Chicago Sun-Times on Obama’s Book: ‘What’s Real, What’s Not’

I would have apprecieated this information if it was posted or raised at the time the book hit the NY TIMES list or before. Now that he may run you make this known. Smearing is not welcome by anyone of character..you are not one of those!Smear, dumping finding all of the dirt before one runs is why we have dumb Bush! NO ONE CHECKED him why??? because daddy was with the CIA and hid all of the dirt????!!!!!!

Irresponsible reporting. To flash top headlines that strongly imply Obama of lying in his autobiography; yet, by the reporters own account, no one has shown that there are any blatant lies or mistatements in the book. Furthermore, composite characters are frequently used and to make it sound so scandulous is also irresponsible. Perhaps Clinton should have gone with composite characters .. would have spared us the 900+ pages.

I have no idea whether I’ll support Obama or not but this type of “reporting” is why I get turned off from politics. Obama discloses the composites and name change; the reporter proved it out in one case. Move on. I believe these type of stories are planted – over and over and over again – to create doubt even when the facts don’t warrant it. Whoever believes that our media is unbiased is living in denial.

Having someone with integrity and intelligence in the White House is exactly what this country so desperately needs, and Obama posseses both. I am in awe at how quickly people will jump to try to destroy his image and credibility. I am sick and tired of the negative campaigning. How about we focus on what a person stands for, as opposed to trying to dig up every little facet of their past to use against them?

ABC puts this on the front page like there’s something terrible. In truth the story shows there’s nothing worth even mentioning. Shortly before elections, ABC became quite anti-Democrat though they were previously the opposite. Is there a new editor or something?

Grasping for straws…

With all of the criminal malfeasence going on in the White House and Bush administration, ABC chooses to immediately report “discrepancies” in Barack Obama’s book.
How about “discrepancies” in bogus WMD intelligence? What about illegal searches, seizures, and detentions? Failure to follow due process of law? The ludicrous actions of a self-styled “decider” who believes he is a “unitary executive” and above any law he chooses to ignore with a “signing statement”? Surely “discrepancies” in military advice against Bush’s arrogant and hopeless troop “surge” in Iraq could be investigated and reported?
No, for all of the actions by the current “leader” of our country that treat the US Constitution as toilet paper, ABC News sits mute. You are just another Republican lickspittle, no better and no more objective than the jokers at the Faux Snooze channel. Peter Jennings must be turning over in his grave.

If you pay attention, many of the articles do not match the title. I think it is sleazy, regardless of subject matter, when the title of an article is as misleading as it is in this one. Many people don’t bother to read the article, but retain the impression left by the title. Reporters think/know it is a clever way to get more people to read the article. However, I have seen that happen several times in relation to George W. Bush, and no one seems to mind.

ABC, you should be ashamed of yourselves! What are you doing? The headline on this article is ridiculous and reeks of the sensationalized crap that the media continues to be guilty of propagating. Is there *nothing* else you can drum up for your top 5 headlines? Give me a break! Why don’t you cover the story about the criminals (drug dealers, etc) that Bush pardoned for Christmas!?! Oh, right, Bush and his deeds are old news, I get it….

Stretching Baby…You’re Stretching…You’re Trying To Make Wine Outta Water…Relax…Until He Really Gives You Fodder…Then Be Dismayed and Proceed To Pounce…Until Then…B EZ!
Peace

you know, I normally find a lot of the partisan drudgery of the comments sections on these reports to be rather repulsively distorted.
however, I must agree with the consensus here. It feels as though this was put on the main page to sell another page of ads (fortunately, firefox + adblock takes care of that). this really isn’t news, and the angle of the headline is forced.
you guys DO do good reporting. but this is rehashed, and non-newsworthy.
Please remove this from the top five stories on the mainpage.

I think you’re just looking to be the first to report on something negative about Obama after his decision to run. Kudos. However, could you at least write more hard core propaganda. Shame on you.
It’s weak. It’s partisan. It’s bad media coverage. I had no idea ABC was, dare I say, racist?

Obama or Osama I really dont know much about this guy. All I know he has done drugs in the past. I am from the South and the only person the South would vote for is John Edwards.

Sweet complained about not being able to verify? Yet she did? Then she complains that the average reader couldn’t? So what’s different about that? The average reader has no way to verify any book’s veracity, so what, exactly, is she complaining about? Having to do her job?
As for the rehashing of this “story”: it died a painful yet well-deserved death once, so just leave it burried, please. It’s stinking up the place!

Hollywood. Once again Hollywood. Oops excuse me, HOLLYWEIRD!!! This guy’s a prime example of how stupid Americans have become. Integrity??? Intelligence???He is all face, all smoke & mirrors, and has yet to show any substance. LOOKS GOOD. WAKE up kiddies…His book uses “composite characters”. Yea RIGHT. That used to be called fiction. But hey!, That’s what the NY Times does RIGHT? And CBS. Whether he did drugs or not doesn’t matter. I am sure he “didn’t inhale”.
We do not need more Hollywood ____. America is in a real fight for its future, we do not need more PAAARTYing in the oval office. What’s it going to take kids? A BIG 911 (aka like a nuke in “24″) for you to pull your heads out??? We need leaders of substance, not another fast talking snake oil salesman who gets U.S. citizens massacred by the thousands. But he LOOKS great in a swim suit!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If we are going Hollyweird, at least nominate someone like Tom Cruise. At least he has been in uniform a couple of times & had his butt planted in a war machine.

Umm….Mark, Dubya also used cocaine, whether he admits it or not.

If this is the worst thing you can say about Obama he should definitely be our leader.

There is more integrity in one keystroke of Obama’s little finger than there is in this whole slanted report. Shame on you ABC…and I thought the media was liberal! What a joke, either way. Leave the smearing to Fox News. Peter Jennings would agree.

I am not a fan of Obama. Don’t care to read his book. The Blotter indeed. It just sucks up anything.

Uh, ABC ‘anti-democrat’!? This story has a headline to grab attention. That’s what headlines do. Its exposé actually reads like a puff piece for Obama. It showcases proof that Obama tells the truth about Kaufman/Kellman. It explains at great length the concept of composite characters (in old days they were called fictional characters). The article is designed to ‘educate’ republicans, yet it riles the dems.

Does anybody know what Obama stands for on any subject? I have been researching & have found nothing. Why is that. Don’t you think the real issue should be what he stands for?

Once again ABC shows how disgusting and fake their reporters are. Please change your name to either Drudge or Fox and be done with the pretense that you report real news.

wow, you did a great job uncovering the dirt on this awful man. oh my god, what a scandal. nobody’s gonna vote for this guy now. good job ABC. your journalistic integrity is impeccable.

How dare he commit such a terrible moral crime to protect peoples privacy!! This is just a hint of the smearing and lies the GOP will be doing. How does it feel Sweet, to sell your integity?

Don’t see the point to this article. Barack seems to have made it pretty clear–can’t someone at ABC cover a real story? What about genocide or something! There has to be a lot of genocide stories out there that are just being ignored. STOP GENOCIDE!

Another weak smear attempt … its sad to see ABC trying to develop an issue where none exists.

This is stupid…. what a non-event – headlines don’t match the text – this is a perfect example of one of the problems with media of the modern day. Perspective and context are much more important than hype for educating readers and fullfilling the media’s obligations.

the focus should be on what he is trying to relay to the reader. i find it hard pressed to believe a person who reveals his past mistakes a likely candidate for lies and hypocrisy.what does it say about a man willing to put his mistakes out there, while protecting others privacy? i consider that a person who will protect americans of their civil rights.a man who will admit to mistakes in office (should there be any)and someone willing to make changes not based on his own self-serving attitude.without taking away our constitutional rights.

Correct me if I am wrong, but isn’t Obama mother white!!? I have problem Obama calling himself an African American if both is parents were black. However, to me when he calls himself an African American that is like the denying is mother’s side of the family that happens to be white. It is just as wrong for someone to say they are white when they come from a mixed race. Please acknowledge your mother’s and father’s side of the family.

Pathetic enough attempt at a story to keep me away from abc news.

THIS is what passes for news? A book that claims to use ficticious names and composite characters actually does so? From Reader’s Digest to True Crime novels, almost every factual book about real people changes the names to protect the privacy of those involved. Not only that, this reporter apparently only checked up on one of the individuals described in the book, and that individual believed himself to be portrayed acurately. There is absolutely nothing scandalous, or even newsworthy here.
This years-old story shouldn’t even be on the current news, much less be on your top 5 list. SHAME ON YOU.
I also noticed the poll entitled “Obama smokes: would you vote for a candidate that puffs?” What is the point, people? Why mention Obama specifically? Is smoking really a huge political issue? Is it as important as stem cell research or the war?
Put some real news up, please, and stop trying to sling mud at Obama.

One more thing: On the front-page tease to this story, you say that the book is his “political biography.” Actually, it was published in 1994, before he ran for office. Correction?

Noticed ADMINS remark! nice to see we have a UN-Bias ADMIN , and would also like know here where you found this FACT about G.W.Bush or if it is just your BIAS OPINION? Fact #1 OBAMA USED COCAINE………..You can excuse his Blunder in admitting it but FACT IS FACT… Wheres yours about BUSH ?????? LIBS hate FACTS it get in the way of their Agenda…w3hich is full of Lies and Distortions..Anyone that can justify “Murdering” a unborn child has no MORAL ability to even decern fact from fiction its all the same as long as it SERVES their Agenda….

This is a smear piece with a misleading title. It’s unbelievable that ABC/Disney would promote this on their front page. Obama’s staff is exactly right to ask who is paying you to run this. Who?

I am sure Ms. Sweet is allowed only to report in the manner in which she was instructed. She is no more than a hack, puppetted by her editor who is in turn puppetted by the White House. I stopped watching your news programming a few years ago because of what I saw as several cases of intentional distortions of the truth. It is my shame to bear, for actually having expectations of something news worthy from you.

This is the dumbest nonstory I have ever read. Obama was honest about the composite characters in his book. There is nothing here that hasn’t been widely reported. The corporate media seems to be desperate in its effort to malign Obama. Really grasping. It is pitiful to observe. It must be even more painful to be a participant in the smear.

Let’s see……wouldn’t take much of the South for Obama or Hillary to win. And, given, this is based upon when the GOP could actually sell themselves as decent:
California
Oregon
Washington
New Mexico
Florida
Illinois
Michigan
Wisconsin
Pennsylvania
New York
Washington DC
Deleware
Maryland
Connecticut
New Hampshire
Vermont
Massachusetts
Rhode Island
West Virgina
Iowa
Florida
Hawaii
286 Electoral Votes.

I love that the only attacks people have against Obama are:
1) He used Cocaine.
2) He used composite characters in an Autobiography(was he the first to do so? No. Will he be the last? No.)
3) His name rhymes with Osama. Oh no…I thought our country was beyond that?
Here’s wishing Sen. Obama good luck…as a former Nader voter(in 2004 no less), I can see with 100% honesty that I would vote for Obama over any canidate in 2008.

I’m not a Democrat but I object to this kind of attempt to smear a politician’s name.
It makes everyone involved look bad.
Can’t we rise above this kind of thing?
Let Mr. Obama’s fortunes rise or fall based on what he has to offer the country, please.

The first time I saw Barack Obama was when he spoke at the Democratic National Convention. I was very impressed with how articulate he was. His demeanor was extremely polished and found him to be very charismatic. I looked at my husband and said with great sincerity, “he is going to be our next president.” His reaction was, he is a junior senator and doesn’t have the experience. That’s true, but he definity has come a long way. I like his vision and I truly wish him well.

continued …. “Obama takes great care to conceal the fact that he is a Muslim. He is quick to point out that, “He was once a Muslim, but that he also attended Catholic school.”
Obama’s political handlers are attempting to make it appear that Obama’s introduction to Islam came via his father, and that this influence was temporary at best. In reality, the senior Obama returned to Kenya soon after the divorce, and never again had any direct influence over his son’s education. Lolo Soetoro, the second husband of Obama’s mother, Ann Dunham, introduced his stepson to Islam. Osama was enrolled in a Wahabi school in Jakarta. Wahabism is the radical teaching that is followed by the Muslim terrorists who are now waging Jihad against the western world.
Since it is politically expedient to be a Christian when seeking major public office in the United States, Barack Hussein Obama has joined the United Church of Christ in an attempt to downplay his Muslim background.
Let us all remain alert concerning Obama’s expected presidential candidacy.”

Oh noes, Betty! The internets say that?! Someone clean those tubes! The truth is trying to get through!

If anything his exposure to Islam is a strength, not a liability: at least he knows what he is talking about. We simply cannot afford to keep our head in the sand. Plenty of people find their faith later in life, the current President included. There is no age and height requirement for faith. What matters is not his name, it is his confidence in knowing who he is, in his willingness to keep his name and speak the truth. We want someone who will be a straight shooter, no matter the accent. The reason we are in the mess we are in now has a lot to do with the presidential penchant for lying. Listen to him speak, does he sound like he is lying. We have got to stop living in fear of our leaders. This is a democracy.

“Since it is politically expedient to be a Christian”
…Ain’t that the truth for the whole lot.

Ugh. To Betty and any Christian watchdogs (and that means you Christian Dems, too): just stop it. Every time there’s a presidential election on the horizon, we have to hear this ridiculous debate about how God-fearing candidate A is or the fact that candidate B goes to this or that church. Sen. Obama is currently a Christian. Fine. He was once raised by a Muslim. Fine. Until and unless he proposes a Draft for The Crusades or a Draft for Jihad, shut up about it. Personally I’m disgusted that the man has to even bring his faith into the public arena. Of course a person’s faith influences their decisions. But so do their parents. Their friends. Their life at school. Former jobs. Spouses or significant others. Education. Geez, even a book you read or a movie you watch can influence you! A thousand factors influence you every day. Let’s not reduce the man to his religion. Because that’s just stupid.

The fact that ABC saw it fit to put out this non-story indicates that it must have been a slow news day.
To illustrate just how significant this “story” really is, I am inclined to quote what one very famous man said thus: Much ado about nothing.

How long do you think it will take before people focus more on his middle name than his stance on the policies and issues that matter to the nation? Educate yourself and focus on the entire package, America… not just the one topic that means the world to you.

Barack Obama was president of the Harvard Law Review and a law professor. Of all people, he should know the necessity of fact vs. fiction. A law review article or legal brief containing made up names or composite characters would be considered a serious breach of scholarship decorum or legal ethics. But in his own memoirs it’s OK? Just another example of “truthiness” from just another politician.

A memoir is not a legal document? Really? It’s called a comparison, Steve. It’s important to me because it’s disappointing. Def: memoir |ˈmemˌwär; -ˌwôr| noun – a historical account or biography written from personal knowledge or special sources. History and biography apparently have no meaning anymore. His memory is very clear on what names he changed. Why do that? There is just no reason to change names unless you either don’t trust your own memory, are worried about liability or have something to hide. Just when you thought there might be a return to truth in politics, it becomes apparent that some things never change…

Misleading and irresponsible reporting. Your headline implies Obama lied in his autobiography; yet, by the reporter’s own account,Obama made no mistatements in the book. Furthermore, the use of composite characters is frequent; the article makes it sound suspect.

Sandy,
I am inclined to ask what makes you think that the use of his composite characters is in any fashion dishonest. Did he not make mention in the beginning of the book that, to protect the identity of those he wrote about, he would use composite characterization. I just don’t see the relevance in any of this being an issue. Personally I believe the man would make a great president. Oh wait, but you’ll probably try to rebut on the whimsey notion that the man once used drugs. Hmm. . as if that were an immoral act. I suppose you’d compare that to say.. sending innocent young Americans to be killed and destroy another country.
Somehow I think you might want to reexamine your priorities on your analysis of tommorows president. I know to whom my vote will go to, if so given the opportunity.

It is sad how we say affirmative action is not needed but color is always brought up when integrity is mentioned. This is 2007 and Bill P says there is an issue with the south voting for a black male. American Wake UP!

XYZ:
Is everyone who ever uses a drug “dependent”? Big jump you took there.

I am writing more than a year and a half later –
In that time so much of what Obama fabricates for his narrative has been looked at, and still the blind followers follow.
Obama’s view of truth, reality and power are all geared at his achieving the presidency.
He has, at thispoint in time, lied in public more than oce about hispast associations and actions.
You at this time did not know that Obama did not release his m,edical records, his college transcripts, his records as a state senator.
It has become an almost totally opaque campaign running on “hope and change” and a personality cult.
Saul Alinksy’s teaching shaped Obama, and now we are facing a possible presidencey which has already demonstrated it will shut down any dissent. (Joe the Plumber — remember him? The Fairness Doctrine. The Missouri “truth squad” The requests to the DOJ by Obamas lawyers to shut down 1st Amendment protected campaign ads from the NRA and another private organization, the savaging of Sarah Palin family …)
When these people commented Obama hadn’t taken over the caucuses and eliminated Hillary Clinton’s representatives using Alinsky’s organization methods.
Not a pretty picture.