Obama Kenya Tapes Released

For some time the wingnuts have been hyping the story that Obama's Kenyan grandmother (actually step-grandmother, the second wife of his father) confirmed on tape that he was born in Kenya and she was present. The truth turns out to be less clear.

Jeff Schrieber at America's Right says that something here does not "smell right." Listen to the tape HERE and read a partial transcript.

This is the portion that's got the wingnuts all revved up:

Q: He is asking her, he wants to know something was ah she present when he was born?

A: Yes. She says "Yes she was! She was present when Obama was born."

Her questioner gets quite excited at this point. The transcript ends here but there is quite a bit more. She goes on to say that Obama was born in the United States. There is an attempt to play this as her family members attempting to "correct" the truth she just blurted out, but it seems more likely to have been a momentary error of translation. The interview was conducted in Swahili and according to this NY Times story "she speaks only her Luo tribal language and a little Swahili." Was she momentarily confused or was the translator? Did she interpret the question as "Were you in Kenya when Barack Obama was born?" which she would have been as that is where she lives.

Could there be some cultural miscommunication involved? This Youtube clip contains an on-camera interview with the grandmother in which she states "Barack is a son of this village." Which no doubt the villagers are proud to consider him.

Considering that the state of Hawaii has officially acknowledged that Obama was born in Honolulu this is all very flimsy. No wonder that judge dismissed the case.