Washington Post scandal deepens as inconsistencies develop in reporter's version of Danielle Allen's Obama claims

Andy Martin questions why the Washington Post's coverage of Senator Barack Obama appears "curiouser and curiouser." Why are there factual inconsistencies in a Washington Post article about Barack Obama's religion? Post reporter Matthew Mosk's story does not jibe with Danielle Allen's e-mails to ContrarianCommentary.com.

ANDY MARTIN
Executive Editor
ContrarianCommentary.com

“Factually Correct, Not
Politically Correct”

AMERICA’S #1 POLITICAL
BLOG ON THE 2008 CAMPAIGN

WASHINGTON POST TIME LINE APPEARS CONFUSED, REPUDIATED BY DANIELLE ALLEN

DID ALLEN "MEET" OBAMA, OR NOT? WASHINGTON POST, ALLEN APPEARS TO HAVE DIFFERING VIEWS OF THE WORD "MEETING"

(NEW YORK)(July 3, 2008) Yesterday I published a column on Danielle Allen's actions in "researching" e-mails attacking Senator Barack Obama's religion. I accompanied my column with two e-mails Ms. Allen sent me. All of this activity concerns a story in the Washington Post that raises more and more questions:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/27/AR2008062703781.html
Ms. Allen sent me another e-mail today (Wednesday, July 2nd). She told me that she did not start researching the Obama e-mails until March 5th of this year. She said:
Dear Mr. Martin,There is a mistake in your press release. I did not begin my research specifically on the smear emails until March 5th. I had concluded my volunteering with the Obama campaign on Feb. 5th.Please correct this.Thank you,Danielle Allen-- UPS Foundation Professor of Social ScienceInstitute for Advanced StudyEinstein DrivePrinceton, NJ 08540609 734 8281
Since Ms. Allen provides a specific date, March 5th, one assumes she has a diary or maintains some sort of time sheet record in which she records her activity for the day.
Matthew Mosk, however, wrote that Allen received the Obama e-mail on January 11th. His story says, "By the time it reached Allen on Jan. 11, 2008, it had spread with viral efficiency for more than a year."
Thus, there is an unexplained gap between January 11th when Mosk says Allen received the e-mail, and March 5th when she claims to have started researching the claims against Obama. That was very late in the primary season, but significantly came after Obama's losses to Clinton on March 4th. Hmmm. Damage control, anyone?
As I prepared this report and tried to analyze the confusion between Allen and Mosk, I went back to yesterday's e-mail, contained in my earlier story. More confusion. Mosk wrote: "As an Obama supporter -- she had met the senator while she worked as a dean at the University of Chicago -- it made her angry."
The only problem with Mosk's claim is that it is contradicted by Allen's e-mail to me, published yesterday, in which she stated "(3) I have met Mr. Obama once (in a shouted greeting across a parking lot) in Chicago."
A "shouted greeting across a parking lot" would hardly be considered a "meeting" by most people. Why did Mosk suggest Allen had "met the senator while she worked as a dean," when that meeting was not a meeting at all but a mere "shout" in a "parking lot?"
Finally, Ms. Allen suggests she met Mosk through "word of mouth." But if she didn’t start her research on the Obama-religion e-mail until March 5th, when did her "word of mouth" reach Mosk? How could word of her Obama research have percolated so rapidly?
I am left with questions. There are growing inconsistencies between Matthew Mosk's story in the Washington Post and Danielle Allen's e-mails. How can Mosk and Allen have divergent views of the facts?
None of this makes any sense. The actions of the Washington Post appear more and more suspicious. My suspicions increased on Wednesday when the Post published what could be a major conflict-of-interest story on Obama, disclosing the senator got a preferential mortgage rate from the Northern Trust Company. The Post did so on the eve of the July 4th holiday when media attention is declining. Is the Post trying to conceal and confuse scandalous information about Obama's campaign and the senator personally?
I invite your responses and comments.
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Andy Martin is a legendary Chicago muckraker, author, Internet columnist, radio talk show host, broadcaster and media critic. Andy is the Executive Editor and publisher of www.ContrarianCommentary.com. © Copyright by Andy Martin 2008. Martin covers regional, national and world events with over forty years of experience. He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law. His columns are also posted at ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com; contrariancommentary.wordpress.com. Andy is the author of Obama: The Man Behind The Mask, being published in July 2008, see http://www.OrangeStatePress.com. MEDIA CONTACT: (866) 706-2639 E-MAIL: AndyMart20@aol.com [NOTE: We frequently correct typographical errors and additions/subtractions on our blogs, where you can find the latest edition of this release.]

Washington Post "Obama girl" Danielle Allen; the mystery woman in her own words

Andy Martin with explosive new commentary on Senator Barack Obama. Martin provides exclusive new comments from Danielle Allen, and new embarrassment for the Washington Post.

ANDY MARTIN
Executive Editor
ContrarianCommentary.com

“Factually Correct, Not
Politically Correct”

AMERICA’S #1 POLITICAL
BLOG ON THE 2008 CAMPAIGN

AUTHOR ANDY MARTIN HEARS FROM WASHINGTON POST "OBAMA GIRL" DANIELLE ALLEN; THE MYSTERY WOMAN IN HER OWN WORDS

MARTIN'S NEW BOOK, "OBAMA: THE MAN BEHIND THE MASK," IS AT THE PRINTER AND WILL BE ON SALE NATIONALLY WITHIN DAYS.

"YOU BE THE JUDGE OF L'AFFAIRE ALLEN," SAYS ANDY
(NEW YORK)(July 2, 2008) Many readers are familiar with the firestorm created by my columns on Senator Barack Obama's religious "roots." My new book, "Obama: The Man Behind the Mask," is now at the printer; we are awaiting delivery momentarily. "Mask" provides more insight into my thoughts about Barack's troubled childhood and how it has influenced his adult life.
The controversy triggered by my research over the past four years culminated in an extraordinary story Saturday, June 28th in the Washington Post, in which a University of Chicago "researcher," Danielle Allen, sought to "uncover" e-mail attacks on Obama's religion. Ms. Allen never contacted me during her research but apparently ended up at my doorstep. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/27/AR2008062703781.html
It is a little unfair to say someone has "uncovered" or "discovered" my writing; my columns are out there in the open, all under my name, and have been for the past four years. While "hard left" media supporters of Obama such as Christopher Hayes of The Nation and Ben Smith of Politico.com claim to have exposed me, you can't really "expose" something that is not in hiding, and that is sitting right out there in the open. No one has been able to challenge my research or my conclusions, which is why frustrated left-wing writers and web sites resort to personal attacks and smears as a substitute for informed debate on my writing.

Despite all of Obama's manufactured pseudo-events defending his patriotism and religion this week he has not gained the trust and confidence of the American people. The questions I first raised four years ago, remain.
We are also left with the obvious questions about Danielle Allen: who is she, what relationship did she have to Obama and how did the article about us come to be published in the Post?
Ms. Allen contacted me with her responses on July 1st, and I thought the best way to handle the issue was to simply publish our correspondence and let you, the reader, be the judge. Then I will comment.
Dear Mr. Martin,Thank you for sharing your press release with me. I am happy to provide you with the same information I provided to the Washington Post:(1) I am a donor to the Obama campaign.(2) I volunteered full time for the Obama campaign as a field organizer in California from the end of December through the Feb. 5th primary.(3) I have met Mr. Obama once (in a shouted greeting across a parking lot) in Chicago.I conducted the research entirely on my own steam motivated by broader research purposes.Best wishes,Danielle Allen
Thank you for your response and information.

I am going to do a story update, and I will release your information, correcting the record and updating my own suppositions. I assume what you sent me is not confidential.

I am still at a loss to understand how Mr. Mosk found you, given your seeming lack of connection to the Obama campaign and the fact that there was no way to find your project through any Google link (am I wrong in these beliefs?). If you care to tell me, I will add that to my update.

You can understand that people would wonder how Mr. Mosk found you, since there is no public record of your activity and you were not referred to him by the Obama campaign. Given the Byzantine (classical?) machinations of the Obama campaign, I think it is a fair line of inquiry. It is a pretty wide hole, given the Post wrote a full page about someone who was previously unknown as operating in the area. Any connection to your California activity?

As for myself, I am in my command and control bunker deep underneath Midtown Manhattan. That is where the liberal media fantasize that I operate from.

We strive for accuracy and fairness, notwithstanding my own point of view. I will report what you send me in that spirit.

If you would like to receive updates, just let me know. I won't add your name to the Obama list without your permission.

Best wishes and thanks for your response.

Andy Martin
Dear Mr. Martin,Yes, the information I gave you in my last email is public information. I presume you will quote me accurately and I would be grateful if you would add me to any list on which you are likely to use the information so that I may confirm that.People commonly ask me what my current research project is about. I am always working on more than one project at once. Since last fall one of my answers has been "the impact of the internet on American politics." In the course of my professional activity I often cross paths with journalists so I have been mentioning the general research with some regularity. This word of mouth brought Mosk to me.Best wishes,Danielle Allen
In her initial comments Ms. Allen told me that the she was giving me the "same information I provided to the Washington Post." Why didn’t these basic facts about Allen make it into print? Ms. Allen "volunteered full time for the Obama campaign as a field organizer in California from the end of December through the February 5th primary." It would seem to me that instead of seeking to embellish Ms. Allen with hyper rhetoric, Mr. Mosk should have provided his readers with the details about her extensive involvement with the Obama campaign. Almost two months of full-time activity, during the same period of her research, is a substantial connection. Mosk failed to do so. I believe the Post published a misleading and incomplete article.
Ms. Allen's second response is somewhat less complete and satisfying. She said her initial e-mail contained "public information," but as near as I can determine the information about her campaign work was not available through public means, the very means she was using to research Obama's detractors. If anyone can find news about her full time campaign work for Obama on the Internet I would be pleased to receive it.
Second, although Ms. Allen said Mr. Mosk was led to her by "word of mouth," the obvious questions remain unanswered: whose words and whose mouth? It is simply not believable that a person whose links to the Obama campaign were not in the public domain became the topic of a full-page story in the Washington Post on the basis of serendipity or mere happenstance. The full story remains to be disclosed.

Ms. Allen has been kind enough to provide me with her version of the Post's inquiries. I remain unsatisfied. But I think the best way to get at the truth is to let the actors tell their own stories. I await Mr. Mosk's explanations and Post Ombudsman Deborah Howell's inquiries into the matter of "L'ffaire Allen."
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Andy Martin is a legendary Chicago muckraker, author, Internet columnist, radio talk show host, broadcaster and media critic. Andy is the Executive Editor and publisher of www.ContrarianCommentary.com. © Copyright by Andy Martin 2008. Martin covers regional, national and world events with over forty years of experience. He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law. His columns are also posted at ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com; contrariancommentary.wordpress.com. Andy is the author of Obama: The Man Behind The Mask, being published in July 2008, see http://www.OrangeStatePress.com. MEDIA CONTACT: (866) 706-2639 E-MAIL: AndyMart20@aol.com [NOTE: We frequently correct typographical errors and additions/subtractions on our blogs, where you can find the latest edition of this release.]

Andy Martin creates a firestorm over mainstream media efforts to conceal Barack Obama's religious roots

Andy Martin's book goes from bestseller to blockbuster as left/right battle over Obama. Martin keeps publishing the truth about Obama, and the Washington Post gets caught deceiving its readers as to the provenance of so-called "political expert" Danielle Allen, who appears to be an Obama campaign operative. Martin calls his book a "take-it-to-the beach-and-enjoy" volume. "Obama: The Man Behind The Mask" goes on sale nationally within days.

ANDY MARTIN
Executive Editor
ContrarianCommentary.com

“Factually Correct, Not
Politically Correct”

AMERICA’S #1 POLITICAL
BLOG ON THE 2008 CAMPAIGN

AUTHOR ANDY MARTIN'S COLUMNS TRIGGER EMBARRASSMENT FOR WASHINGTON POST AND MAELSTROM OF RIGHT/LEFT CRITICISM

MARTIN'S NEW BOOK IS AT THE PRINTER AND WILL BE ON SALE NATIONALLY WITHIN DAYS.

"TIMING IS EVERYTHING," SAYS ANDY

(NEW YORK)(June 30, 2008) By the looks of it, we have created a firestorm across the Internet, and across the presidential campaign. What is a little amazing is that this mountain of controversy comes just as my new book "Obama: The Man Behind The Mask" goes on sale nationally. Timing is everything.

And, since people who have no particular desire to help sales of my book generate all of the publicity, it all leaves you believing in divine intervention. Nevertheless, "Obama: The Man Behind the Mask," already a bestseller, is now headed for blockbuster status.

What explains all of this continuing conflict over Senator Barack Obama's religious beliefs? There are a number of factors.

First, the liberal mainstream media establishment insists on blatantly deceiving readers and viewers. Matthew Mosk of the Washington Post wrote an article about my columns, but he put the picture of someone else, Danielle Allen, on the story. Mosk neglected to tell his readers that Allen was an Obama contributor who had been an Obama defender in print media for years; in all likelihood an Obama campaign operative. Readers were deceived into believing Mosk's fairy tale that Allen "woke up one morning" and decided to take up a spear for Obama. Mosk's basic story line was a blatant sham.

Once the Internet focused on the Post's reporting, Allen was humiliated, Mosk was disgraced, and the Post's reputation for fairness and balance was in tatters. Mosk's article boomeranged on the Obama campaign.

The only one left standing with an intact reputation was me.

Second, despite Obama's lies, he grew up in a Muslim family. I am not going to hyperlink every story that confirms that fact. It is a fact. It is useless and counterproductive for Obama to deny that fact. Why does he persist in lying? About his childhood, for God's sake? Obama is clearly in deep denial about his convoluted upbringing, unstable mother, scandalous father and hapless stepfather.

Third, childhood religious experiences matter. They matter a great deal. Obama admitted to a New York Times reporter in 2007 that Obama could still recite Muslin prayers in flawless Arabic. That learning did not come by accident or overnight. It came through relentless drilling in the Arabic language. (Whether we call it rote memorization or repetition, the effect is the same; the Islamic prayers were drilled into his brain. Just ask a Roman Catholic friend about similar "drilling.") I have also quoted the old Jesuit saw that says "If we have a boy until he is seven years old, we have him for life." The Muslim religion had Obama in various forms until he was around ten.

Important note: when Obama moved in with his grandparents, they made no effort to displace his Muslim heritage because they had no religious beliefs of their own to substitute. Since children don’t begin to develop reasoning powers until eight or nine, Obama's Muslim roots remained by default.

Fourth, journalistic integrity matters. When I first began writing about Obama's religious roots, conservatives were suspicious. I have differences of opinion with some conservatives on U. S. Middle East policy. "How," conservatives asked, "could someone such as Andy Martin, who is sympathetic to the Muslim point of view, be 'exposing' Barack Obama?" The reason I could write about Obama with a clear conscience is that I owe my only loyalty to the truth, and through the truth to my readers and listeners.

Yes, I do have sympathies, and I am honest and open about them. But I never let my personal views interfere with the facts. Although no one will ever thank me for it, I have probably screened out more anti-Obama trash than anyone else. If there is no truth behind the facts, I won’t get behind the story.

So, where do we stand on the eve of publication of my blockbuster book?

The book has large amounts of new commentary that have never appeared anywhere. Regular readers of my columns will want to obtain a copy to see how I analyze old issues and look to the future. There is also an anthology of collected columns to show how I kept digging relentlessly for the truth about Obama. The book is designed to be readable and accessible, a take-it-to-the beach-and-enjoy volume. I write for Hillary Clinton Democrats (those of media myth anyway) as well as country club Republicans. As we say in my own church, the Episcopal Church, "All are Welcome," to buy a copy of the book.

Second, the Washington Post's ombudsman Deborah Howell will face a firestorm when she returns. She is apparently on vacation. The Post handled the Andy Martin/Danielle Allen story very, very badly. Readers were at least misled and possibly deceived. Matt Mosk has egg on his face. (Interestingly, Mosk treated me fairly and accurately, so I have no personal beef with the WP.)

Third, Barack Obama's "Fightthesmears.com" shenanigans have exploded in his face. Again.

Fourth, I have become the conservative poster boy for self-identified "hard left" media loonies such as Christopher Hayes of "The Nation" and Ben Smith of Politico.com. They will stop at nothing to smear me with lies, damn lies and more lies. In fact, in order to placate the "hard left," I have had to invent the fantasy of ContrarianCommentary.com's massive underground command and control bunker in Midtown Manhattan, where I manipulate coverage of the 2008 presidential election. Keith Olbermann has a standing invitation to visit. I only ask that Mr. Hayes and the others who have made me a poster boy keep it clean. No Page Six stuff, Keith.

Finally, ContrarianCommentary.com and its related blogs remain America's #1 political blog on the 2008 presidential race because we are independent, impartial and honest. That is a lot more than I can say for Barack Obama and his sycophants in the mainstream media. You keep reading and I'll keep writing. As Sergeant Joe Friday would always intone, "Just the facts, ma'am."

Buy the book and take it to the beach. Whether you are a Republican, Democrat or Independent you can count on my facts and opinions to get your blood flowing. After forty years observing the sewers and cesspools of Illinois politics, I know Barack Obama. And he is Barack Obama. He's no John Kennedy. A tip of the hat to former Senator Lloyd Bentsen for that thought.

BOOK ORDERS: http://orangestatepress.com
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©
document.write(new Date().getFullYear())
2008 The Washington Post Company
Obama E-Mail Timeline
2004
August 10: Andy Martin — a former political opponent of Obama and now the publisher of an internet newspaper — posts an article saying that Obama has concealed his Muslim heritage. Martin says that under Islamic law Obama became a Muslim at birth due to his father's religion.
2006
December 29: Ted Sampley, a former U.S. Army Green Beret and conservative political activist, publishes an article titled "Obama, Who is He?" The article quotes Martin, as well as others, who say Obama is a Muslim.
December 29: A first version of the "Who Is Barack Obama?" email is captured by Snopes.com, a Web site dedicated investigating rumors and myths that spread via the Internet.
2007
January 2: Andrew Walden, the founder of an alternative Hawaiian newspaper, publishes an article with many of the same biographical details from the email, such as that Obama was "raised in Muslim lands and educated in Muslim schools."
January 8: A FreeRepublic.com reader using the name "Cedar" posts a version of the email, which associates Obama with radical Islam. His post garners only 13 replies.
January 15: Different versions of the email are posted on an "Urban Legends" page on About.com.
January 16: Three versions of the email show up on FreeRepublic.com, including the version that was earlier posted on the Web site Snopes.com.
January 17: Insight, a conservative Web magazine owned by the Unification Church, publishes a story that alleges the Clinton campaign is asking questions about Obama's background:
"Are the American people ready for an elected president who was educated in a Madrassa as a young boy and has not been forthcoming about his Muslim heritage? This is the question Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's camp is asking about Sen. Barack Obama."
January 19: The Fox television network's morning program, "Fox & Friends" broadcasts a report based on the Insight story.
January 23: CNN runs a report refuting the Insight story. The network states that the school Obama attended in Indonesia was not a madrassa.
January 30: FreeRepublic.com reader FrouFrou posts the Ted Sampley article "Obama: Who Is He?"
February 10: Obama announces he will run for president.
August: CBS News asks voters in a poll what they think Obama's religion is. Seven percent think he is Protestant, 7 percent say Muslim, and 84 percent don't know or don't answer.
Mid-November: The Obama campaign posts a dossier on its Web site titled "Obama Has Never Been A Muslim, And Is a Committed Christian." It includes testimonials from religious leaders vouching for Obama's faith.
December 5: Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign acknowledges an Iowa volunteer forwarded a version of the email. "This was wholly unauthorized, and we were totally unaware of it," Patti Solis Doyle, Clinton's campaign manager, tells The New York Times. "Let me be clear: No one should be engaging in this."
2008
January 15: Obama confronts the issue during Las Vegas debate:
"Let's make clear what the facts are: I am a Christian. I have been sworn in with a Bible. I pledge allegiance [to the American flag] and lead the pledge of allegiance sometimes in the United States Senate when I'm presiding."
March: An NBC News-Wall Street Journal poll asks:
Do you know what Barack Obama's religion is?
Of those who know, 37 percent answer Protestant (includes United Church of Christ, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Episcopal, Presbyterian and other Christians), 13 percent say Muslim.
April: A Newsweek poll shows the Rev. Jeremiah Wright controversy has no impact on public perceptions about Obama's religion. The portion of the voting population that believe he is Muslim remains 13 percent — and that belief is higher (16 percent) among those described as working class whites.
April 21: Obama tells The New York Times:
"It's not just that I'm a Christian and some of these emails are misinforming people. They're also feeding on anti-Muslim sentiment and that's also wrong."
June 12: The Obama campaign unveils a Web site called Fight the Smears to address the email rumors.
CREDIT: Reporting by Matthew Mosk, The Washington Post - June 28, 2008
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Andy Martin is a legendary Chicago muckraker, author, Internet columnist, radio talk show host, broadcaster and media critic. Andy is the Executive Editor and publisher of www.ContrarianCommentary.com. © Copyright by Andy Martin 2008. Martin covers regional, national and world events with over forty years of experience. He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law. His columns are also posted at ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com; contrariancommentary.wordpress.com. Andy is the author of Obama: The Man Behind The Mask, being published in July 2008, see http://www.OrangeStatePress.com. MEDIA CONTACT: (866) 706-2639 E-MAIL: AndyMart20@aol.com [NOTE: We frequently correct typographical errors and additions/subtractions on our blogs, where you can find the latest edition of this release.]

Andy Martin's response to the Washington Post article on Obama's Danielle Allen

Andy Martin follows up on the Obama campaign's latest dirty tricks and disinformation. Why did the Washington Post omit a crucial part of the story about an Obama campaign oppositional research operative? How did Matt Mosk of the Post encounter a hitherto unknown "razor sharp" Obama "supporter?" Is Obama abusing tax-exempt Princeton University facilities to conduct secret spying on Internet commentators?

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Andy Martin, J. D.
Professor of Law (Adj.)
Executive Editor




June 29, 2008



Ms. Deborah Howell
Ombudsman
Washington Post


Re: Matt Mosk, "An Attack That Came Out of the Ether"

Dear Ms. Howell:

I would like to ask you to look into Mast Mosk's article "An Attack That Came Out of the Ether."

I am quoted in the article, extensively, and generally accurately. In so far as it applies to me, I have no problems with the story.

But the article itself has serious deficiencies. I will list just a couple:

1. In my news conference yesterday I raised the question of Ms. Allen using a tax-exempt facility to do partisan political research when she was presumably hired to pursue more meaningful activity at the Princeton IAS. Some of the many posts on your web site raised the same topic. Is Allen's "e-mail" project something Allen is claiming as an academic pursuit under the IAS? People would want to know. I am surprised that Mr. Mosk did not question why a tax-exempt facility is being used as a political opposition research operation, or whether Allen applied to be funded to pursue this activity.

2. Closely associated with the first question is the more critical question of how Mr. Mosk identified Ms. Allen to do a full-page article on an unknown person.

A simple Google search will confirm that Ms. Allen's name has never been liked to Obama politically; no one has ever suggested she is a "political expert" as we understand the term in common English. In short there was no public track for Mr. Mosk to pursue. So how did Mr. Mosk find Ms. Allen?

It appears that Mosk was steered to Allen by the Obama campaign. A reasonable journalist (and I am merely an author and opinion columnist, see ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com and ContrarianCommentary.com) would ask, how did the Post learn about Allen and what does the Post know about what Allen has shared with the Obama campaign concerning her "research?" My news conference release from yesterday is posted on the net and you can see it for yourself. (A copy is available on request.)

In other words, the biggest part of the story, and part that would undermine Ms. Allen's independence and credibility as "razor sharp" and all of the other nonsensical adjectives that were applied to her, is that she is nothing more than an Obama campaign operative, albeit one violating federal tax laws by operating out of a tax-exempt operation. Ms. Allen did not just appear on Mosk's doorstep. The story of how he found this hitherto unknown "political" expert was an essential part of his story, and he completely omitted it. We expect partisans to be partisan; Mosk tried to suggest Allen just woke up one morning and spent the next year "researching" something, having no contact or coordination with the Obama campaign. That is simply not believable.

Since Mr. Mosk generally treated me fairly and accurately, I have no cavil with him. Nevertheless, I think he treated the Post's readers unfairly and cavalierly by not telling them the whole truth about Ms. Allen and how he came to encounter her. How he found her, when she had no public track record, is an obvious question of foundational interest to any reader. Clearly, the reasonable inference is that he was directed to her by the Obama campaign. That part of the story was essential to assessing and evaluating Allen's credibility and Mosk omitted those facts. I think a little "full disclosure" is due your readers, particularly inasmuch as for Saturday it became the most circulated article in the paper.

I know the Post strives for high standards; but high standards are meaningless if they are not accompanied by candor and full disclosure. The "how" of Mosk's encounter with Allen leaves a gaping whole in the "story."

Please feel free to contact me.

I hope the Post will not discriminate against my new book by refusing to review it because of my opposition to Mr. Obama and his fairy tales.

Best wishes,

Andy Martin
Executive Editor
ContrarianCommentary.com
Author of:
Obama: The Man Behind The Mask
http://orangestatepress.com
Publication: June 2008

NEW YORK News Conference:
WASHINGTON POST NAMES AUTHOR ANDY MARTIN AS OBAMA SOURCE
Andy Martin asks whether the Washington Post was "duped" by the Obama campaign. Was Danielle Allen violating federal law by using tax-exempt facilities to do Obama campaign research? What are Allen's links to Obama and his campaign? The Washington Post is silent on these critical questions.
ANDY MARTIN
Executive Editor
ContrarianCommentary.com

“Factually Correct, Not
Politically Correct”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

ATTENTION DAYBOOK/ASSIGNMENT EDITORS

ANNOUNCEMENT OF NEW YORK NEWS CONFERENCE JUNE 28, 2008

OBAMA AUTHOR ANDY MARTIN RESPONDS TO WASHINGTON POST ARTICLE NAMING MARTIN AS THE SOURCE OF COMMENTS ABOUT OBAMA'S RELIGIOUS ROOTS

MARTIN ACCUSES WASHINGTON POST OF CREATING "MANCHURIAN SURROGATE" FOR OBAMA'S DISINFORMATION

MARTIN'S CONTROVERSIAL BEST SELLER ON OBAMA WILL BE AVAILABLE NATIONALLY WITHIN DAYS

WAS THE WASHINGTON POST DUPED BY THE OBAMA CAMPAIGN?

(NEW YORK)(June 28, 2008) Legendary Chicago Internet columnist and Obama author Andy Martin will hold a New York news conference Saturday, June 28th to respond to an article today in the Washington Post identifying him as the original source of information about Barack Obama's religion. Martin will also charge that far from being an innocent victim, Obama has been a perpetrator of the confusion over his religion and Obama is engaging in his own Internet terror tactics.

The Washington Post article is found at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/27/AR2008062703781.html?hpid=topnews

Martin says the Washington Post article is accurate and factual as it applies to him, but that the Post story raises more questions than it answers.

"In so far as my contact with the Post," Martin will state, "Mr. Mosk accurately reports my role and, as far as I can remember, correctly reports our interview.

"But Mosk produced an incomplete form of journalism. He writes a long article about Danielle Allen, but she is a very suspicious character to say the least. Mosk uncritically swallows Allen's story.

"First, despite the fact that Allen claims to have conducted exhaustive research, she never contacted me. How could she claim to be conducting 'research' without contacting the putative source? Scholarly research would have mandated even a pro forma contact.

"Second, Ms. Allen has been using tax exempt facilities to conduct her political research. Once again, an Obama supporter is caught apparently violating the law.

"Third, although she is identified as a 'political expert' there is no indication that Allen has any experience in politics whatsoever. Perhaps that is why Allen's research was so amateurish and deficient. Her online resume shows no political background, unless she wants to count studying ancient Athens as a model for Obama's role in the Chicago Democratic Machine.

"Fourth, neither Mosk nor Allen disclose any contacts Allen had with the Obama campaign, perhaps because of the sensitivity of using tax exempt facilities to conduct political research for Obama's campaign. How could Mosk write an article and leave out a question about Allen's contact with Obama's campaign?

"Ms. Allen's role is left hanging. She literally appears out of thin air. She claims to have accumulated masses of information, done research, and yet had no visible impact on the campaign until Mosk identified her on June 28th. Very, very strange. What impact has she had to justify her sudden appearance in the Post?

"Perhaps she is Obama's new 'Manchurian Surrogate,' spoon feeding the mainstream media Obama's perverted and distorted version of the truth about his religious roots.

"How did Mosk find Allen if she had no public record of any involvement? Obviously he was steered to her by the Obama campaign, a fact Mosk neglects to disclose. I would suggest that if Mosk was steered to her by the Obama campaign Mr. Mosk needs to write a follow-up story and disclose his own research record; it raises serious suspicions.

"The article says Allen met Obama as a 'dean,' but Obama had stopped teaching at the law school by the time Allen became a dean somewhere else in the university. There is an inconsistency here.

"Obama's own evasion is the architect of his religious confusion; he is also the orchestrator of his own Internet terror tactics to silence the truth.

"First, the problem with Barack Obama is not that he is a radical Muslim; the Post correctly states that I have never made such an accusation, and thus the New York Times story falsely claiming I was 'debunked' is defamatory.

"The problem is that Obama wants the American people to elect him as a man of mystery, a stealth candidate. It is undeniable that at least until the age of ten, Obama was raised in a Muslim environment. Yet he has assiduously pretended these religious roots do not exist. He states 'I have always been a Christian' when that is an objective lie. Why lie about his childhood?

"Second, Obama has taken to terrorizing Muslims to expunge any depiction of their existence in his campaign. That's why his staff removed two veiled women from a campaign event. Obama has sought to blame lowly staff workers; he always blames his staff when he is caught acting abusively.

"Third, Obama is guilty of the same Internet terror tactics as his opponents. He harasses anyone who challenges his fairy tales. I have been repeatedly attacked by Obama minions, and I keep fighting back.

"But I keep the public up to date about the facts, see http://barackobamawasamuslim.blogspot.com/

"Now that the Post has reported the accuracy of my research, if not Allen's, I will increase the intensity of my attacks on Obama for his prevarication, distortion and disinformation.

"In conclusion, I thank the Post for correctly reporting my own role, and not stooping to the demagoguery of the New York Times. But, unfortunately, while reporting correctly on me, the Post has unveiled Obama's new 'Manchurian Surrogate' for the media, Danielle Allen, an Africa-American woman who appears to have been rolled out by his campaign to undermine truth-tellers about his religious roots. Allen is apparently using taxpayer subsidies to conduct Obama's political research. Ms. Allen has a lot of explaining to do.

"With all due respect to Mr. Mosk, how he found the
secretive Ms. Allen now becomes the story. Why she never surfaced until June 28th, and how she surfaced, and when, are equally unanswered questions. Has the Post been inadvertently duped? Was the Post knowingly used by the Obama campaign to propagate more religious disinformation?

"I would be remiss if I did not end with a plug for my new book, 'Obama: The Man Behind The Mask.' Guests on Sean Hannity have also started pilfering my book's imagery. The book has gone to the printer and will be available nationally within days. I detail my four years of very public research—unlike Allen's surreptitious claims to have researched Obama—to unmask the very secretive and evasive Mr. Obama.

"If I say so myself, my book is a great read and well worth the price. Internet buyers get priority, since we are already oversold for the first edition," Martin states. "And if anyone finds factual inaccuracies in my writing, just let me know and I will correct them. I have always aim to be scrupulously accurate and I have succeeded."
NEWS CONFERENCE DETAILS:

WHO:

Internet Columnist-Author/Editor/Andy Martin

WHAT:

Andy Martin responds to the Washington Post article naming him as the source of Obama's religious roots.

WHERE:

909 Third Avenue, public sidewalk in front of FDR Station, New York

WHEN:

Saturday, June 28, 4:00 P. M.

MEDIA
CONTACT:

(866) 706-2639

TO PURCHASE
BOOK:

http://www.OrangeStatePress.com

ANDY
E-MAIL:

AndyMart20@aol.com
---------------------------------------------------------
Legendary Chicago muckraker, author, Internet columnist, radio talk show host and broadcaster, and media critic Andy Martin is the Executive Editor and publisher of http://www.ContrarianCommentary.com. © Copyright by Andy Martin 2008. Martin covers regional, national and world events with over forty years of experience. Andy is the author of Obama: The Man behind the Mask, being published in June, 2008, see http://www.OrangeStatePress.com. He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law. Columns also posted at ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com; contrariancommentary.wordpress.com. [NOTE: We frequently correct typographical errors and additions/subtractions on our blogs, where you can find the latest edition of this release.]

New Obama bestseller set to "wrap" at Palm West in Manhattan

Chicago/Illinois political expert Andy Martin captures the "essence of Obama" in new book. Martin's volume exceeds 400 pages of commentary and analysis on Senator Barack Obama.

News from:
Orange State Press
http://orangestatepress.com
Tel. (202) 496-1428; (866) 671-2639

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

ATTENTION DAYBOOK/ASSIGNMENT EDITORS:

NEW OBAMA BESTSELLER SET TO "WRAP" AT PALM WEST IN MANHATTAN

ANDY MARTIN VOLUME EXCEEDS 400 PAGES OF COMMENTARY AND ANALYSIS ON SENATOR BARACK OBAMA

CHICAGO/ILLINOIS POLITICAL EXPERT MARTIN CAPTURES THE "ESSENCE OF OBAMA" IN NEW BOOK

(NEW YORK)(June 26, 2008) Orange State Press will hold a "wrap" dinner Thursday, June 26th for Andy Martin, the author of the new bestseller "Obama: The Man Behind The Mask," at the Palm West in Manhattan. The book was sent to the printer on the 26th.

"Whew," says Martin. "Four years of research and writing, four months of wearying travel on the 2008 campaign, and four days of excruciating all-night, last-minute editing and proofing. We have pressed the 'Send' button on a book I feel will be a bestseller and raise new questions about Senator Barack Obama's fitness for the presidency.

"We feel we have a bestseller on our hands. Pre-publication Internet orders have been very strong. Interest is increasing as publication approaches. This is the first book to impartially and independently analyze Obama's career and place his life in the context of America's most corrupt big city, Chicago.

"Unlike right-wing cut-and-paste attacks on Obama, my book is based on over forty years of experience in Chicago and Illinois politics. While some have sought to exaggerate Obama's faults and perceived weaknesses I have worked to get behind the man, to see the 'inner Obama,' and to present insight, not incendiary attacks that quickly burn out.


"I think we have created a new kind of bestseller: a coherent and well-organized presentation for the Internet age. Today, the problem is not a lack of commentary and information; rather, people are inundated with bits and pieces. We suffer from 'information' overload. But not all information is of equal weight, and some of it is downright wrong. While the 'gatekeepers' of old no longer rule, accuracy and experience are still at a premium.

"That is why I will match my forty years plus of Chicago and Illinois political experience against anyone else who claims a piece of the Obama story. We carefully sift and review every piece of information about Obama before we publish. We don't shy away from controversy, but we have a reputation for accuracy.

"I have tried to present the 'Obama Story' as he progressed from an unknown to an all-too-well-known. Obama is a complicated man. He has led a complicated life. Even the most basic questions about him raise complex answers. With over four hundred pages of analysis, commentary and thought-provoking inquiry about the candidate we have captured his 'essence.'

"The book is not an ending; rather it represents a beginning. We chose an arbitrary cutoff with the close of the primary season. We will continue to be on the campaign trail gathering information and insight. There is a lot more to say.

"As someone who is both a performance artist-based writer and adjunct professor of law, I have dug out some parts of the Obama story that national media either do not understand or have chosen to ignore. I think we came up with a solid picture of Senator Obama, a very readable, comprehensive 436 pages," Martin will state at the 'wrap' dinner.

The Palm West is at 250 W. 50th Street, New York.

Martin will be available to media beginning at 5:00 PM.

Media requesting a copy of the final color cover design may request one by e-mail or phone.

MEDIA CONTACTS: Orange State Press (202) 496-1428;
(866) 671-2639 E-MAIL: contact@orangestatepress.com

BOOK SALES: http://OrangeStatePress.com

Politico.com and Regnery Publishing mislead the public with claims of a "First Obama attack book…"

Andy Martin criticizes false claims by Regnery, Politico.com. "Obama: The Man Behind The Mask" goes to the printer in hours, the first book by nationally acclaimed Obama expert Andy Martin. See http://orangestatepress.com.

News from:
ContrarianCommentary.com

“Factually Correct, Not
Politically Correct”

AMERICA’S #1 POLITICAL
BLOG ON THE 2008 CAMPAIGN

Politico.com and Regnery Publishing mislead the public with claims of a "First Obama attack book…"

ContrarianCommentary.com/OrangeStatePress.com are first in the field

Is Regnery pushing "vaporware" to stop Andy Martin's best-selling blockbuster on Senator Barack Obama?

(NEW YORK)(June 24, 2008) ContrarianCommentary.com charged Tuesday that Politico.com has published an incorrect report claiming that a "first Obama attack book" is being published by a "conservative journalist" and Regnery Publishing.

"Our book goes to press within hours," says Andy Martin, Executive Editor of ContrarianCommentary.com. "Indeed, we have had reports—unconfirmed to date—that the media are lifting concepts from our own book on a wholesale basis.

"One of the reasons for Barack Obama's success is that right-wing writers try to smear the senator. We have taken a balanced approached, which we call 'Just the facts, ma'am' from Dragnet. We reject as much anti-Obama material as we publish, because much of it is inaccurate and spiteful. We are not hesitant to land tough blows on the good senator, but we strive to hit him with accurate ones.

"Regnery is obviously trying to stop our book by issuing misleading claims and statements. That in itself is a sign they may be coming out with a smear, not a real character study, of Obama.

"Sean Hannity was apparently confused by Regnery's claims because he described another book using terms that exclusively relate to mine. A search of Regnery's web site indicates they are issuing 'vaporware;' there is nothing there about any Obama book. Mine is the only one in print.

"There is nothing wrong with good, old-fashioned, hardnosed competition in the publishing industry. But distributing disinformation disserves the truth. We have a very solid reputation for strong and independent analysis; 'Obama: The Man Behind The Mask' will build on that library of commentary.

"A book on Obama that is going to have impact must argue the case against him carefully, with credibility, not on the basis of the drive-by right-wing hatchet job apparently contemplated by Regnery. That kind of writing will only strengthen, not weaken, Obama.

"The left-wing in America is united on one issue involving myself and Obama: my work has inflicted grievous damage on Obama's reputation and raised serious questions about the senator's character, candor and fitness for the presidency. Such unanimity by the left-wing about my writing is the best endorsement any writer could hope to obtain," Martin remarked.

"I have been falsely accused of being the orchestrator of a vast right-wing smear machine, testimony to the power behind the ContrarianCommentary.com brand name. I don’t have any 'machine.' There is no secret command and control bunker under Midtown Manhattan.

"Where Obama is concerned, I have only the truth.

"Obviously, Politico.com and Regnery are not trying to match my high standards with their latest remarks."

MEDIA CONTACT: ContrarianCommentary.com (866) 706-2639
WEB SITES:
ContrarianCommentary.com; contrariancommentary.blogspot.com;contrariancommentary.wordpress.com Book sales: http://OrangeStatePress.com

Andy Martin debunks Barack Obama's new TV commercial

Andy Martin calls Barack Obama's TV claims "Fantasyland." Andy says that Barack Obama's claim the senator is the product of a "strong family" and "strong values" is complete nonsense. While mainstream media bow down at the altar of Obama's fabrications and prestidigitation, ContrarianCommentary.com continues to publish the truth about Obama, and the danger Obama poses to the American people.

ANDY MARTIN
Executive Editor
ContrarianCommentary.com

“Factually Correct, Not
Politically Correct”

AMERICA’S #1 POLITICAL
BLOG ON THE 2008 CAMPAIGN

Obama's first TV commercial invites viewers to join him in "Fantasyland"

Is Obama the product of "strong families and strong values?" "Give me a break, says Andy

(NEW YORK)(June 20, 2008) Obama has released his first TV commercial of the general election campaign. It is an excursion into Obama's own Fantasyland.

Obama says "America is a country of strong families and strong values. My life has been blessed by both." Unfortunately, the claims about himself are fantasies. Obama's family life was not "blessed" (nice Christian term, that) by either a strong family or strong values.

In the next line of the ad he goes on to claim "I was raised by a single mother…" Obama's mother was anything but an exemplary parent. And she appears to have been the first source of his anti-American values.

As an 18 year-old, Mrs. Obama became pregnant by a married foreign student. Such behavior hardly reflected a strong family or strong values in 1960. Indeed, Obama himself admits his parents may never have married, which is why no marriage license/certificate has ever surfaced (we are looking for one). Any marriage would have been a crime in Hawaii, because his father was already married and would have become a bigamist.

In other words, Obama has been living a lie about his parents his entire life, and he knows it.

Strong values? Mrs. Obama appears to have hated America as much as she disdained American boys as social contacts.

Mrs. Obama dragged her son to Indonesia, to live with yet another foreign father, and then dumped him back on her parents when Barry became a 10 tear-old and obviously more difficult to manage. After returning to Hawaii to complete a post-graduate degree, Mrs. Obama-Soetero-Dunham then spent much of the rest of her life in Indonesia.

Obama has made a point of the fact that his mother collected food stamps, at a time while he was attending an expensive private academy. "Ripping off the man" sounds more like it. Obama's mama was some drama.

Obama's grandparents, whom he loved and disdained at the same time, were solid people. But only so far. Did Obama receive religious values from his grandparents? Sadly, no. They were atheists or agnostics or something in between. But what they were not is church-going people. Hardly representative of "Kansas values." Obama was left to wander through adolescence with the confused and incomplete faith tradition of Islam, until he finally accepted Jesus Christ at some unspecified point later in his life.

David Brooks in the New York Times today has an essay on "The Two Obamas."
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/20/opinion/20brooks.html?ref=opinion

One of the "Two Obamas," the coldly calculating opportunist who is on the brink of capturing the White House, did not come from either a solid family or solid values. Rather, in his disoriented and disorganized young life, "Barry" Obama learned to take what he wanted, and to put himself first, last and always. Obama is the product of a seriously dysfunctional family and a grossly confused and conflicting set of values. The values he spouts in his new TV ad are those written by his TV image makers, not the ones he learned in his early years.

In "Dreams From My Father," Obama's marvelous novel (not "autobiography") of his early years, Obama admitted that he was forced to create fairy tales and live in a dream world about his father and his life. He also says his mother encouraged those imaginary excursions. She herself also had a hard time living in the real world (America) or making normal social contacts with American men.

Obama is still living in his fairy tale bubble today. Moreover, children who are abandoned by one parent, or both parents as in Obama's case, develop fantasies and coping mechanisms to deal with the misery of their reality. Their frustration and alienation is overwhelming. And permanent.

Obama developed a very powerful fantasy world to deal first with a father who abandoned him, and then a mother who abandoned him; he is still living with and in those childhood delusions. Later he had to confront the reality of a father who was a drunken rake and bigamist, and who fathered eight children by numerous women. "Strong family and strong values?" Give me a break.

Obama is asking the American people to join him in a "Fantasyland" constructed of his own childhood imagination and images. We should decline the invitation. The consequences of accepting Obama at face value will not be a fantasy. It will be a "long national nightmare."

---------------------------------------------------------
Legendary Chicago muckraker, author, Internet journalist, radio talk show host and broadcaster, and media critic Andy Martin is the Executive Editor and publisher of http://www.ContrarianCommentary.com. © Copyright by Andy Martin 2008. Martin covers regional, national and world events with over forty years of experience. Andy is the author of Obama: The Man Behind The Mask, being published in June, 2008, see http://www.OrangeStatePress.com. He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law. Columns also posted at ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com; contrariancommentary.wordpress.com. MEDIA CONTACT: (866) 706-2639 E-MAIL: AndyMart20@aol.com [NOTE: We frequently correct typographical errors and additions/subtractions on our blogs, where you can find the latest edition of this release.]