Why, then, does he bother to define himself as "muslim"?
Maybe because he was born one, and hasn't changed his religion? Anyway, where did he explictly pronounce his muslimness as being hyper-important?
I judge him not by his "religion" or ethnicity but by what I know of him and his actions and deeds. He has done a helluva job in Iraq (and Afghanistan), and has contributed his part in the War on Terror. He is strong on foreign policy, a real hawk and would be great choice for UN Ambassador.