McCain Camp Demanding L.A. Times Release Obama-Khalidi Video
About six months ago the L.A. Times published a story about a dinner 5 years ago in Chicago to honor Rashid Khalidi. Khalidi is another one of Chicago’s famed ex-terrorists turned ‘respected scholar’. He’s known for his virulent anti-semitism and hatred for Israel, although as a former member of Yasser Arafat’s PLO, that’s certainly no surprise.
What’s also not surprising is that like the rest of Chicago’s high profile undesirables, Khalidi is a good friend of Barack Obama’s.
The L.A. Times story was about the going away party held for Khalidi as he was about to leave the Chicago area and take a job in New York.
According to the Times, a special tribute came during the dinner from Barack Obama. The article refers to Obama as “Khalidi’s friend and frequent dinner companion” who stood and said a few words.
A special tribute came from Khalidi’s friend and frequent dinner companion, the young state Sen. Barack Obama. Speaking to the crowd, Obama reminisced about meals prepared by Khalidi’s wife, Mona, and conversations that had challenged his thinking.
His many talks with the Khalidis, Obama said, had been “consistent reminders to me of my own blind spots and my own biases. . . . It’s for that reason that I’m hoping that, for many years to come, we continue that conversation — a conversation that is necessary not just around Mona and Rashid’s dinner table,” but around “this entire world.”
Suffice it to say that since his run for the presidency began, Obama hasn’t enjoyed any of Mona Khalidi’s cooking.
The article goes on to speculate that Obama has more sympathy for Palestinian grievances than he lets on. His presence at such dinners and other occasions where Jew bashing was taking place has led many in the Palestinian community to believe Obama has a sympathetic ear.
The reason a 6-month old article is being talked about now is because the L.A. Times acknowledges having videotape of the Khalidi dinner — but is refusing to release it.
The McCain campaign says the refusal to release a newsworthy video like that confirms their obvious bias.
“A major news organization is intentionally suppressing information that could provide a clearer link between Barack Obama and Rashid Khalidi,” said McCain spokesman Michael Goldfarb, citing Obama’s friendship with Khalidi, who is now a professor at Columbia University.
“The election is one week away, and it’s unfortunate that the press so obviously favors Barack Obama that this campaign must publicly request that the Los Angeles Times do its job — make information public,” he said.
It really does look pretty bad that the Times would refuse to release such a tape. I have a hard time believing if they had video of McCain attending a dinner for a Klansman they would be withholding it.
This really is par for the course when you look at the pathetic and despicable way the media has behaved throughout this campaign.
The Politico is even weighing in on the controversy and they too believe The L.A. Times should release the video.
Ben Smith from The Politico contacted the Times and their spokeswoman said this:
“When we reported on the tape six months ago, that was our full report,” she said, and asked, “Does Politico release unpublished information?”
Ben Smith answered in his column:
The answer to that question is yes — Politico and most news outlets constantly make available videos and documents, after describing them in part, which is why the Times’ decision not to release the video is puzzling. My instinct, and many reporters’, is to share as much source material as possible.
Critics have suggested that the Times is witholding the video for political reasons, but there are other possibilities: competitive reasons, or simply out of tradition. In the mechanics of reporting, there’s another possibility as well. The video may have been given to the paper on the condition it not be released, or releasing it could compromise its source.
But the Times hasn’t explained the move, and the McCain campaign is turning up the heat on a story that, whether or not the tape is released, is a reminder that some of Obama’s Hyde Park friends stand well to the left of his stated positions.
What this all boils down to is Barack Obama’s judgment in selecting friends. Since his college days, Barack Obama has chosen to associate with every Commie Pinko and left wing nut in Chicago and beyond.
Of course all these people were mere acquaintances — not really friends. Anyone who believes that is a sucker.
I don’t believe Barack Obama shares the same beliefs necessarily as Bill Ayres, but he clearly identifies with him in some way.
If Barack Obama went for a beer with friends after work in Chicago, people like Khalidi and Ayres would have been those friends. I certainly don’t hang around with a bunch of people I have nothing in common with, and I don’t know anyone who does.
Yet we’re supposed to believe that Obama palled around with every wackjob in Chicago, but doesn’t share any of their views? I don’t buy it.
If it was just a Bill Ayres or a Rashid Khalidi, or a Rev. Wright, or a Father Pfleger, or a Tony Rezko, that would be one thing. A lot of people have one crazy friend, so it wouldn’t really be an issue.
However, it’s the totality of friends that’s so damn troubling about Obama. Not one friend, but ALL his friends are radical far-left loons.
Nobody hangs around with that many Pinkos and has nothing in common with them.
The L.A. Times has a responsibility to release that tape and let the American people decide if it’s important or not.
-Chris Jones
