October 29, 2008, - 12:41 pm
EXCLUSIVE: Ali Abunimah is Likely Source of Secreted Obama/Khalidi/Ayers Tape; LA Times’ Wallsten Plagiarized Schlussel Back in April, Said Politico
By Debbie Schlussel
**** UPDATE: Can Ali Abunimah be bought off for $175,000? Depends on what he’s getting from greater Arabia, Islamia, and Obama. ****
There has been much discussion throughout the Net about a secreted video showing Barack Obama at a dinner with terrorists Bill Ayers and wife Bernadine Dohrn, and the anti-Semitic Arafat advisor, Rashid Khalidi.
The Los Angeles Times has a copy of the tape, but won’t release it because they said the source–whom I believe is Arab American Action Network (AAAN) founder and anti-Israel Palestinian activist Ali Abunimah of Electronic Intifada–required it not be released as a condition of sharing it. That’s because it likely shows Obama applauding an anti-Semitic, anti-Israel poem that was read at the dinner.
But what you may not know is that I started the whole story, and Los Angeles Times reporter Peter Wallsten plagiarized me. (WND’s resident ganif Aaron Klein also ripped-off the same article in May.)
A refresher: In January, I wrote an exclusive column about Barack Obama’s Nation of Islam staffers and “evolving” positions on Israel and the Jews. In March, I was contacted in writing by Los Angeles Times reporter Peter Wallsten, who told me he read my article and wanted to report on it for the L.A. Times. I agreed, provided that he credit me and/or mention my name and site in the article, to which he agreed. We spoke on the phone at some length.
In April, Wallsten wrote the story. Portions of it were lifted from my article. But I was never credited, contrary to Wallsten’s promise. Even the Politico said Wallsten plagiarized me.
I’m almost positive that the video Wallsten referenced in the story was obtained from Arab American Action Network founder Abunimah because my article–the one Wallsten ripped off from me–featured photos of Barack Obama and wife Michelle seated with PLO advisor Edward Said at another AAAN annual banquet and led Wallsten to contact Abunimah. I noted in my article–from which Wallsten got most of his info–that the pics were from Ali Abunimah’s Electronic Intifada site, in which he wrote about Obama’s 180 on Israel from those days of AAAN dinners and PLO confabs.
I believe that Wallsten contacted Abunimah about the photos and learned of the other AAAN annual banquet dinner (at which Abunimah, Obama, Ayers, Dohrn, and Khalidi were all in attendance), and that Abunimah is his source for the video.
Here’s my e-mail to him. I’ll let you know when and if I get a response.
From: Debbie Schlussel writedebbie@gmail.com
Date: Wed, Oct 29, 2008 at 12:45 PM
Subject: Press Inquiry for Ali Abunimah . . .
To: abunimah01@yahoo.com
Ali:
Did you show or provide the tape of Obama at the dinner with Rashid Khalidi to the LA Times’ Peter Wallsten? Do you have a copy of the video? Will you release it for viewing? If not, why?
Looking forward to your responses for quotation on my website.
Thanks,
Debbie Schlussel
As you probably know by now, last week, Gateway Pundit/Jim Hoft asked L.A. Times plagiarist/”reporter” Peter Wallsten whether he has the tape about which he wrote in April. I’m not sure why Jim waited until now, but I’m glad he didn’t wait until a week from now. I’m assuming he only just thought of it, unlike everyone else, I’m glad he had the instinct to look into obtaining the tape.
In any event, the L.A. Times–usually telling us about the public’s right to know–now only believes in “the public’s right to know what we want it to know and what will aid our pan-Obama-ist agenda.”
If I were major media sources, I would bug the heck out of Ali Abunimah and pressure him to release the tape because I’m quite sure he has it and that he is Wallsten’s unnamed source.
You heard it here first. You’ll see it plagiarized by FOX News, Sean Vannity, and everyone else, everywhere else. Watch Aaron Klein steal it like he does with all his “work.” They usually rip me off. But I do the work. They–unlike most conservatives who believe in intellectual property rights and don’t condone thievery–think I’m their bitch. And as long as you patronize those frauds, I apparently am.
I know it is frustrating to have these hacks steal your work, but I think there is still a bright side to it —
At least the issue is becoming publicized before the election; it looks like there will be massive attention paid to this issue which benefits all of us. I also believe that enough people know about your lead in binging this issue to light that you will ultimately get proper recognition for this.
This is a cutting edge issue for those calling themselves conservatives — whether they will or will not give you credit. It will provide us with a clear guideline of which conservatives have integrity and which do not, even though we pretty much know where they stand. But I think this issue is potentially like Swift Boat; sooner or later the basis and origin of this information will become widely known.
You are doing incredibly important work, and many of us recognize this. Your blog has a big impact, and since what you write is the truth, your role will ultimately become acknowleged. Truth has a way of cutting through misrepresentation.
c f on October 29, 2008 at 2:13 pm