2008 8:24 PM EDT
I''d like to see an OBAMA/POWELL ticket.

....Then Lieberman should be Mccain''s VP selection. He has the experience. His dynamic style helped Al Gore come in second, and he would most assuredly help Mccain come in second as well. You go JOE! And we hope soon!
Reply to this comment
by pepperp1 August 22, 2008 8:28 PM EDT


Silly no One Cares .....but watch for a de bounce it''s coming...the final when Dems walk away from their Party''s lack of judgement.
Reply to this comment
by fstop100 August 22, 2008 8:42 PM EDT
no guessing game here, we don''t need another inexperienced president. you see what we got now.
i don''t want a repeat!
Reply to this comment
by credibility2 August 22, 2008 8:52 PM EDT
Gravitating towards a possible running mate with the same last name as John "It''s Not My Kid" Edwards is just going to confuse many of Obama''s supporters who aren''t very bright and won''t be able to distinguish.
Reply to this comment
by jackdems August 22, 2008 8:52 PM EDT
Anybody Else Concerned about Obama hiding the fact he used to be Muslim. Why? Now he is being Sued.

Obama''''''''s mother, divorced from Obama''''''''s father, married a man from Indonesia named Lolo Soetoro, and the family relocated to the country from 1967-71. At first, Obama attended the Catholic school, Fransiskus Assisis, where documents showed he enrolled as a Muslim, the religion of his stepfather. The document required that each student choose one of five state-sanctioned religions when registering -- Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Catholic or Protestant. Gibbs said he wasn''''''''t sure why the document had Obama listed as a Muslim."

Gibbs may not have been sure, but it appears that the Obama campaign made sure that this image did not see the light of day, because the photographic listing of the candidate, even as a child, as an Indonesian whose religion was Islam was worth, well, a thousand words. "Senator Obama has never been a Muslim," Gibbs said in the article. "As a six-year-old in Catholic school, he studied the catechism."

That may be Gibbs'''''''' assertion, but evidence from grown-up school chums of little Barry Soetoro indicates that he studied, and excelled in, the teachings of the Koran in the original Arabic and could recite the Shehada, the Islamic article of faith, by heart, and with a decent tune, according to the New York Times
Reply to this comment
by jackdems August 22, 2008 8:53 PM EDT
Obama is being sued in Philly as we speak.

A 2007 Associated Press photograph, suppressed until now, shows the school register of the child who is today known as Barack Hussein Obama but was officially listed then as Barry Soetoro, whose citizenship was listed as "Indonesian" and whose religion was listed as "Islam." The visual evidence starkly contradicts the Obama campaign''s claim that he was not a Muslim and confirms that he is a national of at least one other country.

In addition, it raises the highly problematic issue of what is Obama''s official name. If it turns out to Barry Soetoro, and no official change of name was ever made, Obama may face an array of charges of deception and misprision that may throw into doubt, at the very least, his fitness to run.
Reply to this comment
by mandalay-bay August 22, 2008 8:58 PM EDT
When asked about his cocaine addiction, the Kenyan born Barack Obama said it is a culture thing. Well at least 1/2 of it was.



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Posted by WhyAfghan at 04:52 PM : Aug 22, 2008

if you''re going to write sladering BS, At least make it consistent with the Constitution. People born outside the U.S. cannot run for president. Last time I checked Hawaii was a U.S. state.
Reply to this comment
by trance5-2009 August 22, 2008 9:03 PM EDT
Last time I checked Hawaii was a U.S. state.


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Posted by MANDALAY-BAY at 05:58 PM
======================================================
Mccainw as born OUTSIDE THE US IN PANAMA.
Reply to this comment
by alanrobisch August 22, 2008 9:11 PM EDT
I would like for all the people that think being born outside the united states to american parents makes JOhn McCain not a citizen are wrong. they are citizens the same as if they were born in Iowa from birth. They are issued birth certificates by the state department
Reply to this comment
by oneamerican_ August 22, 2008 9:12 PM EDT
From Drudge:

"KMBC''s Micheal Mahoney reported that the company, which specializes in political literature, has been printing Obama-Bayh material... MORE... Gill Studios, would not confirm information about the material. They would not deny it either. The company president would not comment when asked by Mahoney about the reports. But at least three sources close to the plant''s operations reported the Obama-Bayh material was being produced"


Big whoopie.

Bayh, another super-liberal elitist will be Obama''s running mate.

No surprise there.
Reply to this comment
by oneamerican_ August 22, 2008 9:18 PM EDT
From Drudge:

"KMBC''''s Micheal Mahoney reported that the company, which specializes in political literature, has been printing Obama-Bayh material... MORE... Gill Studios, would not confirm information about the material. They would not deny it either. The company president would not comment when asked by Mahoney about the reports. But at least three sources close to the plant''''s operations reported the Obama-Bayh material was being produced"


Big whoopie.

Bayh, another super-liberal elitist will be Obama''''s running mate.

No surprise there.

Drudge even has a photo of a silly-looking Obama / Bayh bumper sticker.

Yawn.
Reply to this comment
by dana417 August 22, 2008 9:19 PM EDT
Yay HILLARY!

How exciting.

Reply to this comment
by vietnam21 August 22, 2008 9:28 PM EDT
From CNN... Obama calling VP losers, source says
Reply to this comment
by jschmidt27 August 22, 2008 9:29 PM EDT
He sure is milking this for all the publicity he can get. He has the press running around like crazy. Of he will still be Obama, the most inexperienced candidate with no leadership credentials we have had in at least 50 years.
Reply to this comment
by jackdems August 22, 2008 9:33 PM EDT
A prominent Philadelphia attorney and Hillary Clinton supporter filed suit this afternoon in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and the Democratic National Committee. The action seeks an injunction preventing the senator from continuing his candidacy and a court order enjoining the DNC from nominating him next week, all on grounds that Sen. Obama is constitutionally ineligible to run for and hold the office of President of the United States.

Phillip Berg, the filing attorney, is a former gubernatorial and senatorial candidate, former chair of the Democratic Party in Montgomery (PA) County, former member of the Democratic State Committee, and former Deputy Attorney General of Pennsylvania. According to Berg, he filed the suit--just days before the DNC is to hold its nominating convention in Denver--for the health of the Democratic Party.

"I filed this action at this time," Berg stated, "to avoid the obvious problems that will occur when the Republican Party raises these issues after Obama is nominated.".

Berg cited a number of unanswered questions regarding the Illinois senator''s background, and in today''s lawsuit maintained that Sen. Obama is not a naturalized U.S. citizen or that, if he ever was, he lost his citizenship when he was adopted in Indonesia. Berg also cites what he calls "dual loyalties" due to his citizenship and ties with Kenya and Indonesia.

Reply to this comment
by jackdems August 22, 2008 9:34 PM EDT
Even if Sen. Obama can prove his U.S. citizenship, Berg stated, citing the senator''s use of a birth certificate from the state of Hawaii verified as a forgery by three independent document forensic experts, the issue of "multi-citizenship with responsibilities owed to and allegiance to other countries" remains on the table.

In the lawsuit, Berg states that Sen. Obama was born in Kenya, and not in Hawaii as the senator maintains. Before giving birth, according to the lawsuit, Obama''s mother traveled to Kenya with his father but was prevented from flying back to Hawaii because of the late stage of her pregnancy, "apparently a normal restriction to avoid births during a flight." As Sen. Obama''s own paternal grandmother, half-brother and half-sister have also claimed, Berg maintains that Stanley Ann Dunham--Obama''s mother--gave birth to little Barack in Kenya and subsequently flew to Hawaii to register the birth.

Berg cites inconsistent accounts of Sen. Obama''s birth, including reports that he was born at two separate hospitals--Kapiolani Hospital and Queens Hospital--in Honolulu, as well a profound lack of birthing records for Stanley Ann Dunham, though simple "registry of birth" records for Barack Obama are available in a Hawaiian public records office.

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by oneamerican_ August 22, 2008 9:35 PM EDT
Posted by jackDems at 06:33 PM : Aug 22, 2008


Post the link to the story, will you please?
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