Thanks to a link from one of my Obama-admiring commenters (thank you, Robert), we learn that Obama’s tales of Americans liberating Auschwitz didn’t start this weekend. He was telling similar stories about his grandfather back in 2002, in his now-famous Iraq speech, which I’d never previously read:

My grandfather signed up for a war the day after Pearl Harbor was bombed, fought in Patton’s army. He saw the dead and dying across the fields of Europe; he heard the stories of fellow troops who first entered Auschwitz and Treblinka.

The first troops to enter those two camps (in Poland) were Soviet troops, so unless Patton was leading them, this can’t be true.

As I noted in comments, you’d think that if he’s going to be telling these kinds of stories, he’d at least attempt to make them plausible (e.g., Dachau and Buchenwald). My guess is that he’s unfamiliar with the actual history of the war, and just invoked two of the most notorious camp names to make his point. Whether his grandfather (or “uncle”) actually told him tales of concentration camps will probably never be known.

It’s interesting that no one has ever noticed this historical discrepancy before, considering how such a big deal has been made of that speech. This should also knock the legs out from under arguments from the Obama camp that he didn’t really say “Auschwitz,” and that it was CBS and other news sources putting the word in his mouth.

My guess? He’s just making this stuff up. Because it sounds good to the ignorant rubes, and he’s a good speechifier. It’s all part of that “new politics” we’ve heard so much about.

[Update a couple minutes later]

I’m hearing a report on Fox News, where they have video of his uncle story. Yes, he really said that he liberated Auschwitz, and then hid in the attic for six months.

[Another update]

OK, in Obama days, “the next day” means over half a year later in June of 1942. Just another “mistake,” I’m sure.

[Update on Wednesday morning]

I have a follow-up post. It turns out that he may not even have been in the army at all.

Thanks to a link from one of my Obama-admiring commenters (thank you, Robert), we learn that Obama’s tales of Americans liberating Auschwitz didn’t start this weekend. He was telling similar stories about his grandfather back in 2002, in his now-famous Iraq speech, which I’d never previously read:

My grandfather signed up for a war the day after Pearl Harbor was bombed, fought in Patton’s army. He saw the dead and dying across the fields of Europe; he heard the stories of fellow troops who first entered Auschwitz and Treblinka.

The first troops to enter those two camps (in Poland) were Soviet troops, so unless Patton was leading them, this can’t be true.

As I noted in comments, you’d think that if he’s going to be telling these kinds of stories, he’d at least attempt to make them plausible (e.g., Dachau and Buchenwald). My guess is that he’s unfamiliar with the actual history of the war, and just invoked two of the most notorious camp names to make his point. Whether his grandfather (or “uncle”) actually told him tales of concentration camps will probably never be known.

It’s interesting that no one has ever noticed this historical discrepancy before, considering how such a big deal has been made of that speech. This should also knock the legs out from under arguments from the Obama camp that he didn’t really say “Auschwitz,” and that it was CBS and other news sources putting the word in his mouth.

My guess? He’s just making this stuff up. Because it sounds good to the ignorant rubes, and he’s a good speechifier. It’s all part of that “new politics” we’ve heard so much about.

[Update a couple minutes later]

I’m hearing a report on Fox News, where they have video of his uncle story. Yes, he really said that he liberated Auschwitz, and then hid in the attic for six months.

[Another update]

OK, in Obama days, “the next day” means over half a year later in June of 1942. Just another “mistake,” I’m sure.

[Update on Wednesday morning]

I have a follow-up post. It turns out that he may not even have been in the army at all.

Thanks to a link from one of my Obama-admiring commenters (thank you, Robert), we learn that Obama’s tales of Americans liberating Auschwitz didn’t start this weekend. He was telling similar stories about his grandfather back in 2002, in his now-famous Iraq speech, which I’d never previously read:

My grandfather signed up for a war the day after Pearl Harbor was bombed, fought in Patton’s army. He saw the dead and dying across the fields of Europe; he heard the stories of fellow troops who first entered Auschwitz and Treblinka.

The first troops to enter those two camps (in Poland) were Soviet troops, so unless Patton was leading them, this can’t be true.

As I noted in comments, you’d think that if he’s going to be telling these kinds of stories, he’d at least attempt to make them plausible (e.g., Dachau and Buchenwald). My guess is that he’s unfamiliar with the actual history of the war, and just invoked two of the most notorious camp names to make his point. Whether his grandfather (or “uncle”) actually told him tales of concentration camps will probably never be known.

It’s interesting that no one has ever noticed this historical discrepancy before, considering how such a big deal has been made of that speech. This should also knock the legs out from under arguments from the Obama camp that he didn’t really say “Auschwitz,” and that it was CBS and other news sources putting the word in his mouth.

My guess? He’s just making this stuff up. Because it sounds good to the ignorant rubes, and he’s a good speechifier. It’s all part of that “new politics” we’ve heard so much about.

[Update a couple minutes later]

I’m hearing a report on Fox News, where they have video of his uncle story. Yes, he really said that he liberated Auschwitz, and then hid in the attic for six months.

[Another update]

OK, in Obama days, “the next day” means over half a year later in June of 1942. Just another “mistake,” I’m sure.

[Update on Wednesday morning]

I have a follow-up post. It turns out that he may not even have been in the army at all.

I’m listening to the young (or maybe not so young) fascists disrupting McCain’s speech in Denver on nuclear proliferation, with chants of “Endless War! Endless War!” They are being drowned out by the Senator’s supporters chanting “John McCain, John McCain.”

OK, whether or not they’re fascists is just a guess, but I think it’s a pretty safe one. Though it’s probably unfair to characterize them as Black Shirts–they were mostly ex-military.

[Update in the later afternoon]

Jim Geraghty agrees with me:

At this point, noisy protesters disrupting a McCain speech are basically advertising, “I am incapable of letting those I disagree with express their views in public; I am uncomfortable with free expression and at heart a fascist, as I do not believe opposing viewpoints should be heard.”

He thinks that they were chanting “Stop this war,” not “Endless War.” That could be.