More Obama Resume Inflation: His Days at Business International

Photo of Tom Blumer.
  • Bookmark and Share

Sweetness & Light (S&L) has the goods (HT Michelle Malkin) on yet another instance of resume enhancement in a Barack Obama book.

It is also yet another example of something an inquisitive media has failed to discover in the 21 months since an Obama presidential run became likely.

It's too bad. It's clear, from an underlying 2005 post at Analyze This, and other information S&L gathered, that had anyone in the media undertaken an effort to speak to Obama's co-workers at Business International, the firm where he worked after earning his bachelor's degree from Columbia, they would have found that the reality of that job differed sharply from how Obama described it in his best-selling Dreams from My Father.

Here are just three of many examples from S&L, comparing how Obama characterized his job and the reality described at Analyze This:

Story Continues Below Ad ↓

(Per Obama)

Eventually a consulting house to multinational corporations agreed to hire me as a research assistant.

(Per Analyze This)

First, it wasn’t a consulting house; it was a small company that published newsletters on international business. Like most newsletter publishers, it was a bit of a sweatshop. I’m sure we all wished that we were high-priced consultants to multinational corporations.

(Per Obama)

As far as I could tell I was the only black man in the company, a source of shame for me but a source of considerable pride for the company’s secretarial pool.

(Per Analyze This)

It’s also not true that Barack was the only black man in the company. He was the only black professional man. Fred was an African-American who worked in the mailroom with his son. My boss and I used to join them on Friday afternoons to drink beer behind the stacks of office supplies. That’s not the kind of thing that Barack would do. Like I said, he was somewhat aloof.

(Per Obama)

The company promoted me to the position of financial writer. I had my own office, my own secretary; money in the bank. Sometimes, coming out of an interview with Japanese financiers or German bond traders, I would catch my reflection in the elevator doors .....

(Per Analyze This)

If Barack was promoted, his new job responsibilities were more of the same - rewriting other people’s copy. As far as I know, he always had a small office, and the idea that he had a secretary is laughable. Only the company president had a secretary. Barack never left the office, never wore a tie, and had neither reason nor opportunity to interview Japanese financiers or German bond traders.

Another commenter at the Analyze This post corroborated the post's content. A "bill millar," who in part wrote (bold is mine):

Funny thing… A journalism/political science major… Writing about finance… Pretending in his book to be an expert on interest rate swaps.

I remember trying to explain the nuance of these instruments to him in the cramped three Wang terminal space we called the bull pen. In contrast to his his liberal arts background, I had a degree in finance and Wall Street experience, so I knew what I was talking about.

But rather than learn from a City College kid, the Ivy Leaguer just sort of rolled his eyes. Condescendingly. I’ll never forget it. God forbid he leave the impression that a mere editor like myself knew more about something than did Barack.

He was like that…

But know what? I can forgive him for being immature–which is probably all that was at the time. Don’t we all believe we know everything at just around that age?

That said…he was a lot older when he wrote his book. Mature enough by this time to realize that his account of his time at Business International could be described as embellishment…

Apparently not; or, he didn't care, as long as it would help him get to where he wanted to go. Also, go figure: The Analyze This author nonetheless describes himself as an Obama fan.

Speaking of embellishment: When is Oprah Winfrey, who famously dressed down James Frey in early 2006 for the fabrications in his book, "A Million Little Pieces," going to go after Barack Obama for:

  • Omitting, and thus not dealing with, the sordid elements of his father's life?
  • Creating composite characters instead of describing real people -- in an autobiography?
  • And now, inflating the importance of his first job out of college to the point where co-workers don't even recognize it?

As to traditional media outlets, Tom Maguire at Just One Minute, writing on another matter (Obama, Bill Ayers, and the Annenberg Challenge) has a good prediction as to when they'll get around to questioning the accuracy of Obama's books: "after they resolve open issues about Ms. Palin's 4-H dues from 1971."

Cross-posted at BizzyBlog.com.

—Tom Blumer is president of a training and development company in Mason, Ohio, and is a contributing editor to NewsBusters


Comments Policy

All comments are owned by whoever posted them and are subject to our terms of use. They should not be assumed to represent the views of NewsBusters.

Viewing options

Select your preferred way to display the comments and click "Save settings" to activate your changes.

How much worse can it get

How much worse can it get for Obama before it starts getting noticed? This is getting ridiculous. If I didnt think he would destroy the country if elected I might even start to feel sorry for the bumbling idiot... and his running mate Joe "Stand up Chuck" Biden.

S&L?

What is Sweetness & Light?  Is that a legitimate source for me to send to my liberal friends?

http://www.AlexaShrugged.com

A good saying I read today about Obama...

"It's hard to be the Messiah when your disciples find you sleeping with the town whore of political expediency..."

Must stay calm

It really gets my blood boiling that after 19 months that the MSM has STILL not done one iota of investigation into BHO and his so called qualifications for being President of this Great Country.  They have put more effort into the so called "vetting" (or as it is should rightfully be called smearing) of Gov. Palin.  I cannot wait for the wailing and gnashing of teeth when Sen McCain and Gov Palin are sworn in and the media implodes. 

 

The things that will destroy America are prosperity-at-any-price, peace-at-any-price, safety-first instead of duty-first, the love of soft living, and the get-rich-quick theory of life. Theodore Roosevelt

Lucrative Wall Street Jobs

Was this the famous "lucrative Wall Street Jobs" he was offered? This is what he keeps telling people he left for organizing? When I hear Wall Street, I hear Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, not copy editing. Someone really needs to ask the question, were there really lucrative offers, or is that just something he told people in Chicago for self-agrandizement? 

Where is the MSM interest in this story?

This story has been on the web for 2 days now.  Where is the MSM interest?  Can you imagine if a similar story about Sarah Palin existed?

  When I started

 

 

When I started working on the Street back in 83, if you were offered a "lucrative Wall Street job" and you had an Ivy League education, you would either be working in M&A or on the trading desk, not writing copy for a newsletter.  Guess those Wall Street firms had a look at his college transcripts and saw that was all he was good for. Now why can't we see them? 

And Wang terminals? Ahh, that brings back memories of my first spreadsheets.

The things that will destroy America are prosperity-at-any-price, peace-at-any-price, safety-first instead of duty-first, the love of soft living, and the get-rich-quick theory of life. Theodore Roosevelt

Obama lied ? The MSM Complied ?

But...the BIG ONE on Obama is now the Logan Act issue upon which the McCain camp has issued a scathing stmt...NY Post and HOTAIR has publish the accusation of BHO negotiating dates with Iraq Govt. as part of his recent trip to Iraq.
OCTOBER SURPRISE for sure !!!!!!
BHO acting President...Prematurely...tsk..tsk..
The Republican Revolution will not be Televised

I guess that tires aren't the only thing he inflates.

Barack was right.When you fill things with air they carry you farther.

Farther or further....?Oh well,either way.

Victory in Iraq.

Liberals suck.

McCain for Preznint. 

Purple Heart?

Obama wasn't by any chance awarded a Purple Heart during his tenure with BI was he? Sounds like it could have been tough duty. Threadbare furnishings, ageing equipment, no off street parking.

 

farther

farther is distance. further is more. 

Obama

The more I learn about Obama the more pathetic he becomes. Back in school there was always some asshole who thought he was hotsh*t. They always got theirs in the end.

FIGHT THE CORRUPTION

McCAIN IS GOING TO HAVE TO DO A LOT MORE THAN THROW A FEW OBAMA FACTS OUT THERE.

McCAIN HAS TO REALIZE WHAT A LYING, 2-FACED, CORRUPT, CHICAGO SLIMEBALL HE'S DEALING WITH.

McCAIN SHOULD EXPOSE THE OBAMA CORRUPTION THAT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR 20 YEARS - STARTING WITH BILL AYERS, OBAMA'S CLOSE FRIEND.

THEY'VE WORKED TOGETHER, PARTIED TOGETHER, STOLE FEDERAL FUNDS TOGETHER, AND STARTED THIS CAMPAIGN TOGETHER.

THIS GUY IS AN ANTI-AMERICAN TERRORIST WHO BOMBED AMERICAN SITES AND MURDERED AMERICANS. THE ONLY REASON HE HASN'T BEEN EXECUTED IS HIS WEALTHY PARENTS GOT HIM OFF ON A TECHNICALITY.

AND, THE GUY STILL SAYS HIS ONLY REGRET IS HE DIDN'T DO MORE KILLING AND BOMBING. AND, HE LIKES TO STOMP ON OUR AMERICAN FLAG.

AND OBAMA'S OTHER CLOSE FRIEND OF MANY YEARS WHO IS IN PRISON, REZKO, WHO WAS IN ON THE CORRUPT DEAL TO BUY OBAMA'S MANSION FOR HIM.

AND, AUCHI, THE IRAQI CRIMINAL WHO CAME UP WITH THE MONEY TO "BUY" OBAMA'S MANSION.

AND, THE CHICAGO MONEY-LAUNDERING PARTNERS. THE POLITICIANS WHO PUSHED OBAMA ALONG AND DID HIS WORK FOR HIM. FARRAKHAN, HAMAS, BLACK PANTHERS, ETC. THE ANTI-AMERICAN PREACHERS.

I DON'T THINK LAW-ABIDING AMERICANS WANT THIS SLIME IN THE WHITE HOUSE.

TALK ABOUT WHAT A USELESS, LOUDMOUTH, LIAR HE IS, NO EXPERIENCE, POOR JUDGEMENT, IMMATURE, NO ACCOMPLISHMENTS.

THE ONLY THING OBAMA IS SUITABLE FOR IS BEING A SNAKE-OIL SALESMAN OR A PIMP.

HE'S NOT EVEN A LEGITIMATE CANDIDATE. HE SENT HIS GOONS INTO THE CAUCUSES TO STEAL HILLARY'S DELEGATES USING THREATS, FORCE, THEFT, AND FRAUD OF EVERY KIND.. HE'S UNDEMOCRATIC AND UN-AMERICAN. HE'S A THIEF.

JUST TELL THE PEOPLE THE TRUTH. THE MEDIA IS AFRAID TO.

 

McCAIN-PALIN 2008 and HILLARY-ANYBODY 2012

above his pay grade =P

McCain can't do it. And, it's not his job. It's the media's job to do it, and they have not only dropped the ball, they have punctured it and driven over it a few dozen times.

So what's left? Us.  We have to keep writing to the sleezebag media and demanding that they do the investigation and run the stories, and we need to keep the blogs going. We need to keep exposing the "misspeaks"and outright lies of Obama. We need to keep pressing on Ayres and ACORN, and Wright and his lack of meaningful experience.  

We have to support Limbaugh and Beck and Hannity and all the media people who are willing to be -  at the minimum - fair. Even O'Reilly.

 And have faith in whatever God you pray to, or in Karma, or in destiny. But don't give up. We need McCain/Palin, and we must stop Obama, for the good of our country.

 Oh, and one other thing, we can't stop with McCain - we need to be sure that we get as many Republican Congressmen and Senators as we can. If we really want change, we need to put out money where our mouths are. 

 

"When a government robs Peter to pay Paul, they can always count on the support of Paul." ~ George Bernard Shaw~

Why all the yellin, John.......

You should be jellin......

I agree the MSM has been lax in it's coverage, but I don't think they can hear you :)

The media "fact check" Obama?

You're kidding right? They didn't care in june or july, you think they are going to do it now? A few weeks before Obama is getting ready to get his ass handed to him?

Obama Polishes His Resume-6/21/08

His first ad of the post-primary season puffs up his legislative accomplishments.

Obama's Work Claim-7/25/08

His new ad says he "worked his way" through college and law
school. His campaign says he had a few summer jobs and once sold
newspaper subscriptions while in college.

Who's this Barack Obama guy

Who's this Barack Obama guy I keep hearing about in the news lately? 

Is he supposed to be important or something?

Too bad Obama turned down

Too bad Obama turned down that lucrative ''Wall Street Job.'' By now he could have worked himself up to being ''that black guy in the mailroom.''