Did You Read It First At DRUDGE, Or At JustOneMinute?

Matt Drudge, in a screaming Saturday headline:

OBAMA AUNT ILLEGAL ALIEN, DEFIED DEPORTATION ORDER; DIRTY TRICKS CHARGE

The link is to a Politico discussion of an AP story in which Obama explains that the comings and goings of his aunt are an utter mystery to him.

But it seems like only yesterday (but was actually Thursday) that the intrepid staff of JOM picked up on the story of Obama's aunt and focused on her immigration status:

I don't suppose we can rely on Deval Patrick to clear up Ms Onyango's immigration status, but if George and Condi get involved I can imagine the howls.

That said, I can't find a donor with a last name of "Onyango" from Masachusetts at Open Secrets or the FEC.  Brit magic?

Whatever - maybe she is here illegally, maybe she is contributing illegally; this will be looked into after Nov 4.  It's not as if this is important, like Joe the Plumber.  What, you think Obama's stance on illegal immigration would be affected by his relatives' situation? 

Hmm, the prediction that the press would give this a pass did not hold up.  And such anti-Obama enterprise from the AP, no less.

As to howls, Josh Marshall obliges.

I am now wishing I had published my speculation about the mysterious disappearing campaign contributions - one guess of several in my then-fevered imagination was that the campaign refunded her money and hustled the refund through the FEC data base after the British Times of London called the contributions to their attention.  That said, I have no idea whether that timeline would have been possible.  FWIW, another guess was that the FEC data base picks up individual contributions of $200 or more and does not necessarily capture smaller donations that sum to more than $200, which seems to have happened here.  So how did the Brit reporters learn of her donations? Maybe they asked her!

HMM: Wasn't it Sidney Blumenthal's theory of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy which incuded the hatching of the rumors in the Brit tabloids, after which the mainstream US press legitimized them?  Still, the Times of London a tabloid?  Not exactly, but it is Murdoch-owned!

GOOD POINT:  OK, what does this mean next Tuesday?  My subtle analysis - can't hurt, might help McCain.  But is this a tide-turner?  Only if it leads to a massive headscratching sense of "Who is this guy, and what elese don't we know about him?".

Comments

[Joan of Argghh!]

I only read Drudge when I'm through with slogging thru my Reader feed. So, mostly never. Heh.

I was reading your post aloud as soon as it hit the 'net.

[Clarice]

Seriously,TM, Axelrod's already questioning the timing.

[kim]

I feel sorry for her. About now, she does need political asylum, from American politics.
==========================================

[centralcal]

I think Obama could commit murder at one of his rallies, in front of his supporters, and the media wouldn't report it. Once the news broke on the internet, his supporters would only say it was a distraction.

My point is, that those who support Obama will continue to do so no matter what news may break.

[matt]

she's an elderly lady who probably doesn't have much of a clue

....while a political "gotcha", we should just leave her alone....

[Charlie (Colorado)]

Who isn't, Matt? McCain isn't talking about her. The INS ICE is forbidden to expel her before the election.

If the press happened to notice that BHO has a destitute relative living illegally in public housing, well, maybe he should have done something about it. Shit, he's a Senator, couldn't he have found a half hour to write a private bill to admit her? That ought to have been practically pro forma.

[Compassionte Charlie]

Barack throws Aunt under bus. McCain should adopt the Aunt (living in a slum) and the Brother (living in a hut). If Obama won't take care of his own family, why do his supporters think he will take care of them?

Once Obama is elected, I am looking forward to the pic of the Elian Gonzalez "SWAT" agent with the gun pointed at the poor Aunt's head while she is hiding in the roach infested closet. Hey Auntie, get under the bus or else!!!! (not that I want her deported, but Barry does).

[Steven W.]

The implications of the missing Aunt are three-fold IMO - 1) reminds how bad the press is in the tank for Obama that they've promo'd his grandma, etc., but no known aunt. 2) should outrage the likes of Lou Dobbs and those prior critics of McCain on immigration vs. open borders of Obama. 3) shows how pathetic Obama is when it comes to truly taking care of people; on top of no private donations or charity by either Obamas or Bidens ... it's a poor picture and adds to unease about Obama (i.e. he can't close).

Note Obama + Biden are going out of their way to pitch up something big coming out this weekend ... this isn't what they're afraid of. More likely it's something like the Khalidi dinner speech; if there was one copy ... you'd think there would have to be another and there's got to be at least one news person worth a single grain of salt with the ability and determination to get it. C'mon Carl Cameron - you dug up Bush's DUI on Suday evening before the 2000 election ... how about digging in to the LA Times?

[Thomas]

She's 56--that's not elderly.

For goddsakes, if she was a Palin, we'd examine her uterus. Get a grip.

[BumperStickerist]

Couldn't she hole up in a Sanctuary Church in Boston for, like, three months, until her nephew takes power?

[Quasimodo]

that approach didn't work out so well for me.

[Charlie (Colorado)]

She's 56--that's not elderly.

Waitaminnit, that's only 3 years older than me.

DEFINITELY not elderly.

[Dr. Frederick Frankenstein]

Hey Quasimodo, you know, I'm a rather brilliant surgeon. Perhaps I can help you with that hump.

[Coper]

Obama has murdered allot. He uses lucifer to do this. The things went over the shootings at schools and the 'mad' school that Obama probably likes allot. The things keep on saying it's his wife. I'm sure she pains and probably stares through heads, but Obama would probably handle the school killings. Obama is probably a good painer too. The things think their 'culture' is to have the wife do the killing, but Obama works with his luciferian brothers and the church left, so it should be a problem until he finds a new place to hide. He should see a psychiatrist and get protected because luciferians generally do badly as presidents. He's gonna do allot of killing while he's there and he may want more money.

[Eyegor]

What hump?

[Eyegor]

New "slippery slope" commercial out.

[Pofarmer]

Well, it definately proves that there are illegal contributions going on to Obama's campaign.

[Eyegor]

Maybe it's this?

CAMERON: This whole thing sort of turned for Senator McCain when Joe the Plumber caught Barack Obama in his own driveway and Obama said he wanted to spread the wealth around. That created an opportunity for Senator McCain to talk about the redistribution of wealth that he tagged Senator Obama for advocating, including socialism and the idea that it would be taking money from the wealthy and giving it to the poor. Senator Obama has said that he will cut taxes for people making under $200,000 a year. 95% of Americans – the middle class – he says make under $200,000. But in recent weeks, Joe Biden has said maybe it’s 150. Just yesterday, Bill Richardson suggested more like 120. And now comes a five-year old piece of video tape from former Illinois Senator Barack Obama who suggests that at that time – again 5 years ago – that tax cuts are best targeted for people at significantly lower income levels, as low as $80,000.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA: You know the problem was is that they weren't targeted at the short term stimulus of the economy. What we should have done is if we were going to initiate tax cuts, and I'm a strong supporter of tax cuts for working families like the Earned Income Tax Credit, to initiate things like cuts in the Social Security tax, and other taxes that are really burdensome on families that are making 50, 60, 70 thousand dollars a year.

CAMERON: Republican critics, the McCain campaign strategists say that suggests what they have been asserting all along. That Barack Obama is in some way concealing the true nature of his tax and spend proposals and trying to cast them as tax cuts for the middle class, but in fact what he intends to do is raise taxes on the middle class in the middle of a down economy, which Senator McCain has suggested could actually lead to a depression. …

[Eyegor]

okay, this may be too cute by half, but maybe they hope all the attention will go to Auntie, and the $60K video will be missed?

[Charlie (Colorado)]

And maybe I should go back to my normal brand.

[Pofarmer]

Talking to the parts man at the implement dealership a little while ago. He has a sister in law that is a teacher in some Affluent school in Northern Illinois around Chicago. Big time lib and Obama supporter. He said he asked her "if all this stuff is so important, then why don't you give up your job and go teach in the inner city schools?" She replies " I can do more good teaching about their plight here." She's supposed to be a science teacher and a basket ball coach.

[Charlie (Colorado)]

The amusements just keep coming:

According to a website set up by Lynch’s campaign, Wexler is in engaged in campaign-finance schemes that might amount to money laundering. Lynch even claims that the FBI is investigating. A spokesman for the FBI’s Miami field office told National Review Online they had “no comment.”

Ben Graber, an independent Democrat running a serious candidacy against Wexler and Lynch, has filed his own criminal complaint seeking an investigation.

Lynch’s accusations are as follows. Beginning July 23 — the day after Fox broke the news about the Democratic candidate’s questionable residency — and ending July 30, the Wexler campaign amended 25 Federal Election Commission reports going back to 2001. The amendments removed references to “Newbridge Securities” as a corporation from which the campaign had received funds, replacing Newbridge with a variety of different companies.

Several of the new companies, such as Capital Gains Consultants, Inc., were not in business at the time Wexler’s amended FEC report claims the funds were paid, according to documents Lynch provides. On July 25, in the midst of the Wexler campaign’s revisions to its old filings, Newbridge Securities and its owners were brought up on charges by the Securities and Exchange Comission for securities violations.

[per]

Obama's GDP/GNP tax disappeared.

[Lou Shumaker]

Here's the New York Times' look at it.

[Charlie (Colorado)]

I like this part:

Federal Election Commission records list a Zeituni Onyango on Orton Marotta Way in South Boston as making a series of contributions, totaling $265, to the Obama campaign, with the most recent contribution, $5, made on Sept. 19.

Mr. Obama’s campaign said the money was being refunded. It is illegal for foreign citizens and immigrants without green cards to make political donations. Aides said that the donations came through the normal channels, and that no one at the campaign knew that Ms. Onyango was related to Mr. Obama or of her immigration status. [Emphasis mine.]

So much for the careful downstream checking the Obama Campaign does on these credit card contributions.

[per]

Obama's tax. Yes, it taxes everyone, even the poor.

[bad]

Wonkette via Newsbusters:

Little baby Trig must be so glad he wasn’t aborted for this, his first Halloween, because his parents dressed him up like a political party symbol to be carried around at snarling political events. Aww. Isn’t life just grand?

I thought he was dressed like Obama. The ears were the same size.

[Clarice]

I never liked Wonkette.Never understood the appeal of a blog that traded on basically prostitution for book deals and I like it no better now. When I read a report of its post on Trig it struck me that those who say left women who HATE Palin do so largely because she did not abort Trig. When I first heard that I thought it went a bit far. I know think that analysis hit the mark. Sadly.

I am not sure I'd have made the same decision.
I am not sure my husband and I could manage it as well as she has.
But I admire her choice, not detest her for making it.

[Clarice]

**struck me that those who say left women who HATE Palin do so largely because she did not abort Trig have a point*****.

[MayBee]

I want reporters to ask Axelrod why Auntie hasn't been on the campaign trail for Obama.
The story about the Kenyan family has made it into just about every major speech he's made. Auntie went to his Senate swearing-in, so it isn't like she's a nobody to him. He ditched her when he couldn't use her.

The only reason I can think of that she hasn't been honored by him on the campaign trail is that he knew she was illegal.
That doesn't explain why he took her contributions, of course.

[MayBee]

Are the results of Amnesty hearings public? It seems to me they would be.

[Clarice]

I doubt anyone's checking those contributions. Really.

It's not worth their time.

[Charlie (Colorado)]

Clarice, to be fair, Ana Marie was pretty good, and snarked at everyone. These two new kids are just dicks.

[MayBee]

Nobody is checking the contributions, I agree clarice.

Perhaps that is one reason they continue to try to raise money. They are spending it awfully quickly, and they may end up having to give tens of millions back.

[James Taranto]

The Times of London is a tabloid, see http://www.dexigner.com/graphic/news-g3004.html

[Antimedia]

This is the sort of thing that irks me to no end.

Barack Obama did not know a relative was living in the United States illegally for the past nearly four years prior to today's Associated Press report, "but obviously believes that any and all appropriate laws be followed," the campaign said Saturday in a statement.

The Democratic nominee last heard from Zeituni Onyango, who attended his swearing-in ceremony to the U.S. Senate in 2005 and is a half-sister of Obama's late father, two years ago, when she called to say she was in Boston, the campaign said. Campaign officials said they did not assist her in getting a tourist visa and had not known that she was living in America.

News of Onyango's legal status, which the AP confirmed through sources, including a federal law enforcement official, provided an unwelcome diversion for the Obama campaign during its final push toward Election Day and stoked suspicions among supporters of a political motive behind the timing of the leak.

“The American people are pretty sensible,” said Obama chief strategist David Axelrod, “and I think they are pretty suspicious of things that are dumped in the marketplace 72 hours before a campaign, so I am not concerned about that.”

Wait - what? How is it a dirty trick to report the facts? If it puts his candidate in a bad light, who's damn light is it if not the one of the candidate's own making?

Axelrod's statement makes sense if a rumor was flying (like, oh say, Trig isn't really Sarah's) but this is damn facts that are, to put it mildly, inconvenient for our messiah.

And the press quotes it approvingly.

And we're supposed to think that journalists are smart.

Damn I need my own show. I'd skewer two thirds of the guys that come on with the facts that I know, because I'd call them on their bullshit answers every time.

[Jor]

TM -- political hack -- asking the important questions -- "Who is Obama?". 2 years in the national spot light, 2 auto-biographies -- and wingnuttia accusing of him being a communist, islamo-fascist, terrorist, atheist, socialist, marxist. And TM Still doesn't know who Obama is? Seriously -- HACK! Your boy Bush did a great job the past 8 years -- PLEASE bet against obama on intrade. Conservo-hacks need to start putting their money where their mouths are.

[Jor]

Drudge: Gallup has it at 52-42. Intrade has Obama's shot at victory 84%. 538.com has it at 96%. You guys are going to lose because America is sick of the bullshit.

[bad]

via Protein Wisdom: LUN

My guess - not because I have any reason to believe that this specifically is what happened, but just because every other explanation I can think of strikes me as less probable - is that Obama, as a young black radical with SDS credentials and obvious talent and potential, found it relatively trivial to earn quick admission to the inner circle, spent two years as a gofer, intern, catamite, or what have you for the Ayers crime family, and was rewarded by the gift of a Columbia degree and a ticket to Harvard Law.

Did Bill Ayers have connections in the administrative staff at Columbia? It would be remarkable if he didn’t. Folks, the Movement was the center of the universe in 1968. If you were one of the top hundred people in it, let alone Bill Ayers, you were the giant glowing sun in the core of your social galaxy. You were a stud beyond studs. You had friends everywhere.

And would someone who blows up police stations blanch at planting a file? Honestly, can we even be confident that the staff at Columbia looked at the file? Who are they, and how do we know them? Again: why do we believe that Barack Obama attended classes at Columbia?

Interesting perspective well worth the read. I confess to wondering if this were the case as well.

[kim]

jor, if you had been paying attention you'd know that Obama is hiding great swaths of his past and much of his beliefs. Why did he hang with Wright, Ayers, and Rezko if he's a 'hope and change' moderate? He is a thug, and a pretty transparent one, despite his dodging and ducking. The populace is outraged that he is cheating and buying his way to the Presidency, which he won't get because the MSM and the polls are lying and cheating, too.
===================================

[Antimedia]

Jor

Drudge: Gallup has it at 52-42. Intrade has Obama's shot at victory 84%. 538.com has it at 96%. You guys are going to lose because America is sick of the bullshit.

Be sure you write this down. That way you can read it back to yourself, over and over again, after McCain wins.

[Captain Hate]

But I admire her choice, not detest her for making it.

But, but, but when we say we're for choice, we want it to only be the choice we approve of, doncha know.

[Clarice]

James (hi!) the Tabloid version will be easier to read when you're biking to work to avoid the onerous taxes on driving in London--and then, too, it'll fit better into your dustbin allotment.

[MayBee]

Jor-
What is that poll supposed to say to us?
Do poll numbers change your opinion of something you otherwise don't like?
Were you for the Iraq war when it had majority approval?

[Jor]

kim -- instead of reading tin-foil hat conspiracies -- maybe you ought to take a day and read Obama's first auto-biography.

[bgates]

The Democratic nominee last heard from Zeituni Onyango, who...is a half-sister of Obama's late father, two years ago, when she called to say she was in Boston
That's his defense.

On: Barry? Hello! It's Auntie Zeituni!
Ob: Who?
On: Auntie Zeituni! You remember - from that nice book Mr William wrote about you!
Ob: I haven't...um...he didn't write that. William who? I mean...what do you want?
On: Guess what? I'm in Boston!
Ob: WHAT?
On: Yes, isn't it
Ob:
On: -Barry? I thought if it wasn't too much trouble I could take the bus to Washington and visit you.
On: Barry?

[Clarice]

ooops--I see the date--it went tabloid a few years ago--still the advantages remain the same.

[Barrys Hor]

"America is sick of the bullshit."

You know, the bullshit of believing the citizens can decide how to spend their money better than the government can or the bullshit of protecting us from terrorists. Yep, that bullshit.

[kim]

Jor, I don't believe a word of it. This is a flim-flam man, with a made up resume, and still it is thin.
============================

[MayBee]

I don't see any reason to believe her Amnesty hearing would not have created a public record, do you?
Certainly nobody had to illegally obtain her case records.