[Vision2020] Clinton had “Bimbo eruptions” — Obama has “Hobo eruptions”

[No Weatherman]

Obama aunt leak raises questions, as does timing

HENDERSON, Nev. — Barack Obama did not know a relative was living in
the United States illegally for the past nearly four years prior to
today's Associated Press report, "but obviously believes that any and
all appropriate laws be followed," the campaign said Saturday in a
statement.

The Democratic nominee last heard from Zeituni Onyango, who attended
his swearing-in ceremony to the U.S. Senate in 2005 and is a
half-sister of Obama's late father, two years ago, when she called to
say she was in Boston, the campaign said. Campaign officials said they
did not assist her in getting a tourist visa and had not known that
she was living in America.

News of Onyango's legal status, which the AP confirmed through
sources, including a federal law enforcement official, provided an
unwelcome diversion for the Obama campaign during its final push
toward Election Day and stoked suspicions among supporters of a
political motive behind the timing of the leak.

"The American people are pretty sensible," Axelrod said, "and I think
they are pretty suspicious of things that are dumped in the
marketplace 72 hours before a campaign, so I am not concerned about
that."

Asked whether he was suggesting there were political motives from a
Republican administration, Axelrod said: "I am not saying anything at
this point."

Obama did not respond to questions shouted at him by members of the
traveling press corps as he exited Caesars Palace hotel here Saturday
morning with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) at his side.

The Associated Press wrote that it confirmed the deportation case with
two separate sources, one of them a federal law enforcement official.
The information they made available is known to officials in the
federal government, but the AP said it could not establish whether
anyone at a political level in the Bush administration or in the
McCain campaign had been involved in its release.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers has written to
Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff requesting an
immediate investigation of the leak, which he deemed "deplorable" and
said "was not the first leak of law enforcement information apparently
designed to influence the coming presidential election," referring to
an ongoing investigation of voter fraud by the Association of
Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN.

Kelly Nantel, a spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement,
would not comment on the leak or whether the agency was looking into
it.

"ICE is prohibited from commenting on any individual's status or the
status of any case," she said. "I would also add that as a matter of
practice, we don't discuss law enforcement operational details."

Given the timing, the case led to an unusual nationwide directive
within ICE requiring that any deportations before Tuesday's election
be approved at least at the level of the agency's regional directors,
a U.S. law enforcement official told the AP.

John McCain seems to be staying far away from the issue, making no
mention of Obama's family in his two Virginia appearances this
morning. His press aides have also remained quiet, issuing no
statement about her immigration status.

Obama met Onyango, 56, when he traveled to Africa as an adult, and she
earned a mention in his 1995 memoir "Dreams From My Father," in which
he referred to her as "Auntie Zeituni."

The campaign said Obama has seen Onyango several times over the years,
including during a second trip to Kenya with his wife, Michelle.
Onyango previously traveled to Chicago on a tourist visa at the
Obamas' invitation about nine years ago before visiting friends on the
East Coast and returning to Kenya, according to the campaign.

Axelrod said Obama did not have a close relationship to Onyango.

The campaign will return $265 in contributions that Onyango made to
Obama, citing prohibitions against foreign nationals donating to
American campaigns.

The Associated Press reported that Onyango had been instructed to
leave the country four years ago by an immigration judge who rejected
her request for asylum from her native Kenya. Onyango is living in
public housing in Boston.

Senior strategist Robert Gibbs shut down any line of questioning
Thursday when news broke about Obama's relative, telling reporters,
"I'm not going to get into it."

Reporters asked, "Why not?"

"I'm just not," Gibbs said.

Ben Smith and Lisa Lerer contributed to this story.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1108/15161.html