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Would You Hire a President Who Padded His Resume?
Obama is resorting to a common, but risking tactic of under-qualified job-seekers: fudge the resume.
Barack Obama has a solution to his lack of accomplishment and experience: pad his resume. If resume fraud were a crime, Obama would be looking at fifteen to life. And it is not just an isolated incident or two. He is a repeat offender.
Obama started early. Even the New York Times acknowledges that in his book Dreams From My Father
What Mr. Obama does not mention in his book is that residents of the nearby Ida B. Wells housing project, and some at Altgeld itself, had already been challenging the housing authority on asbestos. A local newspaper had also taken up the issue.
Now Obama is running for the presidency on the slimmest record of accomplishment of any major party candidate in recent memory. In June Obama was interviewed by ABC’s Jake Tapper. There was this exchange:
TAPPER: But have you ever worked across the aisle in such a way that entailed a political risk for yourself?
OBAMA: Well, look, when I was doing ethics reform legislation, for example, that wasn’t popular with Democrats or Republicans. So any time that you actually try to get something done in Washington, it entails some political risks.
But I think the basic principle which you pointed out is that I have consistently said, when it comes to solving problems, like nuclear proliferation or reducing the influence of lobbyists in Washington, that I don’t approach this from a partisan or ideological perspective. And the same is true when it comes to the economy. The same is true when it comes to national security. You know, this administration, the Bush administration, has made, for example, the war on terror into a sharply partisan issue. But the truth is, is that I admire some of the foreign policy of George Bush’s father. And I’ve said so before. I think that there’s a tradition of us working together to make sure that we are dealing with the threats that are out there and that we are building a consensus here in the United States. That’s the kind of approach I intend to take when I’m president of the United States.
If you missed the answer to Tapper’s question — name a bipartisan accomplishment putting you at political risk — don’t worry. There wasn’t one. Because unlike John McCain who has taken his lumps from his own party but who has actually accomplished something in Congress, Obama’s record is relatively barren.
Even friendly bloggers remarked that he might have to improve on this non-answer.
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Jennifer Rubin is PJM's Washington, DC, editor. She also blogs at Commentary’s Contentions.
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47 Comments
1. huxley:Nice piece. One can only hope that material like this will reach and persuade independent and swing voters. As near as I can tell, facts like these matter not at all to Obama supporters.
Jul 14, 2008 - 3:33 am 2. TomJW:I guess he is trying to fill that one page.
Jul 14, 2008 - 4:43 am 3. CLD:The notion of “empty suit” identifies Obama to a great degree…take away his handlers, his tele-prompter, and his ear-piece, and it is very apparent just how empty the suit is.
Jul 14, 2008 - 4:51 am 4. SAF:Obama stands for getting Obama elected. He ran against Hillary on the left so he could win the nomination and will now run against McCain from the center. The press will let him get away with any flip flops exaggerations etc. to get elected president. Here is a man with under 200 days service in a nationally elected office running for president from a major party.
Jul 14, 2008 - 5:21 am 5. Moultrie:Resume Fraud is Fraud of the worse type. If someone will lie about their own record, what will they not lie about?
Jul 14, 2008 - 5:57 am 6. WR Jonas:So he’s a fraud. We have known or suspected this for quite awhile .
Jul 14, 2008 - 6:27 am 7. rotwang:It should not prevent his entrance into Invesco Field in a sedan chair. That will be something to see.
Indeed. Better to have to selectively redact a long and frightening resume, like McCain.
Jul 14, 2008 - 6:30 am 8. SAL:thank you all– from the beginning of “Obama” he has been walking around in circles trying to convince us that he could, would, or even should be the next President– or any President.
Send him back home and maybe someday he will wake up– though I don’t it will happen.
Jul 14, 2008 - 6:40 am 9. vb:I hope someone is making posters of his housing project and botanical garden successes. Yes he can!
Jul 14, 2008 - 7:01 am 10. CLD:Follow the money. Empty suits cannot stand on their own.
Jul 14, 2008 - 7:27 am 11. keithacita:aren’t you sick of attorney talk from do nothing,always on vacation, overpaid politicians.
Jul 14, 2008 - 7:49 am 12. redhawk:Great Articla and while it was said that these ” questionable attribuites” will not influence Obabamniacs they should affect true Independents into realizing that Obama is Still a ” masked Man”
Jul 14, 2008 - 8:51 am 13. kathy fl:Someone should really investigate what he paid for college and law school. I am the same age as Obama. I didn’t have to pay much at all through 4 years at Georgetown, since I qualified for financial aid and student loans. The grants were generous in those days. Some students of color in my dental school got even greater benefits due to minority status. I’m sure all he had to worry about was his own spending money.
Jul 14, 2008 - 9:05 am 14. 11B40:Greetings:
Sometimes there is just not affirmative action in this world.
Jul 14, 2008 - 9:16 am 15. pete:Barack Obama has one signal achievement as a presidential candidate. He makes Ralph Nader look like a more qualified candidate.
Jul 14, 2008 - 10:08 am 16. Javelin:“Resume Fraud is Fraud of the worse type. If someone will lie about their own record, what will they not lie about?”
Jul 14, 2008 - 10:12 am 17. Valerie:What stupid hype, half of America would be in prison if that was true. Who cares about any of these Obama screeds anyways? Don’t vote for him. This is just another cheezy, fluffy column so the same cranks can vent the same stuff about the enemy of the momnet. It enlightens no one.
In my experience, only criminals think that criminal behavior is normal. I have, on rare occasions, encountered people who padded their resumes: they had other nasty habits, too. Big ones.
Jul 14, 2008 - 10:25 am 18. Ditto:Javelin said:
“What stupid hype, half of America would be in prison if that was true.”
So what you’re saying is that Obama stands for “change you can believe in…” right? Even though his behavior is as repulsive as that of “half of America”?
Now there’s an endorsement.
Jul 14, 2008 - 11:01 am 19. GM Roper:@ Javelin. Hmmm, so, you are getting hyped about someone’s hype about Obamamessiah’s HYPE? If this is just “stupid hype,” why are you so hyped?
Jul 14, 2008 - 11:09 am 20. Mike:If fraud involves making deceitful pretenses, how’s this?
November 27th 2007 on Barack Obama’s website….
I am not and have never been a Muslim… and … I have never been a Muslim, was not raised a Muslim, I have never prayed in a mosque and I am a committed Christian… and … I have always been a Christian, I’ve never practiced Islam.
Now don’t get me wrong. The particulars below are NOT about what faith Obama professed or was brought up in as a child, or his religion, now or in the past. It is about the worrying fact that he HAS NOT TOLD THE TRUTH about his early background and that this concealment is the issue that should be a matter of public interest along with the padding of his résumé.
There are many discrepancies in the accounts of his early life — including his own accounts — plus his many questionable associations.
He was schooled in Indonesia as a Muslim; he attended the mosque regularly during that period; his friends from that time testify that he was a devout Muslim boy. A former teacher Tine Hahiyary, is on record stating that a young Obama was religious and actively took part in ‘mengaji’ classes which teach how to read the Koran in Arabic.
His half-brother Abongo ‘Roy’ Obama is a Luo activist in Kenya and a militant Muslim who argues that the black man must ‘liberate himself from the poisoning influences of European culture’ and repeatedly urges Barack to embrace his African Muslim heritage.
Nick Kristof wrote in a deeply respectful article in the New York Times. Quote:
He once got in trouble for making faces during Koran study classes in his elementary school, but a president is less likely to stereotype Muslims as fanatics — and more likely to be aware of their nationalism — if he once studied the Koran with them. Mr. Obama recalled the opening lines of the Arabic call to prayer, reciting them with a first-rate accent. In a remark that seemed delightfully uncalculated (it’ll give Alabama voters heart attacks), Mr. Obama described the call to prayer as ‘one of the prettiest sounds on Earth at sunset.
.
Malik, Obama’s tall bespectacled bother: “Obama would be a good President for the Jewish people, despite his Muslim background”.
Muamar Qaddafi speaking on Al Jazeera TV last month: There are elections in America now. Along came a citizen of Kenyan African origins. A Muslim, who had studied in an Islamic school in Indonesia. His name is Obama. All the people in the Arab and Islamic world and in Africa applauded this man. They welcomed him and prayed for his success and they may have even been involved in legitimate contribution campaigns to enable him to win the American presidency.
And how about those close to him?
Pastor Jeremiah Wright was himself a Muslim convert to Christianity perhaps explaining his close affinity to the Muslim black power ideologue Louis Farrakhan.
Tony Rezko, a major supporter of Obama and contributor to his cause – was lent millions of dollars by Nadhmi Auchi, who had connections with Saddam Hussein and who was convicted for corruption in France just weeks before Obama’s ‘bone-headed’ land deal.
Rezko also connections with the Nation of Islam. Reszko, born in Syria, was a business associate of Jabir Herbert Muhammad, the son of the founder of the Nation of Islam, (Rezko was bailed from jail by Ali Baghdadi, the ‘Middle East adviser’ to the Nation of Islam).
When coupled with Ms. Rubin’s piece, surely we need to know and understand why Obama has sought to obfuscate his early background; why he has so many indirect associations with radical Islamism; and whether these two questions are in some way related? Anyone who doesn’t think all this cries out for proper investigation is either a fool or a knave.
Jul 14, 2008 - 11:24 am 21. regmaxi:He’s a politition , name one of them who isnt on the make or take …
Jul 14, 2008 - 11:37 am 22. Believer:Surely not that old coot manchurian candidate McC …
Get reaal people and stop whining . You threw McC under the train in 2000 now your trying to undo what Rove did . Fat chance .
Buck up and suck it up , mates …
Oh Yeah , if it were’nt for either McC or Bush’s daddies throwin weight around , were the H#$% would they be now ???
Somber thoughts .
This is an issue of character. Anytime we overlook the importance of it in the shaping of a man, we learn to regret it.
Positions of power require the highest of standards.
Recognize the “red flags” when they appear. Avoid the grief that always follows.
Jul 14, 2008 - 12:02 pm 23. Chris:As long as we’re airing info on candidates, be sure to beat to death all the details on McSame, aka McShame. It’s obvious that all politicians are full of crap. Choose your flavor and degree.
The Measure Of The Man – Why John McCain Doesn’t Measure Up
The wife U.S. Republican John McCain callously left behind
When Ross Perot Calls…
Senator McCain’s Real Record on the War in Iraq
McCains Power Outage – Contradictions and misstatements short-circuit McCain’s energy policy pronouncements.
Katrina Kerfuffle – McCain claims he “supported every investigation” into the government’s role regarding the hurricane, when in fact he twice voted against an independent commission.
The Budget According to McCain: Part I – Think it’s all about cutting earmarks? Think again.
The Budget According to McCain: Part II – The new McCain loves tax cuts. But many of his claims about them are off.
Tax Tally Trickery
Vietnam Veterans Against John McCain
I could fill pages. Bottom line is pick your poison, but don’t pretend McCain is not a very bad person and typical politician.
Jul 14, 2008 - 12:43 pm 24. Chris:As long as we’re airing info on candidates, be sure to beat to death all the details and red flags on McSame, aka McShame. It’s obvious that all politicians are full of crap. Choose your flavor and degree.
The Measure Of The Man – Why John McCain Doesn’t Measure Up
The wife U.S. Republican John McCain callously left behind
When Ross Perot Calls…
Senator McCain’s Real Record on the War in Iraq
McCains Power Outage – Contradictions and misstatements short-circuit McCain’s energy policy pronouncements.
Katrina Kerfuffle – McCain claims he “supported every investigation” into the government’s role regarding the hurricane, when in fact he twice voted against an independent commission.
The Budget According to McCain: Part I – Think it’s all about cutting earmarks? Think again.
The Budget According to McCain: Part II – The new McCain loves tax cuts. But many of his claims about them are off.
Tax Tally Trickery
Vietnam Veterans Against John McCain
I could fill pages. Bottom line is pick your poison, but don’t pretend McCain is not a very bad person and typical politician.
Jul 14, 2008 - 12:45 pm 25. Believer:Let’s all just answer Jennifer Rubin’s question.
With a resounding, “NO!”
Jul 14, 2008 - 3:08 pm 26. Valerie:God bless the Republican voters, for giving us all an alternative when the Democratic Party went nucking futs.
Jul 14, 2008 - 4:41 pm 27. J.G.:Chris. Thank you. You saved me a lot of time. Although here are a few more on McCain who lies as much a Bush and his minions.
“McCain Divorce Soured Relations With Reagans”
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/10/MNSS11NH6C.DTL&type=politics
McCain lied about his relationship with his first wife and his divorce. Very Clintonesque.
“McCain lies about his letters to the FCC”
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/03/08/mccain-lies-about-his-letters-to-the-fcc/
“McCain lied about Romney”
http://www.stoptheaclu.com/archives/2008/01/30/mccain-lies-about-romney/
“McCain Lies About Taking Pork”
http://www.truthnews.us/?p=1559
I don’t have time to search for all the other lies McCain has told.
Jul 14, 2008 - 5:18 pm 28. Rob:A paper thin resume has to wrapped in a very thick pad to survive even a slight jolt.
Jul 14, 2008 - 5:50 pm 29. Rob:Chris,
Please list Obama’s legislative accomplishments.
All ??….. of them.
Jul 14, 2008 - 5:53 pm 30. abu al-fin:The insanity runs deep in academia and the news/entertainment media. It is a reactionary strain that desires a return to collectivism and authoritarianism. Obama promises to enfold his believers in a warm, loving feeling of hope and change.
Nothing else. A warm, loving feeling of hope and change. Over and over and over again.
Jul 14, 2008 - 7:03 pm 31. ReCon USMC:As Thomas Sowell so ably points out Oboma is nothing more than old failed Socialist values re-bundled in a new progressive suit .
Jul 15, 2008 - 6:39 am 32. robert:Sit back and read Karl Marx is his “We need Change “B/S words . He goes out of his way to not use the word “Collectivism “but his Minions are using it for him .
In Truth His message of ”HOPE” it is nothing more than Redistribution of wealth to those that didn’t earn it and higher taxes to those that pay taxes . He wants to bring back one of the worse taxes ever .
When one after paying taxes on his worth Oboma wants to bring back the DEATH TAX ! IN other words others are entitled to your saving and not your own FAMILY .
He cares (for the poor and low middle class votes already owning YOUNG STUPID-EDS , Colleges , Blacks and THE MEDIA )
He is for OPEN BORDERS but against FAIR TRADE …….He wanted to pull our Troops out of Iraq and go too Pakistan and get Bin Laden ?
But now he will “”Listen ” to General Patraeus and wants to send 12,000 men to Afghanistan .
One deeply feels Oboma is Part Marxist , Socialist . Lier , Anti American and (90 % pure Phony )………In a new suit .
Tell me exactly what experience did George W. Bush have prior to becoming president. And the better question is are we better off now than we were 8 years ago?????
Jul 15, 2008 - 7:03 am 33. mlajoie2:“GUILTY BY ASSOCIATION?”
There seems to be some confusion as to what ‘guilty by association’ means. It is a phrase used in the study of “Logic”. (Logic used to be taught in high schools. If it is found at all nowadays, it is taught in college Philosophy departments.) ‘Guilty by association’ is an “informal fallacy” of logic; it means that you reject someone’s logical argument because of those with whom he associates. I think we can all see how that is unfair and illogical.
However, we have the ability, and at times even the obligation to assess someone’s associations by reason of long practice and practical needs. Probably the best example is getting a job. In every resume, we are required to provide “References”. We all know what these are: they are our closest associations, people who can vouch for our basic character and virtue. If I as an employer were to criticize you for the kind of people you hang around with, could you respond that he is using the ‘guilty by association’ card? Of course not! ‘Just because all of my closest associates are drug dealers doesn’t mean you can make anything of it!’ [Yeah, right!] Other examples can be found when we have trials in courts of law. We can grill witnesses, jurors, lawyers and judges about who they know and why. One of the basic things we do is make judgments on associations because it is a basic way of getting at the truth. It’s something we have always done and there is no doubt it is something we have to do.
Now, Barack Obama is applying for the biggest job in the world! Also, part of the genius of our political system is the informal trial by fire candidates are forced to go through. We should take a good look at his references; the media should be forcing him to explain and account for his associations. What do we know so far?
- In his own book, Obama identifies the premier influence in his life by far, his “mentor” par excellence. This is the only man he doesn’t identify fully, calling him simply “Frank”. We now know this is Frank Marshall Davis, a full-fledged Communist of the strongest kind. He is one of the few who did not leave the party when Stalin was revealed for the monster he was. Obama seemed to be trying to hide this by not naming him directly.
- We have all heard of Reverend Wright, but most have missed the main point: the main characteristic of “liberation theology” is that it is Marxist not Christian. There is no way to miss this from a multitude of the church’s own statements. Obama donated large amounts of money to this group. When trouble broke about it, once again, Obama at first tried to deny knowing anything about it.
- Fr. Fleger is also part of this “liberation theology” cabal and everyone on the South Side knows it. As a state senator, Obama funneled hundreds of thousands of earmarks to Fr. Fleger and now claims to reject his message.
- William Ayers & Bernadette Dorn are unrepentant Marxist bombers. Obama’s attempts to pass them off as casual friends are totally disingenuous. He worked for Ayers for eight years, was associated with him in several other official ways and chose his house to launch his political career.
- Tony Rezko is a shady operative who has connected Obama to a host of radical figures. For instance, he used Rezko to make a large contribution to Hamid Dabashi (the one who invited Ahmadinijad to Columbia).
- Until recently you could go to Obama’s web site and see many of this ilk featured. His main blogger on the site was an open Communist. (His site was just down for ‘maintenance’; we can assume more of these things are going to disappear.) Many of his ‘bundlers’ (those who circumvent contribution laws by putting large donors together) are Communists or Marxists.
Now, basing a presidential choice just upon associations is not enough, but associations and ideology are, no doubt, going to have an affect on policy and on character. One possible complication in judging is that Marxism sanctions dishonesty about what one is really doing! I’ll leave it to all of you to decide if you see any evidence of this. I could go on but I think you get the point.
In ancient Greece the Sophists tried to push the supreme power of Rhetoric. They said the power of persuasion is everything, no matter what the truth is. They were opposed by others who evolved into the line of Socrates, Plato and Aristotle who said what is important is Truth, Character and Virtue. Let us not make the same mistake – let us choose Virtue and not Rhetoric.
Jul 15, 2008 - 7:06 am 34. WILLIAM BENSON:IF YOU’RE DEFENDING WESTERN VALUES BY APPEALING TO JUDEO-CHRISTIAN ORTHODOXY, THEN YOU’RE MERELY ENGAGING IN MUCK-RAKING.
Jul 15, 2008 - 10:11 am 35. Larry J:robert:
Tell me exactly what experience did George W. Bush have prior to becoming president.
Well, Bush had worked in private industry. Has Obama ever done that? He also had executive experience as governor of Texas, which means he also had to do some diplomacy with his neighbor to the south. Obama has done nothing of note his entire life.
And the better question is are we better off now than we were 8 years ago?????
A better quesion whould be, Are we better off than we would’ve been had we elected Al Gore in 2000? While it’s impossible to know for sure, I’d suggest the answer is undoubtedly yes – resoundingly so.
Jul 15, 2008 - 10:28 am 36. mlajoie2:Is vetting an applicant’s associates for the purpose of hiring someone or grilling participants in a trial have any particular connection to “Judeo-Christian orthodoxy”?!?!
Vetting the associations of candidates is common-sense self-preservation as a nation! Don’t you think Americans of ANY persuasion whatever should be concerned by associations with people like the ones listed??
Jul 15, 2008 - 10:35 am 37. patty b:think about this: what other politician no matter his party or race could be a serious candidate for president. 143 days in the senate and working as ;COMMUNITY ACTIVIST WHICH WAS FIXING PARKING TICKETS AND DIRECTING PEOPLE TO THE WELFARE OFFICE IN THE MOST CORRUPT CITY IN THE COUNTRY. WHAT A MORON HE COULD NOT DEBATE JOHN MCCAIN AND ANSWER QUESTIONS FROM THE VOTERS. THE MESSIAH CANNOT TAKE ANY CRITICAL COMMENTS HE IS AN ARROGANT HORSES BEHIND
Jul 15, 2008 - 12:56 pm 38. Rubicon:Even some of the media are beginning to realize they have been championing one whose total executive experience amounts to days rather than years.
Jul 15, 2008 - 2:10 pm 39. Matt B:Hope & change are feelings, but America needs actions. We may error in making decisions and we may have to pay a price for our errors. But rather we act than sit back hoping for change.
Alternative energy sources will not be economically or operationally viable (meaning they will not produce enough energy to supply the nation), for nearly twenty years. Oil does it NOW. Natural gas does it NOW. And despite the rhetoric of politicians, oil drillers could drill in ANWR or on the coastal shelf & have gas from that oil at the pumps within 20 months, perhaps sooner!
Twenty months beats out twenty years in any book. Will we still have carbon emissions… yes. But no one has provided any solid scientific evidence that has been peer reviewed, that has proven CO2 is a pollutant & that it might cause Global Warming.
GW is still a challenged theory. Just ask the over 31,000 climate qualified scientists who have signed the petition challenging the UN IPCC & Al Gore GW claims!
Obama wants us to seriously shut down our economy & standard of living so he can claim we are helping the environment, when in fact, the entire GW claim is a political move to force socialism on us all!
Unfortunately, we live in a day to day where so much of the (D)Left pervades in administration from government to education, etc….all the while the predominant mindset is altruist based and not merit based. Thank you, Jennifer rubin for a great piece – but my fear is that the Left has so deeply dumbed-down meaningful qualifications for elected officials that the average younger voter cannot recognize a resume from a get well card.
Jul 17, 2008 - 9:13 am 40. Will Becker:What do you expect from a fake? Let’s face it.
Jul 17, 2008 - 1:50 pm 41. deguello:Sure the American people would hire a fraud! They re-elected a rapist,did’nt they? Besides,the current white house occupant is coke addled ex drunk with a penchant for pimping out the US to mexico, and he also won re election.What a country!
Jul 21, 2008 - 2:37 pm 42. Commentary » Blog Archive » Flotsam and Jetsam:[...] serial resume padder strikes again! For a guy who says Washington experience isn’t important he sure invents a lot [...]
Jul 24, 2008 - 5:23 am 43. chicago:forget his resume…his real citizenship still can’t be proven. his birth certificate (at least the one that was presented as his) is a forgery.
before we even allow someone to become a major party’s nominee, we better ensure that they are citizens of this country.
yeah, yeah, I know, many will now cry out that McCain was born in Panama…those that will shout that out knows nothing about the requirements of citizenship by birth.
Jul 26, 2008 - 9:17 pm 44. Commentary » Blog Archive » Flotsam and Jetsam:[...] Not only is Barack Obama’s résumé weak–it is padded. [...]
Sep 3, 2008 - 6:33 am 45. Neo:But Obama seems to have left out this job from his resume ..
… I wonder why … this would be an excellent comeback to all those complaints that he never had executive experience or handled a payroll.
Sep 3, 2008 - 7:06 am 46. Pickerhead :: Pickings from the Webvine ::September 3, 2008:[...] Jennifer Rubin posts in Pajamas Media on Obama’s resumé padding. [...]
Sep 3, 2008 - 9:55 am 47. Commentary » Blog Archive » Flotsam and Jetsam:[...] The serial resume padder strikes again. Which McCain highlights — along with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac donations and James Johnson! Yowser. [...]
Sep 17, 2008 - 7:06 am