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It began in January
with Fox “News” and Steve Doocy. It continued in February with
the Malcolm
X hit. In March it was Roger
Ailes. April came
Townhall. Now, as the primaries close in, it’s the Washington Post.
Obama is being swiftboated yet again. It’s despicable. It’s not surprising,
because this is what wingnuts do best. Get scurrilous whisper campaigns inside
the hack pack press, long after they’ve been debunked. South Carolina is known
for this stuff. That the Washington Post is revealing it through a
long winding piece is journalism at its worst. If it came as a warning on what’s
on wingnut radio that would be one thing. But what it actually does is provide
a platform for a rumor campaign, not to mention a preview of things to come
for Democrats. It’s John Kerry revisited, the religious version.
Conservative talk-show hosts have occasionally repeated the rumor, with Michael
Savage noting Obama’s “background” in a “Muslim madrassa in
Indonesia” in June, and Rush Limbaugh saying in September that he occasionally
got “confused” between Obama and Osama bin Laden. Others repeatedly
use the senator’s middle name, Hussein.The rumors about Obama have been echoed on Internet message boards and chain
e-mails.Bryan Keelin of Charleston, S.C., who works with an organization of churches
there, posted on an Internet board his suspicion that Obama is a Muslim. “I
assume his father instructed him on the ways of being a Muslim,” said
Keelin, who described himself in an interview as a conservative Republican
who will vote for former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee.“The Muslims have said they plan on destroying the U.S. from the inside
out,” says one of the e-mails that was posted recently on a blog at BarackObama.com,
the campaign’s Web site, by an Obama supporter who warned of an attempt to
“Swift Boat” the candidate. “What better way to start than
at the highest level, through the President of the United States, one of their
own!” … ..
Mr. Obama has to have a signed letter attesting to his Christian faith for
assuage Iowa voters? Excuse me, but I’d tell them to go pound sand and so should
Obama’s team. The Post using this is disgusting. It’s even worse
than the flag
pin hit.
Staggering lack of impulse control and messaging by the Post. But
it gets worse.
Obama aides sharply disputed the initial stories suggesting that he was a
Muslim, and in Iowa, the campaign keeps a letter at its offices, signed by
five members of the local clergy, vouching for the candidate’s Christian faith.
Aware that his religious belief remains an issue, Obama has denied a separate
charge: that he does not hold his hand to his heart during the Pledge of Allegiance.
This rumor stemmed from a photo that was taken while the national anthem was
being played.
The phony pledge picture was just another attempt to paint Obama
as not sufficiently patriotic. I’ve never kept my hand over my heart while singing
the national anthem.
Meanwhile, it’s a three-way
tie in Iowa, with Clinton leading again, Obama second, Edwards third, but
all within the margin of error, constituting a tie.
The latest Rasmussen Reports poll of the Iowa Democratic Caucus for 2008
finds Hillary Clinton at 27%, Barack Obama at 25%, and John Edwards at 24%.
Bill Richardson is the only other Democrat in double-digits at 10% while Joe
Biden earns 4% of the vote from Likely Caucus Participants.
In other news, in quite a surprising development, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has
endorsed Clinton. Frankly, I thought he’d be in for Edwards. I find this large,
though people don’t really weigh endorsements, I don’t think, when voting. I
just think this goes to something for which Clinton never gets noticed. Her
core Democratic ideology. She’s far more entrenched in Democratic foundational
guideposts than her husband ever was.
As for what’s up with Republicans, Rush is ranting about the debate last night.
They’re in full on damage control. It’s positively delicious to hear him squeal;
can’t wait to hear Hannity.
Oh, and by the way, getting back to the swiftboating of Obama, CBS has picked up the story. Our liberal media at work.
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