Do you remember the Crown family?  Do you remember the Crown patriarch who sits on the board of Maytag?  Do you recall that Barack Obama, as a U.S. Senate candidate, met with Maytag workers, asked for their donations and promised them he'd help save their jobs, and that he then went to the Crown family and took their large donations, but never said a word to Crown about saving the jobs of the Maytag workers? (Crown confirmed in a newspaper interview that Obama never asked him about saving the Maytag jobs.)

Andy just alerted me to Jeralyn's post at TalkLeft, in which she highlights Obama's earmarks for General Dynamics, one of the largest military contractors in the world, and its ties to Chicago's Crown family.

"Among [Obama's earmarks are] an $8 million request for the 'High Explosive Air Burst Technology Program'. Ultimately, $1.3 million in funding was awarded for the program,"writes Jeralyn.

the defense project was overseen by General Dynamics, one of the nation's largest military contractors. Obama's Illinois finance chairman, James S. Crown, serves on the company's board of directors and his family holds a sizable stake in the company.

"Crown and his wife, Paula Crown," Jeralyn adds, "are members of Obama's National Finance Committee and have raised more than $200,000 for the Obama campaign, according to a list of fundraisers posted on Obama's campaign website."

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Update [2008-2-29 16:28:18 by susanhu]: Third update, from CTV.ca, at end of story.

Update [2008-2-29 14:24:11 by susanhu]: The UPDATES from me and from Larry Johnson (important!) are at the end of this story.

From CTV News, "[T]he Obama camp did not respond to repeated questions from CTV on reports that a conversation on this matter was held between Obama's senior economic adviser -- Austan Goolsbee -- and the Canadian Consulate General in Chicago."

Earlier Thursday, the Obama campaign insisted that no conversations have taken place with any of its senior ranks and representatives of the Canadian government on the NAFTA issue. On Thursday night, CTV spoke with Goolsbee, but he refused to say whether he had such a conversation with the Canadian government office in Chicago. He also said he has been told to direct any questions to the campaign headquarters. [That exchange speaks volumes.]

CTV News, an internationally respected national Canadian television and print news service, has reconfirmed its story with its top-level sources, and stands by its original report which I wrote up earlier in "Shocker: Obama Campaign Reveals Fake Stand on NAFTA [Video UPDATE]" and which Taylor Marsh stood by all day after calling CTV directly (despite taking heat after the MSM caved and scurried away).

Here's the scoop on the CTV reports FROM A MAN WHO witnessed how Sen. Barack Obama stiffed Illinois' machinists: "I am appalled but not surprised by this report," said IAM International [Machinists] President Tom Buffenbarger. "Working families cannot trust a candidate who telegraphs his real position to a foreign government and then dissembles in a nationally televised debate." -- February 28, 2008

That is tonight's top CTV TV story, watched by millions of Canadians and U.S. citizens near the Canadian border.

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Must-see VIDEO UPDATE [and second video update just below the fold]:

Wink, wink, nudge, nudge. Canadian media reveal Obama's posture on NAFTA is solely "campaign rhetoric." Via CTA.ca News article, "Obama staffer gave warning of NAFTA rhetoric":

... Within the last month, a top staff member for Obama's campaign telephoned Michael Wilson, Canada's ambassador to the United States, and warned him that Obama would speak out against NAFTA, according to Canadian sources.

The staff member reassured Wilson that the criticisms would only be campaign rhetoric, and should not be taken at face value.

But Tuesday night in Ohio, where NAFTA is blamed for massive job losses, Obama said he would tell Canada and Mexico "that we will opt out unless we renegotiate the core labour and environmental standards."

Late Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Obama campaign said the staff member's warning to Wilson sounded implausible, but did not deny that contact had been made.

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This is real America!

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Corporate Democrat Barack Obama now claims John Edwards is responsible for the closure of Whirlpool factories in Illinois, Iowa and Arkansas.  He also claims Edwards was a supporter of North Carolina's oppressive Right to Work laws.  The flier Obama is circulating in Iowa labor circles can be read here. I guess the candidate Mr. Axelrod touts as someone who would never resort to "cheap shots" just showed Iowa laborers who the true Obama really is: a cynical campaigner who exploits labor in NH while claiming he is their advocate in Iowa.  Some people will say and do anything to win an election.

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