Debate FACT CHECK-Obama caught

[underpants]

OBAMA: I support the eventual normalization. And it's absolutely
true that I think our policy has been a failure. I mean, the fact is,
is that during my entire lifetime, and Senator Clinton's entire
lifetime, you essentially have seen a Cuba that has been isolated...

http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2008/02/sweet_complete_transcript_of_d.html

The Cuban revolution in 1959
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuban_revolution

Hillary was born in 1947
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hillary_Clinton


:bounce::bounce:

Okay at this point of the debate I paused the TiVo and told my wife:

Wife, HERE is the line she should be ready with when he finishes -- "Look I know that sometimes politicians are said to be unspecific and vague on purpose *I* feel that in the future we need to be much more specific but for right now let me just say that I lived in a world of an un-isolated Cuba "(and smile)

:bounce: :bounce: it would have been a nice joke on herself and pointed out her edge in experience

DAMN they should hire me!!!

[XemaSab]

1. I caught that too

Oh well, as president he can hire people for teh quick math work. :P

[scheming daemons]

2. Maybe he heard of the HillaryIs44 web site and thought it was referring to her age?

:shrug:

[Bucky]

30. !

well played

[MaineDem]

I'm a few years younger than Hillary but I don't remember a free Cuba

Sorry but I don't. To me Cuba has always been isolated - even though technically it wasn't during my childhood when I probably didn't even know where Cuba was.

I don't have a problem with Obama's statement.

[yellowcanine]

10. It may not have been isolated by the U.S. before 1959 but it darn sure wasn't "free".

[Seabiscuit]

24. By "free" they mean a non-communist regime.

Prior to 1959 when Castro took over, the Batista regime was friendly to American business, particularly the mafia's casino business.

That's not what I'd consider real "freedom", but the point the pundits make is that it was non-communist.

[MaineDem]

31. That's basically what I meant, too

I don't ever remember Cuba being non-Communist although it was for a good 8 or 9 years of my life.

[Seabiscuit]

44. I was born in 1945. So by the time Castro took over I was just becoming aware

of things like that going on in the world.

[Egnever]

3. I hope she takes your advice

The faster she blows herself up attacking stupid shit like this the faster we can put this thing to rest.

[grantcart]

35. god the guy attacks him for trying to take ten years off her age

most women will vote for him on that one point lol

[Renew Deal]

4. I noticed that too.

I think he was trying to be nice to Hillary. He put himself in a tough spot with the age thing. :dilemma:

[Pirate Smile]

7. I thought the same thing. He was being nice.

[theHandpuppet]

32. I agree

And I'm an HRC supporter. He was just being gracious and that's cool by me. After all, Hilliary wasn't even a teenager when Fidel came to power.

[Zueda]

8. Exactly....

Can you imagine the screams of "SEXISM" here if he pointed out her age?

[underpants]

9. Actually he stumbled on that

I don't know if it was the lawyer in him watching every word coming out of his mouth or if he just realized that he wasn't sure what he was about to say was true but he...sort of..hesitated...and ...gave her...a look.. as ...he ....said that

[rodeodance]

29. he does that a lot. I think he hs think of what Politically he has to say.

[TheDoorbellRang]

36. That's what I thought, too

When he paused, I saw him thinking, "Oh, oh. Don't want to imply anything about a lady's age." I think that's why he finished up as he did on that line.

[lligrd]

5. I Wondered About That lol

He should have said, "and most of Senator Clinton's life" of "and Senator Clinton's adult life".

[yellowcanine]

6. Ok he should have said "adult life time" Very picky. I hope you are being sarcastic.

[underpants]

11. Moi?

MmmmmOI?!?!?

[yellowcanine]

13. No, you.

[underpants]

15. :-)

:hi:

[yellowcanine]

17. ...

:evilgrin:

[rodeodance]

27. ho ho-------now that would remind the people of MO's comment (adult)

[TheDebbieDee]

12. Cuba is only isolated from the US........

When I was in the military and stationed in Germany (December, 1987 - Jan, 1990), I met many Germans that spoke fondly of Cuba and told about what wonderful times they had there on vacation.

From what I gather, Cuba was quite a popular vacation destination for Europeans.

[MaineDem]

19. You're absolutely right.

I have Canadian friends who love to vacation there.

[AlertLurker]

22. Cuba kicks ass.

There is no substitute for the Cuban people - they're just awesome.

Patria o Muerte!

[Connie_Corleone]

14. Maybe he was trying to be nice and not point out how old she is.

[mckeown1128]

16. OMG he should just drop out...

Wow.. she could have nailed him on that. He didn't say that she was OLD enough to have seen a pre castro cuba. he should have specifically said how she was born LONG before the castro cuba. :sarcasm:

[yellowcanine]

18. Can we get David Brooks take on it? I won't know what to think until we get his input..

He is the one who knows Obama the best.

[underpants]

21. LOL

[democrattotheend]

20. Yeah I was thinking that

But I thought it was a 2-year difference, not 12. Oh well.

[Alexander]

23. This isn't even as bad as Hillary claiming she was named after Sir Edmund Hillary.

[Bucky]

33. "Isn't even as bad" in this case meaning "just as innocuous"

Surely we have actual things to talk about here at DU, right?

[Alexander]

40. Yes. But the OP brought up bullshit so I responded with more bullshit.

The point is, Hillary's campaign is sinking like the Titanic and many DUers would rather go down with the ship.

[KhaOZ]

25. Wow, so he thought she was as young as her botox suggested. Sue him.

[rodeodance]

26. hey-call her up--great catch.

[Drunken Irishman]

28. Never make a woman feel old, Obama knows this. :D

[hfojvt]

34. then he could be ready with a reply

"You are right, my mistake. I forgot your age because you don't look a day over 48."

Lay on the BS so you can win that eventual endorsement.

[libbygurl]

37. Ha, I chuckled at that flub-Hillary is not much older than 48, by Obama's reckoning! nt

[jackson_dem]

38. Obama's consistently moved to the right in his career. No one ever talks about that

:shrug:

[izzybeans]

39. THIS is Hugh!!!!

You Kaut Him Reed Hinded!!! It's arseome!!!

[UndertheOcean]

41. how stupid

get a life already

[Raejeanowl]

42. It's Not All That Huge

It shouldn't come as a surprise to us that he lacks the same historical perspective or world political affairs knowledge of an older person.

He probably thinks that everyone has always had two cars in the driveway, too. Try this one on him "Social Security was never intended to be an American citizen's sole source of retirement income." SS itself has been promulgating that one for a couple of decades, but anyone who was taught early 20th century history, learns about the social evolution of the nuclear family (or realizes that individual retirement plans are a comparatively new option) knows otherwise.

Is he a bum because he's a little wet behind the ears? No, but he's wet behind the ears.

[rodeodance]

45. he would be great in 2016---

[pleah]

43. Experience over words will (should) win every time!

[rodeodance]

47. need to calulate in the SWOON factor.

[Emit]

46. Damn

He should've whipped out his calculator before he misspoke ;)