Oprah tries to catch Obama in a lie, and he responds with a classic politician’s story that makes him look
like a saint, but, alas, is completely uncheckable.
—
WINFREY: Senator Obama is here and
his new back is called "The Audacity of Hope." This summer, the
senator traveled with his family to Africa. I offered him a ride. He wouldn’t
take it on my plane. And then I later read in the book you did take a ride on
somebody else’s jet. Whose jet was that?
Sen. OBAMA: Well, that was before
we took that trip to Africa.
WINFREY: Uh-huh.
Sen. OBAMA: But you know, I started
realizing that when you get in the habit of taking corporate jets and you’re
eating dinner with lobbyists…
WINFREY: Flying. Yeah.
Sen. OBAMA: …and–that you start
getting detached from the people that you represent. And one of the things I’m
always worried about is starting to represent Washington to my constituents
instead of representing my constituents in Washington.
WINFREY: OK.
Sen. OBAMA: So, you know, we
instituted a policy that we wouldn’t fly on other people’s jets, which broke my
heart when I found out that Oprah was going to South Africa. And…
WINFREY: OK.
Sen. OBAMA: But, you know, I was
looking to carve out that Oprah exception but…
WINFREY: Couldn’t do it.
Sen. OBAMA: After I instituted that
ban on corporate planes, I remember taking commercial. And it was this classic,
you know, terrible ride.
WINFREY: Yeah. Three hours, yes.
Sen. OBAMA: Trip out to O’Hare was
bad.
WINFREY: Yeah.
Sen. OBAMA: You know, you’re in the
traffic jam, and you get there, kid’s spilled orange juice on my shoes.
WINFREY: Yeah.
Sen. OBAMA: And all that stuff. But
as I was finally getting on the plane, the plane had been delayed, I was
grumpy, I’m about to get on. And this young man comes up to me and he says,
`You’re Senator Obama.’ And I said, `Yes.’ And he said, `I just want you to
know I’m 32, 33, I’ve got a three-year-old son and I’ve got Parkinson’s
disease. And although it’s not bad yet, they expect that I’ll probably never be
able to throw a baseball with my son. And so I really want you to work on stem
cell research because it may not help me, but it might help somebody else to
make sure they’re not going through what I’m going through.’ And, you know,
the–it was just a small moment, but it reminded me of why I got into politics
and why you want to make sure that you are always there, present. That’s why
we…
WINFREY: That wouldn’t happen on a
private jet.
Sen. OBAMA: And that doesn’t happen
on a private jet.
—
Con: Exactly how long is this policy going to last? It’s
simply impossible to run for President without taking private jets.
Con: Let’s fact check this story. Where’s the Parkinson’s guy?
Recent Comments