The Obama Nation - Reception and Critical Review

Reception and Critical Review

Released on August 1, 2008, the book was #4 in sales in nonfiction during the first week of its release and subsequently rose to #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list for hardcover non-fiction books within two weeks, due in part to higher bulk sales. This has led some Obama supporters to suspect that conservative groups have made bulk purchases to inflate sales, something Corsi denies. On September 8 it was second to Tori Spelling's book. Corsi posted his first Obamabucks from the sale of his book on the wall of a coffee shop in Washington.

Corsi's book has been criticized for inaccuracies by news organizations such as The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, U.S. News and World Report, the Associated Press, Time magazine, Newsweek, The Daily Telegraph, Editor & Publisher, The Guardian, CNN, The Independent, Politifact.com, and The Boston Globe. According to The New York Times, "several of the book's accusations, in fact, are unsubstantiated, misleading or inaccurate." Peter Wehner of Commentary wrote: "conservatives should not hitch their hopes to" Corsi's book because "it seems to be riddled with factual errors — some relatively minor (like asserting that Obama does not mention the birth of his half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, in Dreams from My Father; Obama does mention her), and some significant (suggesting that Obama favors withdrawing troops from Afghanistan; he wants to do the opposite)."

The Washington Post called it an "innuendo-filled, mistake-riddled biography" in its online election diary The Trail. Kate Linthicum of the Los Angeles Times wrote "being No. 1 doesn't necessarily mean being accurate" in regard to Corsi's claims about Obama's religious faith. The Politico reported that Corsi's book "left a trail of wild theories, vitriol and dogma that have called into question his credibility." The British newspaper The Independent called Corsi's book "a hatchet job on Obama". According to Slate, "neither Corsi nor Matalin responded to e-mails from me asking whether they intended to correct any errors in The Obama Nation – it would be a miracle if there were none" .

The book also contains what The Washington Post describes as "potentially offensive passages" about Barack Obama's personal and family life, such as one stating that Obama is less identified with his American roots than his "African blood". Corsi also writes: "Obama's mother chose another Third World prospect for her second husband, a second man of color, to be her mate", noted by CNN as "lines some might consider racially insensitive." The L.A. Times also pointed to a line by Corsi claiming "Obama wants to will all the white blood out of himself so he can become pure black," citing "bigoted comments." The Chicago Sun-Times called it "an abomination," and said the book "exploits racial fears hate in effort to scare white America." Corsi has drawn criticism for scheduling an appearance to promote the book on the The Political Cesspool, a "pro-White" radio talk show described as "white nationalist" by the Southern Poverty Law Center. He previously appeared on the show on July 20, but he cancelled his August 17 appearance, citing a change of "travel plans."