Reply #123: None of those confirm the actual text of the speech [View All]

[unc70]

A recently made ecstatic statement by a PR flack supporter doesn't carry much weight. It seems very strange that at an event organized by PR professionals which featured various politicians speaking, that no-one was filming or recording it.

Obama consulted with others before he spoke about possible political implications for when he began his campaign for the US Senate the following year, and he already had Axelrod advising him, and they rarely leave things to chance.

Obama was not mentioned in any of the news coverage at the time (excepting one with the 14 second video that Obama did not know about until much later). I think that is why he submitted it as a column weeks later to provide proof of his position at that time.

There are at least two versions that have been used by Obama and his sites. One version includes about a paragraph more than the other. There are a couple of other versions that were probably made by someone else.

Obama reportedly confirmed that the version in the column was written after the speech, based on Obama's recollection.

If a recording made on Oct 2, 2002 is ever found, we all better hope it matches his recollections almost verbatim. If not, the Repubs will go wild about it. When I first saw this thread title, I thought the Repubs had found such a tape.

There has already been suspicion and speculation that the speech had been tweaked slightly to benefit from events, debates, and public opinion during the weeks following the speech.

That is why this is an important question and an issue.