"Obama Snub / Clinton Snub" - AP Reporter LAURIE KELLMAN's Fixed Story Covers Up Truth
There's a photo going around that if you're in, or interested in politics, you've seen by now. It's this one on the left taken at Monday's State Of The Union Adress and appears to show Senator Barack Obama turning his back on Senator Clinton as she's shaking Senator Kennedy's hand. Now that photo was taken by J. Scott Applewhite of the Associated Press and was used as the focus of a "story" written by LAURIE KELLMAN of the same AP. The photos been copied again and again, and Obama accused of snubbing Hillary Clinton.
Well, there's two main problems. First, that's not the only photo and there's one with a different angle -- in fact several and all by Getty Images and not the Associated Press.
Second, when I called Laurie Kellman to ask her why she didn't look at photos that show a clapping Senator Obama in communication with Sen. Claire McKaskill, who endorsed him, she didn't return my calls, and I phoned her three times. On top of that, the AP reporter I did talk to seemed to think it was Kellman's right to tell the story the way she did, which is journalistically unprofessional.
Ok, now to the other photo.
This photo on the right shows Senator Obama clapping and looking at Claire McKaskill, who is also obviously turning and looking at Barack Obama, and this is while Senator Kennedy has reached over to Senator Clinton. So it's clear that Senator Obama was indeed distracted by Senator Claire McKaskill while Senator Clinton reached over.
Now, it's also clear that Senator Clinton didn't call to Senator Obama to get his attention, leaving one to wonder if Senator Clinton was actually seeing a chance to set up Senator Obama, an effort that actually proves right in line with other actions Senator Clinton has taken, but that's for another column. Why? Because there's more - yet another photo I want you to see.
This photo shows Senator Obama looking toward his right and our left and clearly at another person just half in and out of the screen -- a person wearing the same red suit and standing in the same area that Senator Clinton was in, and both Obama and the person are obviously engaged in a happy moment because he's grinning ear to ear.
Now, in all of the photos, Senator Clinton's the closest woman wearing red with respect to Senator Obama. She sat next to Senator Joe Biden, and both were only a few feet from Obama and Kennedy.
And in case you question if Barack Obama and Claire McKaskill were really talking, I offer you this photo for view, which also shows Obama, Kennedy, and McKaskill in deep conversation. And remember, both Kennedy and McKaskill have endorsed Obama. Why didn't Senator Clinton shake Claire McKaskill's hand?
Hmm??
I've asked this and I'll ask it again. With all of the well-wishers who came to Senator Obama, why would Kellman -- who was in the chamber -- seek to place the blame of rudeness on Senator Obama? It's a question that Kellman should answer, but she's not talking. Maybe this will draw her out of the shadows.
She has to answer why she ignore the other photos. Saying she didn't know about them is irresponsible to say the least and I'll bet she knew that there were other angles. I also wonder if her editor put her and the photog up to this. I'll lay a bet they cropped the photo to take Sen. Claire McKaskill out of it, thus leaving what looks like Obama just plain turning away.
He wasn't. And LAURIE KELLMAN should be taken to the journalistic woodshed for this unprofessional act. Plus, Senator Clinton also is to blame as she could have just made sure Barack saw her rather than play high school games. But that's Senator Clinton for ya, and she wants to be president.
Geez!
