What David Maraniss Left Out of The Story

American Thinker ^ | July 11, 2012 | Don Wilkie

[Smokeyblue]

In his book, Barack Obama: The Story, David Maraniss is remarkably detailed about things that have nothing to do with The Story (Betty Davis' opinion of a film, how a letter was handled in Kenya, what President Johnson said to Bill Moyers) but is inexplicably incurious about many things that are very important to The Story.

Maraniss, in an interview on the June 18 Today Show, stated that Barack Obama's book, Dreams from My Father, was "literature," adding, "There's a big difference between memoir and biography." So big a difference that Ben Smith of Buzzfeed counted "38 instances in which the biographer [Maraniss] convincingly disputes significant elements of Obama's own story of his life and his family history."

Yet Maraniss continues to rely on Dreams for much of his narrative. A case in point is the story of how Obama Sr. (going forward, "Obama") and Ann Dunham met in a Russian class. Maraniss goes into elaborate detail as to why Obama would take a Russian class while ignoring the very real possibility that the whole story is hogwash.

Maraniss makes note of "Author Sally Jacobs" and "her vibrant study of Obama, The Other Barack." On page 112 of her book, there is a footnote: "Barack Obama's transcript from the University of Hawaii, Syracuse University, Frank C. Laubach Collection." These transcripts would show if Obama ever enrolled in a Russian class. However, the reading room supervisor of the Laubach Collection, Nicole Dittrich, has advised me that "Obama Sr.'s Hawaii transcript is currently missing from our collection." Maraniss makes no mention of the missing transcripts. He also makes no mention of Janny Scott's assertion in A Singular Woman that a friend "said he remembered Ann saying she had met Obama in the University Library."

[Smokeyblue]

"Obama Sr.'s Hawaii transcript is currently missing from our collection."

"I can remember the rumors about her and another class-mate who were involved with and married African-American men."

"Since we know that many of these students did not come to the East-West Center until September 1961, the group picture had to have been taken after Ann and child had left Obama for Seattle in late August 1961."

[Red Badger]

Everything, and I mean absolutely everything, reported, told or otherwise written about Obamugabe is a lie. He is a man with no past and apparently no friends. If this was a Hollywood movie, it would be totally scripted from beginning to end. His birth, his education, his religion, his morals, his politics are all made-up from whole cloth and served to the public on a silver screen..................

[cricket]

Amazing; what we do not know; still. . .

In reading just a few comments at AT; how people so easily believe; in the most basic premises of Obama's life; while reading of the subterfuge. It is so deep; the mind, has a hard time, getting down to it. Personally, trust nothing about his history; or that of his Mother; OR his 'girl friend's' recall; that his Grandmother was racist; or the 'fact' that he is indeed, the son of Barack Obama; and ad nauseum other 'factoids' so shared.

Clearly; Obama had a 'sperm donor'; and came from 'somewhere'. As well; it is apparent; that more than a few guiding hands on his shoulder; in a 'push/pull' as he makes his way - and most likely, barely - through higher education and onto full political life.

(Today; as President he appears as no more than a hired gun to take out America; and think those who hired him; had the 'hands on'; early on.)

Whatever the case; would be nice to have this creation myth figured out before 2012; but just as clearly; this will not happen.

Meantime, kudos to all; who so painstakingly; are trying to piece the truth of Obama; into a factual history.

Treasonous shame on those who do precisely the opposite. Propagandists; useful idiots; lazy or careless researchers Et Al. . .

[GOPJ]

A case in point is the story of how Obama Sr. (going forward, "Obama") and Ann Dunham met in a Russian class. Maraniss goes into elaborate detail as to why Obama would take a Russian class while ignoring the very real possibility that the whole story is hogwash.

Liberals can get away with 'stupid' because the press has a vested interest in protecting the illusion that liberals are smart.

The suckups at the New York Times would catch this if it had come from a conservative about a conservative. But the reporters of the MSM lack integrity... and the ability to 'see' that which doesn't benefit liberals.

[Meet the New Boss]

[Maraniis] fails to mention that in Obama's immigration documents, he misidentifies his presumed child as "Barack Obama 2nd" and gives his address as "c/o Univ of Hawaii." Obviously a very caring father!

Actually, if one examines the writing on this form it is clear that Obama Sr. did not write in the name of any child.

There are two handwritings on the form. There is a faded handwriting, which is no doubt Obama Sr.'s.

In the faded handwriting, Obama Sr. writes that he is married, and that his wife's name is Ann Obama. He then writes "Honolulu, Hawaii" in the next line which he may be using to write the address of his wife, which the form asks for but he did not write in in the box above it.

On top of that, there is a darker, sharper handwriting. It is in this other handwriting that "USC" and "Legal Separation 2 mos ago" is written and "Has one?" under social security no. Obviously, Obama Sr. would not write "Has one?" in this box. Also, he would not have used the initials "USC" which is INS abbreviation/jargon for U.S. citizen. The person who wrote the later handwriting tends to use a mix of upper and lower case, like using a lower case "e" in a word containing upper case letters, whereas Obama Sr. uses completely upper case letters.

It appears to me that the words "Barack Obama 2d 2 yr USC" are written in the other darker, sharper handwriting.

This is probably someone at the INS filling in further information on the form not originally supplied by Obama.

[Meet the New Boss]

I should add that Obama Sr. not originally writing in little Barry as his son on the written form is consistent with the approach he took on his August 31, 1961 immigration form.

There, he left blank the space for name and address of children.

It strikes me that Obama Sr. was always careful not to admit in any legal document that little Barry was his child.

In the August 1961 document, he did not name little Barry as his child, but the INS was aware of little Barry as is clear from a contemporaneous memo to file.

And again with this document, he did not name little Barry as his child but someone from the INS was aware and filled in the information along with other comments like “USC” and “Has one?”.

My take is that Obama Sr found out about Stanley Ann’s relationship with Frank Marshall Davis and after that doubted that little Barry was really his son, and therefore was careful to admit that fact in any legal document. And after becoming doubtful that little Barry was really his son, he lost any use for Stanley Ann and tried to ignore her as much as possible after that.

[Flotsam_Jetsome]

"Obama Sr.'s Hawaii transcript is currently missing from our collection."

Gee, yet another "clerical error?" This guy's life narrative has been redacted more than the F&F emails released thus far.

[detective]

“Obama Sr.’s Hawaii transcript is currently missing from our collection.”

The false marrative of Obama’s life can only survive if all the relevant facts are made to disappear. I am amazed at how many statements about Obama are based on nothing factual but rather a false statement that keeps being repeated. Maraniss is just one more liar brought forward to sell yet another dishonest story to the American people.

[Brown Deer]

These scholars—Tith, Ruenitz, Craft, their pal David Finkelstein, Ann Niamoto from Japan, and several others—often gathered at the house of Arnie Nachmanoff, ...

[Brown Deer]

[Fred Nerks]

Interesting, but much is in doubt, the identification of ‘Ann Niamoto’ for one. In the original images from the Cambodiana website, the name of that girl was shown as ANNE/USA.
And over painstaking months of research, the asian woman in the dock image turns out to have been a 1961 graduate of the U of HI named Barbara...it’s also very doubtful if the kenyan was ever in the original dock image, and if he was, if that’s not just his head planted on another body, then one has to ask, who is that young woman he has his arm around, standing beside him?

The man on the far right for example, has only one arm. Is that the arm that we now see half-disappearing between Stanley Armour Dunham and the man wearing a cart-load of fake lei?

That dock image could be genuine, but it has to be a departure, because Marda, who is also identified in the Nachmanoff images, didn’t graduate from a mainland college until summer 1961.

Personally, I think it’s fake. The core group were probably the dock workers, the captain and some crew, and all the remainder were simply added.

[Dajjal]

obumpa

[bluecat6]

The woman (women) on the dock are definitely NOT Japanese. They are Filipino. I have never been sure about the woman in the pictures on the floor. The quality and angle of the photo make the same definitive conclusion not possible.

Filipinos have unique facial features that separate them from other Asian races.

[little jeremiah]

Is Barbara the Asian woman in the black or dark dress?

The Kenyan Obama is way too tall in that photo; even apart from all the other obvious anomalies, that alone means the thing is cobbled together. He looks almost the same height as Stanley D who was at least a six footer, IIRC. Plus, I remember a graphic posted by Phil a few days ago showing clearly that the face of 0bama in the “dock” photo is the exact same face in one of the airport photos! Same one precisely.

[Fred Nerks]

You’re right of course, I really didn’t want to waste time going there all over again. One could write a book about what is wrong with that image, and then to top it off, the comparisons of the people in the two sets of images are way out as well.
Yes, the kenyan is far too tall, but then Stanley Armour looks too old, two men with glasses appear to be twins, one man has a missing arm...but the most damning is the face of the kenyan, even the highlights on his face are identical to the AIRPORT image.
I think ‘they’ do this just because they can. It’s to keep us amused, I guess.

I made a boo-boo - the asian woman (Barbara) WAS A 1959 graduate, her image in the U of HI Yearbook showed her wearing a spotted dress. That’s why I guess, her dress has been painted over all black, spots might have made her too recognizable. She’s been placed there to hide something on the ground behind her (it’s white) and to obscure the girl cuddling up to whoever she’s standing beside.

[little jeremiah]

Crazy. Thanks for more details. Hmm.

Maybe the fake 0bama is MX, he was tall.

[PhilDragoo]

[Fred Nerks]

One could write a book about that dock image...there’s something white on the ground behind the officer and the asian woman, it’s not apparent until you start to look for the captain’s feet and shoes, and realize he doesn’t have any. Why? Because he’s standing too far back for what appears to be his trouser leg to be showing. So that object is something else.
And the officer, he has a gap between his legs, one part is solid, then the gap appears. That’s because the white object on the ground behind him only comes up to a certain height. It tricks the eye. What seems to be the officers legs really includes the outline of that white object on the ground, which the placement of the asian woman also partly conceals.
But the asian woman, who looks like she dropped in out of the sky, serves another purpose, she helps to conceal the girl standing so very close to the man who is the central character, weighed down with so many ‘lei’ what you see is nothing but camouflage - for what? What is that fake vegetation hiding?
The man with the bales of lei is wearing a coat over his shoulder, you can see the fabric between him and the man beside him, but the missing arm from the fellow on the far right, has been used to make it appear as if the man who MIGHT be Stanley Armour Dunham now has his hand in the suit-jacket pocket of the central character, whom you correctly describe as being just a wee bit TOO TALL to be the kenyan student...
And I think the sleeve of the jacket looks as if it’s made of a different fabric...than the jacket itself.
Now, I need to point out that I have written the above totally from memory, I do not have the image in front of me, which is a GOOD THING, or else I would be here all day.

Btw, if anyone cares to continue, be my guest. Try to explain who the Captain and the officer and the crew members might belong to, because it’s apparent we aren’t looking at NAVY, are we? A cargo ship with captain and crew and dock workers and a whole lot of people who maybe do belong in Hawaii but appear to have been kidnapped and placed on the dock...

[Fred Nerks]

Amazing the way the light hits the features of his face exactly the same way ten year later...thanks, Phil.

[little jeremiah]

Thank you very much. It’s very clear. I can only assume that the person they put 0bama’s head onto was another, taller man. Odd that they bolluxed up the photo so much, why not just destroy or hide it? So somone, taller than 0, appeared at a dock somewhere, probably not HI (?), since they had to add a bunch of people from HI... Or maybe it was HI and they added more people from HI to camouflage what else was there. Wearing a suit with coat jacket like that in HI is very uncomfortable, it’s rarely below 80 F.