Kenya Photo Worth Several Sharp Words From Clinton, Obama Camps
The Drudge Report ran this photo of Barack Obama in Somali garb from a 2006 trip to Africa. The Web site claims Hillary Clinton's campaign provided the photo to it.
A two-year-old picture of Barack Obama dressed in traditional Somali garb has sparked a new war of words between the Democratic presidential front-runner and rival Hillary Clinton, whose aides say they can’t confirm or deny whether her camp is the source of the photo.
The photograph shows the Illinois senator outfitted as a Somali elder during his 2006 visit to northeastern Kenya, part of a five-country tour of Africa. It appeared at the top of Monday’s Drudge Report, and was said to have been provided by Clinton staffers over the weekend.
Now both campaigns are suggesting that the other should feel some sort of shame over the flap. According to Obama aides, the Clinton campaign is sinking to “shameful fear-mongering.” Clinton’s campaign chief retorted that she can’t figure out why Obama would be “ashamed” of having the photo out in the public.
While the source of the photo is unverified, Drudge claims it was sent to the site by a Clinton aide, who argued that had it been a costumed Clinton, it would have made the front pages.
“Wouldn’t we be seeing this on the cover of every magazine if it were HRC,” shorthand for the candidate, Hillary Rodham Clinton, wrote the unnamed Clinton campaign staffer, according to the Drudge Report.
Expressing outrage, Obama’s campaign suggested the purpose of the photo release was to invoke reminders of persistent rumors that Obama is secretly Muslim, and by extension, anti-American.
“On the very day that Senator Clinton is giving a speech about restoring respect for America in the world, her campaign has engaged in the most shameful, offensive fear-mongering we’ve seen from either party in this election,” Obama campaign manager David Plouffe said.
“This is part of a disturbing pattern that led her county chairs to resign in Iowa, her campaign chairman to resign in New Hampshire, and it’s exactly the kind of divisive politics that turns away Americans of all parties and diminishes respect for America in the world,” Plouffe continued.
A longtime member of Chicago’s Trinity United Church of Christ, Obama, who as a child lived for four years in Indonesia, has repeatedly denied that he is Muslim. Previous attacks have been decried by both candidates, and one Clinton campaign volunteer was asked to step down after forwarding an e-mail spreading the Muslim rumor.
But seeing an opportunity to refute the Obama camp’s outrage, Clinton campaign Manager Maggie Williams turned the perceived prejudice on its head.”If Barack Obama’s campaign wants to suggest that a photo of him wearing traditional Somali clothing is divisive, they should be ashamed. Hillary Clinton has worn the traditional clothing of countries she has visited and had those photos published widely,” Clinton campaign manager Maggie Williams said in a statement.
“This is nothing more than an obvious and transparent attempt to distract from the serious issues confronting our country today and to attempt to create the very divisions they claim to decry. We will not be distracted,” she said.
Indeed, the New York senator, her husband, Bill Clinton, and other past presidents have all been photographed in traditional costume while visiting nations abroad.
President Bush and Russian President Vladimir
Putin wore traditional Vietnamese “ao dai” robes
during the 2006 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation
summit in Hanoi, Vietnam. (AP Photo)
Speaking on a conference call, Obama advisers rejected the suggestion that the candidate is shamed by the photo, but likened the incident to receipt of an unwanted Christmas present.
General Scott Gration, who was along on the trip to Africa, said Obama was given the outfit and encouraged to try it on during a visit with Somalis, Gabras and other ethnic groups.
“We all have pictures of us in hats and accepting other gifts. As was pointed out to me earlier, we try on Christmas gifts, sometimes that we may not want to keep, but we try them on as being a grateful recipient. Senator Obama did what any leader should do: accepted the gift, accepted the hospitality, accepted that token of friendship and he did it in a way that showed respect and helped build the bridges that he does so well,” Gration said.
“He’s a unifier in all atmospheres and certainly that day he was somebody who accepted a gift of friendship in a way that we would expect our president to do,” he continued.
Meanwhile, a senior Clinton staff member could not rule out the source of the photo, but suggested that had it been Clinton dressed in such gear, it would’ve been splashed across newspapers around the country.”There are 700 people in our organization. We can’t be sure that it didn’t come from us. It is not the intent of the campaign to release this picture to tarnish Senator Obama in any way. But if someone in the campaign thinks the Obama gets treated differently by the media, well they’re right,” the senior staffer said.
GOPAC head and FOX News contributor Michael Steele said he’d be surprised to find out the photo came from the Clinton campaign.”If there is a staffer who sort of in their own roguish way had gone out and put this out there, this will be their last day on the job,” Steele said.
“I think this is something that just kind of popped up on the ‘Net and they are attributing it to her. I’d be hard-pressed to find someone on the staff who is wasting their time in the heat of this battle to do something like that.”
I don’t care if Obama says he is a Christian. I am strictly against any form of organized religion, but if I go to church for a few years then I could say that I am a Christian couldn’t I? The only person that really knows for sure what religion he is, is Obama.
I would venture to say that this guy is the most drastic far left liberal to ever be considered for the highest of offices. He has no experience or voting record to speak of, and when called to the mat about the “changes” he’s going to bring, he has nothing to say.
I am an independent voter and I think that both Hilary and Barack would be the downfall of the USA as a nation.
If Hilary gets the nomination, I fear for my pocketbook.
If Barack gets the nomination, I fear for my country.
Big deal. Unless the picture was photoshopped, it’s a legitimate photo. Any public official traveling to a foreign country and donning the native dress, whether it be Bill or Hillary Clinton, George Bush, or Barack Obama, picture-taking can be expected. Forget about it.
All I can say is that Barack Obama is the leader Americans need for the clear future of their country. Make no mistake Hillary will lead you into more darkness than ever. Why do I say so? One, she is not clear at all in her records secondly, she does all she can to get something or to be on a certain position; WILL also make sure that she kills as many as she can to remain where she is. Please Americans I would be very please to tell you that Hillary changed her chief campaign manager when she new that she was loosing Blacks votes after using her to get the Hispanics votes in California. Now Hillary is trying to use Williams to get Black Voters.
TAKE CARE Americans Know what is good for you
GOD BLESS Barack Obama
GOD BLESS America
GOD BLESS THE WORLD.
The Clinton campaign have tried to make this a race, gender and religious campaign. All of which has failed. It has failed because of the free will of people to decide what they want to believe, what they want to happen, who they love to hate or respect.
From a religious prospective if we are to deal first with Christianity, Jesus said, ‘He who is without sin cast the first stone’ In politic I think if you are with sin, then you should not cast any dirty stones, because huge pieces of rocks will come flying back at you. Obama has honoured the Karma prospective and will not tear his candidate down.
From the Gender Prospective, women in the western world has fought for the right to be heard, respected, to vote and be equal in the economical glass ceiling. Unfortunately this is not the case in the rest of the world. However we have seen some women once they reach the top or break through the glass ceiling start to behave worse than the men without compassion. We have seen some of them rule by stepping on the necks of men and women whilst they climb up without a nurturing and helping hand. We have seen them use their tears, feminine wildes to conjure up emotive feelings when they are not getting their own way. What type of example is Hillary Clinton setting for other women leaders around the world?
From the Race prospective, we have seen the diverse cultures around the world especially in the Cival rights movement in American fight first to be recognised as a person of colour, not a colour harbouring a person. I wonder how Hillary Clinton would have behaved if she was a Afro American Women candidate campaigning to be president. Would she expect any special favours? It is not enough to pretend that you know what being a person of colour is around the world just by saying it, because if that was the case, then Hillary would have to conceed that words do matter.
For all of those out their who quite rightly want to inform the rest of us that anything outside of a white skin or non christian is not a true American or electable by the people who know what they want……,
just open you fridge, closest, car, dvd’s cd’s, everywhere you go, everything you eat, wear or even the films and music you listen to are made, produced and distributed by all types of people from all the corners of the world. Without all of us pulling together we would get nothing done. We would not get change
VOTE FOR A GLOBAL CHANGE - LET YOUR VOTE COUNT - VOTE OBAMA
Not only a strange name.
Refuses to wear a lapel pin with the American flag on it.
Does not pledge allegiance to the flag.
Buddies up with Al Qaida including wearing their clothes.
The change he’s talking about is the change in your pockets.
If he or Hillary inact all the giveaways they want, they’ll need your change too.
Do you people need a suitcase bomb before you wake up?
His has no list of accomplishments and has not headed up any businesses he certainly is not qualified to run the largest economy, government, and military in the world.
Wake up you morons!
tonyk.
it wouldn’t put it past me that someone from Obamas camp sent the picture out just to try to get voters to feel sorry for him and get votes. I don’t put anything past his camp, because he dosen’t stand for anything. Just words and the young ones who are following him and the laeders of the dem, party who jumps ships just goes to show that not one of them are able to lead the country
Borack should be honored being on stage with “her.” She has a lot experience. She has also done a lot for people who have not had a voice- for years. He’s arrogant- “oh, Hillary- your likeable enough.” I don’t see the magic in him that some people say he has. What has he ever done for anyone? His own advisor got stumped on that one. And, if he gets in office, he still won’t do anything. He’s full of hot air and fluff. He doesn’t have the backbone to stand up for us against the Republicans. What does he stand for anyways? No one knows, that’s risky and pretty scary. I mean, look at “the picture.” How do you know he’s not anti-american and just pulling the wool over our eyes? Let’s use facts and not our emotions to put someone in office. Facts are: Hillary is pro-American. She cares about all people. She has worked for those who have been neglected. She’s helped us, so why not help her? I am not Republican, but if he makes it, I will vote for McCain. I have known some black supremacist types that turn Muslism, like him- that’s who he “really” is. We’re suppose to be uniting the country not dividing it. Borack is a sheep in wolf’s clothing- why else whould that picture bother him unless he has something to hide. He should show who he really is and not try to hide it. I think he has underlying motives and we will find this out when it’s too late!
I WILL NOT scream at you as MR. STONE did.
I do not appreciate dirty tactics in politics. I too witnessed the loss of George McGovern in 1972. Non-the-less, we were beaten out of Vietnam due to poor leadership decisions and history WILL repeat if we fail to learn from the “Political” mistakes of our past.
We need to stand behind our people. I speak of our soldiers that follow the orders of our President, Commander in Chief. Our new president requires experience in such matters. William had NO MILITARY EXPERIENCE. The same applies to her wife… How can rhetoric lead our soldiers in battle? He/She CANNOT. We need a leader that can bring our soldiers and our country victory over tyrany. Who better than a military person?
Watch your back folks… If you knew of Whitewater, you are probably unfortunately dead, by accident. The Clintons are under-handed and will do whatever they need to do to win. Don’t be surprised if someone else dies an unfortunate death in the race to the Whitehouse. Oh, by the way, it won’t be Billary. If Hillary had been taking care of Bill, as she should, he wouldn’t have had to get Monica in the Oval office, among other places.
Respect needs representation in the Whitehouse.
Vote for McCain…………………….
This is typical Clintonian politics. Scare the people into voting for her!!! This is nothing more than latent racism!!! Her “pie-in-the-sky” ridicule of Mr. Obama’s speeches is nothing more than the “cabin-in-the-sky insult to African-Americans.
She is playing race politics!!!!
I’m beginning to wonder why it even matters. Every few months someone is trying to take the word “God” or any reference to religion out of something anyway. When I was in school we prayed every morning and we said grace before every meal. Now no one wants anything to do with anything Godly anymore.
Furthermore I can google plenty of past presidents and political figures that are dressed in traditional clothing for the country that they are visiting. Were they shamed?