Politics | 08/15/2008 10:40 am

Obama Camp Fires Back at The Obama Nation

By The Staff at wowOwow.com

Amazon

Barack Obama is hitting back at the author of the bestselling book The Obama Nation. The book argues that the presidential Democratic candidate is a dangerous, radical liar. On Thursday, the Obama campaign published a 40-page rebuttal that criticizes the author, calling Jerome Corsi a "discredited fringe bigot."

The Associated Press is reporting today that Corsi’s anti-Obama book, The Obama Nation: Leftist Politics and the Cult of Personality, contains several claims that are presented as facts but are not true. The AP writes that the book claims "the Illinois senator a dangerous, radical candidate for president. The book is a compilation of all the innuendo and false rumors against Obama — that he was raised a Muslim, attended a radical, black church and secretly has a ‘black rage’ hidden beneath the surface. In fact, Obama is a Christian who attended Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago."

Corsi also suggests, "without a shred of proof" — notes the AP — that Obama may be on drugs at times. Obama has admitted to using marijuana and cocaine as a teenager but he quit when he went to college and hasn’t used drugs since, responds Obama’s camp. Corsi also alleges that Obama is keeping a cigarette addiction secret. "If Obama takes pains to hide his smoking from us, what else does he take pains to hide?" Corsi asks in the book. Click here for a list of additional falsehoods from The Obama Nation, listed in the order in which they appear in the book. (Brought to you by the Research Department at Media Matters for America.)

The Obama camp’s rebuttal is entitled Unfit for Publication, a play on words on Corsi’s Unfit for Command book that launched Swift Boat attacks on the 2004 Democratic candidate John Kerry. The Obama book will be posted on the Obama campaign’s rumor-fighting website, FightTheSmears.com.

Meanwhile, Obama’s campaign calls the book a form of propaganda.

"Jerome Corsi is a discredited liar who is peddling another piece of garbage in order to continue the Bush-Cheney politics he helped perpetuate four years ago," said Obama spokesman Tommy Vietor to MSNBC. "His is one of what will likely be many lie-filled books rushed to print this election cycle that are cobbled together from debunked Internet sources to make money and advance a partisan agenda.

"We will forcefully respond to these smears with all means at our disposal."

Read more about: Barack Obama, Books, News, Politics, The Obama Nation

65 Reader Comments (so far…) Sign In or Register to comment

Good. It’s unfortunate that the Obama Campaign has to take time, energy, and money away from positive things to combat this kind of stupidity, but, as Kerry’s former campaign staff said yesterday, if they had it to do over again, they’d have hit the swiftboat book issue hard, fast, and head on.

By Lorraine Bates on 08/15/2008 10:30 am

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People in here who relish this Corsi book are doing so NOT because they truly believe what is in it, they’re doing so because they want Obama to lose the election and don’t care how it’s done. I challenge those people to go to the link provided in this article that gives a list of every lie and innuendo that has been found SO FAR by media matters. It’s a long list, but if these people truly care about FACT and are not just looking for any type of smear that might work for their agenda, they’ll read it.

By DeBúrca obj on 08/19/2008 9:04 am

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The Anointed One is the liar. First, he said he did not have a talk with Blago about his replacement. Ooopppsss, he did meet Blago on Nov. 5. Blago’s press release and Axelrod confirmed this. Of course, they denied later. Second, he said he is no longer into smoking. Oooopppssss, he admitted recently that he smoked cigarettes during the campaign when nobody’s looking. Smoking is a big no in White House. The other lies: he denied being a friend of Ayers and Rezko,a member of Ayers’ church. A pathological liar! God bless America.

By Yoni Pundit on 12/11/2008 4:11 am

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Dear Republican Kool-Aid drinker: Did you know Laura Bush is a smoker? Did you hear Georgie boy say he lights up a cigar in the Oval Office every now and again?

By Lorraine Bates on 12/11/2008 8:46 am

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I think he is doing a great job. There are a vast array of these sideline types who talk smack, but really have no clue what is going on really. Unfortunately, the media loves these people because they are fringe crazies and say controversial garbage, which creates more internet traffic and personal book sales. It’s a parasitic relationship that has nothing to do with the President nor his leadership abilities.

By gretchen lowe on 07/02/2009 8:35 pm

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Sorry to post twice, but this just irritates me so much. Corsi is a homophobic, bigoted liar. Why in heaven’s name this man can sell a book that makes it on the NYT best seller list floors me. If you really want to see what a racist he is, tune in to his appearance on a white supremacist talk show tomorrow: http://mediamatters.org/items/200808140003?f=h_top

By Lorraine Bates on 08/15/2008 10:36 am

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http://mediamatters.org/items/200408060010 This Jerome Corsi is a consumate scum-bag. You know how they get on the best sellers list? They send out groups of people to buy these books to skew the figures. And, as stated on NPR’s Morning Edition today, they aren’t so worried that nobody is going to read the book…it’s the insinuation and innuendo that is important. How does it feel to have Rove back in the driver’s seat? I think the Dems are better prepared for it this time around…I hope so.

By Diana T on 08/15/2008 11:06 am

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I hope so too, Diana.

By Lorraine Bates on 08/15/2008 11:28 am

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That’s true about the insinuation and innuendo. They really do not care that most people, even those who buy the book, are not going to read it. All they need is to get the smear out there in little quotes and sound bytes for the Right Wing Media to spread around. And you know what else? In four years when the Propaganda Machine needs another book to smear Obama, they’ll use this piece of “scholarship” in the bibliography!

By DeBúrca obj on 08/19/2008 9:34 am

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Forgot to mention, Corsi said this a.m. on Morning Edition, that if said quickly, Obama Nation becomes Abomination.

By Diana T on 08/15/2008 11:07 am

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Bring back the fairness doctrine!

By Tee Zee on 08/15/2008 11:13 am

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Tee Zee How can the Fairness Doctrine keep people from writing books?

By Frannie Em on 08/17/2008 5:46 pm

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Not only is this unfair to Senator Obama and his family, it’s also frightening that there are so many people in this country small minded and ignorant enough to buy into such abominable smut.

By Sherrie Crews on 08/15/2008 11:42 am

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Sherrie, I live in an area where the book is popular and taken seriously. If Rush likes it, then it will sell around here. But, I think the Dems learned a lesson during the Kerry campaign. If you remember, John Kerry, simply would not address issues like this head on from the moment of occurance. I think it is what cost him the election. I don’t think it will happen now.

By Diana T on 08/15/2008 12:15 pm