Sunday, 3 February 2013

Fake It 'Til You Make It, Obama?

I had a fund-raising quiz night to do last night, so while I was awarding myself a congratulatory Glenmorangie and browsing the web much later than I'd usually be up, I took this screenie on my iPad:


He's supposedly 'shooting skeet'. If he really could do that with a rifle, maybe we've misjudged him?

But no, it is of course a shotgun. And even better, the Beeb (and probably others) picked it up and ran with it, uncritically. Journalism, eh?

Angry Exile Tweeted it and I'd have missed that too if not for being up late.

Essex Hunter points out that, as always, Obama is faking it big time.
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7 comments:

  1. Blue Eyes3 February 2013 at 11:19

    What a ridiculous situation!

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  2. MTG3 February 2013 at 11:23

    My knowledge of guns is almost zero yet this image has an odd appearance. I trust some gun expert will explain what appears to be a separate smoke plume, leaving the barrel at right angles.

    Glenmorangie? Well there's one potent and tasty malt to defy photoshopping, Julia.

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  3. RAB3 February 2013 at 13:27

    Yep soon as I saw that pic I knew it was a phoney. He is going to hurt himself if he positions the stock like that. He cannot possibly be sighting the gun properly because his eyes are below the barrel. He is firing it horizontally which you just don't do in Skeet shooting. His hand positions are all wrong, and we all know he's a Leftie, but in this case literally left handed ( cack handed morelike).

    And yes I do know about guns and how to fire them.

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  4. John Pickworth3 February 2013 at 15:55

    Thought the same when I read the papers/news last night. I've only ever fired a long barrelled firearm a dozen or so times but even I knew the image was wrong.

    Now former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, he could shoot. And he bagged a lawyer too.

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  5. Bucko3 February 2013 at 18:22

    MTG - Apparently it's a ported shotgun. The gasses vent to reduce muzzle jump and kick.

    I don't think this has been photoshopped, I just think it has been posed for. Someones told him how to fire the gun at a target while they film it to take a still image.

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  6. MTG3 February 2013 at 21:47

    @ BTM

    'Apparently it's a ported shotgun.'
    Never heard of one but it figures. Thank you.

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  7. JuliaM4 February 2013 at 05:47

    "Glenmorangie? Well there's one potent and tasty malt to defy photoshopping, Julia."

    It was a birthday present :)

    "...and we all know he's a Leftie, but in this case literally left handed ( cack handed morelike)."

    Heh! The saddest thing is, he no doubt thinks it'll work, and he's also probably right...

    "Now former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney, he could shoot. And he bagged a lawyer too."

    Out of season, though... ;)

    "I don't think this has been photoshopped.."

    Oh, no indeed. This is a far older sort of fakery.

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