Ashcroft refers to Obama as ‘Osama.’
Speaking at Skidmore College yesterday, former Attorney General John Ashcroft “drew hollers of disapproval” when he accidentally referred to Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) as “Osama.” Ashcroft is not the first public figure to mix up the names of the senator and the al Qaeda chief. Mitt Romney, Glenn Beck, CNN and Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) have all done so.
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They all look the same to white folks. This isn’t news, this is America.
April 3rd, 2008 at 9:57 amAnd Chris Matthews called him Senator Barama.
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:00 amI would have enjoyed it if someone had asked,”Secretary Ashcroft, why did you only fly on private jets after getting the word that terrorists might hijack planes, prior to 9/11?
Don’t you think parts of the 9/11 catastrophe might not have occurred, had the public known what you knew?”
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:02 amAshcroft is another has-been, a bible-thumping lawyer (part of Bush’s faith based initiative in government) who, as AG, placed great emphasis on prostitution.
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:04 amJeesh. They really to refer to him as Barrack. But these “accidental” slips of the tongue will only do more damage to the out-of-touch-near-extinct Republican party.
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:05 amBecause I’m fairly certain that when Ted Kennedy did it, it was an honest mistake (since Kennedy is supporting Obama, I doubt he was deliberately conflating him with the Al Qaeda leader). And because Kennedy made that error, it makes sense that others can, too. Still, it’s reasonable to assume that some of these slip-ups are honest accidents and others are calculated.
However, enough of these “accidents” and they will serve only to make the speaker a laughing stock. Obama is well-known enough now that only a small core group of idiots believe he has anything in common with OBL except four letters.
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:05 amoh lord… poor poor old man… read this:
MCCAIN’S SUBTLE DIG AT OBAMA
http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/ archive/ 2008/ 04/ 02/ 851054.aspx
it won’t work, grampa…
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:10 amThere was no “accident.” It is time to call these sleazy, liars out for what they are. Ashcroft should not have been booed. He should have been seized and hung on the spot. The same needs to be done with every right wing liar who spreads the myths propagated by the Right Wing smear machine.
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:12 amSeriously, this has got to stop. Yes, the names are similar, and mistakes do happen, but the continued misinformation of linking Obama to jihad bent Muslims is getting quite old. I mean, has anyone ever continuously misspoke Bush for Tush, with the exception of Gannon?
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:13 amKudos for the Skidmore College crowd for vocally disapproving of the lapse in pronunciation.
Of course, Exley will post that they weren’t booing, they were actually yelling “John, John, John!!!”, followed by an accusation of TP making $hit up!
jeez… where are we gonna find gaffes about hillary?
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:13 amnow that FOX and MURDOCH and SCAIFE are rooting for her?
?
A gay student asked him about gay marriage.
“You can have a relationship, you just can’t have the special status,” Ashcroft said. “You’re not going to get all the benefits that the culture assigns to couples that are likely to produce the next generation.”
So Ashcroft thinks gay couples cannot produce invitro offspring? The man is a walking compendium of stupid.
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:13 am“You can have a relationship, you just can’t have the special status,” Ashcroft said. “You’re not going to get all the benefits that the culture assigns to couples that are likely to produce the next generation.”
quoted from barfly’s post.
You mean, that special status that ends up in divorce over half the time?
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:17 amYou mean, the next generation of kids who will be unloved, abused, assaulted, and anguished?
Marie at 10:00 am
And Chris Matthews called him Senator Barama.
i saw that… and barack just grinned… he must be used to it…
…
but, as for ashcroft, one could reason that maybe he DID have had terrists
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:17 amon his mind all these years, and not BOOBS ON STATUES…
really… this again? this is sooooo last year
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:18 amChris Matthews called the next president of the united states Brama last night.
It’s alright. They will have ample opportunities to get it right over the next 8 1/2 years. That’s right. I said it (ok I wrote it). Barack Obama will be president of the United States of America for two full terms.
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:18 ambarfly - you beat me to it! Notice Ashcroft’s choice of words. He doesn’t say, “I think that you can have a relationship but I don’t think you should have special status.
His choice of words indicates that he seems to think that he’s the one making laws!
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:19 amoh, i dunno, hellina…
• ABC News’ Political Radar blog — Clinton told Richardson that Obama “cannot win:” As she tried to talk New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson out of endorsing Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential bid, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton insisted that Obama cannot beat Republican Sen. John McCain in the fall. “He cannot win, Bill. He cannot win,” Clinton told the governor, “sources with direct knowledge of the conversation” have told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos. Richardson went ahead and endorsed Obama — a decision that appears to have enraged former president Bill Clinton, The San Francisco Chronicle reports. Richardson served in Clinton’s cabinet.
for links:http://blogs.usatoday.com/onpolitics/2008/04/whats-new-1.html
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:22 amJohn Ashcroft is a skid mark on America.
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:26 amThanks for posting that, katy.
On the previous thread, I heard it wrong. Hillary didn’t meet with select super delegates. That was Bill in California, with 25 of them or so.
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:28 amNo problem, Attorney General John Hitler, we all make mistakes.
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:28 amMary: His choice of words indicates that he seems to think that he’s the one making laws!
Well he used to be a Senator, so perhaps he’s remembering his gay-bashing Senate years.
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:31 amkaty, Clinton told america he did not have sexual relations with that woman. I would also venture to say this is payback time that he owes his wife for staying by him during that time. I think it’s sad that a former president would be so divisive in his own party because of his spouse.
Obama has been weathering attacks very well and has shown he can return the punch.
Ask any republican (who you believe would answer honestly) on who would they rather see go up against McCain. Overwhelmingly I have found that this person is Hillary Clinton. The republicans have a whole warchest of attacks just waiting for her. They will break out all the old contempt they had for her husband. The race won’t be about issues. It will be about if you want Bill Clinton back in the white house and all the sexual inuendos that went along.
Obama is a clean break from Bush Clinton Bush Clinton.
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:40 amLast night, Keith Olbermann cited a poll that shows Democrats overwhelmingly give Obama a better chance (than Clinton) of beating McCorpse. Republicans too.
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:50 amI still believe either candidate is far better than McCain. I would love to see Hillary rip him a new one the first time any neocon crap comes out of his mouth. I don’t see how she can rise above Obama though.
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:53 amAshcroft makes me sick — and calling Obama “Osama” is the least of it.
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:53 amSo John Asscroft called someone by the wrong name.
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:55 amJohn “let the eagle soar” Ashcroft: 7 draft deferments, puts fig leaves on statues(if he doesn’t hide them behind drapes), loses elections to dead men, Bush sycophant- A TRUE PATRIOT(wears flag pion in lapel).
BWAAAAHAAAHAAAAHAAAA!
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:57 amAsscroft. That’s funny. It’s even funnier when it’s known he spoke at Skidmore college.
There’s a shitty school joke there somewhere.
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:00 amBigger question–what the holy heck is my alma mater (a hotbed of liberal doings when I was there) doing hosting John Frakking Ashcroft?
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:07 amUncle Ho…you said it all, baby!
;o)
~A
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:08 amZooey Says:
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:53 am
Ashcroft makes me sick — and calling Obama “Osama” is the least of it.
_____
And yet even HE thought the administration’s warrantless wiretapping program was unconstitutional. Shows just how far this administration has strayed from sanity.
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:12 amAshcroft’s a certifiable ding-a-ling. Someone get him a nursing home and quickly!
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:12 amGeez, Uncle Ho…
If I didn’t know better…
I say…
that you…
were puttin’ on…
some serious SNARK…
this morning…
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:21 amSen. Ted Kennedy’s endorsement of presidential candidate Barack Obama made headlines across the nation, largely because the Kennedy family was thought to be firmly situated in the Hillary Clinton camp.
He made an honest mistake..
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:22 amExit Stage Left Says:
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:50 am
Last night, Keith Olbermann cited a poll that shows Democrats overwhelmingly give Obama a better chance (than Clinton) of beating McCorpse. Republicans too.
====
Yeah, no doubt when Olbermann’s not Hillary-bashing he’s cherry-picking polls. Here’s a thought: let’s see what the voters say.
But meanwhile,
http://news.yahoo.com/ s/ nm/ 20080402/ pl_nm/ usa_politics_poll_dc;_ylt=An9VrT__gj8e07O9ek8WtEes0NUE
Clinton leads Obama, McCain in key matchups: poll
Wed Apr 2, 9:04 AM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic presidential contender Hillary Clinton holds a 9-point lead over rival Barack Obama among likely Pennsylvania Democratic primary voters … (Clinton) leads the Illinois senator 50 percent to 41 percent, the poll found. She also runs better against the likely Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain, in Pennsylvania, Florida and Ohio — all important swing states in the general election.
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:24 amArt Says:
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:55 am
So John Asscroft called someone by the wrong name.
________________
That’s AssCROTCH… John Asscrotch…
Geez… can’t you people get anything straight?
(perhaps you didn’t know, but at one point, John was debating the necessity of covering his own name in public…)
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:26 amkaty, it’s not likely that the pundits are going to mangle Hillary’s name, but Tim Russert ought to get a prize for this slip-up: prior to the South Carolina primary he said that Bill Clinton was campaigning “all over South Africa.”
Too freakin’ funny! He turned beet red after that one.
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:28 amsnark?
did someone say snark?
Are you accusing me of trying to initiate a snarkfest?
moi?
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:29 amIt’s time for the singing of our National Anthem…
Oh say can you see… by the dawn’s early SNARK…
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:34 amIt’s time for the singing of our National Anthem…
Oh say can you see… by the dawn’s early SNARK…
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:34 amHmmm… it would appear there’s an echo in here.
SNARK!
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:35 am>Clinton leads Obama, McCain in key matchups: poll
Cool. Even if its accurate, which I doubt, Clintons got sky high negatives, there are way too many people that will never vote for someone with that name. Shes got the stigma of the Clinton name with none of the charisma. As much as I wish it wernt so, these days pretty much no- one is going to get elected president with Charisma..also, she spends waaayy too much of her time trying to pander to people who will never like her…hopefully her vote to give dumbya permission to bomb iraq and also iran was just pandering, but it shows terrible judgement in any case.
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:38 am>with Charisma
without charisma, sorry..
April 3rd, 2008 at 11:38 amI wish someone would start addressing McCain as Sidney.
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:05 pmLet’s be nice to John Asscrotch. I’m sure John just missnarked. Besides, a snark by any other name is still a snark. Let’s snark and let snark, as true progressives are wont to do.
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:12 pmYou’re right, Chocolate Jesus, charisma plays a huge role, but at least half of the Dem voters alone don’t find Obama charming or even “likable enough.” Just because his fervent followers swoon over him doesn’t change the numbers.
And, as I said, we’ll just have to wait and see how people vote.
btw, the “sky high negatives” is a rightwing meme. The general public has heard every last negative there is to hear about Hillary. The Clinton fatigue will actually be a positive when Hillary’s up against McCain. People will just tune out the old Clinton-bashing rehash. I’m sure Hillary is the MSM’s worst nightmare…they want fresh meat to devour.
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:33 pm“I wish someone would start addressing McCain as Sidney.”
I don’t get it…is it the kind of joke that’s still funny if you explain it?
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:35 pmMcSidney
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:44 pmZee, It’s his HusseinMiddleName.
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:54 pmAnd Zee, did you ever see the Disney version of Tom Sawyer?
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:55 pmHis weenie cousin, named Syndey, reminds me of John Sidney McCain.
This is a much bigger issue. It’s the fact that ‘Mericans think they are superior and will not take the time to learn names that sound a bit foreign to them. I have been guilty of it too. I work with many people whose ancestry is Indian or Asian and I sometimes get tongue-tied, but at least I try to learn how to pronounce their name. But as a whole, ‘middle-Americans’ think it’s okay to slaughter names that “sound funny” or are slightly different then your basic, “John or Mary”.
When will we become a worldy country? There are far more brown-skinned people that there are uppity Americans, so get over it!
…Rowdy!
April 3rd, 2008 at 1:01 pmYou mean, ASS-croft don’t you?
April 3rd, 2008 at 1:01 pmHe was a better AG than Gonzo was. I’m just trying to pull a positive out of this. Now time for a song.
April 3rd, 2008 at 1:52 pmThe hills are alive……with the sound of muuuuusic…..
Sorry, I can’t carry a tune in a bucket. ;)
April 3rd, 2008 at 2:08 pmHahaha, they are so desperate.
Luckily for them, ignorant people will think Obama and Bin Laden are related somehow.
April 3rd, 2008 at 2:10 pmLet them call him Osama or Barack Hussein Obama whatever trips their trigger. For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, right? For every crusty old white person who falls for this anti-brown race baiting there is a young person who is booing in the audience who realizes that they NEED to vote to move this country forward.
Frankly the people who use the fear that he’s a Muslim as well as his Christian minister’s highly excerpted comments as a reason not to vote for him are just using that as an excuse for their racism. Of course die hard Republicans wouldn’t vote for him either way. But the fence sitters who after the last 7 1/2 years then vote Republican, well it’s self explanatory.
April 3rd, 2008 at 2:14 pmSnark, snark, snark, snark your bootie …
April 3rd, 2008 at 2:15 pm“For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, right?”
Shayne, you got it. Obama should’ve had you on his team before they tried to force Hillary to “quit.”
====
Rowdy, I think it’s less overt than that. Simplicity, laziness, sure. Both, either. All sorts of nationalities came here and shortened their names. Have you ever tried to read Russian literature? Lordy, the names “those people” have! lol…and I have Russian roots, but not the name to match. In fact, you and I are in the minority here. I never saw such rambling long nyms in my online life!
And Barack himself went by “Barry” in his earlier years. I wish someone would ask him his thinking on switching around his name. I’d love to hear him discuss it as I think it would be a great concrete way to discuss roots, heritage and the American melting pot.
====
RUCerious….John Sidney McCain, huh? Pretty funny. Personally, I think it would be a riot if people started calling him “John Sidney!”
April 3rd, 2008 at 2:33 pmFrankly Zee there are many of us who just want less infighting among Democrats and less feeding of talking points to Republicans. Since Hillary’s campaign is dishing out so much dirt it seems like Rove is working on her campaign many of us are against her more than we are for Obama.
April 3rd, 2008 at 3:00 pmShayne, you are fighting a losing battle.
I have no truck with bashing deluded Obama followers, but I’m just sayin’ — don’t fall for the memes. First of all, it was Obama that hired a thuglican FELON to *train* his campaigners. Look it up. Second of all, before Obama graciously ALLOWED Hillary to stay in the race, as IF it were up to him, anyway…I mean the DAY before, he was out telling PA voters that the Dem primary was like a “good movie that’s gone on a half hour too long.”
Sorry, babe. Bull-hockey.
Hillary’s not the one claiming to be a “uniter.” And by all measures, you have to admit, another claimed uniter is resulting in major major divisions. Even a rethuglican I met in NYC during the last convention had to admit his hero’s claim to be a “uniter” was a dismal bust.
Are you saying Obama fans are even more deluded than that?
April 3rd, 2008 at 4:00 pmRead your own post Zee. Who sounds like the Rovian hack around here? You should feel free to vote for whoever you want, whenever you want. I was an Edwards supporter. I only switched to Obama because I didn’t like Hillary’s tactics. Believe it or not, I couldn’t care less.
April 3rd, 2008 at 4:21 pmLOL! Don’t tell me. The excuse will be that Ashcroft had a senior moment, right?
April 3rd, 2008 at 5:15 pm