The constitutional debate in Kenya is pretty intense, and is the dominant issue of political discourse there. It seems Orengo has found a way to attract some attention.

I thought it very interesting.

Tuesday, April 13, 2010

Hmmm. Kenyan Embassy is enroute to "soccer game" that never was | by EricaThunderpaws

The first Google map shows the path between the White House and the location of the soccer game President Obama said he was going to watch. Distance between the White House and 40th & Chesapeake is 5 miles, or 13 minutes apart.

The second Google map shows the path between the White House and the Kenyan Embassy (2249 R Street NW), a distance of 1.5 miles, or 7 minutes apart.

[snip]

Yesterday Jefferson's Rebels and other bloggers reported on a bizarre comment made by Kenya's Minister of Lands. James Orengo plainly said on the floor of Kenya's National Assembly, : "If America was living in a situation where they feared ethnicity and did not see itself as a multiparty state or nation, how could a young man born here in Kenya, who is not even a native American, become the President of America?"

[snip]

Almost simultaneously, President Obama broke with protocol and left the White House alone without the press in tow. This is apparently unprecedented. Cat Corben's article on RedState.com, President Obama Goes To Soccer Game That Didn't Exist? is provocative, and raises some intriguing questions. Please be sure to read it so you understand why this may be important. As a result of this unusual behavior by President Obama, speculation is running rampant across the blogosphere, and I guess I'm adding to it here.

As the maps above reveal, the Kenyan Embassy is enroute to the nonexistent soccer game. Coincidence? You tell me.

POTUS Goes Rogue on Poolers to Attend FDOTUS's Soccer Game
By Betsy Rothstein on Apr 12, 2010 06:15 PM

A White House pool report from this weekend by Bloomberg News's Nicholas Johnston shows that President Obama strayed from the known schedule Saturday to attend his daughter's soccer game, leaving pool reporters in the dust.

"The president left the White House at approximately 9:20 to attend one of his daughter's soccer games at 40th and Chesapeake NW. A pool was hastily called at around 9:35 and drove north at 9:43 to catch the
president before the game ended. We didn't make it. The President returned to the White House at 10:17. The pool returned at 10:30. We now return you to your regularly scheduled pool call time."

NBC's Mike Viqueira was working the weekend and in an e-mail alerted the White House Press Corps. about the the rogue Obama: "Good Morning. Ms. Hogan informs us moments ago that the president left the white house about 15 minutes ago to go to one of the girls' soccer games. Katie now scrambling to get us caught up. Will inform as news develop."

Then came word of an apology via e-mail about White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs:

"The press secretary sent NBC (travel pool today) an email, apologizing for leaving the pool behind this morning when Potus went to watch soccer. Gibbs says it was a miscommunication between the president and his staff. He says the oversight was unintentional. Just so ya know!"

Seems simple enough. But the story has several problems. The first one is a biggie in that there were no scheduled soccer games for Sidwell Friends April 10, as evidenced here. The second is that the area reported that the game was played at appears to be one of high crime, as documented here and here. Additionally, this is a picture of the field via Google Maps, where Obama went to watch the game.

If he wasnt at a soccer game, wasn

40th Street and Chesapeake NW an area of high crime? Don't think so. That is one of the toniest neighborhoods in DC -- Bethesda, MD actually.

Nope, sorry, although it's not too far from Bethesda, 40th & Chesapeake NW is in the Friendship Heights neighborhood of DC.

As coincidence would have it, I was in DC over the weekend visiting my GF and, on Sunday, I took her dog for a walk right past that corner. Believe it or not, I used to watch her daughter play soccer in nearby Ft. Reno Park!

But you're certainly right about this, BB: It's an upscale neighborhood that is far from a high-crime area.

They say that there wasn't any game scheduled for his daughters school, but does anyone know if maybe she's on a non-school team? Or would that be too simple for them to consider?

I love conspiracy theorists... Obama had to go IN PERSON to the Embassy? Ya don't think he'd have just picked up the phone? Simple plots are better.

Seriously, here is a nice rebuttal of the whole fiasco.

No, no, no. Just like Eric Holder had to personally visit Columbus, Georgia, Obama *had* to conspicuously ditch the press team and mysteriously disappear. Are we seriously supposed to believe that his route just *coincidentally* crossed R Street?
...snippage...
Seriously, here is a nice rebuttal of the whole fiasco.

http://www.zillow.com/homedetails/4750-41st-St-NW-APT-508-Washington-DC-20016/2132843688_zpid/

If you put 40th & Chesapeake, NW into the real estate sales, the first nearby home for sale that comes up is this one on 41st. Birthers must be really rich if this $2.2 million condo is their idea of high crime!