It's no longer a surprise to find Barack Obama flip-flopping on policy matters. But must he flip-flop on his family history as well? In addressing Latino voters, the presumptive Democratic nominee states he grew up without a father, alluding to Barack, Sr.'s decision to attend school on the East Coast (and eventually return to Kenya) and leave his young family behind in Hawaii. But on other occasions, including today's speech in Berlin, the senator characterizes his father as somehow belonging to America's immigrant tradition.
Whatever Obama's feelings toward his father may be -- and it's a subject to which he's obviously given a great deal of thought -- his attempt to portray Barack Sr. as an immigrant flies in the face of reality. Obama's father came to America to get an education. During his short time in Hawaii, he met and impregnated a 17-year-old girl -- Obama's mother -- then left her and returned to Africa. While none of that history reflects badly upon the candidate, nor does it fit within the "immigrant" narrative Obama is trying to craft.
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