Barack Obama - liar

Barack Obama in the line of fire as sceptics target his shooting claims
Barack Obama has a well-documented history of shooting, but until now his target list has been confined to election night "hoops" with his basketball buddies, the odd frame of eight-ball pool, and a record number of rounds of golf at Andrews Air Force base.

When Mr Obama added clay-pigeon shooting to that list in a bid to reassure American gun owners he would not interfere with their hunting, however, there were those who wondered if the President might be trying just a little too hard.

"Up at Camp David, we do skeet shooting all the time," Mr Obama breezed to The New Republic magazine, adding he had "a profound respect for the traditions of hunting".

Coming from a president who once mocked small town Americans for their attachment to "God and guns", the remarks were met with a mixture of quiet mirth and outright disbelief as the debate continued to rage over new gun controls in the wake of the Dec 14 Sandy Hook school shootings.

The White House press corps were soon firing the same questions at Jay Carney, the Obama administration press secretary. "Are there photographs?" the reporters probed, forcing Mr Carney to admit there were none - visibly scrambling to add: "Because when he goes to Camp David, he goes to spend time with his family and friends and relax, not to produce photographs."

Seasoned correspondents could not help observing that the White House photographer, Pete Souza, has taken pictures of Mr Obama engaged in most other known leisure activities � golfing, basketball, ten-pin bowling in the White House alley, even shooting a water-pistol with his girls at Camp David � but not, it seemed, shooting.