Obama Denies Filling Out Questionnaire That Bears His Handwriting

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., maintained at Wednesday's ABC News debate in Philadelphia that his handwriting does not appear on a 1996 questionnaire stating support for a ban on the manufacture, sale, and possession of handguns. The Democratic presidential frontrunner made this claim even though a copy of the original document suggests otherwise.

"No, my writing wasn't on that particular questionnaire, Charlie. As I said, I have never favored an all-out ban on handguns," said Obama.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[confuciussay]

Mr. Obama knew this issue was out there before the debate, so you would think he would have prepared an appropriate response. When he answered the question and said that his signature was not on that "particular" document. That sounded like his calculated answer. He should have said that he has changed his position on gun control since he filled out the form. It's that simple.

[ragtopdodge]

He's all for state's rights.

The questionnaire:

Do you support state legislation to:

a. ban the manufacture, sale and possession of handguns? Yes.


STATE LEGISLATION! State's rights! If the State wants to ban handguns; fine!

[Pollypolitics]

No staffer would fill out a form for the candidate without full knowledge of the candidate's stated position.

This denial lacks plausibility.

[itsnotmyfault]

This has been a disturbing pattern throughout the campaign.

[loki]

Ok, not that I could care about this, except for the hand writing crap. Lets put this into perspective. I know someone who went to the feds with files and documentation from a Mortgage broker he worked for. These files had signatures and initials on them that the Broker had forged. The FBI told him that handwriting is the most difficult to verify, and in most cases impossible to conclude who actually wrote it, even with all the experts the FBI has access to. So there is no one going to tell me that a person is going to be able to verify that Obama, or Jack Scheit wrote or filled out a form without physical proof. According to the FBI, identifying by handwriting is almost impossible. Something you see on movies and in CSI tv shows, not real life.

[cramos]

Seems the DEVOUT will not come here to defend.........Gee, how not surprising.....

[criscokid]

During the NV debate in January, 2008 Obama admitted paperwork was his weakness..."I ask my staff member not to hand me paper until 2 seconds before I need it because I will lose it..." So it's likely that he forgets what he writes on that paperwork too.

[cramos]

Should not surprise anyone....

[Zhonni]

He lied?
Can you prove it?
Do you think that if it was a 100% match that Hillary Clinton won't be pounding him on this?

Just because a handwritting looks like his doesn't mean that he wrote it. I have tried to mimic my sister's writing when we were much younger and I did a fairly good job. To an untrained eye, she wrote it. Her's was pretty and mine were slanted and hard to read, so I'm told, so I went through a phase before deciding that it was much too dificult to change the way I wrote, not if I want to write the fastest I could.

Everytime Obama has been accused of lying it has turned out he wasn't. People thought that he was in church during the sermons, his integrity was questioned and some thought they had proof, but they only embarrased themselves as it wasn't true.

[kirafa]

THIS IS WHAT REALLY PISSES ME OFF!!!! So you are saying that someone in his campaign or in his inner circle tried to mimic his handwriting on a questionnaire in 1996 on a guns???? For what purpose????? Will you say or do anything to prove that your candidate did not lie? HE LIED. Face it and quit offering up stupid excuses.

[sklfcats]

Barak OBombem is a LIAR LIAR LIAR

[loki]

"Barak OBombem is a LIAR LIAR LIAR"

They are all liars, They are politicians. its what they do. Hillary, McWar, Obama. They lie to get what they want. Outside of politics they call these people Con-artist.

[alm123]

Another LIe!
He also told Russert he would not run for President.

[meanguy]

jeez...just how deep IS obama's memory hole????

[MGhamma]

I thought that huffpo was all Hillary hating and all Obama loving all the time. Guess I was wrong. Wouldn't be the first time.

[08timefortruth]

The only handwriting on this document is on one of the faxed pages, the page regarding state gun control was not faxed and in fact the answers were typed in:
35. Do you support state legislation to:
a. ban the manufacture, sale and possession of handguns? Yes.
b. ban assaultw eaPons?Y es.
c. mandatory waiting periods and background checks? Yes.
so someone needs to prove these two portions (faxed and unfaxed) are indeed the same document and that what handwriting there is is actually his. I thought in this country it was supposed to be innocent until proven guilty-guess not-

[StephenS]

There are two versions of the questionnaire. On both, the answers on handgun control are the same.

One has attached Obama's handwriting, as admitted by Obama himself, on the faxed portion which was sent a day after Obama met with the group to discuss the questionnaire.

Answers are somewhat different on the two versions. E.g., the answer to "Do you support c) parental consent/notification for minors seeking abortions?" on one is "No" and on the other a more nuanced "depends on how young -- possibly for extremely young teens, i.e. 12 or 13 year olds".

Clearly there was a reason why there are two sets of answers - to one of which the group attached Obama's writing from the day after Obama met with the group. Clearly there is a reason why the answers on parental consent changed.

If you wish to believe that a short-time aide for Obama, a non-politician running as a first-time candidate, not once but twice made up answers and did not correct the answers after Obama met with group, and the group never asked for the corrected answers, that is your prerogative.

And, by the way, "Obama Forgets Writing on Gun Questionnaire" is the article linked to above, which is not the same as HuffPo's headline of "Obama Denies Filling Out Questionnaire That Bears His Handwriting."

[breezeway22]

HE LIED

[init]

Obama don't worry about silly sh.t. Crazy people do not need guns. They might shoot someone in the face. Bring out the paperwork that destroyed the American Unions and job markets. See whose signatures are on that! I bet those signatures are some of the wealthiest people in this country! Sane people do not vote against their own interest.

[Tumult]

From what I have read on this, he did not have staff in that campaign that was not part of the group that issued the questionnaire. The group was already working for the campaign, had not formally endorsed him, and had yet to have him complete or turn in the questionnaire. Additionally there are several versions of the questionnare. The questions people have a problem with are typed, and straight yes or no answers, that were exactly what the group was looking for, Only one of multiple submitions has his handwritting on it. And one person said since we were already working for his campaign he probably did not take it seriously. This sounds like some of the bitching surrounding the Coaches poll in College football. And as such is really hard to take seriously. You really have to scrape the bottom of the barrel to come up with these attacks on Obama.

[jrterrier]

is that his writing on the document or not? if it is, then why aren't you all playing this up just like you did the bosnia story?

[tempusbinder]

I'm amazed that no investigative journalist has looked into authenticating this document.

It appears from the time, date and page stamps on the first three pages that they were faxed together in 1996. However the following pages, with the disputed answers, do not bear any such stamps. If the following pages were not part of the original fax, on what basis are they being grouped with it now?

The lack of fax stamping on the subsequent pages actually sets up a presumption that they are not part of the same document as the page with the handwriting, but are parts of two separate documents. The valid question then is why were there two documents? Not as scandalous a question as that based on the suggesting his handwriting is "on the document" with the typewritten position responses.

Can we get some grown up journalism here?!?

[seejake]

this is like Rezko. Old news, and complete bullshit. Nothing but innuendo and weak attempts at trying to forge a narrative. Speaking of forgeries, where's the evidence??? All we're doing is relying on the words of a few unknown hacks. Furthermore, this from ABC News, which - after the debates last night - has absolutely zero credibility.

[DavidJohnston]

I think Saint Obama's disingenuous responses and lack of accountability for Rezko, Wright, his bitter comment, his healthcare position, his NAFTA position, and on and on and on, suggests that there is little reason to doubt the authenticity of these documents.

[Spontini]

Ummmm.... the evidence is contained in a link in the underlying news piece if you woud bother to look. It shows his handwriting on the questionnaire. That's not innuendo. How exactly do you write on a document that you say you never saw?

[meanguy]

"i did not have responses to that questionnaire"

[rrafiringa]

So are you certain that is Obama's handwriting?

[tempusbinder]

Yes -- people should look at the evidence themselves:

http://www.politico.com/static/PPM43_080328_obama_iviquestionaire_091096.html

There may be a question to raise about how and why two documents were sent out, but the evidence does support that the page with his handwriting and the pages with the position responses were from two separate documents.

[08timefortruth]

OK, I just went to the site mentioned and now I have questions 1) who said the handwriting was his-there is no siqnature anywhere (unless I missed it) 2) why are some pages faxed but not the ones pertaining to state gun control 3) how do we know these documents belong together and are not manufactured?
Maybe I'm cynical but someone needs to prove thes are authentic before I'm willing to make an accusation one way or the other.

[Dailyfare]

Unless I missed something, the question on that particular questionnaire (at least the pages I've seen) was about state legislation on handguns, not federal. The question on a federal handgun ban was not asked.

[Researchguy66]

The photo suggests he was sleep-talking at that point. So, if it turns out that he did actually change the form to indicate his complete opposition, he was only lying because he was asleep.

[markkraft]

This is old news redredged.

The only really newsworthy thing that occurred in last night's debate was that Hillary Clinton claimed that Iran was actively seeking nuclear material for a weapons program which a recent national intelligence estimate says was cancelled *SIX YEARS AGO*.

Remember when Bush and Cheney said the same thing the day after that national intelligence estimate came out... and they were called for it?!

Well, apparently, Hillary, Bush, and Cheney think alike... intelligence be damned!

[rvme]

I think the news is that Obama now says he didn't scribble on it.

[rvme]

I only just heard about it a week ago. Can you imagine what the voting public who don't know about the story will think when the see the Willie "horton" Ayers ads?

[Researchguy66]

It's old news...and yet it keeps coming back up...why won't people learn to disregard what they shouldn't bother with.

[MJD615]

Many people don't really know too much about Obama, so they pay attention to everything about him. You can't make an informed decision by just following the crowd.

[markkraft]

Old news... Pls. disregard.

It was already established during his first campaign that someone else -- incorrectly -- filled out the paperwork that led to his policy stance being misrepresented. The only writing from Obama on the form were in the form of a few notes, regarding some of the issues.

[jrterrier]

no, that's the point. that's what he said during his earlier campaign. but now a separate document surfaced that shows (according to some) that his handwriting is on the document. he needs to say whether is or is not his handwriting.

[theDrip]

This is just some lame sophomoric fear mongering . The corporate ruling elite and their media boys are targeting their enemy. Barrack will do extreme harm to their fascist state and their government guaranteed revenue.

Now when Mickey Mouse wants to attack my candidate by creating an atmosphere of false patriotism and false superiority while using the public broadcast spectrum, I say that is enough. This country is heading towards open conflict within our own borders. ABC and their employees need to heed notice that their anti-American style of journalism holds consequences both economic and personal. I suggest they grab themselves by their crotches and prepare for a blowback of historic proportions. Much like the leadership in China.

I am not bitter. I am not anger. The real corporate elites in this nation have lost their licensed privilege to continue broadcasting rightwing, fascist agendas. If you advertise on ABC, FOX or Clear Channel, you should prepare for serious economic consequences. Progressives should start to immediately identify these businesses and launch an economic boycott. The only way to save our troops is the immediate withdrawal of our monies from their coffers.

[Researchguy66]

Wow, that would be pretty awesome if you could not buy anything from any company with any advertising on ABC, FOX or Clear Channel. I'd applaud the effort.

[HatingTheGame]

Wait its a forgery! Dan Rather did this, just to get to Obaba. Call CBS, fire Rather, threaten them, take away their license, put them in jail, smear smear smear ...!! What, oh, that's been done? Never mind...

Man, the Dems need a spin meister master Dr. Evil like Rove. Just like he faked the forgery, and confused the issue enough for George Bush going AWOL in the National Guard, Obaba needs someone like that.

Frankly its sick how Amerikka has to cowtow to gun toting, trigger happy, red neck to get elected. And we call ourselves civilized.