Since Obama graduated magna cum laude from HLS, I don't have trouble believing that he very likely got in based on his academic merits. The 3 or 4 years of community organizing work probably looked pretty good also to the admissions people especially if he had formulated a more thoughtful reason for studying the law than the other students who had just graduated from college.
On the other hand, if he is somehow linked to this Khalid al-Mansour character, the nature of this connection should be public knowledge. I was surprised that there doesn't seem to be a Wikipedia page for Dr. al-Mansour although there is one for Percy Sutton.
Sorry to bust your balloon, but my understanding is that about 50% of HLS graduates have a MCL on their diplomas. The one that actually means something is SUMMA Cum Laude.
And, in point of fact, all indications are that Obama graduated from Columbia with a notably undistinguished academic record - I’ve read that it was C+. Hardly enough to make the 7,000 applicant - 400 acceptance cut for Harvard Law.