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“It is strange that API [African Press International] has chosen to support the racists against my husband.”
–Michelle Obama, telephone conversation with African Press International

DBKP is “Racist” for Asking Questions?
API Editor Calls Phone Call “Shocking”

UPDATES to follow at end of story.
UPDATE #1 - 1050 EDT Memorandum picks up story
UPDATE #2 - 1057 EDT NewsBusters Reports API story
UPDATE #3 - 1105 EDT Fox Reports that Obama Campaign Denies Story
UPDATE #4 - API Stands By Their Story
UPDATE #5 - MICHELLE OBAMA: “It’s not just about politics, It’s Personal”
UPDATE #6- 1218 EDT Audio Tapes Likely Don’t Exist
UPDATE #7- 1233 EDT Political Punch
UPDATE #8- 1800 EDT New Story - API Says Editor has Audio Tape of Conversation

Though there has been no Mainstream Media report or investigation into Phillip Berg’s federal lawsuit, which the Obama campaign has chosen to fight in federal court.

A mid-size website, African Press International, is reporting that it received, what API called, a “shocking” phone call from Michelle Obama yesterday concerning its reporting.

• Bloggers who question Barack Obama’s citizenship or ask questions about it are “racists”, according to API.
• API was offered an invite to an Obama inauguration ceremony “if they write a good story”
• Obama was adopted by his Indonesian step-father, according to API.

African Press International which describes itself as “A “Daily Online News Channel” established on 30th.September 2006 by Rainbow Foundation (NGO) Reg.no. 976593510 and The Chief Editor who is a Member of Investigative Reporters and Editors”.

The API story is titled, “Shocking development: Mrs Obama decides enough is enough: “My husband was born in Hawaii and adopted by his step father, does that make him unpatriotic; she asks”, on a direct telephone to API.”

Accusing API of colluding with American internet bloggers in an effort to bring down her husband, Mrs Obama said she decided to call API because of what she termed, API’s help to spread rumours created by American bloggers and other racist media outlets “in their efforts to damage a black man’s name, saying she hopes African Media was mature enough to be in the front to give unwavering support to her husband, a man Africans should identify themselves with.”

The API editor was taken aback, it would seem, when Michelle Obama’s was
“angered” by API’s reporting and told the editor “African press International is supposed to support Africans and African-American view”.

When API told her that our online news media was only relaying what the American Bloggers and other media outlets had discovered through their investigations, Mrs Obama was angered and she came out loud with the following: “African press International is supposed to support Africans and African-American view,” and she went to state that, “it is strange that API has chosen to support the racists against my husband. There is no shame in being adopted by a step father. All dirt has been thrown onto my husband’s face and yet he loves this country. My husband and I know that there is no law that will stop him from becoming the president, just because some American white racists are bringing up the issue of my husband’s adoption by His step father. The important thing here is where my husband’s heart is at the moment. I can tell the American people that My husband loves this country and
“his adoption never changed his love for this country. He was born in Hawaii, yes, and that gives him all the right to be an American citizen even though he was adopted by a foreigner; says Michelle Obama on telefon to API.”

According to the story, it wasn’t all anger and admonitions in the phone call.

Michelle Obama offered a “sweetener” if the African news site would get in line behind Barack Obama–an invitation to a possible Obama inauguration ceremony!

Mrs Obama asked API to write a good story about her husband and that will earn API an invitation to the innoguration ceremony when, as she put it , her husband will be installed as the next President of the United States of America next year.

A check of African Press International’s archives show articles which are decidedly anti-Obama, but the site reports from across a wide swath of African countries using Africans as citizen-journalists.

African Press International is about to be personally introduced to American politics.

The Obama campaign will first ignore, then deny the report. Then, API will be attacked as “an anti-Obama organization” and their bona fides called into question.

The API site is largely visited by Africans seeking news, however, the website most likely will see an influx of visits from American Obama supporters in the next few weeks in their comments section.

Any website publishing stories not friendly to the Obama campaign can attest to that phenomena.

It would seem that even if the Obama campaign has so far refused–and the media has so far largely refused to report–the Berg v. Obama lawsuit which asks Barack Obama for proof of citizenship, they are aware very aware of it.

Aware enough to cause Michelle Obama herself to make a phone call.

Which, as stated, will likely lead to a denial from the Obama campaign.

* Washington Man Files Lawsuit over Obama Citizenship Questions
* Obama College, Medical, Birth Records: Who is Barack Obama?
* Obama Birth Certificate Federal Lawsuit: Video Released On YouTube
* Obama Birth Certificate Federal Lawsuit: Updates, News and Reactions
* Obama Birth Certificate Federal Lawsuit: The Curious Behavior of the Obama Campaign
* Obama, Bill Ayers, and FactCheck.Org: All Have Ties To Annenberg Foundation

UPDATE #1 - 10:50 EDT

The API story just became a thread at Memorandum. Only right wing blogs have linked to the API story at this time, but expect the usual blizzard of left blogosphere reactions.

PREDICTION: Words such as “racist” “desperate” and “lunatic” will accompany the descriptions of anyone who’s reported on the API report. The amount of traffic API receives will also be used as a discrediting factor.

It should be noted that Internet access is very expensive in Africa and that traffic, especially from the interior, is small. The amount of traffic a site normally receives does not discount what that site has to say. Last week’s story from Politically Drunk on the scrubbed Obama-Socialist New Party membership is evidence that the amount of traffic to a website does not determine validity of a story.

That being said, we have no confirmation of the story at this time. DBKP has attempted to reach the editor of API and will continue to do so.

UPDATE #2 - working

NewsBusters’ PJ Gladnick reports the story.

Will MSM Investigate Alleged Angry Phone Call by Michelle Obama to African Press International?. Readers will remember Gladnick as the reporter that led NewsBusters’ John Edwards scandal coverage when others stayed silent.

So far this story about Michelle Obama’s temper tantrum when she called African Press International (API) hasn’t been reported by the mainstream media but it is a very hot topic in the Blogosphere. Your humble correspondent checked on the credentials of API and it has been in existence for a little over two years and has filed numerous stories in that period. Additionally, this story has been posted at World Net Daily. If the MSM wants to verify this story they can contact API directly to investigate its veracity. Perhaps they don’t want to check out this story because Michelle Obama comes off with an extreme case of bad temper. This API article starts out with Michelle article making accusations of disloyalty against that organization in a phone call.

Gladnicks goes on to state:

As I stated, African Press International has been in existence for over two years and has filed over a thousand stories. So will the MSM investigate this? Meanwhile this story is gaining enormous steam in the Blogosphere.

UPDATE: Because of the high level of interest in this story, API has just posted a phone number where they can be contacted for verification.

Will a story from a small African news site become the impetus for MSM coverage of the issues the story raises? Or will the only coverage be to report the expected denials by the Obama campaign.

DBKP will continue its attempts to contact to the API editor.

UPDATE #3 - 1105 EDT

Amanda Carpenter, in an update to her post at TownHall, reports that the Obama campaign has denied the story.

Update: I’m just got confirmation this API report is completely UNTRUE. It’s been popping up on lots of sites and Michelle Obama’s “quotes” about white racism are made up and FALSE. An official from Barack Obama’s campaign told Fox News reporters Michelle Obama never made the call and never said those things.

Carpenter lists the Obama campaign as her only source for her report. Does Carpenter mean that she’s confirmed what the Obama campaign is saying through other sources? None are listed.

UPDATE #4 -

Texas Darlin has *Breaking* Did Michelle Confirm Barack is Indonesian? [Update] with this update:

“Update: I agree with readers that this story needs to be confirmed. Can anyone find an independent verification of Michelle Obama’s call to API?”

Our comment: It will be hard to independently confirm or deny this story.

API posted the story. The Obama campaign denied it.

That the Obama campaign was disingenuous about Obama’s connection to Bill Ayers doesn’t exactly help their credibility on this story. More in a later update on API’s credibility, which readers may be sure will soon come under attack.

The above screenshot comes from Hillbuzz: Did Michelle finally admit Obama was adopted by Indonesian stepfather?, which notes that “Screengrabs from API, because anything critical of Obama has a tendency to disappear mysteriously.”

AJ Strata points out that he’s not buying the citizenship story, but is tired of the “racist” label being applied to all who question Barack Obama and unpleasant Obama news.

As everyone knows I am not buying the claim Obama is not naturally born. But a lot of people are opposing Barack because he is a closet socialist liberal who hangs around with unrepentant terrorists, is willing to sit down with our enemies and has allies who want to cut off Israel.

Gateway Pundit publishes this UPDATE to their original story.

UPDATE: The African Press International updated their website and are standing by their story:

ADDED HERE BELOW DUE TO HUGE INTEREST ON THE ABOVE STORY. (TIME 16:08 Scandinavian time)

Verification of the story:
We have found it necessary to publish a telephone number that can be used to reach us should anyone doubt the story. We are doing this because of many requests by many people who want to know more abouth the story.

We are able to receive calls tomorrow the 16th of October through to the 18th October. We find it important that our readers get the truth and not be misled in any way. This is a true story and we stand by everyone written.

NB: For verification, we can be reached on 004793299739

UPDATE #5 - 1150 EDT

Yesterday in Minnesota, Michelle Obama made an interesting statement in light of API’s reporting.

For Michelle Obama, ‘This is not just politics. It’s personal’

Michelle Obama looked out at a St. Paul field house filled with supporters of her husband Monday afternoon and told them: “For me, this is not just politics. It’s personal. It’s personal for me, it’s personal for all of us now.”

Strata notes that “Michelle seems to be showing a lot of stress inside the Chosen One’s inner circle.”

PoliPundit, in a heavily-linked and sourced Chicago Triangle, rounds up some news of ACORN, Ohio voter fraud lawsuits and mentions the API story. It also mentions the nearly $1 million Obama has given his cousin in Kenya, the PM Odinga, who wants control of the country and who has vowed to institute Sharia law if he can get to the top.

Finally, this observation and some questions from Israpundit’s Michelle, “even if my husband was able to prove that he is not a Muslim” :

This is a very interesting turn of events. The American man Dr Corsi was recently reported to have been arrested in Kenya because there was fear that he might reveal information on Obama when he wanted to hold a press conference in Nairobi.

The question now is why he was arrested and who ordered his arrest. Was Obama’s hand in this in any way? We will never know the truth but what is clear is that Dr Corsi was seen as a threat while in Kenya.

When API asked Mrs Obama to comment on why Dr Corsi was arrested by the Kenyan government and whether she thought Kenya’s Prime Minister Mr Raila Odinga was involved in Dr Corsi’s arrest, she got irritated and and simply told API not to dig that which will support evil people who are out to stop her husband from getting the presidency.

UPDATE #6 - 12:16 EDT

Byron York, at NRO “That Michelle Obama Report”

I’m sure a lot of you have seen references this morning to statements allegedly made by Michelle Obama in an interview with an organization called African Press International. I just asked the Obama campaign whether Michelle Obama did in fact speak to that organization, and spokesman Tommy Vietor answered:

The answer is no, it’s not real, the report is made up. She did not speak to the organization.

Some comments at the API site are calling for audio tapes of the phone call. There is little chance that the phone call was taped.

DBKP tapes none of our phone calls.

In fact, in some jurisdictions of the USA, such a phone call taping, without the knowledge of the caller, would be against the law. IF the call was not made, then no tape would exist. IF the call was made, Michelle Obama would surely not give her approval to consent to be taped.

UPDATE #7 - 1233 EDT

RedState: Did the truth about B Hussein Obama’s plan to push his Muslim beliefs slip out from his precious wife

The MSM is starting to rally.

ABC’s Political Punch, Obama Campaign Says Michelle Obama ‘Interview’ on ‘African Press’ Website is 100% Bogus:

Obama campaign senior adviser Robert Gibbs says the interview is a complete and utter fabrication. “It’s bogus, she didn’t call, it’s all a lie,” he says.

And I have to say — I find their pushback quite believable. The Obama campaign does not tend to directly engage fringe websites making wild charges, and if they were to do so they certainly wouldn’t have Michelle Obama make the call.

Maybe the folks at API were taken in by an imposter. Maybe they made it up, I don’t know.

In these last three weeks, there is going to be a lot of dung thrown at the wall. Lots of charges and counter-charges and counter-counter-charges.

A word to the wise, my friends. I don’t know if you know this, but not everything that appears on the internet is true.

One comment: the Mainstream Media–including ABC–would have less trouble squelching “wild charges” if their own reporting weren’t so skewed in one direction. ABC can look no further than the non-reporting it did before August 8 on the John Edwards scandal.

Those who did do investigative work and reporting on the Internet also had their work labeled “wild charges”–and worse. Our position now is: DBKP does not know if the call was made. We also do not know if an imposter called API.

DBKP does know that the Obama campaign has not been truthful on unpleasant information about Bill Ayers and ACORN.

We also know that ABC, in addressing the API story at Political Punch, spent more pixels than it has in calling for the Obama campaign to release medical, college and university records to the American public.

One reason that the qualifier “allegedly” is proper for Obama campaign releases masquerading as “news” when it is reported by Big Media.

If Political Punch took a more balanced approach, perhaps the PP writer wouldn’t see so many “insane comments” that he complains appear at their website.

NOTE: Although ABC News participated in the news blackout for ten months on the John Edwards scandal, they did do admirable work dating from late July on the story, particularly on the Fred Baron “money trail” part of the story. In this regard, they stand head-and-shoulders above their counterparts.

It’s a start and ABC is to be commended on that particular story from late July until, one hopes, the present.

UPDATE #8

by Mondo Frazier
image: dbkp file
Source: Shocking development: Mrs Obama decides enough is enough: “My husband was born in Hawaii and adopted by his step father, does that make him unpatriotic; she asks”, on a direct telephone to API.