Koch, Hussein, Obama

A spokesman for conservative billionaire Charles Koch denies he compared Barack Obama to Saddam Hussein, and an ambiguous audio recording offers support for that claim.

Mother Jones posted the audio today of Koch speaking at his conservative groups' bi-annual private fundraising gathering this June in Colorado.

"We have Saddam Hussein, this is the Mother of All Wars," reads the Mother Jones transcript, from the BRAD Blog.

But it's possible to hear the transcript a bit differently: The word "as" isn't in the transcript, but as I hear the (ambiguous) line, Koch is quoting Saddam here, not comparing Obama to him. In that version, the quote reads:

"We have, as Saddam Hussein [said] this is the Mother of All Wars," Koch is quoting Saddam, rather than making a comparison between him and Obama.

Audio recordings are notorious for yielding whatever interpretation the listener expects to hear; an attendee who heard the line as a quote, not a comparison, pointed me to the transcript and the audio.

Philip Ellender, head of government and public affairs at Koch Industries, also said in an emailed statement that Koch meant to quote Saddam, not to compare him to Obama:

To be clear, Mr. Koch was not referring to President Obama in his remarks. The "Mother of All Wars" is a common phrase, frequently attributed to Saddam Hussein on the eve of the first Gulf War. Amid record U.S. unemployment, continued economic decline, and loss of liberty, the U.S. has been plunged into its own "Mother of all wars." Our nation’s future will be determined in the coming months by the choices Americans make to address the serious economic issues facing our country.

Ellender also noted that liberal groups, notably the Democracy Alliance, hold similar, off-the-record seminars; his full emailed statement is after the jump.

Mother Jones also said they're releasing audio of the "GOP superstar who rocked the Koch seminar crowd" tomorrow.

One seminar attendee says that superstar was Chris Christie, who gave his standard stump speech and answered questions from the audience.

Full Ellender statement: Freedom of speech and the right to peaceably assemble are the foundation of our nation's Constitution. These are principles upon which our country is based and that we enthusiastically embrace. In keeping with this, since 2003, Koch Industries has convened conferences that bring together some of America’s greatest philanthropists and most successful business leaders whose companies have created millions of jobs. Attendees discuss solutions to our most pressing issues and strategies to promote policies that will help grow our economy, foster free enterprise and create American jobs. It is a matter of public record that similar seminars – all of them private and off-the-record – are held by those who seek the opposite: ever-greater government influence and control over our lives. There are reports about surreptiously recorded audio taken out of context from a June 2011 conference hosted by Koch Industries. As is typical by far-left groups, these reports attempt to make more false claims about Koch. Specifically, they assert that Charles Koch referred to President Obama as 'Saddam Hussein.' To be clear, Mr. Koch was not referring to President Obama in his remarks. The "Mother of All Wars" is a common phrase, frequently attributed to Saddam Hussein on the eve of the first Gulf War. Amid record U.S. unemployment, continued economic decline, and loss of liberty, the U.S. has been plunged into its own 'mother of all wars.' Our nation’s future will be determined in the coming months by the choices Americans make to address the serious economic issues facing our country. Charles Koch closed his conference remarks by stating, 'God bless you, and God bless America,' emphasizing his love of this nation and his appreciation for all who stand up and speak out for liberty and economic freedom.