Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician and the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the United States presidential election of 2008.

Controversies

False claim about Auschwitz

On Memorial Day in 20008 Obama claimed, "I had an uncle who was one of the — who was part of the first American troops to go into Auschwitz and liberate the concentration camps. And the story in our family was that when he came home, he just went up into the attic and he didn't leave the house for six months". But the fact is that the US military never liberated Auschwitz, the Red Army of the Soviet Union liberated Auschwitz in January, 1945. This comment by Obama ignited a huge controversy in the blogosphere. RNC Press Secretary Alex Conant said, "Barack Obama's dubious claim is inconsistent with world history and demands an explanation. It was Soviet troops that liberated Auschwitz, so unless his uncle was serving in the Red Army, there's no way Obama's statement yesterday can be true. Obama's frequent exaggerations and outright distortions raise questions about his judgment and his readiness to lead as commander in chief". Later the Obama campaign said he actually meant to say Buchenwald, which was liberated by U.S. troops in April of 1945.