Update Newsmax Story author can't cite date of Obama attendance at a controversial sermon the reporter says he witnessed Barack Obama in a pew nodding!
USA Today blog gives the rundown about what has happened here.
Posted by Mark Memmott at 11:10 AM/ET, March 17, 2008 in Democrats, Media, Presidential race, 2008 |
NewsMax's Kessler: Date was wrong; Obama campaign: 'Story is false'
11:50 a.m. ET: "Your headline should be 'story is false,' " Obama campaign spokesman Tommy Vietor just told us.
Until the conservative website NewsMax.com can say for certain what date it maintains Sen. Barack Obama was present when the senior pastor at his church made some controversial remarks, then the "central detail" is wrong and the entire story falls apart, he said...
In its update, the USA Today Blog is reporting...
NewsMax's Kessler: Date was wrong; Obama campaign: 'Story is false'
11:50 a.m. ET: "Your headline should be 'story is false,' " Obama campaign spokesman Tommy Vietor just told us.
Until the conservative website NewsMax.com can say for certain what date it maintains Sen. Barack Obama was present when the senior pastor at his church made some controversial remarks, then the "central detail" is wrong and the entire story falls apart, he said.
(NewsMax has now posted a "clarification" that says its reporter can't give a specific date of when this was supposed to have happened. 2:15 p.m. ET: Also, New York Times columnist William Kristol has now expressed his regret for citing NewsMax's story today. Kristol says that was an error -- and inserts another minor mistake by referring to the Obama "camapaign.")
...The story that's at the center of the storm today is this one from Ronald Kessler at the conservative-oriented NewsMax.com. "Obama attended hate America sermon," it's headlined. Kessler bases that conclusion on a story that NewsMax posted last August. Freelance journalist Jim Davis wrote then that he attended a July 22, 2007 service at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, that Obama was there too, and that during the sermon Wright blamed the:
"White arrogance" of America's Caucasian majority for the woes of the world, especially the oppression suffered by blacks. To underscore the point he refers to the country as the "United States of White America." Many in the congregation, including Obama, nodded in apparent agreement as these statements were made.
As we reported this morning, the Obama campaign said the senator was not present at the July 22 service.
A few minutes ago, Kessler told us by telephone that "the NewsMax editors have talked with Jim Davis" and "he might have been wrong about the date."
Davis, Kessler added, "says he could have been wrong about the date, but it definitely happened."...
http://blogs.usatoday.com/onpolitics/2008/03/newsmaxs-kessle.html
The article upon which Ronald Kessler's article is based was written by reporter/Newsmax correspondent Jim Davis and was published August 9, 2007.
Obama's Church: Cauldron of Division
Jim Davis
Thursday, Aug. 9, 2007
http://archive.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2007/8/8/194812.shtml
We posted in our piece Monday, March 17, 2008 Obama Truth: Flimsy Defense Not in Pew During Controversial Comments Challenged how Davis didn't mention a time - only a date July 22, 2007 - and we explained why that became important when reviewing the LA Times blog where Jim Davis posted with an indication of the time being 7:30 a.m.
Here's what poster Jim Davis posted in commentary at the LA Times blog Top of the Ticket:
I'm the author of the Newsmax article. Yes, it is possible to attend a one-hour church service in Chicago at 7:30 AM that's laden with racially divisive and anti-American rhetoric and nod your head in agreement, get a police escort to zip through traffic to your waiting private jet that has the engines warmed up and ready to go, fly to Miami, get another police escort to zip through traffic, and give a speech to the National Council of La Raza at 1:30 PM.
I notice that NLRC didn't indicate whether Senator Obama started his speech right on schedule. But the weather was perfect for a fast flight.
Posted by: Jim Davis | March 17, 2008 at 03:45 AM
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/03/breaking-news-1.html?cid=107337254#comments
In additional commentary on the site, it became obvious there were three different sermons that day, by different church officials, including Rev. Wright.
From the leads posted to the LA Times blog, we tracked the Trinity sermons for the date of July 22, 2007 and made a post as Citizen Investigator Anonymous
Notice in both Newsmax articles cited, the time of the day is not noted by author Jim Davis. It's only here in this forum that Davis reveals the time he's referencing is 7:30 a.m.
Where's the videotape of the 7:30 a.m. sermon posted (on YouTube) by author Jim Davis? The entire issue should be settled when it turns out the speaker at the morning sermon is as the sales' page for the Trinity church says, not as Jim Davis says:
Rahab The Redeemer - Part 1
Sunday, July 22 2007 6:00 PM
Rev. Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr.
More Info
http://www.tucc.org/store/index.cfm?action=catbrowse&catid=40
I Can't Keep It To Myself!
Sunday, July 22 2007 11:00 AM
Rev. Otis B. Moss III
More Info
http://www.tucc.org/store/index.cfm?action=moreinfo&pid=5940
The Ultimate Friendship: Favor of God
Sunday, July 22 2007 7:30 AM
Jr. Deacon Anthony Burnette, Jr.
More Info
http://www.tucc.org/store/index.cfm?action=moreinfo&pid=5935
Posted by: Citizen Investigator Anonymous | March 17, 2008 at 12:03 PM
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/03/breaking-news-1.html?cid=107337254#comments
It turns out 7:30 a.m. time slot sermon was given by someone other than Rev. Wright.
Newsmax hasn't yet altered its story with the exception of an editorial clarification:
Obama Attended Hate America Sermon
Washington Insider with Ronald Kessler
Obama Attended Hate America Sermon
Sunday, March 16, 2008 7:14 PM
By: Ronald Kessler
Clarification: The Obama campaign has told members of the press that Senator Obama was not in church on the day cited, July 22, because he had a speech he gave in Miami at 1:30 PM. Our writer, Jim Davis, says he attended several services at Senator Obama's church during the month of July, including July 22. The church holds services three times every Sunday at 7:30 and 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Central time. While both the early morning and evening service allowed Sen. Obama to attend the service and still give a speech in Miami, Mr. Davis stands by his story that during one of the services he attended during the month of July, Senator Obama was present and sat through the sermon given by Rev. Wright as described in the story. Mr. Davis said Secret Service were also present in the church during Senator Obama's attendance. Mr. Davis' story was first published on Newsmax on August 9, 2007. Shortly before publication, Mr. Davis contacted the press office of Sen. Obama several times for comment about the Senator's attendance and Rev. Wright's comments during his sermon. The Senator's office declined to comment...
...In fact, Obama was present in the South Side Chicago church on July 22 last year when Jim Davis, a freelance correspondent for Newsmax, attended services along with Obama. [See: ”Obama’s Church: Cauldron of Division.”]
In his sermon that day, Wright tore into America, referring to the “United States of White America” and lacing his sermon with expletives as Obama listened. Hearing Wright’s attacks on his own country, Obama had the opportunity to walk out, but Davis said the senator sat in his pew and nodded in agreement...
http://www.newsmax.com/kessler/Obama_hate_America_sermon/2008/03/16/80870.html
New York Times
By WILLIAM KRISTOL
Published: March 17, 2008
In this column, I cite a report that Sen. Obama had attended services at Trinity Church on July 22, 2007. The Obama campaign has provided information showing that Senator Obama did not attend Trinity that day. I regret the error.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/17/opinion/17kristol.html?_r=2&ref=opinion&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
No comments:
Post a Comment