Obama unaware aunt's immigration status: campaign

Reuters | Nov. 1, 2008 (Breaking News)

LAS VEGAS - Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama knows nothing about the status of a Kenyan relative reported to be living in the United States illegally but believes "all appropriate laws should be followed," his campaign said on Saturday.

The Obama campaign responded to an Associated Press report that Obama's aunt had been ordered to leave the country four years ago by an immigration judge who rejected her request for asylum from her ... Full Story »

Posted by Fabrice Florin

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Mark Monday
4.0
 by Mark Monday - Nov. 1, 2008

The story, from a journalistic standpoint, is illustrative of an important point -- the involvement of important people, even if that involvement is peripheral, makes the story. It is the person -- not the act -- being covered here. The story doesn't have any real relevance to Obama personally, but it must be reported because his name came up. The story was reported. This story says the senator did not even know about his aunt's presence -- which appears to be true -- and the reporting raises the question of whether there was a political motove -- an October surprise -- in the fact that the issue was raised by anonymous federal officials. The story seems even-handed and gives voters what they need to know as they decide to vote. The story basically says "if it wasn't for the Obama relationship this wouldn't be a story." And, in the journalistic sense, that is absolutely true. The writer made made -- if not a silk purse, a cloth purse -- out of a sow's ear.

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