The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age

    Help research the "Obama lies" list rebuttal v2.0

    How about some help making a clean copy of the rebuttal to the 70 Obama Lies list?

    I saw the post this week that asked for the rebuttal, so I followed the comments and picked up a copy from Google's cached TPM page.

    The rebuttal identified William Ayers as a convicted domestic terrorist. Not true, according to the WaPo FactChecker. So I updated it. There might be more errors, so I could use some help doing the research to make it pristine and source the conclusions. I could use 10 people willing to update 7 items each by Saturday night. We can post the whole thing for others to copy and disperse when needed. The "lies" list is still showing up.

    Here's the list below. Comment sequentially for your 7 items to whip into shape. Thanks!

    P.S. Who put together the original rebuttal? Kudos.

    1.) Selma Got Me Born - LIAR, your parents felt safe enough to have you in 1961 - Selma had no effect on your birth, as Selma was in 1965. Source: hotair.com
    Conclusion: Misstatement. Obama was likely referring to the spirit that led to Selma, in the poetic sense used when Christians say they are "born again," but it is certainly not literally true in this case.
    2.) Father Was A Goat Herder - LIAR, he was a privileged, well educated youth, who went on to work with the Kenyan Government.  Source: http://www.godlikeproductions.com/forum1/message504435/pg1
    Conclusion: No lie. He started a goat-herder and through scholarship received a stipend to study in the U.S.
    Importance in a President: Unimportant.
    3.) Father Was A Proud Freedom Fighter - LIAR, he was part of one of the most corrupt and violent governments Kenya has ever had Source:http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2008/01/obamas-oginga-o....
    Conclusion: No lie. Obama's book is exceptionally fortright in its portrayal of his alcoholic, polygamist father. The author of the "Lie" list forgot to read it.
    Importance in a President: Unimportant.
    4.) My Family Has Strong Ties To African Freedom - LIAR, your cousin Raila Odinga has created mass violence in attempting to overturn a legitimate election in 2007, in Kenya. It is the first widespread violence in decades.  Source:http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/atlas_shrugs/2008/01/obamas-oginga-o....
    Conclusion: No lie. The election was by no standard "legitimate" (including the Dept. of State standards.) Odinga leads the opposition to the current government.
    Importance in a President: Unimportant.
    5.) My Grandmother Has Always Been A Christian - LIAR, she does her daily Salat prayers at 5am according to her own interviews. Not to mention, Christianity wouldnt allow her to have been one of 14 wives to 1 man. Source: According to NYTimes story of April of last year, Sarah Hussein Obama told the New York Times she is a devout Muslim.
    Conclusion: No lie. As most people understand, a person has TWO grandmothers. The author confuses Obama's U.S. and African-born grandmothers.
    Importance in a President: Unimportant.
    6.) My Name is African Swahili - LIAR, your name is Arabic and Baraka (from which Barack came) means blessed in that language.  Hussein is also Arabic and so is Obama.
    Conclusion: No lie. Quotation is false. Obama said his name MEANS "blessed one" in Swahili. "Barack" is a Swahili word, and its roots are in Arabic.
    Importance in a President: Unimportant.
    7.) I Never Practiced Islam - LIAR, you practiced it daily at school, where you were registered as a Muslim and kept that faith for 31 years,until your wife made you change, so you could run for office.
    Conclusion: No lie. The "facts" presented are false.
    Importance in a President: Unimportant.
    8.) My School In Indonesia Was Christian - LIAR, you were registered as Muslim there and got in trouble in Koranic Studies for making faces (check your own book).
    Conclusion: No lie. Quote is false, he said "non-denominational." And the school was named after that notable muslim Francisco of Assisi.. sheesh.
    Importance in a President: Unimportant.
    9.) I Was Fluent In Indonesian - LIAR, not one teacher says you could speak the language.
    Conclusion: No lie. Obama had trouble with the language in the first 6 months but picked it up and became fluent in it.
    Importance in a President: Unimportant.
    10.) Because I Lived In Indonesia, I Have More Foreign Experience - LIAR, you were there from the ages of 6 to 10, and couldnt even speak the language. What did you learn, how to study the Koran and watch cartoons.
    Conclusion: No lie. Quotation is inaccurate. Obama said that his view of the world is different because of his childhood. Anyone with a similar experience, as well as psychologists and sociologists, can confirm this statement too.
    Importance in a President: Moderate.
    11.) I Am Stronger On Foreign Affairs - LIAR, except for Africa (surprise) and the Middle East (bigger surprise), you have never been anywhere else on the planet and thus have NO experience with our closest allies.
    Conclusion: No lie. Whether Obama is stronger on foreign affairs is a judgement left for the reader to make but the author attempts to dispute this through an illogical means of quantifying where Obama has traveled (that list is also incomplete.)
    Importance in a President: Moderate.
    12.) I Blame My Early Drug Use On Ethnic Confusion - LIAR, you were quite content in high school to be Barry Obama, no mention of Kenya and no mention of struggle to identify - your classmates said you were just fine.
    Conclusion: No lie. Quote is false, that is not Obama's statement. It was a partial reason.  Furthermore, the "just fine" statement is from several years earlier and the author is assuredly not a psychoanalyst to make a determination on the cause.
    Importance in a President: Unimportant.
    13.)An Ebony Article Moved Me To Run For Office - LIAR, Ebony has yet to find the article you mention in your book. It doesnt, and never did, exist.
    Conclusion: incorrect memory from childhood. Duplicate of #14.
    14.) A Life Magazine Article Changed My Outlook On Life - LIAR, Life has yet to find the article you mention in your book. It doesnt, and never did, exist.
    Conclusion: incorrect memory. The book recites a memory from his childhood. Several advertisements depicting the whitening creams that Obama described did appear in magazines at that time (and still do today.)
    Importance in a President: completely unimportant.
    15.) I Wont Run On A National Ticket In 08 - LIAR, here you are, despite saying, live on TV, that you would not have enough experience by then, and you are all about having experience first.
    Conclusion: Semantics. Quotation is false: Obama said he had "no plans" to run which is the standard cover used by politicians. In fact, out of all candidates in the primaries, every single one had stated this at one point--including Sen. Clinton and McCain.
    Importance in a President: Unimportant.
    16.) Present Votes Are Common In Illinois - LIAR, they are common for YOU, but not many others have 130 NO VOTES.
    Conclusion: No lie. Present votes ARE common in Illinois, as has been explained by Illinois legislators, newspapers and researchers. Present votes are made strategically to help weaker representatives in your party--for example Planned Parenthood ASKED Obama to vote "present" instead of "no" on some abortion bills so that other Democratic State Senators would have cover.
    Importance in a President: Moderate.
    17.) Oops, I Misvoted - LIAR, only when caught by church groups and democrats, did you beg to change your misvote.
    Conclusion: undeterminable. Apparently the number of "misvotes," 4, is about average for the IL Senate. The vote cannot be changed so it is plausible that these votes were in fact accidental. They are against Obama's otherwise consistent voting record but it is of course impossible to verify either way.
    Importance in a President: Moderate.
    18.) I Was A Professor Of Law - LIAR, you were a senior lecturer ON LEAVE.
    Conclusion: No lie. Obama was, according to UC, the school he taught in, a professor of law. It does not get any simpler than this, even if the academic titles seem confusing. Obama was also NOT on leave when he was teaching... he has been on leave since his election to U.S. Senate.
    Importance in a President: Unimportant.
    19.) I Was A Constitutional Lawyer - LIAR, you were a senior
    lecturer ON LEAVE.
    Conclusion: No lie. A "constitutional lawyer" is a "lawyer" specialising in "the constitution." This description is accurate of Obama, a former president of the Harvard Law Review.
    Importance in a President: Moderate.
    20.) Without Me, There Would Be No Ethics Bill - LIAR, you didnt write it,introduce it, change it, or create it.
    Conclusion: No lie. Obama did, in fact, introduce the lobbying and ethics bills.
    Importance in a President: Moderate.
    21.) The Ethics Bill Was Hard To Pass - LIAR, it took just 14 days from start to finish.
    Conclusion: No lie. The full process actually took more than 14 days.  However, if your opponent accuses you of getting bills passed TOO fast, you obviously do not have many vulnerabilities.
    Importance in a President: Moderate.
    22.) I Wrote A Tough Nuclear Bill - LIAR, your bill was
    rejected by your own party for its pandering and lack of all regulation
    - mainly because of your Nuclear Donor, Exelon, from which David Axelrod
    came.</blockquote>
    Conclusion: No lie. Obama's original bill was much tougher but the Republicans required it toned down before it was allowed to pass (this was prior to 2006 takeover) in its final form--which still established new regulations which no-one else did.
    Importance in a President: Moderate.
    23.) I Have Released My State Records - LIAR, as of March, 2008, state bills you sponsored or voted for have yet to be released, exposing all the special interests pork hidden within.
    Conclusion: No lie. All IL Senate records are available through Illinois State.
    Importance in a President: Moderate.
    24.) I Took On The Asbestos Altgeld Gardens Mess - LIAR, you were part of a large group of people who remedied Altgeld Gardens. You failed to mention anyone else but yourself, in your books.
    Conclusion: No lie, but imprecise. Obama can legitimately take credit for this but other people were involved also.
    25.) My Economics Bill Will Help America - LIAR, your 111 economic policies were just combined into a proposal which lost 99-0, and even YOU voted against your own bill.
    Conclusion: No lie. Author confuses two entirely separate items in an attempt to make a point. Whether Obama's economic proposals will help America is impossible to say with certainty, but they are in line with progressive economic policy overall.
    Importance in a President: Moderate.
    26.) I Have Been A Bold Leader In Illinois - LIAR, even your own supporters claim to have not seen BOLD action on your part.
    Conclusion: No lie. The "supporter" was actually a Republican state senator (and the article says so.) Whether Obama was a bold leader is a value judgement left for the reader.
    Importance in a President: Moderate.
    27.) I Passed 26 Of My Own Bills In One Year - LIAR, they were not YOUR bills, but rather handed to you, after their creation by a fellow Senator, to assist you in a future bid for higher office.
    Conclusion: No lie. Unsubstantiated claim by author. Also, amusingly,
    author contradicts his own point from item #36.
    Importance in a President: Moderate.
    28.) No One Contacted Canada About NAFTA - LIAR, the Candian Government issued the names and a memo of the conversation your campaign had with them.
    Conclusion: No lie. The Canadian embassy contacted Mr. Goolsbee in his civilian role, not the other way around. Statement is imprecise, though.
    Importance in a President: Moderate.
    29.) I Am Tough On Terrorism - LIAR, you missed the Iran
    Resolution vote on terrorism and your good friend Ali Abunimah supports
    the destruction of Israel.
    Conclusion: No lie. Duplicate item, see #62.
    30.) I Am Not Acting As President Yet - LIAR, after the NAFTA Memo, a dead terrorist in the FARC, in Colombia, was found with a letter stating how you and he were working together on getting FARC recognized officially.
    Conclusion: No lie. The two things seem to have nothing to do with eachother to begin with, and the quotation is false. No sources given.
    31.) I Didnt Run Ads In Florida - LIAR, you allowed national ads to run 8-12 times per day for two weeks - and you still lost.
    Conclusion: No lie. False quotation. Duplicate item, also. Same "lie" is repeated further down. See item #70.
    Importance in a President: Moderate.
    32.) I Won Michigan - LIAR, no you didnt.
    Conclusion: No lie. Quotation is fabricated. Obama never said this.
    Importance in a President: Unimportant.
    33.) I won Nevada - LIAR, no you did not.</blockquote >
    Conclusion: No lie. Quotation is false. Obama said he would "likely" win the "delegate count" in Nevada. This is true.
    Importance in a President: Unimportant.
    34.) I Want All Votes To Count - LIAR, you said let the delegates decide.
    Conclusion: No lie. These statements are not mutually exclusive. Please
    complain to the DNC about their chosen method of electing a nominee.
    Importance in a President: Moderate.
    35.) I Want Americans To Decide - LIAR, you prefer caucuses that limit the vote, confuse the voters, force a public vote, and only operate during small windows of time.
    Conclusion: No lie. Author's misgivings about the caucus system should be directed to the state legislatures and parties who actually decide the mode of election. It may certainly be argued that a primary would be better (yours truly generally agrees) but this can by no stretch of the truth be said to be Obama's fault.
    Importance in a President: Moderate.
    36.) I passed 900 Bills in the State Senate - LIAR, you passed 26, most of which you didnt write yourself.
    Conclusion: No lie. Quotation is false. In addition, the number 26 is the number of bills he passed in his last year ALONE.
    Importance in a President: Moderate.
    37.) My Campaign Was Extorted By A Friend - LIAR, that friend is threatening to sue if you do not stop saying this. Obama has stopped saying this.
    Conclusion: undetermined. Yours truly could not find this quotation by Obama. Please update.
    38.) I Believe In Fairness, Not Tactics - LIAR, you used tactics to eliminate Alice Palmer from running against you.
    Conclusion: No lie. The author does not seem to understand the word "tactics" but if we assume he means some type of an underhanded maneuver, nothing like this has been shown to be the case.
    Importance in a President: Moderate
    39.) I Dont Take PAC Money - LIAR, you take loads of it.
    Conclusion: No lie. Obama has not accepted PAC money directly or indirectly in this election.
    Importance in a President: Moderate.
    40.) I dont Have Lobbysists - LIAR, you have over 47 lobbyists, and counting.
    Conclusion: No lie. Author falsifies quote. Obama never made that statement. His statement is that he does not employ federally registered lobbyists and his administration will not include any. That statement is correct.
    Importance in a President: Moderate.
    41.) My Campaign Had Nothing To Do With The 1984 Ad - LIAR, your own campaign worker made the ad on his Apple in one afternoon.
    Conclusion: No lie. Author of the ad was not a campaign worker of the Obama campaign.
    Importance in a President: Unimportant.
    42.) My Campaign Never Took Over MySpace - LIAR, Tom, who started MySpace issued a warning about this advertising to MySpace clients.
    Conclusion: No lie. Author makes a completely nonsensical claim that Obama's campaign "took over" MySpace which is A) not true and B) technically not possible without criminal activity.
    Importance in a President: Unimportant.
    43.) I Inspire People With My Words - LIAR, you inspire people with other peoples words
    Conclusion: No lie. Author makes a non-sequitur assertion. Obama's rhetorical skill is acknowledged by his opponents, as well.
    Importance in a President: Unimportant.
    44.) I Have Passed Bills In The U.S. Senate - LIAR, you have passed A BILL in the U.S. Senate - for Africa, which shows YOUR priorities.
    Conclusion: No lie. Obama has passed several bills and amendments in the U.S. Senate.
    Importance in a President: Moderate.
    45.) I Have Always Been Against Iraq - LIAR, you werent in office to vote against it AND you have voted to fund it every single time, unlike Kucinich, who seems to be out gutting you Obama. You also seem to be stepping back from your departure date - AGAIN.
    Conclusion: No lie. Obama has consistently opposed the WAR in Iraq.  Unlike the author of the list, Obama does not believe that funding of the troops should be cut immediately without being able to ensure a safe and orderly redeployment. As Obama explained: "Once the bus is in the ditch, there are only so many ways to get it out."
    Importance in a President: Moderate.
     46.) I Have Always Supported Universal Health Care - LIAR, your plan leaves us all to pay the 15,000,000 who dont have to buy it.
    Conclusion: No lie. "Universal healthcare" is defined as "healthcare that is available universally." Obama's plan makes healthcare universally available.
    Importance in a President: Moderate.
    47.) I Only Found Out About My Investment Conflicts Via Mail - LIAR, both companies you site as having sent you letters about this conflict have no record of any such letter ever being created or sent.
    Conclusion: undetermined. Unable to make conclusion because no source is
    provided.
    48.) I Am As Patriotic As Anyone - LIAR, you wont wear a flag pin and you dont put your hand over your heart during the Anthem.
    Conclusion: No lie. Author asserts that Obama is not patriotic because he does not conform to outwardly insignia, commonly used by Nazi- and Fascist parties.
    Importance in a president: Unimportant.
    49.) My Wife Didnt Mean What She Said About Pride In Country - LIAR, your wifes words follow lock-step in the vein of Wright and Farrahkan, in relation to their contempt and hatred of America.
    Conclusion: No lie. Quotation is false, Obama did not make that statement. Author makes unsupported assertions of anti-Americanism. Duplicate of #61.
    Importance in a President: Unimportant.
    50.) Wal-Mart Is A Company I Wouldnt Support - LIAR, your wife has received nearly a quater of a million dollars through Treehouse, which is connected to Wal-Mart.
    Conclusion: No lie. Obama does not support Wal-Mart policies. TreeHouse is not "affiliated with" Wal-Mart. The latter is a customer of TreeHouse. Mrs. Obama has left TreeHouse. It should be noted that while Obama is not lying as the author suggests, even this type of "connection" with Wal-Mart should be considered bad in the opinion of yours truly.
    Importance in a President: Moderate.
    51.) Treehouse Is A Small Company - LIAR, the CEO of Treehouse last year, made more than the CEO of Wal-Mart, according to public records.
    Conclusion: No lie. TreeHouse is considered to be a "small" company.  Author does not provide source for quote.
    Importance in a President: Unimportant.
    52.) University Of Chicago Hospital Pay Is Fair - LIAR, your wifes pay raise was nearly 150% her already bloated rate and the hospital is a Non-Profit Hospital, which made $100,000,000 in the last 3 years. They overcharge blacks VS whites for services, and overcharge everyone in general by 538%!
    Conclusion: No lie. According to UC statement and public records, pay to Michelle Obama is consistent with her position. Accusing UC of..whatever it is that the author accuses UC of..has nothing to do with Sen. and Mrs. Obama.
    Importance in a President: Moderate.
    53.)I Barely Know Rezko - Only 5 Billed Hours - LIAR, you have known him for 17 years, and decided to do a real estate deal with him during a time when he was proven to be under investigation. Despite this, you divided your property and had them take off $300K before the mortgage problems started. Then Rezkos wife buys the lot beside it that you cant afford, saving you $625,000.
    Conclusion: No lie. The quote from Obama is an answer to an allegation that he WORKED for Rezko, and it is accurate. Chicago newspapers have thoroughly investigated the matter and found no wrongdoing on Obama's part. All third parties including the seller of the property confirm that Obama's explanation is correct.
    Importance in a President: Moderate.
    54.) My Donations Have Been Checked Thoroughly - LIAR, you only gave back Hsu ($72K) and Rezko (first $66K, then when caught lying $86K, then when caught lying again $150K and now caught lying YET AGAIN OBAMA, its $250k) their money when publically called on their involvement in your campaigns.
    Conclusion: No lie. Obama's donations are processed in accordance to state and federal laws. Any donations that have been identified as being from a source that can be considered questionable have been returned.  Author makes an assertion without showing proof.
    Importance in a President: Moderate.
    55.) My Church Is Like Any Other Christian Church - LIAR, your church is so extreme, the pastor who married you, Rev. Wright, just got done blaming the US for 9/11 and named Louis Farrahkan their person of the year.
    Conclusion: No lie. The doctrine espoused by the UCC is normal for a Christian church. This has been explained by several clerics from various denominations of Christianity, white, black alike. Author attempts guilt by association without even showing said guilt.
    Importance in a president: Unimportant.
    56.) I Disagree With My Church All The Time - LIAR, you still have yet to repudiate Wright, who married you and your wife, and you still donate large sums of money to assist the church in furthering its message - hatred and revenge. You donated in 2006 alone, $22,500 to the church that you so terribly disagree with. That is nearly $500 PER WEEK - that sure is disagreement, Senator Obama.
    Conclusion: No lie. Firstly, Obama HAS denounced Mr. Wright's statements. Secondly, the United Church of Christ's message is not "hatred and revenge." TUCC, in particular, is an extremely important and prominent charity in the Chicago area.
    Importance in a President: Unimportant.
    57.) I Have Clean Connections Despite Rezko - LIAR, you are not only connected to Exelon and Rezko, you are also connected to Hillary PAC supporter Mr. Hsu, AND an Iraqi Billionaire of ill repute, Nadhmi Auchi, who ripped off people in the Food For Oil, Iraqi deal.  Seems Mr. Auchi may have helped Obama buy his million dollar property long before Obama had millions of dollars. Wonder what favors Mr. Auchi expects, when Obama leaves Iraq free to be taken over by special interests such as him.
    Conclusion: No lie. Obama's record is clean and he is accused of absolutely no wrongdoing. Author makes allegations without ever presenting any type of proof. Numerous attempts to find such proof have been fruitless.
    Importance in a President: Moderate.
    58.) I never heard sermons like Rev. Wrights, that have been in videos all day, You Tube - LIAR! 3 days later during your Mea Culpa BS speech you said Did I hear controversial statements while I sat in that church? Yes I did.
    Conclusion: No lie. "Controversial statement A" is not the same as "controversial statement B." Obama has stated he was not present for the particular sermons mentioned by the author and his schedule seems to confirm this.
    Importance in a President: Unimportant.
    59.) The Passport Invasion is a conspiracy to find dirt on me! - LIAR. Your own Campaign Foreign Policy Advisor is the CEO of the company that looked into your records. PS - You had them look into yours to hide the fact you looked into Clintons and McCains more than a year before!
    Conclusion: No lie. Obama has never made this statement. Author has falsified a quote and adds a conspiracy theory not supported by any evidence.
    Importance in a President: Moderate.
    60.) Rev. Meeks has nothing to do with my campaigning - LIAR. Rev. Meeks appeared in ads for your Senate Campaign, donated to you, and helped raise money, then AND NOW. PS - He also seems to despise America.
    Conclusion: No lie. Rev. Meeks has nothing to do with campaign. Author asserts his personal views.
    Importance in a President: Unimportant.
    61.) My wife didnt mean America is ignorant, she was just using a phrase - LIAR. Again, MicHELLes comments perfectly sync with Wrights, Meeks, and Farrakhans, both in language, anger, and direction.
    Conclusion: nothing to conclude. Author presents a self-invented conspiracy theory without sourcing, evidence or internal logic.
    Importance in a President: undeterminable.
    62.) I am very Anti-Terror - LIAR. One of your good pals is long time radical and terrorist William Ayers, with whom you have been seen in the last 12 months and who has helped the now jailed khalidi, Professor at Columbia who invited Ahmadinejad to the University, to raise money for Palestinian terrorism attacks against Israel. PS - Your church published a pro Hamas Manifesto - guess you werent there on THAT Sunday either? How lucky for you."
    Conclusion: No lie. Obama's legislative record on terrorism, both nuclear and conventional, is effective and consistent. Mr. Ayers was a member of the Weather Underground in the 60's but was never convicted of any crime. There has been no money raised "for Palestinian terrorism[sic] attacks against Israel." Source: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/02/obamas_weatherman_co...
    Importance in a President: Moderate.
    63.) I have the best plan to cure the Mortgage Crisis - LIAR. You and your campaign buddy Penny SubPrime Bank Collapse Prizker have had your little fingers full of subprime cash - Obama has taken $1,180,103 from the top issuers of subprime loans: Obama received $266,907 from Lehman, $5395 from GMAC, $150,850 from Credit Suisse First Boston, $11,250 from Countrywide, $9052 from Washington Mutual, $161,850 from Citigroup, $4600 from CBASS, $170,050 from Morgan Stanley, $1150 from Centex, and last but certainly NOT LEAST - Obama received $351,900 from Goldman Sachs. I am sure that cash all came from folks who knew the subprime loan they had was a dream, eh?
    Conclusion: No lie. It cannot be quantified which of the candidates' plans is the "best" but that decision is made on the economic effectiveness of the plans, donations received cannot be used to determine this.  Of the three candidates, Obama has received the least donations in this area.
    Importance in a President: Moderate.
    64) I played greater role in crafting liberal stands on gun control, the death penalty and abortion - LIAR -It was found that Obama  the day after sitting for the interview  filed an amended version of the questionnaire, which appears to contain Obamas own handwritten notes added to one answer. Read Obama had greater role on liberal survey
    Conclusion: No lie. Questionnaire cited has absolutely no relevance to this issue. The assertion made by the author is a non sequitur. Obama's legislative record does support his stated liberal stand on those matters.
    Importance in a President: Moderate.
    65) I did NOT play the race card: - LIAR - Obama was the first to play the race card. According to Phialdelphia Inquirer, Quietly, the storm over the hateful views expressed by Sen.  Barack Obamas pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, has blown away the most insidious myth of the Democratic primary campaign. Obama and his surrogates have charged that Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has deliberately and cleverly played the race card in order to label Obama the black candidate. Read more here
    Conclusion: No lie. Item is pure fabrication and conjecture on the part of the author.  Obama has never once stated that the Clinton campaign or any surrogate "played the race card." Furthermore, polling indicates that the public believes the Clinton campaign's surrogates were engaging in racially motivated campaigning.
    Importance in a President: Moderate.
    66) I did not take money from oil companies
    Conclusion: No lie. Obama does not take donations from oil companies nor PACs for oil companies. Personal donations from persons employed by oil companies are allowed.
    Importance in a President: Moderate.
    67) I dont think my church is actually particularly controversial, Obama said at a community meeting in Nelsonville, Ohio, earlier this month. - LIAR - But yesterday, he told a different story.  Did I ever hear him make remarks that could be considered controversial while I sat in church? Yes, he said in his speech yesterday in Philadelphia.
    Conclusion: No lie. Obama's assertion is that all churches have some controversial statements. This is correct.
    Importance in a President: Unimportant.
    68) Look at my education record in Illinois - LIAR - In reality, Obama never really championed the local councils. He supported them behind the scenes and only eventually came out publicly on their behalf. When he did weigh in, he came down on the wrong side of the debateagainst protecting principals from unwarranted dismissals and in favor of keeping councils independent, no matter what. In the end, the resolution of the conflict between the two sides didnt alleviate anyones concerns. Instead, it prolonged a turf battle that seems to have dragged down academic progress in the years since. Read more here http://www.slate.com/id/2188010?wpisrc=newsletter Source: slate.com
    Conclusion: No lie. Article cited concentrates on a single aspect of recent Illinois education debate and faults Obama for taking the course that he took in that matter. No pattern is suggested by the article.  Furthermore, Obama's legislative record and endorsements from education-related groups (such as the one below) illustrate his true standing in Illinois education politics.
    Importance in a President: Moderate.
    http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS252052+06-Dec-2007+PRN20...
    69) I stopped smoking. I stopped smoking. I havent had a cigarette since I quit - LIAR - But in his own words, here is what Obama said.  Except.last night on MSNBCs Hardball, Obama admitted that his attempt to wean himself from the vile tobacco weed had not been entirely successful. "I fell off the wagon a couple times during the course of it, and then was able to get back on, he said. But it is a struggle like everything else."
    Conclusion: No lie shown. Obama quit smoking. He was asked about smoking and he said he had not had a cigarette since. After this occasion, he fell off the wagon. Author is unable to prove his assertion.
    Importance in a President: Nonexistent.
    70) I did not campaign in Florida, (so Florida vote shouldnt count) - LIAR -According to Boston Globe, HeraldTribune and other sites, Obama airs ads on Cable stations in Florida. Even with the Florida cable ads, Obama still lost.
    Conclusion: No lie. Obama advertised on national cable. Some adverts would be seen in Florida due to inability of disabling that from happening. The decision was cleared beforehand through the South Carolina DNC head as required by DNC rules.
    Importance in a President: Moderate.

    Summary:

    Obama:
    Obama lies: 0/70.
    Obama unverifiable lies: 1/70.
    Obama misstatements: 1/70.
    Obama omissions: 2/70.
    Obama semantics: 2/70.
    Total: 6/70.

    Author of the "OBAMA LIES" list:
    Duplicate items: 4.
    Items that contradict another item: 3.
    Lies or misrepresentations of facts by author of original list: 41/70.
    Total: 47/70.