It didn't take long for the smear campaign against Obama to begin. Less than a week after he launched his exploratory committee, stories are emerging which accuse Obama of studying at a school that trained Muslim extremists. These stories are without foundation.
With his mother, Obama spent 4 years as a child in Indonesia, and while there attended a public school. Just like regular kids do. And given that Indonesia is a predominately Muslim country, it stands to reason that Muslim kids would be at the school.
However, allegations that he was trained at age 6 for anything other than basic education, are ridiculous. The school has confirmed that they are not extremist, and offer education to all kids, regardless of religion - they have Christian and Buddhist students too.
Obama said that "The notion that somehow at the age of 6 or 7 I was being trained for something other than math, science and reading is ludicrous".
Obama called on the press to play a role in making sure these smear campaigns are seen for what they are. "It is an indication of the climate of smear that can arise in these presidential campaigns, but also the important role that the press has in terms of making sure that stories are substantiated and that gets out rapidly"
Baseless Attacks On Obama
