The Nazi death camp that Barack Obama's great-uncle helped liberate

Barack Obama, at a Memorial Day event in Las Cruces, N.M., credited his great-uncle, Charlie Payne, as being among the U.S. troops who liberated the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz.

The trouble with that bit of history -- as the Republican National Committee pointed out today -- is that the Soviet Red Army was the military force that liberated the World War II death camp.

The RNC seized the opportunity to fire off a news release, saying that “unless his uncle was serving in the Red Army, there’s no way Obama’s statement yesterday can be true. Obama’s frequent exaggerations and outright distortions raise questions about his judgment and his readiness to lead as commander in chief.”

The Obama campaign soon acknowledged that the Democratic candidate made a mistake. It explained that Obama’s great-uncle was in the 89th Infantry Division that helped liberate another notorious death camp, Buchenwald. Obama, the campaign said, “is proud of the service of his grandfather and uncles in World War II -- especially the fact that his great-uncle was part of liberating of one of the concentration camps at Buchenwald.”

All of which raises the question: What's worse, Obama's apparent gaffe or the RNC pouncing on a Holocaust-related historical mistake for political advantage?

-- Stuart Silverstein

Comments

[Rex]

if anyone other than the media darling makes such "gaffe" the media would be all over them with various inferences related to their competency, character, experience, etc.

but obama is immune to all that stuff that could hurt mere mortal politicians. just because his distant relative served in the military we should be impressed with him, but an actual war hero who himself served is "out of touch" or "too militaristic"?

why is RNC pointing out obama's errors/ exaggerations/ lies worse than the candidate who is making all of them? he is distorting McCain's statement to repeatedly lie the McCain wants 100 years of Iraq war - no shame on Obama? He doesn't know the difference between Memorial Day and Veteran's Day and he is somehow the second coming of Camelot or the Christ?

Hillary said nothing wrong about RFK assassination - she was referring to the timeline in the primaries - and the media made a big deal like it is wrong, but obama says he wants to increase Cap Gains tax to be "fair" even though it will reduce tax revenue and hurt economic growth, but that is just dandy. the media who are in the tank for this tyro should be ashamed.

Michelle above wants obama's "caucasian" side to come out so we will be less scared of him! such racism! we are scared of his policies and lack of qualifications - not his race.

Shirlin - hillary also was speaking 18 hrs a day for 18 months when she gave us the sniper story; did the media let it go? RE: shias and sunnis, Iran is actually helping both shia and at one time the sunni (AQI) terrorists to destabilize Iraq and to hurt the US effort.

[Sharron L]

Why use the word "pounce"? If Obama is telling a lie, he is telling a lie. Would this relative be one of the white people in his family that he thinks is racist? Since his grandparents would have been relatives of this great-uncle, perhaps Obama left part of his opinion out. We know what he thinks of his white grandmother who raised him. Such a racist she was to have raised and loved her biracial granchild! And he seems proud of his great-uncle's actions in freeing a nation from a dictator. Good thing Obama wasn't president when the US was dragged into WWII. He might have seen no reason to go.

[gacorrea]

"...liberating of one of the concentration camps at Buchenwald"?

Another historical inaccuracy!

There was only one concentration camp at Buchenwald.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buchenwald_concentration_camp

[Ron]

While I haven't decided who to support in November, I feel good that McCain and Obama are both excellent candidates. I am bothered that BOTH camps jump to highlight verbal gaffes too quickly. When McCain misused the terms Shia and Sunni, it was the dominant topic on TV for several days. Since the media tends to favor Obama, I suspect that his own verbal slip will quickly fade. That is fine. Let's not lose our perspective in this election. Occasional gaffes aside, the nation is going to win whichever of these leaders becomes our next President.

[Bob Keen]

I think that if his great-uncle was a part of the 20-odd thousand people who helped liberate Buchendwald, then it's fine. The liberation of the death camps began in Normandy and we owe eternal gratitude to all the fine men and women who served in WWII.

However, to make such a mistake - Auschwitz instead of Buchenwald - one is led to believe that political profit and not pride in an uncle's accomplishment was the prime motivation behind the original announcement. The things I am proud of, I know and I know them in great detail. Such an error, to me, is indicative of political expediency, relying on the fact that most people have heard of Auschwitz while fewer have heard of Buchenwald.

So, with just a tiny bit of exaggeration and truth-bending, he was hoping for maximum coverage.

All the same, I don't know what his great-uncle's accomplishments have to do with his qualification for the White House.

[kball]

In his 2002 Iraq speech, he claimed his grandfather marched with Patton and liberated Auschwitz. Obama is all about the story and not the facts. This becomes disturbing when he starts to talk about policy.

[Rebel POW]

Amazing now that Obama needs Jewish votes how his 'uncle' mysteriously appears and liberates a death camp... which one, Obama can't remember even though the memory of his uncle's post combat trauma is seared, seared in his memory!

[Deanna]

What's worst is Obama pouncing on Clinton for her comment on RFK's assassination for HIS political gain.

[Mykel]

Yes, Obama made a mistake and so have hundreds of other politicians in the US. I see it as human error, righfully so.

But! What's insane is the stupidity of the liberal democrat to accuse the RNC of taking advantage of the Jewish Holocaust for political reasons. Like the liberal democrats would never do that,.... right? Like they have never slandered or thrashed any RNC member before. Like falsified documents against Bush about his National Guard / war record. You guys are not even smart enough to check the fonts from that era.

Com'on! Be fair! You guys wrote the book on Bush Bashing! You guys wrote the book on rights to everyone including terrorists living in camps or in Detroit. So where do you get off on the RNC being so shameless.

Speaking of shame, liberals, how about over 5 million babies have been killed through abortion since the Iraq war started? Why? Just so women can have unprotected sex with men, as they please, with the knowledge that they can "Correct" their mistake legally. A mother killing her own baby? Yes! That's what it is! So who should be shameful of their actions?

[Jefferson]

Exaggeration and distortion will probably never go away in general conversation, much less in politics. I'm not sure Obama's mistake was either, since it seems he only got the name of the city wrong. He didn't exaggerate the details of what his uncle did. Once again the irony of the RNC statement isn't lost on them.

[Sarah]

Uh, he didn't lie and make up a story about snipers in Bosnia like Hillary did, he messed up the name of the death camp. Considering they are all foreign, Eastern-European or German sounding names, that's not a surprise. Naturally, of course the RNC wants to pounce on this, because that's what you do in politics. I just don't think it's worth it, because then it leaves you open to the DNC mocking your candidate for Shiites and Sunnis, etc. It's simply a matter of picking and choosing your battles. This is only highlighting something good about Obama's record, therefore, the RNC should have been smarter and stayed away from it. They've only made him look good.

[LizzabethCan]

Must be some Republicans out there who never sat around hearing the old folks talking and arguing about who did what when... Sounds to me that Barack got it amazingly close, considering some of the stories in my own family.

Of course, what can be proven is the role of Prescott Bush with the Nazis, and strikes me that it would be a whole lot worse to play footsie with Nazis, than to liberate one of their death camps.

[Nick]

They are equal.

What is a better question than:

"What's worse, Obama's apparent gaffe or the RNC pouncing on a Holocaust-related historical mistake for political advantage?"

Is - was Obama the one who stated this fact or was it his writers? Who is to blame for bad information, the leader or those who supply the information so critical to his rule?

Without his cabinet, a leader is nothing. Someone needs to be fired for this mistake, or Obama needs to take responsibility for the mistake. No one would really think twice about a 'mistake in the family tree' however, a blatant mistake like this (although it really isn't so much, he may not be fluent in German, therefore has confused the names.)

If he really is a 'candidate for change,' he should change the acceptance of responsibility of public officials. [or lack thereof] That would champion many a people's vote; many of the people unsatisfied with our current president and administration are those who are frustrated with the bureaucracy in which blame can be buried. The same red tape that buries blame so buries our country.

[Fred]

Obama LIED. His great-uncle NEVER went to Auschwitz.
Obama LIED!

[Dianne]

I'm sick of Obama (if we are allowed to call him that) getting a free pass all the time. It's one thing to be proud of family serving or who has served. It's another thing to constantly embellish and lie while never discussing anything relevant. He's the perfect cardboard candidate for the media.

[keyruh]

Wow, the RNC really got Obama, eh? I mean, how ridiculous. It was a mistake and he's said as much. I'm sick to death of reading 'news' stories about gaffes. People make mistakes!

[fj]

so why so defensive of obama's gaffe?
the RNC's response to obama's error was rather sharp-tongued, but would you rather that the error stand uncorrected?
how quickly did obama's camp come up with the correct name AFTER it was pointed out (in not so nice a fashion).
would have been a non-issue if he has paid more attention to his caucasian side of the family history -

[Heather]

People do not get it. It is not the gaffs themselves, it is the responses! Obama made this one, and the liberal media is very willing to explian it, to help it go away.

If Bush had made this same mistake, the same media would use it for canon fodder for weeks!

There would be article after article about his lack of knowledge of history, his eduction, his IQ. It would go on for at least days, if not weeks!

So why does Harvard educated, lord of the spoken word Obama get treated differently? Does the media question his education, his IQ or his understanding of history? Of course not, he is Obama!

Partisan politcs, plain and simple!

[Wondering]

Frankly, I'm wondering what Obama's uncles or grandfather have to do with whether he would be a good president if he is elected. If an uncle liberating a concentration camp qualifies the nephew to lead a nation, then would this also disqualify just about any German from holding any government position now? After all, many of their grandfathers, possibly even some of their uncles were in the German/Nazi army... I think rather than criticizing Obama for not getting his facts straight (which betrays not so much his character as his ignorance of history), we should wonder who he is pandering to by using these family connection, and whether he can stand on his own two feet as president. And that, in my opinion, is very doubtful.

[Ed SKy]

Camp Mgr: Barry, have you got any family history that has heroic national relevance?

Obama: Hmmmmmmmm....Well, my grandfather fought in the war and I think he was one of many thousands that was stationed near Buchenwald when it was liberated.

Camp Mgr: Buchwald? What the heck is that?

Obama: It was a concentration camp in Germany during WWII.

Camp. Mgr: Hmm. That's good, but no one's ever heard of Buchenwald. Let's say he liberated Auschwitz.

Obama: But that would be a lie.

Camp Mgr: Nah! No one will know, and if someone does figure it out we'll just say it was a mistake.

Obama: Hey! That's a great idea!

[wow`]

CAREFULL you dont step in Obama's massive pile of bull!!

You bunch of brain washed Obama followers are beyond belief. There is a BIG difference between the NOTORIOUS death camp Auschwitz, which is well known and every kid in school learns about, and a rarely thought of camp, Buchenwald. This bewilders me that any of you seriously think this was just a "mistake". Hillary also "landed in a hail of sniper fire" once but of course it wasn't true and she claimed it was a mistake. Theres a big difference between a hail of gunfire and no gunfire at all. Obamas comment is along the same lines and is a straight up lie! Just another bs democrat. And by the way im 17 and i bet i know more about politics than most of you people. And in case you were wondering if i could vote i wouldn't vote for any. No matter which of the 3 candidates wins we are screwed anyway. But Obama would be the worst. BS zombie followers.....yea listen to that lieing liberal media..... THAT'll help you.......

[Craig Livingstone]

OBAMA, is a fraud, muck like Billary and Mc Bush. They are all the same. Where are our Adams and Jeffersons? Is this all we can produce? Are we at the end of a once great society. I fear, yes. BO, is just another of a long line of poseurs.

[Heather]

Yes, Obama just messed up the names of some cities. No harm down.

Ah, but when McCain messed up Sunni and Shi'te, now this is a disqualifier to be President! Yes, we can not have these mess ups if your a Republican!

Double standard?

[mateo]

niether the US troops nor the Red Army helped "liberate" Jews... it was a by product of victory through a brutal war. Niether had the aim, mission, or will to risk anything for the Jews, and both had a record of purposely doing nothing.

Obama can credit his grandfather for fighting valiantly and being there when the gates were opened at Buchenwald, but there is nothing heroic about our rescue of the jews...

[American]

I'm not surprised that Barack did not remember which concentration camp.

Barack has a real memory problem.

He can't even remember going to a party given for a "Iraqi-born billionaire" just 4 years ago.

Barack "said he didn't recall" meeting a controversial Iraqi-born billionaire at a party held at the home of his former friend and fundraiser, Antoin "Tony" Rezko, on April 3, 2004, because it was in the midst of his campaign for the U.S. Senate seat from Illinois.

Barack didn't deny the assertion of Stuart Levine, a key witness in Rezko's federal fraud trial.

"I just don't have a recollection of the event,"

Barack may not recall Rezko's party for Auchi, but he was not in the "middle" of a U.S. Senate race or speaking all the time.

Indeed, an archived copy of an Barack "upcoming events" schedule on his old Senate campaign web site shows that on a Saturday two weeks later, he had no personal campaign activities.

..................................................................................

Barack has said that his campaign’s position “consistently has been that the Michigan and Florida delegations should be seated.” NPR, 3/14/08

The idea that we’d exclude 2.5 million voters who cast ballots from deciding the nominee is an affront to our democracy and is inconsistent with the ideals on which our nation was founded.

2209 delegates are needed to clinch the Democratic nomination when ALL states and territories are counted in the process. The DNC’s Rules & Bylaws committee meets on May 31 to consider challenges aimed at ensuring that the ENTIRE country decides the Democratic nominee.

Barry + Wright + Resko + Auchi + Michelle = President McSame

OR Maybe ... just maybe .. "President Barr" .. since the DNC didn't count Florida votes when they would have had more value.

We do NOT have to vote for Barack OR the republican ,,, there IS another choice.