The internet reports of her being upset about Obama's mention of her son during the debate this past Friday were "COMPLETELY FALSE".
Tracy Jopek gave an interview to the Associated Press today to squash the false internet reports from her ex-husband and posted on DrudgeReport.
It will be interesting to see if Drudge posts her response to his FALSE story.
She said Obama's mention on Friday was appropriate because he was responding after Senator John McCain said a soldier's mother gave him a bracelet.
Jopek says Obama's comment rightfully suggested there's more than one viewpoint on the war.
link to story http://www.nbc15.com/...
The false story on drudgereport was linked to an ABC NEWS blog. The Abc news report is a disgrace. They reported a story as fact without even speaking to the mother of the dead soldier. They fell for the lies of the ex-husband.
ABC news false report was as follows
Bryan Jopek went on to say that "because of some of the negative feedback she’s gotten on the Internet, you know Internet blogs, you know people accusing her of… or accusing Obama of trying to get votes doing it… and that sort of thing, she has turned down any subsequent interviews with the media because she just didn’t, she just didn't want it to get turned into something that it wasn’t. She had told me that in an email that she had asked, actually asked Mr. Obama to not wear the bracelet anymore at any of his public appearances."
Conservatives are now criticizing Obama for exploiting a fallen soldier whose mother has asked him to stop wearing the bracelet or mentioning her son's name.
link to the abcnews blog http://blogs.abcnews.com/...
ABC News updated the story.......
their version of events added to the end of their blog
I wasn't able to get through to Tracy Jopek, but she spoke to a reporter at the Associated Press today. She confirmed her ex-husband's recollection that she'd emailed the campaign to ask them to request that the senator not mention her son on the stump.
But she said she was "ecstatic" that Obama mentioned her son's hero bracelet during Friday's debate. That's because he was responding to McCain citing a different griveing mother's hero bracelet as a way to back his political views of the war in Iraq and citing the bracelet she'd given Obama was a good and appropriate way to remind people there are different views on this issue.
Update #2........Bryan Jopek's interview was given back in March 2008, NOT AFTER THE DEBATE. The story on DrudgeReport gives the impression that he gave the interview after the 1st debate........by the way, the mother is an Obama supporter and the ex-husband is a McCain supporter.
UPDATE #3 The Chicago Tribune has done a more thorough explanation of these events........apparently the ex-husband is in Cuba, he is in the national guard......
Tracy Jopek said she didn't hear the interview but that her ex-husband, who is currently stationed in Cuba, mischaracterized her viewpoint. An e-mail message sent to Brian Jopek through his daughter on Sunday was not immediately returned.
"I think he knew my intention, he understands it was a gesture between me and Sen. Obama," she said. "It was just little piece of peace for us. I don't understand how people can take that and turn it into some garbage on the Internet."
link http://www.chicagotribune.com/...