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Legal Eagles
March 31, 2008 2:01 PM
Is it fair for Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, to call himself a former law professor?
The Clinton campaign has made a stink of this as of late, hoping to muddy the resume-inflation waters after Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, was forced to recant her Hemingway-esque tale of landing in Bosnia under sniper fire. Team Clinton sent out an email called "Just Embellished Words: Senator Obama's Record of Exaggerations & Misstatements," and deputy communications director Phil Singer in a conference call told reporters, "Sen. Obama has often referred to himself as 'a constitutional law professor' out on the campaign trail. He never held any such title. And I think anyone, if you ask anyone in academia the distinction between a professor who has tenure and an instructor that does not...you’ll get quite an emotional response."
The issue was first raised by the incomparable Lynn Sweet of the Chicago Sun-Times in 2004 who wrote that "Several direct-mail pieces issued for Obama's primary campaign said he was a law professor at the University of Chicago. He is not. He is a senior lecturer (now on leave) at the school. In academia, there is a vast difference between the two titles. Details matter."
But last week, after the Clinton campaign attack, the University of Chicago Law School entered the fray, seemingly siding with Obama.
Wrote the media office of the school: "The Law School has received many media requests about Barack Obama, especially about his status as "Senior Lecturer." From 1992 until his election to the U.S. Senate in 2004, Barack Obama served as a professor in the Law School. He was a Lecturer from 1992 to 1996. He was a Senior Lecturer from 1996 to 2004, during which time he taught three courses per year. Senior Lecturers are considered to be members of the Law School faculty and are regarded as professors, although not full-time or tenure-track. The title of Senior Lecturer is distinct from the title of Lecturer, which signifies adjunct status. Like Obama, each of the Law School's Senior Lecturers have high-demand careers in politics or public service, which prevent full-time teaching. Several times during his 12 years as a professor in the Law School, Obama was invited to join the faculty in a full-time tenure-track position, but he declined."
In other words, Obama never held the title of professor but he "served as a professor." He was a lecturer, then a senior lecturer. "Senior Lecturers are considered to be members of the Law School faculty and are regarded as professors," says the law school.
That was enough for our friends at Factcheck.org though it was not enough for Lynn Sweet.
Here's something interesting, though.
If you go back and look at the old archived web pages of the University of Chicago Law School, it actually lists Obama under "Faculty and Senior Lecturers." (See it HERE.)
So perhaps senior lecturers were considered faculty….but for whatever reason there was some differentiation on the web page where they were listed. Obama's page can be seen HERE.
What do you think?
- jpt
March 31, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (36)
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This is kind of old news ABC. CNN reported on this last week, and as I said on their bog...if the university confirmed he was a professor...then he WAS a professor.
Obama wasn't the one claiming his spouse's experience, he didn't claim to negotiate peace treaties in Ireland, nor did he claim to be under enemy fire in Bosnia. Hillary's SS will have to do better than this to drag him down.
Now what about her tax returns and all those pork barrell initiatives she not only received but requested. While we are at it, now where are the lists of contributors to Bill Clinton's Library?
Hillary should expended more energy in getting her own house in order and release the documents she promised to America and less energy in trying to take down Obama with her sniper fire. The truth usually does win out. Not always in a timely enough manner which is really all the Clintons are hoping for.
Posted by: Try Again | Mar 31, 2008 2:35:09 PM
OMG! Barack Obama is such a liar. See, this is just more proof that he says one thing and does another. Hillary Clinton would never lie about something like this. Thank you Jake for exposing the truth about this rookie. Seat FL and MI voters!
hahahahaha... I just had to see what it was like to be a Clinton supporter. Its not very fun, its very bitter and demands intolerance.
Posted by: Hillary4life | Mar 31, 2008 2:32:49 PM
jake look at the current politico story on obama and the 1996 survey he filled out on his liberal positions and his campaign denial about it even though the form is in obama's own handwriting...
Posted by: al | Mar 31, 2008 2:31:28 PM
You know what I think? I think Senior Lecturer Obama knows the Consititutin better than Clinton and McCain. Without a doubt.
Posted by: Nobodys fool | Mar 31, 2008 2:29:22 PM
This is my favorite posting so far in the election
Cindy -
"Jake why don't you report on something worth reporting on; like the poem Maya Angelou posted on Hillary's website...It's beautiful, Maya Angelou is beautiful!!!"
Forget the war...forget race...forget ethics, healthcare the economy...report on something really important...
Maya Angelou's poem.
I think that is like the moment where the last crew member on the SS Clinton is slipping into the cold sea..."Report on "I know why the caged bird sings because the caged bird is losing the ELECTION!"
Posted by: dl | Mar 31, 2008 2:24:03 PM
If he were a Professor, that would be his title. Of course the University is going to promote itself via their staff.
Posted by: irma | Mar 31, 2008 2:20:21 PM
I have to say I had not seen Sen obama ever say Professor on the stump ever...always referring to when he "taught constitutional law" but I have seen people from the University and others refer to him being a Professor...which from the sounds of it...is what he was... it sounds like the difference between an associate professor and adjunct professor...
all I know is he taught Contitutional Law at a University...that is the issue and this constant attempt to bring them down to their level of a flawed candidate because they have lost credibility after years of issues with it...just makes the Clinton campaign look ...well, I don't have to say ...it is apparent.
Posted by: dl | Mar 31, 2008 2:20:02 PM
Nice try.
Posted by: Blake | Mar 31, 2008 2:19:56 PM
This is seriously, one of the most irrelevant issues I've ever seen raised in my life. So, when are we voting again? Because this stuff is just nonsense.
Posted by: davidconnell | Mar 31, 2008 2:15:45 PM
Impersonation of a doctor, professor, lawyer, police officer, etc... IS A FELONY!!!
Posted by: Cindy | Mar 31, 2008 2:14:40 PM
Jake why don't you report on something worth reporting on; like the poem Maya Angelou posted on Hillary's website...It's beautiful, Maya Angelou is beautiful!!!
Posted by: Cindy | Mar 31, 2008 2:12:47 PM
jake look at the current politico story on obama and the 1996 survey he filled out on his liberal positions and his campaign denial about it even though the form is in obama's own handwriting...
Posted by: al | Mar 31, 2008 2:12:09 PM
I think it doesn't matter. This one is trivia that distract from the more important misstatements he has made regarding his associations and tactics. It speaks to his lack of character but is a small straw on a haystack.
The press will give it time to fatigue the ears of the electorate so they will vote for whomever the press tells them is winning. Then the press will tear the winner down for the next four years. Qui bono? The media.
Posted by: len | Mar 31, 2008 2:11:15 PM
I think that I just wasted five minutes of my life that I will never get back.
Posted by: cavemandave | Mar 31, 2008 2:10:55 PM
jake look at the current politico story on obama and the 1996 survey he filled out on his liberal positions and his campaign denial about it even though the form is in obama's own handwriting...
Posted by: al | Mar 31, 2008 2:09:07 PM
I think that if you were taller, you'd have an easier time grasping at the straws.
Posted by: Tom | Mar 31, 2008 2:05:49 PM
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