The Photo
The story is still pretty unclear, but by now you’ve probably heard about “the photo.” The Drudge Report (not the most trusted name in news) released a story claiming that Clinton staffers circulated a photo of Obama from a 5-nation tour of Africa in 2006, in which he tried on Somali garb while in Kenya. This is the kind of thing that happens all the time with politicians traveling abroad; you see photos of congressmen and even presidents doing this a lot. Hell, every time Bush attends an APEC summit he wears something new.
But the problem with the Obama photo is that whoever chose to circulate it chose the one photo which (in the eyes of less-aware people) makes Obama look like he’s a Muslim. This is not just a photo you release randomly or casually. This is a photo you release if you want to do some serious race/religion-baiting, on the level of “accidentally” calling Obama “Osama.” This is a photo you release if you are trying to out-Rove Karl Rove. The photo itself is completely innocent; the intent behind circulating it is explosively sleazy.
Now, here’s the thing: coming from Drudge, you’d want to confirm the story before blasting Hillary for it. Drudge names no sources, though he does quote Clinton staffers. Did the Clinton campaign really release this photo? Maybe it was released by right-wingers attributing it to Clinton in hopes of taking shots at both Hillary and Obama.
However, the responses coming from the Clinton campaign seem to bolster the Drudge story. Had the Clinton campaign not been involved, one would think they would have simply said, “no, we didn’t release that photo; someone is trying to make us look bad,” or something along those lines. But they didn’t. The Clinton campaign simply says the photo wasn’t “sanctioned,” and they are not “aware” of anyone in their campaign circulating it:
“Here’s what I’d say: I’ve never seen that picture before, I’m not aware that anyone here has, I’m not aware that anyone sent any such e-mail.”
That’s not a denial, that’s more a way of saying “it was someone we can claim distance from doing our dirty work.” Hardly proof that the Clinton campaign was involved, but it does give the impression that it’s true. At the very least, it says that the campaign isn’t sure that it wasn’t them, and is covering its bases.
Along with the non-denial denials, the Clinton campaign chided Obama for being offended at nothing, and trying to “distract” people:
“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 wrote in an e-mail to reporters. “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.”
One thing for certain: if the Clinton campaign really did release this photo, then it was a desperate gambit, and probably a really stupid one; Obama could benefit from this a lot more than the photo would hurt him. But then, the Clinton campaign has done a lot of stupid stuff in the past few months.
All this as a new poll shows Obama taking the lead in Texas, and another poll showing Obama coming to within 4 points of Clinton in Ohio.
As an African-American who also has University degree in African, African-American history you are as ignorant (prejudice) bias(racist)as those you are calling wrong about this picture of Obama in his village’s traditunal village dress as all of the main stream media’s ‘EXPERTS ‘ on the “Black” community as acceptable only by rights of Jim Crow laws that allows the FCC to not stop this racist behavior of trying in vain to show how racist they are NOTby way of doing just what you are doing!!!! Examples,
What media news out let would be able to call the Scottish kilts:garb, distaseful, Muslim, etc? And, why is this. This is because too many in the public know that these Kilts and the designs represent clan identity, but then the Scottish do not have Black skin now do they?!? Every(clan) tribe in Africa uses head dress, colors, designs to show the uniqueness of each tribe, but their skin is Black therefore to accept this picture of Obama as no different than a kilt/family crest is unacceptable!!!! It is degrading to the Black culture and to Africa, our Mother land where/why we are proud and so offened . Yet, we must wait for Oprah to get her OWN cabel network to finally get a Black community voice on the public TV channels!!!!!!!!!!!
Um, okay. First off, It was not Obama’s village’s traditional dress, as Obama is not from that village; it was not even his ancestral village, as his father was a Luo (not Somali) and came from the Nyanza Province in western Kenya; Obama tried on the Somali dress in Wajir, which is in the North Eastern Province, clear on the other side of the country, adjacent to Somalia. I am surprised that, as a person who holds a degree in African-American history, you did not take note of these discrepancies.
Second, how am I an ignorant, prejudiced, biased racist? Because I comment on the reaction that is likely to ensue from the selective publication of this photo? If so, then Barack Obama is a racist too, because he objected on the exact same grounds. I am not making any statements about my opinions of various ethnic groups in relation to cultural garb; I am simply pointing out the fact that such prejudices exist in this country and that the photo in question plays on these prejudices.
Your comment to me just helped prove my point for making the comment and telling my expertes about the dress of Africa and the purpose of thisbeing censored on TV, Print and the internet Blogs. Now what does “racism” have to do with yours and my comments not being on main stream media although you never mention what I said about the use of the word “garb” being racistand even forcing you to admit that this “garb” has any thing to do with being a MUSLIM? Now can you say, Black people can plan, can use ever method they can come up with to get the White community to give ath Black community a chance for them to admit that this picture has nothing to do with a religion or Obama’s father or his White mother, but the need to use the Jim Crow law loop holes used by the FCC. Oh, now how can I get a BLOG started about the peace treaty signed in Kenya that the media refuse to cover?Or that Farrakhan has called out the same Black bloc vote that got Kennedy into office over the fears of his relationship with the POPE?