Cuban flag with Che Guevara on wall at Barack Obama Houston (volunteers) office

Via this and newsbusters.org/blogs/d-s-hube/2008/02/11/another-flag-issue-obama, we learn that a Cuban flag - superimposed with an image of Che Guevara - is on the wall of Barack Obama's Houston office. The report is here, and the segment showing the flag is below:

The three ladies are apparently volunteers who apparently simply opened the office while waiting for paid staff to arrive. Expect creative Obama supporters to claim they're moles from the Hillary Clinton campaign. Less creative Obama supporters will try to claim that the volunteers were just being hip 'n' ironic, despite the three ladies not looking the hip 'n' ironic type.

UPDATE: There are a couple Photoshops here.

UPDATE 2: I called the Houston Volunteer office - presumably the one on the tape - and the lady who answered the phone said there had been a "misrepresentation" and told me to call their Austin office. That office has not yet opened, so I was able to speak with Josh Earnest from their main media relations department. Despite a bad connection he clarified that the office on the tape is not and will not be an official office, so I've updated the title of this post to include "(volunteers)". He directed me to the following which has since been appended to the Fox 26 report:

The office featured in this video is funded by volunteers of the Barack Obama Campaign and is not an official headquarters for his campaign.

That conflicts with the statement from Fox 26 implying that the volunteers were just there to open the office, and that that very office would later be occupied by Obama staffers. The campaign has also called the flag "inappropriate".

UPDATE 3: Via this, we learn that the same flag - or another copy - was featured in this February 3 report (link):

barack obama che guevara cuban cuba flag

The person in the picture - also in the video above - is identified as Maria Isabel, mentioned as a supporter here and in other news stories.

And, someone by the same name and also in Houston has her own page here:

my.barackobama.com/page/community/blog/mariaisabel

She identifies herself as "* Maria Isabel Precinct Captain 002 *" and as "A Hispanic Woman Obama Community Organizer... Chicago Illinois, Camp Obama 16". Do those indicate some level of non-volunteer status?

UPDATE 4: The DUmmies weigh in. Some don't see the problem with Guevara.

UPDATE 5: Some Obama supporters oppose - and others defend - Che here:

my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/samgrahamfelsen/C44h

Comments

I wonder what their excuse will be when asked about a Communist's image on their wall.

A.P.R No one will ask that question and the so called presidential campaign will just move on. it look like this little shit Obama will become the head rat in the black house. buy guns you will all need one in the coming years. hip 'n' ironic monkey butt from some , my old ass, I real hate that ass Barack Obama.

lets just say for the sake of a discusion that this is a negative, SOOOOOOOO what! i mean in comparison to Hitlery and the negative crap she is involved in, you have got to be kidding me.

So 'ethnics' are identifying strongly with Obama's campaign and bringing their political dispositions with them. Gee, what a surprise.

yeah big surprise. "whites" have been doing it FOREVER.

Lawrence Lessig explains his support for Barack Obama (by the way he is a white guy with a PHD, like a lot of OBAMA supporters, who are not ethnics) http://accidentalideas.wordpress.com/2008/02/07/lawrence-lessig-explains-his-support-for-barack-obama/

What a bunch of racists you negitive people are..Scary.

Leftist symbolism, such as that evident in the display of Che Guevara propaganda, seems to be important to the Barack Obama campaign. Four months ago, I pointed out another example of it in a post, _PHOTO ON OBAMA WEB SITE RAISES QUESTIONS [1]_. In that post, I questioned the subliminal message the liberal Democrat hoped to convey by posting on his campaign website a photo of Obama sitting in front of a framed photo of Muhammad Ali standing over a knocked-down opponent in a boxing ring. Oh, the symbolism!

Links:
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[1] http://127.0.0.1/HTTP://BOBMCCARTY.COM/2007/10/16/PHOTO-ON-OBAMA-WEB-SITE-RAISES-QUESTIONS/

This is ridiculous. This crazy woman is just a volunteer. I'm sure she'd be fired in a second if SHE ACTUALLY WORKED FOR OBAMA but she's only contributing her free time because she likes him. We shouldn't act all surprised when both the Democrats and Republicans attract fans that are somewhat less than sane, and there's no question that a Cuban flag with an executioner's portrait doesn't belong in an American election. But this has nothing to do with Obama and his campaign. This is a freelancer with terrible judgment.

Obama has just lost seven votes from my family due to this Che Guevara issue, just in case. We do not want to take the risk.

Maybe Stalin or Mao Zedong can find their way into his campaign too!

Your racism is a combination of fear and anger. But the part that brings me comfort is knowing that your time is coming to a close. There will always be racism in many forms, but the time of overt oppression is passing and you all are grasping for ways to hold on to the strings of the past. Progress happens and people evolve. The hate on this page is being plastered up in desperation by a dying breed. You should all be scared of change, because with that frame of mind, you will be left behind!

Also, a supporter of Obama, not a staffer, A SUPPORTER is free to support whomever else she chooses. She has the right to her political views in this wonderful country. A poster in a volunteer office, paid for with private funds not connected to the campaign, does not mean that Obama shares the goals and ideals of Che. It simply means that this one woman supports the seperate views and ideologies of both men ... SEPERATE views.

OMG not only can't you spell SEPARATE you want to dance on the graves of whitey. Can't get any more racist than that, you illiterate twit. We are going to be around for a long time. There is no desperation or fear or hate, so you need to tell your psychiatrist to stop giving you psychotropics, as it is affected your ability to be rational and compassionate towards people who do not look like you. Supporting murderous tyrants like Che and Castro speaks volumes of your idiocy.

the civil and race war is coming buy guns get out of the cities before the monkeys start the murder of a nation for real.

Viva Las Frutas! http://www.cafepress.com/cheguava

SOY CUBANO Y VIVI LOS PRIMEROS DIAS DE LA LLEGADA A LA HABANA DEL DICTADOR Y ASESINO DE FIDEL CASTRO RUZ.UNOS DE SUS COMANDANTES LO FUE EL NEFASTO ERNESTO "CHE" GUEVARA QUE ENLUTO A MILES DE HOGARES CUBANOS CUANDO LLEGO A LA CAPITAL CUBANA. ESTE MALANDRIN,GAMBERRO Y PARASITO ASESINABA UN PROMEDIO DE 500 CUBANOS DIARIOS EN LA FORTALEZA DE LA CABANA Y SIN NI SIQUIERA HACERLE UN JUICIO EN UNA CORTE JUDICIAL CON REPRESENTACION LEGAL.AHORA SE APARECE ESTA COMUNISTA DE MARIA ISABEL QUE ESTA A CARGO DE LA CAMPANA DEL SR.BARACK"HUSSEIN" OBAMA Y HA DESPLEGADO UNA FOTOGRAFIA DE ESTE "ASESINO" AL LADO DE LA BANDERA CUBANA,QUE HACE LA FOTO DE UN CRIMINAL AL LADO DE UNA BANDERA CUBANA.PODRIA ALGUIEN EXPLICARMELO ? ESTE SR. OBAMA DEBE DE SER SINPATIZANTE DEL CHE GUEVARA Y DEL PARTIDO COMUNISTA. SI CREE QUE DE ESTA MANERA VA HA GANAR VOTOS ELECTORALES CON LOS CUBANOS SE EQUIVOCA Y DE LOS CUBANOS "LIBRES"VA A OBTENER MUY POCOS VOTOS. ESTA SRA.DEBERIA DE IRSE A VIVIR A CUBA SI TANTO SIMPATIZA CON LOS COMUNISTAS CUBANOS Y NO ESTAR COMIENDO Y DISFRUTANDO DE UN PAIS DEMOCRATICO COMO ESTE. MUCHAS GRACIAS.

ESTA PERRA COMUNISTA LLAMADA MARIA ISABEL EN LA ENTREVISTA QUE LE HIZO UNA REPORTERA,LE DECIA CONSTANTEMENTE QUE NO TENIA TIEMPO PARA CONTESTARLE LAS PREGUNTAS QUE LE HACIA. TAMBIEN ENFATIZO QUE ESTE PAIS NECESITABA UN CAMBIO.NO SE OLVIDEN QUE CUANDO FIDEL CASTRO RUZ LLEGO A LA HABANA FUERON ESAS SUS MISMAS PALABRAS Y FIJENSE LO QUE HEMOS TENIDO EN CUBA POR MEDIO SIGLO UNA TIRANIA COMUNISTA CONSIDERADA LA MAS FEROZ QUE HA EXISTIDO EN EL CARIBE DESPUES DE LA DE TRUJILLO.ESTE SENOR BARACK "HUSSEIN"OBAMA NO ESTA CLARO EN SUS DECLARACIONES Y LOS PLANES CON UN GRAN SIGNO DE INTERROGACION QUE TIENE Y QUE A NADIE LE GUSTA. OTRA COSA Y SE VIO BIEN CLARA,ESTABAN TOCANDO EL HIMNO NORTEAMERICANO Y HILLARY CLINTON Y BILL RICHARDSON TENIAN PUESTAS LAS MANOS EN SUS CORAZONES Y BARACK "HUSSEIN" OBAMA NUNCO LO HIZO,QUIEREN OTRA PRUEBA MAS FEACINTE QUE ESTA.EL PUEBLO NORTEAMERICANO TIENE QUE TENER MUCHO CUIDADO A QUIEN ELIGIRA EN LAS PROXIMAS ELECCIONES Y ESTE SR. NUNCA SERA LA CORRECTA NI PARA LOS EE.UU. Y MUCHO MENOS PARA SU PUEBLO.GOD BLESS AMERICA IS BARACK "HUSSEIM" OBAMA IS ELECTED THE NEXT PRESIDENT OF OUR COUNTRY. THANKS.