Obama was too busy to take time out
to write a fictional Bildungsroman novel about his life.
Since Ayers knew a thing or two about that....
Posted on 10/22/2008 9:39:00 AM PDT by Amityschild
Bruce Heiden, professor of Greek and Latin at The Ohio State University, makes the fascinating claim in his website "The Postliberal" that Barack Obama agrees with my assertion that he did not actually write his own memoir, Dreams From My Father. Heiden finds his evidence in the 1995 Introduction to the book.. Says Heiden:
According to Obama, he did some writing on another book, not a memoir but "an essay on the limits of civil rights litigation in bringing about racial equality" (xiii; all citations refer to the 2004 paperback edition). This book was never finished, and it doesn't exist. Obama says that his work on the "civil rights litigation" project was aborted by personal memories that forced themselves upon him: "I found my mind pulled..." (xiv). But he doesn't say how these memories turned into the book Dreams from My Father. In particular, he doesn't say he wrote the book. He says that Dreams "found its way onto these pages" (xvi).
As shall be seen, Heiden's analysis is cute but not too cute. Although he does not address the issue of Bill Ayers' likely involvement, Ayers deserves a critic like Heiden, one who is willing to finesse his way gleefully through Ayers' fun house mirrors. Ayers is nothing if not spooky, and he never hesitates to boast about it. "Memory is a delicate dance of desire and faith, " he tells us in Fugitive Days, "a shadow of a shadow, an echo of a sigh. We cheat. We steal. We remember in our favor." The Obama of Dreams has learned evasiveness at the side of a master.
Although Obama devotes his 1995 Introduction to relating where Dreams came from, he says not a word about actually writing it. According to Heiden, Obama accepted the role of writer only after publishers insisted he was one. Heiden describes the process:
"[Obama] did not exactly agree to write a book, but rather to do some writer-like things, that is, to clear his agenda for time to write, and ‘put thoughts to paper'. Would the transition of thoughts to paper involve words?"
Not surprisingly, Obama can never bring himself to say any more about the actual writing process than the curiously passive, "What has found its way onto these pages is a record of a personal, interior journey."
Heiden finds the Preface to the 2004 reissue even stranger than the 1995 introduction, especially since the two run back to back in the 2004 edition In the 2004 Preface, Obama says he "went to work" on Dreams, but he still does not say that he wrote it. "Obama's narrative then skips straight from ‘went to work,'" says Heiden, "to the completed book's publication." This review cannot do just justice to Heiden's sophisticated and often amusing deconstruction of Obama's work, here summarized in one dazzling sentence:
As Obama tells it, his authorship of Dreams was miraculous, because although he lacked the writing skill to be the author of anything, and he didn't want to be the author of a memoir, and he resisted becoming the author of a memoir, and he tried in vain to become the author of a different kind of book, and he never had an idea of being the author of anything until one or several publishers had the idea first and he agreed to accept the opportunity they offered to be an author, and even then he only considered himself an author as long as his publisher was selling his book, after which he reverted back to a complete non-author, reverted so completely that he wasn't even moved to reread his book when political opponents were using it against him--because, in short, despite all the reasons Obama gives why he couldn't have written a book like Dreams from My Father, and despite the fact that, according to Obama's account, he didn't write Dreams from My Father, nevertheless Dreams from My Father somehow "found its way" onto the page with Barack Obama's name under the title as the author. That's a miracle. It couldn't have happened.
Heiden describes this chain of events as "a miracle." He adds, "It couldn't have happened. So I infer that what Obama's fantastically unbelievable story probably means is that Obama did not write Dreams from My Father. He obfuscates the truth, but he does not completely bury it with an outright lie like, ‘I wrote Dreams from My Father.'"
As President Clinton proved, so much in progressive America ultimately depends on what the definition of "is" is.
JFK didn’t write Profiles in Courage either. Pass.
Heiden describes this chain of events as “a miracle.” He adds, “It couldn’t have happened. So I infer that what Obama’s fantastically unbelievable story probably means is that Obama did not write Dreams from My Father. He obfuscates the truth, but he does not completely bury it with an outright lie like, ‘I wrote Dreams from My Father.’”
Typical Obama and typical pathological lying narcissist. They never really lie, they just wiggle around the truth until you get the impression of the lie. But when pressed on an issue, they can say “I never actually said that”.
I was married to one of these for 10 years, I recognize them well.
NOT!
Dreams of someone else’s father?
GO BUCKEYES.
that’s all.
Did Obama EVER officially or publicly claim he was the SOLE author of this book? Has anyone in the media ever ask him?
I think BO was dreaming of writng a Memoir and told Billy ayers about the dream, presto BH had his book.
AN ABSOLUTE TRAVESTY OF FRAUD WROUGHT BY BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA ON THE AMERICAN PUBLIC!! and ONLY BROUGHT TO THE SUNLIGHT OF TRUTH THRU THE BRILLIANCE AND INNOVATIVE< DELIGENT WORKS OF JACK CASHILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MAY OBAMA HUSSEIN BE KNOWN FOR THE TOTAL FRAUD AND SOCIALISTIC TERRORIST THAT HE IS!!!
The 'story' isn't the fact that it was ghostwritten (despite the book's citation as one of Obama's few 'qualifications').
It's who the book was ghostwritten by: Bill Ayers.
Bwahahahaha
Bill Ayres wrote it, no doubt. It’s the Weather Underground’s contribution to affirmative action.
Yes, but at least that is openly acknowledged. Remember the media response to Palin’s VP acceptance speech? They denigrated it by saying that she was just reading what was written for her. Why is this any different?
But neither did Alger Hiss
Obama was too busy to take time out
to write a fictional Bildungsroman novel about his life.
Since Ayers knew a thing or two about that....
The question is who did? Ayers did, I suspect.
amen
Is it possible Obama received the book already written on golden tablets? ;-)
Remember, Clinton was pretty much homeless when he moved in. He was when he moved out, anyway.
You’re right. The man eats, sleeps, and drinks fraud.
Obama is Ayers. The white Ayers is a fake.
Nothing Obama has said in public has had the same imagery and verbal skill of his books.
When has he used nautical terms in public?
Alex Haley’s Roots was plagiarized from a work of fiction.
Clinton had never OWNED a home in his life. And they said that GHW Bush was “out of touch”.
I’m not sure “Profiles in Courage” was originaly acknowledged as being ghost written. Hence the term ghost writer. ;)
However, Medved made a good point. The guy that wrote “Profiles” was a patriot and loved his country, just like JFK. The guy that wrote for Obama is a terrorist and hates his country.
Progressive Americas motto: “The less work, the better”.
With the initials WA? Or is that BA?
Because Tim McVeigh did not write her speech.
Would Bruce Heiden, professor, sign or affidavit? We have a commitment of $900.00 in fees. To build upon cashill.com ‘s work we need a court certified document expert. Here is an affidavit for them to sign and return to us Freepers:
AFFIDAVIT OF _JOE_DOE_EXPERT STATE OF VIRGINIA COUNTY OF FAIRFAX ) ) I, JOE DOE EXPERT, make the following free and voluntary statement, after being duly sworn, and state on oath deposes and states as follows: A. Personal 1. Name. My name is JOE DOE EXPERT, and I reside in Fairfax County, Virginia, I am a forensic document examiner. 2. General. I make this Affidavit with the understanding that it is to be used in anticipation of litigation. All statements herein are within my personal knowledge (including the types of knowledge on which experts in my field typically rely in forming expert opinions on the subject). I am competent to testify to the facts recited in this Affidavit. B. Academic Credentials 3. I am a forensic document examiner, commonly referred to as a questioned document examiner. 4. I am a Virginia Court-certified examiner with five years experience examining questioned documents.
5. I have been admitted by the Virginia Courts as an expert witness in connection with questioned documents and handwriting analysis. I have given testimony in courts of law as a questioned document and handwriting expert, and I have been qualified to testify. 6. Academic Background. Briefly describe here. My curriculum vitae is attached as Exhibit A and herein incorporated by reference. 7. Professional Positions. Briefly describe here. 8. Publications. Briefly describe here. C. Expert Opinion and Findings 9. I have made a careful comparison and examination of the publication “Dreams From My Fathers” allegedly written by Barack Hussein Obama and “Fugitive Days” a publication written by William Ayers and I have reached the opinion that the publications are more likely than not both are the product of the same author.
10. Based upon a review of a copy of the original books, the shorter articles of admitted attribution and that of William Ayers have numerous and significant areas of comparison.
Among the most telling areas of comparison are linguistic style commonly referred to as stylometry. Other comparisons concern the baseline frequency and length of the characters, words, sentences and paragraphs. Frequency of function words used by the writer were also considered.
A complete report of the analysis on which I base my findings and conclusions is attached as Exhibit B and herein incorporated by reference.
This affidavit and the report attached hereto represent an analysis based upon documents believed to be authored by the hand of William Ayers and allegedly Barack Hussien Obama.
Given the many categories and significant and numerous areas of comparison between Dreams From My Father and William Ayers book Fugitive Days, it is my opinion that William Ayers wrote the publication, Dreams From My Father.
DATED: October __, 2008.
(Signature)
………………………………………………………….JOE DOE EXPERT
City/County of ______________________ Commonwealth of Virginia The foregoing instrument was subscribed and sworn before me this ___ day of October 2008 by _____________________________ (name of person seeking jurat) ___(Signature of Notary)_____ Notary Public Notary registration number:____________________________ My commission expires: ______________________________
The unwashed masses and the undecided voters could care less.
Mr. Cashill, you are a good writer and obviously a conservative of much energy. Timing is everything in an election. So it's time for you to get out from behind the computer and work your precinct.
Leni
WHO THE HELL IS OBAma???!!!
Dang, do you have to scream?
April 28, 2008, Wilmington, NC:
“Lately my opponents trying to make this election about me instead of about you, and they’ve been trying to say ‘well you know we don’t know him that well, we don’t know what he believes, we don’t know about his values’, despite the fact I wrote two books, it’s all there. What I believe, what I think, what my story is. Let me just close with a quick story about my family."
Of course, if you want to parse the meaning of "I wrote," when he's never suggested that anyone but him wrote or helped to write those books, then have at it.
Quite Frankly, THATS A CHEER!!
I heard absolutely NO NOISE!
OBAMA HUSSEIN ADMITS HE DIDN”T WRITE HIS OWN BOOK!
Jack Cashill is RIGHT! WILLIAM AYERS WROTE “DREAMS FROM MY FATHER!”
OBAMA HUSSEIN IS A FRAUD!! SCREAM IT LOUD AND CLEAR!!
Now You can doze off again, if You wish:-)
Whoa...you mean there actually ARE professors who don’t go head over heels for Obama at my university?? That’s what’s more surprising than the fact that O didn’t write this book!
No.
Here's why. Many politicians ghost write their books. It is almost understood that a publisher will take a famous person and have a writer sit with them and do their story. It is the publisher wanting to push the books as a product. It is why most famous memoirs are simply pap and quickly fade.
Dreams is different. Obama wasn't a famous person. His reported six figure advance is unheard of from a publisher to a state senator unknown outside of his area. Publishers think national in their books. So therefore the publisher wasn't looking at the book as a product to be pushed. Something else was going on here.
Like getting appointed to boards and like getting pushed up the ranks, it isn't Obama but the people behind him. Who paid for his education? Who is promoting him? Ayers is the name bandied about and it does make sense. But the same is true for him.
Why is Ayers so inbedded with the elite academics? Why does a committed Marxist and former terrorist control millions of dollars in foundation money?
The two are linked as almost everyone who is honest can admit. The question is, is this one more link in that chain. Is Obama linked with Ayers on this book? Or is he linked with the people behind him?
If I was a journalist in Chicago I would be looking into the initial publication of the book and finding out why an unknown local politician was receiving an advance only a nationally known and accomplished figure could expect for producing a book of national impact.
There is so much we don't know about Obama. As for Profiles, The Kennedy's were famous as a family before JFK became president. You cannot compare the two.
lol
Touche’
Oh! was it that Unrepentant Terrorist who Obie only saw in passing in the neighborhood once in awhile? That guy who has something major in common with Osama Bin Ladin?
The guy who bombed the Pentagon just like Osama Bin Ladin?
Its almost like they have a common friend! Osama Bin Ladin has stated he hopes Obama wins and so does Bill Ayers. Does one think Obama appreciates both of their Good Wishes?
What's the use. Evertime I do, YOU WAKE ME BACK UP!!!
;-)
But Senator Obama is no JFK.
I've waited months to say that.
Has anyone here actually read this book? I don’t care to waste my time with it, but I was just wondering. Jack Cashill seems to admire the skill in the language of DOMF, aside from the authorship issue. It sounded like one big long leftist rant about how terrible American society is, which seems very boring.
If you look up “plagiarism” in the dictionary, it says: “See Democratic Party”
Yes. 0bama did not exist in precisely the form Ayers required, therefore it was necessary for Ayers to invent him through DOMF.
I’ve decided that “Dreams” is the autobiography of William Ayers had he actually been born the poor black child he so wishes he had been.
I have.
Jack Cashill seems to admire the skill in the language of DOMF, aside from the authorship issue.
He qualified that, I believe. He admires the quality of some of the language employed in "Dreams from My Father," but finds much of it confusing -- and probably purposely so -- as well as boring in needless details and endless conversations. It's the kind of book in which you'll be hard-pressed to go back and find some reference or passage once you've read it, because there's not much logical order to it. A pad of annotated post-it notes is essential if you plan on finding any passages quickly.
It sounded like one big long leftist rant about how terrible American society is, which seems very boring.
Make that repeated soliloquies on the problem of race, racists and inequities caused by race -- launched on the flimsiest of excuses. For example, he writes of his parents' marriage and his birth in Hawaii, then launches into a history of miscegenation (interacial marriage) and racial discrimination against blacks -- but there were never any laws against miscegenation in Hawaii, and even his mentor, Frank Marshall Davis, wrote extensively about how Hawaii was relatively free of discrimination against blacks; in fact, to Davis' delight, whites (haoles) were more likely to encounter discrimination there during the era Obama was born and grew up.
In general, the book raises more questions than it answers, and I doubt that many people, including the media, have slogged through the entire thing, page by page, until the merciful end.
LOL! That’s exactly what it was. Not that Barry was ever poor or even all black. But Barry was just Ayers’ vehicle for his fantasy, since every wealthy white radical regarded blacks as the authentic aggrieved “revolutionary,” and they wanted more than anything else in the world to be one of this heroic group. Trust me, I grew up and went to school with people like Ayers 40 years ago.
I disagree. Some people consider that his only qualification for president. It does matter if he actually wrote it.
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