Revising History

It is interesting to compare the difference in media coverage between Republican and Democrat candidates. For instance, remember when Mitt Romney was running for the nomination and all the media focus on his Mormon religion? He even felt obligated to give a speech about his religion and the beliefs by which he and his family live. How does that square with the accountability by which Barack Obama is held for membership in his church in Chicago? He made a speech about 'race' not religious tenets when he did The Speech in Philadelphia. To hear the standard media comments, it was the speech of all times.

When Mitt Romney mentioned that he saw his father march with Martin Luther King, Jr. and then had to say it wasn't a literal reference, the standard media went nuts. What Romney was saying was that his father was quite active in promoting equal rights for black Americans at a time when it wasn't so popular. What Romney was saying was that the old tenets in the Mormon church about race didn't apply to his family's actions.

So, now that Obama is getting a little closer scrutiny after months and months of unbridled adoration from the standard media, with people like Chris Matthews talking about the feeling in his leg, a visual I don't cherish, and others like Dan Abrams stating there is no way for folks to be objective about the Obama campaign, well, coverage had to get a bit more serious after the rants made available from sermons sold by the church of Obama and his wife and daughters. The mission of the church, written by original members in the 60's according to Rev. Wright, is black supremacy and allegiance to the 'mother country' above all else. Since the public outcry, some of the web pages have been revised or just pulled down. If the church wasn't proud of these outrageous statements, they would not be for sale by the church. It is the character of the church.

Rev. Wright was to preach during two church services last Sunday here in Houston. He cancelled due to claims of security risks. None of these alleged threats were ever verified but it sure angered many here that he implied he would not be properly protected in the city. Either way, it gave him cover from public exposure. He also cancelled appearances in Florida and in Dallas. Interesting, though, that he was free to appear at an event honoring Maya Angelou and seemed to manage to remain safe from physical attack.

With a bit more honest coverage of the Obama candidacy comes a bit of fact checking on some of his more grand claims in speeches. For instance, his speech in Selma, Alabama, to highlight his support of the civil rights movement of the Camelot era. What with the whole revisiting of Camelot with his campaign and the Kennedy endorsements, it would be an easy assumption that his parents were all about the movement. Problem is, Obama not only said that the Kennedy administration paid for Kenyans like his father to come to America on student scholarship and this led to his very existence. The Selma march, first held on March 7, 1965, was a good three and a half years after Barack's birth.

The Kennedy family didn't provide funding for a September 1959 airlift of 81 Kenyan students to the U.S. that included Obama's father, contrary to Obama's claims, according to an article written by Michael Dobbs in the Washington Post. He made the claim during a speech at American University and in Selma both last year. Caroline Kennedy referred to how "history replays itself" and "how two generations of two families - separated by distance, culture and wealth - can intersect in strange and wonderful ways," as she endorsed his candidacy and the campaign went into full Camelot revisionist mode. Caroline and uncle Teddy and cousin Maria, it was all so special, wasn't it?

According to the WaPo article, "The Kennedys were first approached for support for the program nearly a year later, in July 1960. The family responded with a $100,000 donation, most of which went to pay for a second airlift in September 1960. Obama spokesman Bill Burton acknowledged Saturday that the senator from Illinois had erred in crediting the Kennedy family with a role in his father's arrival in the U.S."

What's that flapping sound? Chickens coming home to roost?