Update: Obama WAS in Chicago

A controversy has erupted over a Newsmax article that places Barack Obama in the audience during one of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s anti-American, racist rants. (See my previous post and the comments.) The Obama campaign this morning claimed the senator was in Florida on the day in question, July 22, 2007, strongly implying he was in Florida all day.

Newsmax issued a clarification in which they asserted the truth of the story but appeared to back off a bit from certainty about the date. The writer, Jim Davis, now says he attended several services at Obama’s church that month, and Obama was in the audience, nodding in agreement to the pastor’s words during the sermon as reported. Also present were members of the Secret Service.

The Washington Post campaign tracker shows Obama was in Chicago on July 22, 2007.

The Obama campaign now says the senator was in Chicago that morning, but he didn’t go to the church.

The Washington Post also shows Obama was in Chicago all day the week before, July 15, 2007. No comment yet from the campaign whether he went to church then.

Time to come clean, Mr. Obama.