Obama Lies About Signing Up for the Draft
-By Warner Todd Huston
Barack Obama told another whopper about his storied life on ABC’s “This Week” with George Stephanopoulos. In one segment Stephanopoulos asked Obama if he ever considered joining the U.S. military as a youngster. Obama then goes on to say that he did when he was required to sign up for selective service in 1979 when he graduated high school.
One little problem… there wasn’t any requirement to sign up for Selective Service in 1979!
As Tom Blumer of NewsBusters.org and BizzyBlog.com notes, “Obama could not have registered upon graduation from high school as he claimed. His actually registered occurred roughly 45 days after… registrations took place in 1980. Obama’s statement, that ‘I had to sign up for Selective Service when I graduated from high school,’ is inarguably false.”
As any look into the facts will note, President Gerald Ford terminated the registration requirements on March 25, 1975 and Jimmy Carter didn’t reinstate the registration requirement until July 2 of 1980. Obama graduated from the private college prep school, Punahou School, in 1979.
The timing doesn’t quite work to make truth of what Obama told Stephanopoulos.
Facts are stubborn things, eh?
Transcript:
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: One of our viewers wrote in—you talk about service—and asked, Brenda Godfrey Bryan, Marietta, Georgia: did you ever consider joining the armed services to protect and serve our country? If not, why?
BARACK OBAMA: You know, I actually did.
STEPHANOPOULOS: When?
BARACK OBAMA: You know, I had to sign up for Selective Service when I graduated from high school. And I was growing up in Hawaii, and I had friend whose parents were in the military, there were a lot of Army, military bases there. And I always actually thought of the military as some ennobling and honorable option. But keep in mind: I graduated in 1979. The Vietnam War had come to an end. We weren’t engaged in an active military conflict at that point. So it’s not an option that I ever decided to pursue.
So how will the Obamatons explain away this lie?
(Also see Mark Finkelstein’s coverage at NewsBusters.org)
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Posted by Warner Todd Huston on September 8, 2008 12:38 am
» Filed Under Elections, Interview, Liberal Media/Bias, News, Obama/Biden, Video, military
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14 Responses to “Obama Lies About Signing Up for the Draft”
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Syndicate Me
You better check your facts. There was not a draft, yet men were still required to sign up.
Um, no. The “signing up” you are talking about was not in effect in 1979 when Obama claimed he did it. Obama didn’t sign up until the year AFTER he graduated from high school. He claimed, however, that he did WHEN he graduated.
I’m a few months older the Obama and I had to register. (Obama born in August, Me in January)
I would like to thank Jimmy Carter for that as well. Does this mean if Obama is crowned king of the world or something, he’s going to reinstitute the draft for his national police force or something?
To me it sounds closer to the Hillary story of trying to join the Marines in her youth.
Debunked:
http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/obama-did-obama-actually-register-for-selective-service/2/
Eric, you are not reading closely enough. Here are the facts:
1). Obama claimed he registered for the draft as he graduated high school IN 1979.
2). There WAS no registering for the draft in 1979. It didn’t start up until 1980 a full year later.
Therefore he was NOT telling the truth!
I can actually believe that Obama did not lie, but rather did forget. After all, it has been almost 30 years. He remembers signing up, just forgot when. I mean, he’s only about a year off. So, I can kind of believe Obama here.
Warner, in-as-much as it pains me to defend the Senator, I have to agree with James.
But, just because it isn’t high on my list doesn’t mean it should not be high on everyone’s.
Do we have any idea why he would outright lie about this?
Wow, talk about splitting hairs Warner. You really need to find something a bit more concrete than this. Obama said “when he graduated from high school.” So what?
I don’t believe that “when” in this case is pointing to a specific time, rather a general period of time in his life. I am sure that he didn’t mean that on his way to the dias to collect his diploma he had to stop at a table to sign up.
Dig up something with a bit more teeth…this just makes it look like you’re nitpicking.
President Jimmy Carter ordered every 18-year-old male to register with Selective Service in 1979 when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan.
That was in October. He said he signed up when he graduated. Probably way after he graduated.
I voluntarily enlisted in the Navy in 1978 upon graduating from high school, and remember those 30 odd years ago quite clearly. While there was not a declared war to fight at that time, there was a cause. A weak liberal president named Jimmy Carter dealt with the Iran hostage crisis with unequaled ineptitude (just my opinion). I served on the USS Goldsborough DDG-20, a missile destroyer out of Pearl Harbor and was deployed to the Indian Ocean / Persian Gulf for seven months after the failed rescue attempt cost the lives of 8 servicemen.
There is no substitute for leadership during times of crisis. The hostages were held for 444 days and released the day after Ronald Reagan took office.
Registering for the selective service was reinstated in 1980. There is extensive information on it and the Iran Hostage Crisis at Wikipedia.com.
A politician such as Obama should realize that his statements must hold up to scrutiny. He clearly has registered with selective service, but like Hillary “landing under sniper fire” manipulated the facts slightly to bolster a claim that he at some point seriously entertained joining the armed forces to play on the patriotism theme.
Do you believe that claim? If you support Obama I’m sure you do. For the rest of us his statements, associations, and character require closer examination.
Pil,
The Soviets invaded in December 1979, Carter reinstated Selective Service in July of 1980.
Prove he actually did sign up. Probably like the birth certificate. By the way, who payed for all his high priced education?
why wouldn’t obama produce the registration for the draft (if indeed there is one) or is there a problem,or like the official birth certificate that exists, but no one can see?