September 7, 2008

Why did Barack Obama say "my Muslim faith"?

I've seen so many mentions of this in the comments to various posts here today that I can see I need to break this story out into a separate post. Here's the video, from "This Week" with George Stephanopoulos:



The Washington Times has the transcript and a description of how a snippet of the interview has caught fire on the internet:
Within an hour of the interview's broadcast, anti-Obama groups were pushing the issue on blogs and via YouTube.

Someone spliced together only his misstatement and was emailing it with the false claim Obama "admits" the Muslim faith.
It's clear in the full context that he's giving the McCain campaign credit for not participating in spreading the rumor that he is a Muslim. He's not saying he is a Muslim. Quite apart from that, let's not stoop to portraying "Muslim" as the equivalent of evil. That's ugly and destructive.

UPDATE: More here.

95 comments:

Peter V. Bella said...

The better question is why did George Stephanopoulos correct him and say you mean your Christian faith?

Old Georgie cannot have a Demcorat look too bad, can he? He may not get another White House job.

Ann Althouse said...

Stephanopoulos, trying to be helpful, actually muddled it up, making it look as if the real truth had slipped out and Obama had better quickly correct it. But it's clear to me that Obama was just speaking in an awkwardly elliptical way, saying "my Muslim faith" to mean the false assertion that I am a Muslim.

Kevin Walsh said...

Note that he once again excoriated Fox News. This seems reflexive on his part. Perhaps he didn't feel O'Reilly gave him a fair shake.

www.forgotten-ny.com

vbspurs said...

It's like his mind has already raced forward, in terms of putting two-and-two together and his tongue just hasn't had a chance to catch up.

He had the same lapse when he said that Arkansas is closer to Kentucky, whereas in reality Illinois BORDERS it; Arkansas doesn't.

As I mentioned then, all he meant to say is that people from Arkansas are closer in mindset to Kentuckians, than those from Illinois, and thus Senator Clinton would have an easier time with those in Kentucky.

In his mind, that is a moot point, so he awkwardly conjoined the two thoughts.

That is different from your average-boneheaded gaffe...like Senator Biden saying he's "clean", when he probably just meant "clean-cut".

However, it does raise questions about Senator Obama's ability to think on his feet. That has become much more suspect the more this campaign has worn on.

Cheers,
Victoria

William said...

OK, Islam is not evil, and Obama is not a Muslim. But Obama was a follower of the Rev Wright for many years. That's his religious problem.

Peter V. Bella said...

I do not think Obama is Moslem. I firmly believe he is a Christian.

I just found it curious that George felt he had to correct him. It seems unprofessional to make him look good. The question in my mind is whether he would do the same for McCain or Palin if they had a slip or err.

Look, Obama and Bush are similar when dealing with the press. A while back, I proposed splicing clips of Obama and Bush talking. They both sound the same; uh, eh, uh uh, eh eh...

It is if they are trying to emulate Richard M. Daley, the mayor of Chicago- a friend to both Bush and Obama.

We, in Chicago, reverently and respectfully refer to him as "that little stuttering prick".

vbspurs said...

I happen to think he's completely secular, with only a cursory tie to Christianity (but none at all to Islam).

Peter V. Bella said...

Or is it that stuttering little prick?

Derek Kite said...

What is he doing here?

Criticism shakes him. Mixing up his language, confused, inarticulate.

Wow.

I actually stopped watching. I don't enjoy seeing people self destruct.

Derek

Expat(ish) said...

Agreed, the only interesting part about BHO being Muslim would be that he lied about that (too).

-XC

EnigmatiCore said...

I was asked on another thread what could be done to bring me over?

Well, not pushing crap like this would help. It was a gaffe, not an admission. And pushing it is ugly, for the reasons Ann mentioned.

Simon said...

I agree with the general thrust, which is that this was just a slip of the tongue leading to a tempest in the teapot. But I don't think it's acurate to say that people are "stoop[ing] to portraying 'Muslim' as the equivalent of evil." I thought the point was simply that they wouldn't vote for a Muslim and I'm not sure that I see what the problem with that statement is. Islam is a system of beliefs, just as are Christianity or liberalism or socialism, what-have-you. If a person doesn't agree with those beliefs, is it irrational to refuse to vote for a candidate who espouses them?

Sloanasaurus said...

I agree also that it was an honest slip. Obama is clearly not a muslim.

However, Obama still has to explain why he sat in a church that preached black liberation theology for 20 years. Obama's church is even a fringe among black churches.

Sloanasaurus said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sloanasaurus said...

happen to think he's completely secular, with only a cursory tie to Christianity

I agree with Victoria. Obama's real religion is (or was) black liberation theology. Other than that he is mostly secular.

KCFleming said...

It is increasingly awkward for BHO's defenders to be sweeping up after another gaffe, explaining yet again 'what he really meant to say was...'

Soon all utterances from Pres. Obama will cause reporters to look quickly at his handlers for the appropriate translation. Those who disagree just aren't listening.

Such verbal incontinence is no problem for a writer, but The One should at least have some measure of dominion over his own tongue.

The lack thereof certainly hobbled Mr. Bush, to whom the resemblance is stronger each passing day.

Him or Chauncey Gardner.

Sloanasaurus said...

The NY Times story on Palin's baby was not a hit job. I am still waiting for someone in the MSM to argue that "Palin will force all women to give birth to Down babies." The clock is ticking.

David said...

For crying out loud, this is just a normal slip of the tongue. Nothing more. He's not a Muslim. Plus we do have freedom of religion still, don't we?

People piling on this just make themselves look bad. Sort of like Palin derangement in reverse.

George S. was just acting like a decent (though muddled) human being. It's not evidence of bias, just humanity. Someone makes a silly human mistake, you help hem out.

There are plenty of good reasons to oppose Obama. This clearly is not one of them.

Unknown said...

Deep inside, I think Obama is agnostic. The Christian faith and him "attending" Rev. Wright's church was just a political facade for his immense political ambition.

His mother was an atheist and his father was a Muslim. He went to a mostly Muslim school in Indonesia. Along the way, he somehow "found" Christianity.

No man of faith, especially a Christian, would believe people cling to religion and guns because they are bitter. That statement alone indicates he is ignorant about faith. He is agnostic, if not an atheist.

Fen said...

let's not stoop to portraying "Muslim" as the equivalent of evil. That's ugly and destructive.

Not only, but its a diversion [maybe even played out by Obama]. Why bother to smear Obama as Muslim when you already have him for attending the Trinity "madrassa" for 20 years? Hatred of America, hatred of Jews, hatred of Whitey.

But Obama seems to have a problem with women. Part of his adopted ghetto culture?

Anonymous said...

Why would do care if a presidential candidate so obviously areligious is ostensibly Muslim or Christian or whatever?

I don't mean areligious in a bad way, either, just a neutral way.

The nutty, comically trivial issues that end up framing campaigns never cease to amaze and amuse me. Are they what people really vote on?

Jake said...

Obama's handlers should not let him appear anywhere without a teleprompter.

David said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Sloanasaurus said...

The One should at least have some measure of dominion over his own tongue.

Good point. His performance in these types of venues is pretty bad. The duh eh uh um and... It has to stop.

Anonymous said...

That first paragraph is terrible on my part. I leave it up for posterity. Let this be a lesson to fools who edit on the fly.

Chet said...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HA9bQqnlECU

Anonymous said...

Palin derangement in reverse

I wish conservatives would just say: this is absurd. Let's talk about taxes, the size of government, and foreign policy.

Fen said...

Plus we do have freedom of religion still, don't we?

Yes, and we still have freedom of association. You are free to sit in a hate-filled madrassa damning America and whitey all day:

"Black Liberation Theology will only accept the love of a God that participates in the destruction of the White enemy" - Cone

And I'm free to call you out and lobby others to vote against you.

Sloanasaurus said...

If McCain made this gaffe, George S, instead of correcting McCain, would have asked if it was a sign of McCain's age....

hmm...

Anonymous said...

When does Slate's Obamaisms start? When does the calendar start? Where can I get the mugs?

Fen said...

I wish conservatives would just say: this is absurd.

Does it really need to be said? Okay, this is absurd.

And I don't see the right pushing it, even blogs like LGF have been denouncing the "muslim" meme. Most think its some kind of false flag op, either a wild-goose chase or a tar baby.

Palladian said...

"I wish conservatives would just say: this is absurd. Let's talk about taxes, the size of government, and foreign policy."

The smart, good ones will. It's the stupid ones that cause a problem. It's times like this I feel the pain of moderate Democrats and liberals who have to deal with the damage done to their side by the lunatics.

This sort of thing is meaningless. But I'm afraid that our political and media culture trades in meaninglessness. There's an entire, stupid industry that exists peddling Bush's gaffes. It's fair game.

vbspurs said...

Are they what people really vote on?

America is the only truly developed Western country where religion is STILL a big deal. Over 90% of Americans believe in God, right?

I wonder if someone has asked that in a poll in my old homeland. I think I would be charitable to say, 30% would respond "yes, I believe in God". Less in organised religion itself.

In my heart, I think Americans don't care WHAT you believe in, so long as you believe in something. It makes a person seem more centered and therefore, more trustworthy.

Of course, it helps if it's a mainstream Christian religion they believe in because that's what our nation's culture is built around.

And clearly just like you wouldn't have elected a suspected Nazi or a Communist to the White House during the height of WWII or the Cold War, electing a Muslim today would be far-fetched because that's who our most dangerous enemies are.

It's not fair, but that's how most human beings' logic works. Fifth columnists are a no-go.

Anonymous said...

I mean the people at National Review. And they should only use the vague referent this. Don't even be specific.

MC said...

This is not an indication that Obama is a Muslim, Obama is clearly not a Muslim, and being a Muslim is not automatically bad.

That out of the way, it was clearly poor speaking, and Obama's had quite a lot of those. Like the 57 states one, or his horrible broken teleprompter muddle. His fabled eloquence leaves a lot to be desired.

Anonymous said...

P.S. And others. And the tormented commenter-types at places like redstate.org and the like. That Pierre guy.

Fen said...

This is not an indication that Obama is a Muslim, Obama is clearly not a Muslim, and being a Muslim is not automatically bad

Agreed. One question: Does Islam still consider him Muslim? Wouldn't they hold him as some kind of apostate for "converting" to Christianity?

Randy said...

Seven, FWIW I agree with you. When the shoe is on the other foot, and further revelations are made about the unusual goings-on and teachings of Sarah Palin's church are alleged to be her personal beliefs, the same people here making unsubstantiated claims about the personal beliefs of Barack Obama will be screaming to high heaven. In fact, some of them already have. Just as a few of them have repeatedly stated that they know that the Clinton marriage is a sham, and ridiculed it, yet they have spent the past week vociferously objecting to various public speculations about the Palin marriage.

Fen said...

unusual goings-on and teachings of Sarah Palin's church

Is it racist like Obama's?

Is it anti-american like Obama's?

You guys were having an easier time with the Experience Trap.

DaLawGiver said...

Hey, I thought Barack was a smart guy. That sounds like something George Bush would say that ends up as a snippet on Letterman's Great Moments in Presidential Speeches.

Anonymous said...

Randy --

1. In this thread, everyone is falling all over themselves to say that the claim is absurd. Who "here" is 'making unsubstantiated claims"?

2. I spend way too much time here and I've never seen anyone suggest that the Clintons have a marriage that is any more of sham than the marriage of any other pair of 60-somethings who have lived together for over three decades.

3. I think it's fair to say that Palin has been dragged through the mud repeatedly, with a tractor, face down. And that's just the mainstream press. I can only imagine what has gone on in fringe-left hothouses.

a psychiatrist who learned from veterans said...

He'll encourage you to have faith that people are throwing rocks at him and hiding because he's worthwhile. He has whatever faith you want him to have.

Anonymous said...

Obama may not be a muslim, but it is absolutely 100% true that he has muslim connections.

His father was muslim.

His Step-Father was muslim.

He moved with his mother to a muslim country and lived there from age 6 to 10

he went to a school where Islamic education was part of the curriculum

he went to the mosque with his step-father on multiple times

He visited a muslim country, Pakistan, during spring break one term in College. I think it's safe to say that for about 99.9% of Americans, Karachi doesnt exactly measure up to Cancun or Negril for Spring Break.

He knows some arabic and can recite the muslim call to prayer and has praised it

His relatives are muslim, inlcuding his brother who lives in a tin hovel on $1 a day

There's more

Obama defnitely has muslim connections

Anonymous said...

Well, Randy, sadly, I take it all back. Certainly, the right has its hothouses, too, as this recent poster has shown us.

The difference is that, unlike fringe-left loons, rightwing crackpots don't write for major newspapers and nobody takes them seriously.

Joe said...

I think he meant to say "my Marxist faith" but stumbled over the m-word.

Randy said...

1) Oh really?

Obama's real religion is (or was) black liberation theology. Other than that he is mostly secular.

NOTE: I said a few, not all. And not just here on this thread at this moment, but earlier this summer.

2) Perhaps you can't but I can.

3) I agree. I've been quite active this past week arguing against such despicable behavior here and elsewhere. I agree that media has been a major contributor to the Palin smears due to a predisposition to favor Democrats. That kind of behavior have been true for my entire adult life.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

He's not saying he is a Muslim. Quite apart from that, let's not stoop to portraying "Muslim" as the equivalent of evil. That's ugly and destructive.

Well, uh, you know, I think that whether you’re looking at it from a theological perspective or, uh, a scientific perspective, uh, answering that question with specificity, uh, you know, is, is, uh, above my pay grade. ;)

ajf said...

Quite apart from that, let's not stoop to portraying "Muslim" as the equivalent of evil. That's ugly and destructive.

Never been to a predominantly muslim society, have you? Ugly, destructive, evil.

vbspurs said...

Agreed. One question: Does Islam still consider him Muslim? Wouldn't they hold him as some kind of apostate for "converting" to Christianity?

We've discussed this at length (not a slap against you, just saying).

The son of a Muslim father, even a patently atheist one like Obama Sr., is a Muslim by birth. It's like Judaism, that when you are born to a Jewish mother, whether or not you practise Judaism, you yourself are considered Jewish no matter what.

Ironically, being in a country with a Christian tradition like we have, "saves" Obama.

A person is "allowed" to reject a faith, move on, change to another version (like Palin who was baptised Catholic but today is a non-denominational "Christian"), or even reject it entirely.

No one thinks the less of you if you do. No one will call you an apostate, except those with scholarly inclinations. It's a non-factor.

If this were an Islamic country, it would be a very different kettle of fish.

Anonymous said...

Muslim societies are manifestly not evil. There are certainly many, many beautiful aspects as well. Muslim societies are certainly not destructive, either. Their armies are terrible so there's no destruction there. Muslim fertility rates are high everywhere -- the opposite of destruction.

The simple problem with Muslim societies is that, for whatever reason, they can't seem to organize themselves for shit.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

..they can't seem to organize themselves for shit.

I think Obama would make a great Muslim Community Organizer.

Anonymous said...

Rim shot, Lem!

vbspurs said...

Ugly, destructive, evil.

I, for one, would like to distance myself from what you say.

I've been to Egypt and Turkey, and whilst evil may exist there, it's not because they're Muslim.

Joe said...

Muslim societies are manifestly not evil.

Oh that's right, executing women who teach girls to read isn't evil. Beating women who don't wear the proper clothing isn't evil. Killing your own daughter or sister because she "shamed" the family isn't evil.

NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...

Obama's not a Muslim. He mispoke. What are we arguing about?

Anonymous said...

Hey, Egypt and Turkey are the Muslim countries I've been to, too. And Dearborn, Michigan.

I found Egypt to be an exquisite, somewhat dangerous chaos. Turkey seemed far less religious to me, no doubt on account of the very purposeful secular influences there.

Anonymous said...

Joe -- Those are things that occur rarely in some Muslim communities. They are not institutions. They are not the law, no more than marrying off girls at age 11 is the law here (like that cult in Texas recently). Furthermore, the mores of shame-honor culture that cause honor killings of female members predate Islam by centuries.

Still further, you are using rare examples as reasons to malign an entire group of people that numbers in the billions.

Get yourself an education. Improve your arguing ability. Then get back to me in a few years. Thanks.

Dan Karipides said...

I think claiming Obama "accidentally admitted he was a Muslim" is ridiculous--it was clearly an honest mistake.

I do think Obama looked tired in the interview though. They need to get him out in front of a crowd where he is more comfortable. The stress of the Palin surge + all these one-on-one interviews is starting to show. There's that risk of the celebrity image, but in this case I'd risk it. Get him comfortable.

vbspurs said...

I found Egypt to be an exquisite, somewhat dangerous chaos. Turkey seemed far less religious to me, no doubt on account of the very purposeful secular influences there.

I've only been to Cairo, Alexandria (a joy), and the Luxor valley, but I found it charming. Untold of squalour and pollution, but hey.

I forgot to mention I've been to Morroco as a child, but don't recall it.

My parents have been to Tunisia. They thought it was the best Islamic country they've visited (they've been to Saudi, which both loathed).

Anonymous said...

A good place to go for insights into Middle East countries is Michael Totten's blog. He has written extensively not only about the Iraq war, but other aspects of the Middle East, including cultural aspects.

Totten has, at times, described Middle East culture as barbaric, but it is not necessarily Islam driven.

Honor killings, for example, also occur in Christian communities in Arab countries, including Iraq.

A lot of the barbarity flows out of the family-tribe, honor-shame foundation of the societies, not the specific religion, although people can and do use religion to justify or excuse such behavior.

Anonymous said...

The Closed Circle. David Pryce-Jones. A negatively objective view of Islam.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I, for one, would like to distance myself from what you say.

vbspurs, I only repeated what Ann said... and I agree with her.

let's not stoop to portraying "Muslim" as the equivalent of evil. That's ugly and destructive.

Sorry, I'm late to the conversation.

vbspurs said...

Lem, do you have a second ID, "ajf"?

Because either you are mistaken to whom I was addressing my reply, or you forgot to sign off as Lem to reply to me.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Lem, do you have a second ID, "ajf"?

No, I dont. My mistake.

vbspurs said...

Good stuff 'cause unless someone is transparent about it, I don't ever reply to people with second IDs. It's creepy.

ajf said...

Sun City was a lovely place to visit too.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

It's good policy.

holdfast said...

Can America really afford another 8years of a President who stutters, stumbles and misspeaks so frequently? In this respect, Obama is just a Bush-Clone - we will call him O'Same!

Somebody think of the children!

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I have to work tomorrow, zee you all later.

Alec Plumb said...

Wait, why can't we portray "'Muslim' as the equivalent of evil." It may be "ugly," and it may even be "destructive," but is it objectively false?

As an unshakeable atheist (I believe that any being capable of proving its divinity has only proven that it has better tech than I understand) I have come to appreciate the teachings of Christ as a fundamentally libertarian set of ideas.

But why should we accept that all religions have a valid and/or useful core? As far as I can tell, the defects of Christian societies have arisen in spite of their theological foundations, while the advantages of some Muslim societies (e.g., the preservation and/or advancement of science and mathematics in the early caliphates) have arisen in spite of their theological foundations.

So again, why should we assume that every faith is as good as any other, or that one faith in particular must be ok because it is a widely held faith?

Synova said...

OTOH, it's not wise to pretend that there is not a very strong Islamic based problem in the middle east. When a religion can not be criticized it can not be reformed, saved from error, or anything else. When even "moderates" insist that we (or anyone else) can't point out abuses or say bad things about their prophet... how exactly is anything supposed to change?

Anonymous said...

But why should we accept that all religions have a valid and/or useful core?

Personally, I don't believe such, however, I also think it is imperative that we understand what behaviors are religion based and which behaviors are driven or justified by other beliefs or traditions.

Islam gets blamed for honor killings, but as Michael Totten has reported, they happen in Christian communities as well, and appear to be a tradition that pre-dates Christianity and Islam.

So, we need to criticize the right things in the right ways in an effort to change that which we find unacceptable.

Complicating those efforts, though, is the point Synova makes, that it is difficult to reform or change when Islamic leaders say it is unacceptable to criticize.

Islam in the Middle East could really benefit from a reformation movement, the sooner the better.

Joe said...

Get yourself an education. Improve your arguing ability. Then get back to me in a few years. Thanks.

I do have an education and to turn a blind eye to relatively common practices within the Muslim community regardless of whether they predated Islam is absurd.

Muslim societies world wide have demonstrated a remarkable brutality that in our politically correct climate, we are apparently supposed to pretend simply doesn't exist.

Islam itself is NOT a religion of peace. It's a religion of conquest.

Ralph L said...

Islam in the Middle East could really benefit from a reformation movement
Unfortunately, it's having one now. We're fighting their Roundheads.

michael farris said...

I don't think Obama is a Muslim and I don't think he's a deep, believing Christian either. I think (with nothing to prove it) tht his membership at Wright's church was all about culture and politics.

Obama's relationship to the US Black community has always reminded me of an ex-patriate. The kind of person who grew up hearing tales of the 'old country' from their family and then went there on a college exchange program, fell in love with it, and never quite makes it back to the US. Anyway, a necessary part of experiencing US Black Culture(TM) in the way Obama does and has is belonging to a Black Church.

US Black Churches are also home to one of the great public speaking traditions in the world, endlessly inventive and expressive and often deeply moving. And Obama's certainly incorporated a _lot_ of that style into his own. That's why his prepared speeches are so great. But just as the ex-patriate never truly masters the nuances of the old-country's language, Obama's never quite imbibed the spontaneous, improvisational features of the style and so the mixmatch between his delivery of a prepared speech and off the cuff remarks.

As an aside. I have to say, my own lack of enthusiasm for Obama has nothing to do with Wright (who's not running for office). And I think a lot of Wright's .... excesses shouldn't be taken at face value, part of what Black preachers do (but only part) is setting the Id free from the Super-ego. Within the overall context of what goes on in church, this is a necessary part of the cathartic experience many find in Black churches. Taken out of context, it can be kind of shocking.

Joan said...

The only use this mis-statement should be put to is in a "greatest slips" mash-up video of all Obama's gaffes. You know, 57 states, etc, etc. There are reasonable explanations for every one of these things (he started to say 50, realized he hadn't been to 'em all yet, and wanted to say 47 but failed to... he was tired) but the fact that they continue to pile up should not escape notice.

OT, but hey - Victoria, why do you assert that Palin was ever Catholic? I've not seen that reported anywhere. From what I've read, she has always been an evangelical.

vbspurs said...

According to the Fox News special, Joan, and from various accounts I've read of her (including Wikipedia), she was baptised Catholic. I do believe she even attended Catholic grade school, but I only heard a report that first day in Dayton.

I found this link about her earlier Catholicism.

You know, if Palin had been Catholic today, she would probably be THE perfect woman for me, politically.

As it is, I'm very happy, and her religion is a non-issue for me. :)

Revenant said...

let's not stoop to portraying "Muslim" as the equivalent of evil. That's ugly and destructive.

Not the equivalent of "evil", but something which would disqualify a person from holding the office of President. I don't trust any member of a religion where the "moderates" still favor a death penalty for blasphemy.

AllenS said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
AllenS said...

"Throwing rocks and then hiding their hand."

American Liberal Elite said...

I guess this pretty much categorically establishes that Obama is Muslim. Boy, did he ever pull the wool over my eyes!

Anonymous said...

It's clear in the full context that he's giving the McCain campaign credit for not participating in spreading the rumor that he is a Muslim. He's not saying he is a Muslim.

Right, but why is Mr. Smooth making these mistakes? All he had to do is say "my alleged Muslim faith", "this false claim that I am a Muslim".

When McCain makes a similar verbal slip up he's old and senile, when Golden Child makes them it becomes a chance for liberals to say he is victim of hate filled, xenophobic, racial code word spewing bullies.

Sy said...Deep inside, I think Obama is agnostic. The Christian faith and him "attending" Rev. Wright's church was just a political facade for his immense political ambition.

I think that's true. Plus, Obama had the racial insecurities of being a "brother from another mother". He hooked up with Rev. Wright for specifically racial radical reasons. His autobiography is filled with confessions of hungering for a blacker and more radical identity.

Roger J. said...

Genuinely sad when a presidential campaign is driven by the third standard deviation on both the left and the right.

AllenS said...

It seems every time Obama speaks to someone without a teleprompter, there is always a need to explain what he meant. He's unable to articulate (ok, I said it) anything clearly. Obama needs to quit doing interviews.

goesh said...

Islam certainly is not evil but it may be inconvenient if you are a woman who can't vote or drive a car. So too it may be inconvenient for the work-a-day American citizen to distinguish between being a Christian and being named Barack Hussein Obama with time spent in mosques.

Anonymous said...

AllenS said...It seems every time Obama speaks to someone without a teleprompter, there is always a need to explain what he meant.

The TelePrompter Prince

Issob Morocco said...

I saw it on the O'Reilly interview and Obama does it again here. When confronted with a tough question or one which he knows is tough to answer, his tone changes from silky smooth radio voice to an agitated, condescending one. Listen to the clip and him saying, "No, no, no.....".

Such a sea change in tone is noticed by the listeners, maybe not as consciously at first, but the more he does it, the more he looks put out to have to answer something that he doesn't want to and/or can't without creating more questions. The Ax had better get him to be less strident or this will continue to grate the listener.

George M. Spencer said...

vb--

Yes, Tunisia is great. Friendly people, lots of French influence. Good food and a benign dictatorship, by the region's standards. A thousand miles of beaches. Unbelievable Roman ruins, including a coliseum in Djem that's a big as the one in Rome and in better condition.

Luke Skywalker hails from the southern part of the country, and the Cairo scenes in 'Indiana Jones' were filmed in the ancient caravan city of Kairouan on the edge of the Sahara.

The ruins of Carthage are in the suburbs of Tunis, the capital. If you go there, you will not find one stone standing atop another stone. Utter devastation. The Romans really did 'salt the earth.'

Delenda est Obama.

Anonymous said...

The Closed Circle is about Arabs, not Islam. I misspoke.

paul a'barge said...

let's not stoop to portraying "Muslim" as the equivalent of evil

OK, how about this: not all muslims are evil.

Or: Some muslims are not evil.

There certainly are a lot of evil muslims out there. You just can't argue with that, what with the anniversary of 9-11 right around the corner.

Unknown said...

What's the big brouhaha over O's admission as being a Muslim. The guy could be a Buddhist or a Hindu just as long as he could get elected President. He's so used to flip-flopping that he's not trying to keep track anymore. By the way, one of the pillars of Islam is to throw a rock to spite Satan. Slip of the tongue? Yeah, apologize for the Barack.

Brendan Steinhauser said...

Who is the REAL Barack Obama?

Check out this new book on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Who-REAL-Barack-Obama-generation/dp/1438906056/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220901215&sr=1-14

Buddly said...

It's apparent that we are mixed up in a type of holy war and that raises the validity of concern if there ever was the possibility of a Muslim president. However, with demand that our president be of Christian faith what ever happened to the thought of this little snippet from a very well-respected author: "Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between Man & his God, that he owes account to none other for his faith or his worship, that the legitimate powers of government reach actions only, & not opinions, I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church & State."

rapidron said...

Some very ugly and false propaganda immediately recognizable. Do you know the kinds of people who fall for propaganda? Do you really want to be one of those people who says, 'TRICK ME, I'm a mark, enslave me with my lack of self-thinking and intellect!' Honestly, ugly.

Realtalk said...

All you American Liberals make me sick! Here you have a President who is a Muslim and supports gay marriage. Further more, this Country is deeper in debt than we have ever been. You just do not accidentally slip up and say 'My Muslim faith if you really are a Christian. I am a white man, I would never slip up and say " my African Heritage. All you people who continue to embrace this man deserve what you have coming to you.