With the release of what has been dubbed the Playground Tapes, President Obama's adversaries in the conservative blogosphere have redeemed themselves after the disappointing release of the first video earlier this month. While the college video fell flat, the Playground Tapes are a significant revelation and present questions the Administration will find difficult to leave unanswered.

       The original Super 8mm film, apparently shot as a family movie features the future president at approximately 6 years of age while living in Jakarta, Indonesia, is part of the much hyped crop of damaging videos from President Obama's past. The film itself has been transferred to a digital format from the original to protect what remains of its quality. Despite any damage due to age and mishandling over the years it does, according to sources, show quite clearly who the young Barack Obama's companions are.      

     In a stunning recovery from his previous CNN interview with Soledad O’Brien, Joel Pollak, the editor-in-chief of Breitbart.com delivered, what can only be described, as a severe tongue-lashing against his interviewer during their second meeting. In this case, the bombshell was obvious and there was little the seasoned journalist could offer in rebuttal considering the film’s content.

    According to Pollak, “These tapes show the beginnings of the president’s pattern of association with radicals. And it is this pattern that has influenced the president’s ideology from a very young age which, by design, is now causing the ruination of our country.” He later asserted, “…that Barack Obama needs to stand in judgment of the American people and explain these radical affiliations. It is time for the president to be judged.”

    After the initial airing of the tapes on Sean Hanity’s Fox News show former governor Sarah Palin stated this footage, “…provides further evidentiary support for my previous assessment of the Harvard-Derrick Bell video.” where she postulated, “What Barack Obama seems to want to do is go back to before those days [of the Civil War] when we were in different classes based on income, based on color of skin.”  

(Click image to enlarge) 

       In the above screen capture from the Playground Tapes the young Barack Obama and Murray Bookchin, the American, environmental libertarian socialist philosopher and founder of the social ecology movement can be seen in close association with one another, dressed in matching striped shirts. Also in the scene is a young Mary Daly, the self-described “radical lesbian feminist”. Curiously, although unconfirmed, in the background under the shade of the trees appears to be the images of Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin, stroking a cat and looking on with apparent pride at the young trio.

      Responding from the campaign trail Newt Gingrich stated, “As a historian, I can attest to the validity and accuracy of these tapes. They represent severe implications for the future of this country and its citizens’ freedom from oppression. They show that this president is legitimately a genuine radical”

     The White House issued a press release stating, “The President and his advisers are assessing the authenticity of the tapes and will address public concerns if the film is deemed accurate.”

[At the time of publication, there was no further statement from the administration]