ABC: Did Bush Tell a Tall Tale re: Dikembe Mutombo ?

[sabra]

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2007/01/did_bush_tell_a.html

Did Bush Tell a Tall Tale?

ABC's Karen Travers reports: In tonight's State of the Union speech, President Bush calls attention to his special guest in the audience, NBA basketball player, Dikembe Mutombo. But in referring to Mutombo, is the President being fully factual, or repeating a sports legend?

Bush says: "Dikembe Mutombo grew up in Africa, amid great poverty and disease. He came to Georgetown University on a scholarship to study medicine – but Coach John Thompson got a look at Dikembe and had a different idea. Dikembe became a star in the NBA, and a citizen of the United States. But he never forgot the land of his birth – or the duty to share his blessings with others. He has built a brand new hospital in his hometown. A friend has said of this good hearted man: 'Mutombo believes that God has given him this opportunity to do great things.' And we are proud to call this son of the Congo our fellow American."

But Travers, a former sports editor of the Georgetown student newspaper, 'The Hoya,' raises whether this famous Mutumbo tale is perhaps a bit too tall.

First, Travers says that Dikembe Mutombo came to Georgetown University to study languages – he enrolled in the School of Languages and Linguistics according to Hoyabasketball.com, a site run by another former Hoya sports editor, John Reagan.

Second, the arrival of a 7-2 freshman on campus may not have been a surprise to Hoya Head Coach John Thompson. Mutombo played on the Zairean junior national team in 1986 and caught the attention of U.S. development officer Herman Henning, who sent a tape of Mutombo to Georgetown, according to Regan's site.

Mutombo did not play on the Hoyas basketball team his freshman year. Despite his fluency in nine languages, he could not qualify for the NCAA because of its SAT requirement (English was not one of Mutombo’s strongest languages)

Mutombo joined the basketball during his second year at Georgetown.

Yet the legend continues - and is advanced by the President - that Thompson saw Mutombo on campus and asked him to come out for the team. And three years later, he is in the NBA, selected as the fourth pick in the draft by the Denver Nuggets.

[Drum]

1. Fluent in 9 languages? Dayum! How cool that must be. nt

[crim son]

4. And interesting that he is not touted for that talent

rather than his basketball skills. Of course, he schooled in the U.S.

[Canuckistanian]

14. He probably knew 4 African languages before he left

Africa is one place where "multiculturism" is a daily reality, and celebrated.

[Richardo]

2. My question: Is Mutombo by any chance a Muslim?

Like hakeem olajuwon, por ejemplo?

[Cobalt Violet]

3. I don't know. I didn't pay attention to a word he said tonight.

I couldn't focus on any of it. I've really heard enough chimp to last me a lifetime.

[951-Riverside]

5. He's fluent in 9 languages yet he's plays basketball professionally?

I smell bullshit.

[Matariki]

10. really? i bet professional basketball pays better than any translator job

I know, i've done translation and i'm damn sure i never got millions a year, or whatever those guys get.

[napi21]

12. You may be very surprised that MANY people o/s the US

knowseveral languages. For some reason, Americans have never been interested. My son moved to Italy3 1/2 years ago for a good job offer. Thelady he's living with right now speaks 5 languages,(including English), and she has never attended college or been a professional. She's just a very nice lady from Romania.

It's actually a shame that we, as Americans, think all basketball players are just successful street kids. Sure some are, but not all.

[Hosnon]

16. It's not a lack of interest, it's a lack of necessity.

If every state in the U.S. spoke a different language, you can bet we would all know a couple.

[napi21]

17. You're right. I never thought of it like that before, but if

Main spoke a different language than Connecticut, and different from NY, and all individual states spoke a different language, the same as the countries of Europe do, just interaction would not mandate, but enable many to learn a lot of different languages.

Thanks for the thought. It just neveroccurred to me to see it like that.

[Benhurst]

6. Surely, Bush would not lie to us just to make a cheap point,

Yeah, surely not.

[iamjoy]

7. If This Is The Worst

deceit or the people by Dubya, we should consider ourselves lucky.

[MH1]

9. Distraction

from the important deceits.

[joeunderdog]

8. They did a long spot on 60 Minutes or Dateline on this 5 y/a.

Heartwarming. He's a hero over there.

[I_Make_Mistakes]

11. You know, when he played here in Phila., they did a lot of

reporting on him. This was years ago, and I believe that he had made a promise to his mom that he would become a doctor. Who know's maybe, he didn't have the skills to do so, so, he joined the NBA and was raising I think 10 million, to build a hospital back home.

He also had some kinda stripper incident, none of us are perfect, but I give him a lot of credit for building a hospital where it is so sorely needed.

[donheld]

13. Did the preznit say something tonight? I guess i wasn't paying attention.

:sarcasm:

[silverojo]

15. Screw Bush AND Mutumbo

Anybody who lets that little sHitler use him/her for propaganda purposes is advancing the Chimperor's plans. Screw 'em both!