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Auschwitz Gaffe Trips Obama

Candidate mixes up his camps when talking about great-uncle

By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff

Posted May 28, 2008 7:00 AM CDT

(Newser) – Barack Obama has admitted he got his concentration camps mixed up when speaking to a Memorial Day audience, Reuters reports. The candidate spoke of how his great-uncle helped liberate Auschwitz when, as Republicans were quick to point out, that couldn't have happened unless his relative was in the Soviet Red Army. Obama's great-uncle was actually among the American troops who liberated the prisoners at Buchenwald.

Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., speaks during a Memorial Day town hall-style meeting at the Farm and Ranch Museum in Las Cruces, N.M., Monday, May 26, 2008.
Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., speaks during a Memorial Day town hall-style meeting at the Farm and Ranch Museum in Las Cruces, N.M., Monday, May 26, 2008.   (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
Nazi concentration camp survivors and their family members walk in front of the entrance building in the former Nazi concentration camp Buchenwald near Weimar, Germany, Sunday, April 13, 2008.
Nazi concentration camp survivors and their family members walk in front of the entrance building in the former Nazi concentration camp Buchenwald near Weimar, Germany, Sunday, April 13, 2008.   (AP Photo/Jens Meyer)
Nazi concentration camp survivor Emil Alperin from Ukraine cries in the crematory of the former Nazi concentration camp Buchenwald near Weimar, Germany, Friday, April 11, 2008.
Nazi concentration camp survivor Emil Alperin from Ukraine cries in the crematory of the former Nazi concentration camp Buchenwald near Weimar, Germany, Friday, April 11, 2008.   (AP Photo/Jens Meyer)
People walk behind the slogan 'Everyone gets what he deserves at the entrance of the former Nazi concentration camp Buchenwald near Weimar, Germany, Friday, April 11, 2008.
People walk behind the slogan 'Everyone gets what he deserves" at the entrance of the former Nazi concentration camp Buchenwald near Weimar, Germany, Friday, April 11, 2008.   (AP Photo/Jens Meyer)
Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., speaks during a Memorial Day town hall-style meeting at the Farm and Ranch Museum in Las Cruces, N.M., Monday, May 26, 2008.
Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., speaks during a Memorial Day town hall-style meeting at the Farm and Ranch Museum in Las Cruces, N.M., Monday, May 26, 2008.   (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)
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