Israeli paper: Obama’s campaign approved his western wall prayer for publication
posted at 5:31 pm on July 28, 2008 by Allahpundit
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Geraghty’s skeptical, I’m skeptical — but TNR, to my surprise, isn’t. The word from the JPost:
[A] Ma’ariv spokesman said that “Barack Obama’s note was approved for publication in the international media even before he put in the Kotel, a short time after he wrote it at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem. In any case, since Obama is not a Jew, publishing the note does not constitute an infringement on his right to privacy.”
The paper added that is was “pleased” with its “journalistic accomplishment.”
Really? The entire international media got the green light to publish this, yet only Ma’ariv thought it was newsworthy enough to do so? If they knew what was in the note, why’d they need some dopey kid — who’s now begging forgiveness — to dig it out of the wall for them? Follow the JPost link and you’ll see that they may actually be in criminal jeopardy for publishing it, which might explain why they’re suddenly trying to turn their “journalistic accomplishment” into a campaign leak. TNR notes that, according to Israeli Insider, “Yediot Aharonot, the country’s most popular daily, published an article Friday saying it had also obtained the note but decided not to publish it, to respect Obama’s privacy,” but (a) I can’t find any English language version of the story at the Ynet website, (b) if they did have it, they might very well have gotten it from the same kid as Ma’ariv, and (c) if they had gotten it from the campaign, respecting Obama’s privacy wouldn’t have been a concern. To borrow a point from my critique of McCain’s “troops” ad over the weekend, even if you think Obama’s venal enough to try anything he can get away with, surely he’s not so stupid to think he could get away with issuing his own prayers as press releases. Verdict: Bogus.
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I put nothing past someone who would willing associate and give a $100K earmark with/for Pflemmng Pfleger… IMAO
Branch Rickey on July 28, 2008 at 5:35 PM
Nice to see someone throwing Obama under the bus, for once.
wccawa on July 28, 2008 at 5:36 PM
Nothing Obama is true, his character sucks, his word sucks and his plan for Communist America sucks.
tarpon on July 28, 2008 at 5:37 PM
Wrong. I would put nothing past Obama. Especially to make the Jews look bad. And besides, providing it for public consumption like the article says, proves he’s a Christian and humble.
Andy in Agoura Hills on July 28, 2008 at 5:37 PM
Based on how Obama runs the media I really wouldn’t doubt this. He gets to be seen as someone praying to God and he looks like the victim. All in all its a win win for Obama.
Rbastid on July 28, 2008 at 5:39 PM
Whaaaa?!? (Scratching head scalp…)
newton on July 28, 2008 at 5:42 PM
I heard it was just a fortune cookie slip he happened to have handy.
It actually read:
“A smile is best like rice- not too sticky.”
profitsbeard on July 28, 2008 at 5:43 PM
http://wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=70454
ninjapirate on July 28, 2008 at 5:43 PM
Obama’s campaign wrote his western wall prayer for Obama since no teleprompter allowed there.
Anita on July 28, 2008 at 5:50 PM
Very easy to believe that Obama would want this shown to the world.
He thinks that he is making HISTORY and is THAT important.
He makes me ill.
bridgetown on July 28, 2008 at 5:56 PM
Obama has cast himself as a demi-god; really - all the oceans roll back stuff, etc. It’s not beyond belief that he would use a prayer just as he used the Western Wall - as a political tool. If anything it matches the pattern of his trip, not contradicts it.
I think your “bogus” should be “inconclusive”.
Spirit of 1776 on July 28, 2008 at 5:56 PM
I don’t associate venality with Obama so much as cynicism. I wouldn’t put anything past him or the piranhas on his campaign staff.
RushBaby on July 28, 2008 at 5:57 PM
Yediot did state that they had the note the same day last week and did not choose to publish it, YNET is owned by Yediot aharonot, but does not publish all articles in english so I would not read into that too far. I didn’t see any detail about where they got it last week.
For the claims by Maariv, I can’t say I have any clue whether the Obama campaign leaked the contents for publishing, but judging by the banners and the flashbulbs at the wall, it could be either way & should not be dismissed totally out of hand. For them to claim that the campaign shared the note with media before Obama even left the hotel is pretty ballsy as an outright lie.. If untrue I hope someone answers these questions.
But on the other hand, I can easily imagine that the message in that note might be cleared by one of hundreds of experts / staff with him, and it is not such a stretch that someone thought it would be a great way to show how pious & grounded he is. It would not be the 1st pro-spin leak attempt in a campaign or the 1st bad judgement call either. The Obama camp was pretty silent about the whole thing, they did not comment about the banners, the note, nothing.. That raises my suspicion by default that they did not comment because maybe bad judgement was exercised not just by that kid, but by the campaign too.
saus on July 28, 2008 at 5:58 PM
Since my first thought about this story was that the release of the prayer was intentional, I have to buy this.
Grafted on July 28, 2008 at 6:06 PM
Yeah, Obama would never do this….
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men.” Matthew 6:5
ScottG on July 28, 2008 at 6:14 PM
Here’s the test. Has Obama spoken out against it?
- The Cat
P.S. I mean like right after it came out, not after the firestorm.
MirCat on July 28, 2008 at 6:17 PM
Ding.
baldilocks on July 28, 2008 at 6:20 PM
The Obamas want you to shed your cynicism. But they’re keeping theirs.
baldilocks on July 28, 2008 at 6:22 PM
ROFLMAO! We’ll see.
TheBigOldDog on July 28, 2008 at 6:26 PM
Like I said on an earlier thread on this subject…I’m calling bull$hit on this brouhaha. Too convenient for me, but hey, 9/11 was an inside job, er, um, oh wrong thread./sarc
Big John on July 28, 2008 at 6:30 PM
Lawyer seeks police probe into removal, publication of note Obama put in the Western Wall
Obama submitted a copy of the note to media outlets when he left his hotel in Jerusalem.
We’ll know soon enough.
TheBigOldDog on July 28, 2008 at 6:31 PM
How does one make the raspberry sound in text?
Big John on July 28, 2008 at 6:31 PM
And the Lord Obama sayeth unto the peoples of the earth…
faraway on July 28, 2008 at 6:35 PM
My first reaction to this story,
Obama the Cynic released this and the entire student theft thing was all part of the theatre.
That makes the most sense because it fits Obama’s MO. He doesn’t care about what is said four days later. It’s the initial story that counts with his style.
Beto Ochoa on July 28, 2008 at 6:37 PM
How could anyone think this is NOT true is the real question.
Vigilante on July 28, 2008 at 6:38 PM
They are actually claming on-Jews have no rights to privacy in Israel?
That sort of statement is the kind of arrogance I would only associate with Obama.
jnials on July 28, 2008 at 6:43 PM
To democrats there is no such thing as the truth, only what they want it to be. Clinton could lie without be challenged. Obama is just building on that precedent. When you have no core, the truth cannot exist.
volsense on July 28, 2008 at 6:48 PM
I figured as much.
Obama just refuses to grow up and be responsible.
maverick muse on July 28, 2008 at 7:07 PM
One man’s stupidity is another man’s audaciousness.
Weight of Glory on July 28, 2008 at 7:22 PM
Totally, utterly, without a doubt believable.
SouthernGent on July 28, 2008 at 7:23 PM
Wouldn’t put it past him; not a bit.
Midas on July 28, 2008 at 7:26 PM
Wow…the audacity of Pope-ishness
econavenger on July 28, 2008 at 7:49 PM
The man is an unmitigated fraud.
argos on July 28, 2008 at 7:58 PM
Obama orignally wanted to nail his Vero Possumus seal to the Wall but they wouldn’t let him.
Cicero43 on July 28, 2008 at 7:59 PM
Of course Obama knew some news outfit would find his prayer, and he tailored it accordingly. This guy is so transparent even a blind guy can see through him–unless you’re one of the witless mob that follows him.
WasatchMan on July 28, 2008 at 9:05 PM
Pllrrrrrbbbbbbttttt!
Buford Gooch on July 28, 2008 at 9:06 PM
Somebody dug his prayer out of the wall? That’s as bad as Mouth taking quarters out of the wishing well in Goonies. You can’t steal peoples wishes..and you’re not supposed to steal prayers. Isn’t there some kind of holy stick this kid could get beaten with? Yeah, it’s probably planned but still..it’s crass. Like passing out salacious pictures of your wife…check that out..I’m a lucky guy, huh? Good grief this guy has no class. I’m just waiting for his hip injury to metastisize into an excuse to campaign in short pants. Look for his campaign to shove a grapefruit down his pants and the media to do ‘package’ shots.
austinnelly on July 28, 2008 at 10:32 PM
Let me just add these two cents:
According to Michael Medved, who has been doing his show remote from Israel for the past week or two - during the time of Obama’s visit (one of his listers’ tours, kinda things) - and per his sources there - the Obama campaign provided the text of BHO’s note to the media.
I think I’ll go with Medved’s info.
Does anyone really doubt that BHO never does anything if it is not for a political purpose? Does anyone believe that he would have simply written and placed a prayer into the wall and not made darn sure everyone knew exactly what he was doing - and that he had left a prayer, and what the prayer was?
I don’t. Barack does nothing for nothing.
seanrobins on July 28, 2008 at 10:52 PM
Nothing adds up, if is just a kid that did this why wouldn’t he have kept the note as a keepsake? Why give it to the media? He didn’t sell it as far as I know. If he was an Obama admirer he would not have gave the note away for nothing, he would have kept it.
The whole thing stinks and was planned and staged from beginning to end in my opinion.
Maxx on July 28, 2008 at 11:26 PM
I’ve heard that Karl Rove has a son who converted to Judaism, changed his name to Avrham and attends a Jerusalem yeshiva but dorms on the top floor of the King David Hotel.
Shy Guy on July 29, 2008 at 12:01 AM
It’s hilarious how many people on HotAir are falling for this.
Nonfactor on July 29, 2008 at 1:08 AM
Obama is bigger than the wall…
sabbott on July 29, 2008 at 8:09 AM
A now-Christian Muslim Apostate leaving a prayer at a Jewish holy place. Triple Play!! Bound to upset everybody.
GeneSmith on July 29, 2008 at 8:24 AM
Obama is not saying anything because they actually published someone else’s prayer. His read “You’re next.”
AverageJoe on July 29, 2008 at 10:14 AM
To be fair, the TNR piece has been updated with some belated scepticism. Asking some very good questions actually.
Incidentally, a question no one seems to be asking: Even if Ma’ariv is telling the truth and Obama did approve the release, does that let them off the hook? It seems any journalist with integrity would have refused to participate in such a blatant and venal (to say nothing of sacriligious) bid for attention.
JackOfClubs on July 30, 2008 at 1:03 PM