US News
Report: Obama unaware aunt living illegally in US
Nov 2, 2008, 3:19 GMT
U.S. Democratic Presidential nominee, Illinois Senator Barack Obama speaks at a rally at Coronado High School in Henderson, Nevada, USA, 1 November 2008. With 3 days left until the U.S. Election Day, 04 November 2008, Obama returned to Nevada, to campaign for the state\'s five electoral votes. EPA/LOUIE TRAUB
Washington - The campaign of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has said he wasn't aware that his Kenyan aunt was reportedly living in the US illegally, the Washington Post reported Sunday.
The news about Zeituni Onyango, who is referred to as aunty Zeituni in Obama's memoir, surfaced just as the presidential candidates start counting down hours, not days, to Tuesday's election.
Some Democrats have alluded to the fact that the timing of the disclosure seems politically motivated, as it was apparently leaked to a media outlet by a government official. Obama's Republican rival John McCain did not raise the issue on the campaign trail Saturday.
Obama's campaign said the Illinois senator had no knowledge of her immigration status and that 'any and all appropriate laws' should be followed, the report said.
'They've talked from time to time. She's been in and out of his life. He didn't even know she was in the country,' Obama's spokesman Bill Burton told broadcaster MSNBC.
Onyango, 56, is Obama's father's half-sister. The senator, who grew up in Indonesia and Hawaii, first met his aunt when he travelled to Africa as an adult.
She had apparently applied for political asylum in 2004. Her request was rejected by a federal immigration judge and she was told to leave the country, a government official told the Post.
She attended his swearing-in ceremony as US senator in January 2005, but his campaign said he didn't aid in her visa or stay. Spokesman Burton said Obama had invited her to the US about nine years back to meet the family. Obama last heard from her in 2006, when she said she was in Boston, the campaign said.
'People are suspicious about stories that surface in the last 72 hours of a national campaign, and I think they're going to put it in that context,' said Obama's chief strategist, David Axelrod.
According to Federal Election Commission records, one Zeituni Onyango from South Boston is listed as making contributions worth 265 dollars to the Obama campaign, the Post reported.
The campaign said the money would be refunded. It is illegal for foreign citizens or immigrants without green cards to make political donations.
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Older Talkback
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who should go to jail, just as anybody who releases information about McCain's relatives or access said information, without authorization. 'apparently leaked to a media outlet by a government official.'
Joe the Plumber would sympathize with this.
hxxp://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2008/10 /31/joe.html?sid=101
(Since links are not allowed currently, replace the 'xx' in 'hxxp' to 'tt' to view the newspaper website)
How can this guy be getting 10% of the vote? My God, how the hell many skeletons have to come out of the closet?
'Obama had invited her to the US about nine years back to meet the family. '
She has been here for 9 years? She is on welfare? She is here illegally? She is a foreign citizen and she illegally gave Obama money that she illegally got from the American tax payer to buy her food? She also gets housing and medical coverage no doubt... and since she can't legally work, it is all coming out of Americans pocket.. Redistribution.
THIS IS THE CHANGE WE ARE GOING TO GET.
This is the absolute perfect metaphor for the whole sorry state of events.
you say: 'She is on welfare?'
Nowhere in the story does it say that. It is pure speculation on your part. It is quite conceivable that she is employed. She may be unlawfully employed, but we don't know that either. It is also possible that she appealed the decision and it was granted, or it may still be under appeal and wending it's way through the system. You don't know. So, shut the f*ck up and quit muck raking. Maybe somebody should look into your files. How would you like that? Are your taxes paid up? Got any oustanding warrants? How about a criminal background check on you. Are you a felon and not allowed to vote? I'm sure that we could find your files and dose them up. Have you had inappropriate contact with little children? I bet there is someone of arab descent living within 200 miles of you. That makes you an Al Qaeda sympathizer. You could get rendered. There, see how easy it is to screw somebody around? All it takes is one phone call. 1-800-YER-FCKD
That's true it's just speculation, of course how do you think she's been living? I could also speculate that maybe her poor nephew Barak Hussein Obama has been supporting her? Who knows? I mean give me a break he didn't know she was here illegaly! he's a U.S. Senator either he doesn't give a flip for his family whatsoever that he would not try to help her get legal status cause you can't tell me he has had no contact with the woman he invites her here nine years ago and she never left.... Give us a break... he can't be that ignorant of her oh but everything will be alright he's going to give her the 265.00 dollars or so she donated back, that'll make everything right.
..another stellar myth: He didn't know....
Like he didn't really know Mr. Ayers...
...or Mr. Rezko...
How do I know you're here legally? Until a person has ALL the facts, all it is, is supposition, speculation, gossip. I thought only busy-body old crones engaged in gossip - silly me for having such naive thoughts. This country would be a better place if everybody just minded their own business.
All the bitching, scratching and abusive behaviour of every writer on these M&C pages, is quite useless. OK, it makes good amusement pasting, copying, spouting angry support for one candidate or the other, blind loyalty to parties, abusive comments etc. - BUT WHAT A WASTE OF TIME.
There are an estimated 10-15% floaters or swingers, people who are undecided and not fully committed to any political party. With 240 million eligible voters and around 43% + or say 110 million not voting at all, that leaves about 130 million actual voters.
Floaters at a minimum 10% is 13 million people and THAT is more than enough to decide the result. Any higher and it is a landslide victory.
With the easiest Presidential choice in US history, floaters simply do not know who to vote for. But because of the consisten smear campaign from McCain, it is a certainty that these floaters will at the last minute vote for Obama.
Reason - Disgust of what McCain stands for, dislike of such a neocon smear and traditional conservative attitudes.
I would give it a probability of 0.9+.
Then PRESIDENT ELECT Obama it will be.
Go ahead all you committed Reps and Dems, debate and discusf, it will make a lot of difference , YOU count, YOU are relevant. The FLOATERS too will decide this election and Obama it will be. You can like it or lump it, cry your eyes out or commit Sepukku.
Have a nice bum-fight amongst yourselves until Tuesday, make the most of it, THEN take a bow to Obama. Enjoy the change, it will stay.
Promising future eh ?
My Fellow Americans:
I am not a crook.
Sincerely,
Obama
a.k.a.: lance
The minute I heard about this I knew the right would take it and run with it. They've done some research for any thing and every thing they can come up with to make up for McCain's faltering campaign - reeks of Karl Rove. Maybe the left should check into McCain's first wife and find out details of his character during their marriage, etc. Of course, we all know his moral standing in those years.
'The minute I heard about this I knew the right would take it and run with it.'
The pathetic thing is: After all of the billions of dollars spent on campaigning, neither the left nor right knows their candidates, or the other's candidates.
Hell, I wonder if Obama even knows himself. He may just decide to make 'world citizens' where the U.S. has no borders. Or maybe he will close the borders to the U.S.
It is anyone's guess; and that is the most apathetic and pathetic situation of all.
Billions of dollars spent to get the word out and no one knows what the word is ... and no one cares.
'Nowhere in the story does it say that. It is pure speculation on your part.'
She is, according to the legitimate press.
'It is also possible that she appealed the decision and it was granted,'
Nope, she is a law breaker and a parasite. Probably just like you.
'Maybe somebody should look into your files.'
They probably will seeing as I do not like Obama. Look what happened to Joe the plumber.
'Are your taxes paid up? Got any oustanding warrants? How about a criminal background check on you. Are you a felon and not allowed to vote? I'm sure that we could find your files and dose them up.... '
Yup, heil Obama.
what McCain is all about since he is so into negative campaigning. If he had been able to pick a half-way decent VP and hadn't started with all the negativism, he would have had a whole hell of a lot better chance at the polls. I know more about his negative spiel than what he really stands for - unfortunate to say the least! Since he has gotten so desperate lately, he is acting erratic and not on top of his game.
1 win the war-so that all that money was for something2spend money on the poor like mcain will do3do you really think the world will end if palin is president-we cant wait 8 years-we need her advisorsnow.
'Nowhere in the story does it say that. It is pure speculation on your part.'
She is, according to the legitimate press.
OK, Mr. whar exactly is the 'legitimate press?' Are you going to name the National Inquirer or GOP Disinformation and Smear? Come on now, name names. The public has a right to know.
What else could be expected from Smiley D? Rumor and innuendo, nothing resembling fact and the truth. Where's the source, Smiley D. And I mean REPUTABLE source.
In the REAL world. Palin got pranked by a couple of commedians. The stupid bag didn't even clue in until they gave it to her that she was the butt of a joke. News sites all over the world are laughing at her. Even MSM television in the US wants them to appear. Just to think that people are fooled by her packaging and think she has any substance. I wonder how many thousands of dollars worth of make-up the GOP has plastered on her red face to cover up the embarassment.
The comedian even made some stupid comments along with his questions and she just didn't get it.
McCain was born in Panama? He wasn't even born in the United States of America. One more resaon I cannot vote for McCane.
we need palin to oversee the win in iraq-one tough talking gal
too ignorant to be president or he is lying about not knowing his aunt was illegal. He just has too many unanswered questions about himself. We don't know enough about him even to allow him to be dog-catcher. We know way too much about McCain to allow him to be president. Strike both of these guys and write in somebody worthy and able.
What if we actually voted for one of the other candidates out there like Barr or Nader? What if we actually wanted to get rid of the lies and corruption that have been running this country for the past 30 years? It will never happen because we are all a bunch of whining sniveling spoiled brats! The country that brave men have fought and die to build for us has been destroyed by you wussies who are too afraid to do the right thing and take the power back! You let the corporate media divide and conquer you all! Now you piss your pants when you even think about not voting for the main stream, because you are afraid of what might happen. Well guess what...what you are afraid might happen is happening and will keep happening you blind ignorant 'Liberals' or 'Conservatives'. I have one label for all of you...Sheep!
Politicians have been accused of being crooked and for themselves for as long as there have been politicians - same old, same old. If you dig enough, there can be dirt found about all of them or anybody else for that matter - live with it!
Spoken like a true American...'Live with it'...Good job in proving my point about being a big ignorant Wuss. We would have to live with it if our...on second thought...Your country wasn’t full of people who think like you. So I guess what I was trying to say is you live with it, and if any one else out there wants this country to be what it should be...all you have to do is vote 3rd party and show them that we are done with them. My country is not full of people that will put up with this crap. We may live on the same chunk of land but my country is full of people that will stand up for themselves and there friends and there children! COWARD!!!
'If you dig enough, there can be dirt found about all of them or anybody else for that matter - live with it!'
Look at the AMOUNT of dirt that has been dug up on Obama. It is truly unbelievable that this person who has gotten an incredible amount of money from people who he helped break the law has gotten inches away from wrecking the country.
That his aunt was here illegally and illegally getting money from the tax payers to illegally give to Barack is just the last in a very long list of affronts to any notion of American citizenship that Obama is guilty of.
Obama has a lousy character and a disregard for the country he wishes to represent. How anyone can be so blinded to this is beyond my comprehension.
you say: 'How anyone can be so blinded to this is beyond my comprehension.'
Well, Mr. seeing as how your shoe size is larger than your IQ, everything is beyond your comprehension.
So your idiotic point was that if I had a higher IQ I could see why you don't care that Obama has a lousy character and a disregard for the country he wishes to represent...
Where is the dirt on Ralph Nader?
RE: 'This country would be a better place if everybody just minded their own business.'
Right, who cares if sleeper cells and criminal gangs want to wreck this country. We should just mind our own business.
Nothing brings home the headless chicken mentality of anti-Obama people, especially to those reading this from outside the borders of the US, than their worries about a 'socialist' Obama - yet they seem to have really liked a proper socialist in Tony Blair !
Who cares? McCain/Palin in the next 48 hours will be 'footnotes in history', that is what matters.
Just like the right to read into something that they want to. I still stand behind the statement that politicians have been accused of being crooks forever, and that if you dig deep enough you will find dirt on ANYBODY!! It wasn't meant to say we have to accept it, or not try to change it, it's just the facts - the dirt digging won't change, and there will always be some found - live with it!! Now - did you know the earth is really not flat?
'If you dig enough, there can be dirt found about all of them or anybody else for that matter - live with it!'
Look at the AMOUNT of dirt that has been thrown by McCain. It is truly unbelievable that this person who has abused an incredible amount of people who helped throw mud has gotten inches away from wrecking the country.
McCain has a lousy character and a disrespect for the rules for the promise about taking the high road . How anyone can be so inluenced to this is beyond tragic indeed
McCain's nasty reputation in the Senate - and I don't mean as a maverick, but as how it's been documented about how he treats those around him - plus the really negative attacks during this campaign, goes a long way in saying what kind of character he really possesses.
I disagree. McCain has no character whatsoever. He possesses even less class.
we need to trust palin she will help the poor-and bring ua a nanny state-stand up and fight.
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here's one personNov 2nd, 2008 - 03:45:58
apparently leaked to a media outlet by a government official.
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