Interesting re: Obama/Muslim School... Found it.
Funny, he didn't bring it up in the second piece.
Spent time in both Muslim and Catholic schools
In Indonesia, I'd spent 2 years at a Muslim school, 2 years at a Catholic school. In the Muslim school, the teacher wrote to tell mother I made faces during Koranic studies. In the Catholic school, when it came time to pray, I'd pretend to close my eyes, then peek around the room. Nothing happened. No angels descended. Just a parched old nun and 30 brown children, muttering words. Sometimes the nun would catch me, and her stern look would force my lids back shut. But that didn't change how I felt inside.
Source: Dreams from My Father, by Barack Obama, p.142 Aug 1, 1996
I'm a big believer in the separation of church and state
I went to a Catholic school in a Muslim country, so I was studying the Bible and catechisms by day, and, at night, you'd hear the [Muslim] prayer call. My mother was a deeply spiritual person. Her view always was that underlying these religions was a common set of beliefs about how you treat other people and how you aspire to act, not just for yourself, but also for the greater good. I am a follower, as well, of our civic religion. I'm a big believer in the separation of church and state. I am a big believer in our constitutional structure. I'm a law professor at the University of Chicago teaching constitutional law.
Source: Chicago Sun-Times, "I have a deep faith" Apr 5, 2004
http://www-news.uchicago.edu/citations/04/040405.obama-st.html
Funny you mentioned Indonesia... his mother married a student from Indonesia, then they moved to Jakarta.
Hmmm. Rings my bells.
He is crafting a personna for himself. Which tells me there is no inner core to the man.