Franks aide clarifies 'enemy of humanity' comment
[cnn-photo-caption image= http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2009/images/09/29/art.franks0929.gi.jpg caption="In a recent speech to conservative activists, Arizona Republican Rep. Trent Franks said President Obama was 'an enemy of humanity.'"]
WASHINGTON (CNN) - A spokeswoman for a Republican congressman who called President Obama "an enemy of humanity" said Tuesday that he should have clarified that he was talking about the president's policies on abortion.
Bethany Haley, a spokeswoman for Arizona Rep. Trent Franks, told CNN on Tuesday the congressman was actually referring to "unborn humanity" - a specific reference to the president's policies on abortion.
Franks used the term in a speech to conservative activists Saturday in St. Louis, pointing to Obama's decision to aid international family planning clinics that perform abortions.
"A president that has lost his way that badly, that has no ability to see the image of God in these little fellow human beings, if he can't do that right, then he has no place in any station of government and we need to realize that he is an enemy of humanity," Franks said.
Franks' speech was recorded by the liberal group People for the American Way.
In an interview with the Washington Independent after the speech, Franks also renewed a call for Obama to produce a copy of his birth certificate to end the questions by "birthers" who doubt the president's birthplace. Franks said he had once considered filing a lawsuit to get it, but did his own investigation and became convinced that the president was born in the United States.
Haley called the controversy a "silly debate" and said it is "ridiculous that the president doesn't just produce [the birth certificate] and make it go away." In the interview, Franks implied that the president might be trying to hide something else.
"Probably, Barack Obama could solve this problem and make the birthers, you know, back off, by simply showing us his long-form birth certificate," Franks said. "That'd solve the problem. There's some other issue, I don't know what it is, that he doesn't want people to see the birth certificate on."
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Are the Democrats going to make a big deal out of this?
he was ot born normally, he was hatched on a rock in the sun!!!!!!!!!
What an idiot. The president may object to government intervention in medical decisions, but he's not a proponent of abortion, no matter what this cheesehead says. There are far better examples of enemies of humanity in his party, and they have actual blood on their hands.
Another GOP, trying to wiggle his way out of saying something stupid!
Backpedalling seems to be a requirement to be a Republican these days. They get the statement out there and then say, "Oh well I didn't mean HIM personally!" Yeah.......right.......you think that we progressives were born yesterday. Stop stoking Hate you bunch of hypocrites! Jesus would have asked you personally if YOU were without sin and able to cast the first stone. He would be asking YOU whether it was good to mislead the faithful. You hypocrites! You are in no position to judge yourselves, let alone others! Begone!
Incredible – is this rhetoric truly coming from the United States congress, or is it one of those knot-headed "birthers" that made all sorts of crazy accusations during last year's McCain/Palin rallies?
Rep. Franks is inciting violence with his hateful rhetoric. Franks is a racist idiot and Arizona should be ashamed for having elected him.
Rep. Trent Franks – YOU LIE!!
"The congressman would also like to tell you about a wonderful timeshare opportunity waiting for you!"
The rethug goons are outing themselves all over the place, showing the public how revolting, disgusting , and utterly loathesome they are.
Everytime we think they couldn't possibly sink any lower into their own slime, the surprise us once more.
This type of virulence is exactly what the Nazis were showing Germany in 1930. WATCH OUT AMERICA! They're determined to take it back with guns, if they have to.
It's clear to me. This moron Franks is just another irrelevent republican jerk. Thats why the republicans have a 12% approval rating. Next we'll hear he's running for President.
Does the arrogant ignorance of the GOP's never end? And people wonder how we got to where we are? I know of no true Christian who isn’t disgusted by this mockery of human decency that continues to whine about their rights and their rights only.
Franks should be forgiven. It is difficult to for pro-life people to consider that liberals don't consider the unborn as being human. I still can't get my mind around that concept yet myself. What else would the unborn be?
The republicans always give red meat to their base and when caught use "mispoke" when they get caught and call it a "silly" debate! Well, Franks continued nonsense of the birth certificate has been thrown out of court and been disproved time and time again is his childish way of trying to deflect attention from what he really said and meant.
This moron, Franks is one sick ultra right wingnut. He is OK with killing hundreds of thousands of civilians in Bush's unnecessary war, over 4000 of our troops, and don't forget the 45,000 Americans each year because they do not have health care. I am not sure he can see the image of God in human kind.
Finally, as a birther, he cannot have an IQ above 70.
Liar, liar....Pants on fire.....He said what he meant, and meant what he said.....Rep. white lady Rep. said her party needed a great white hope and tried to backtrack, joe the heckler called President Obama president a liar and got rewarded for classless, ignorant behavior.......There are other instances where GOP gropers have been insulting, disrespectful, tacky, and downright unAmerican in their remarks......It's come to this: I don't want Republicans in my America.....(Gen. Powell, what are you waiting for?)
'Unborn humanity?'
Is that like Military Intelligence?
It doesn't exist, just like Bigfoot or the Loch Ness monster.
What an embarrassment to Arizona. Right up there with Kyl and McCain.
I never imagined that a group supposedly trying to govern the country could be so opposed to the president. No matter how much Bush did to destroy this country, public officials did not put him down like Republicans are putting down Obama.
People need to rally in support of the president, against the "teaparties" and anti-Obamabots.
Republicans shouldn't be allowed to simply get away with this kind of underhanded rhetoric.
The right wingnuts will be sure to contribute millions to his campaign, because they are stuck on 'stupid.'
Franks was talking about unborn babies, but one thing is for sure, Obama lies more than he tells the truth. At what point do liberals figure out than Oliar only cares about power, not you?
I sure hope we have a good selection of Independent and Democrat candidates running for upcoming elections as I sure am not voting for a Republican ever, ever again.
Can someone pull this guy out and beat him with a truth stick.
Who on Earth to the birthers think they are? Where was all the outrage when the wingnuts found out that McCain was born in Panama, and not on American soil?
If birthers do not accept a short form verified by officials in Hawaii, why would anyone think they would accept a long form? By the same token, how can right wingnuts accept their savior if they have not seen him?