I just think politically, it was a bad idea for Barack Obama to keep his surname and middle name. After all his father abandoned the family at 2. If Obama used his mother’s maiden name DUNHAM, he would not be getting this kid of criticism as a Barry Dunham.
Even Bill Clinton was born William Jefferson Blythe IV. He changed his name even though his stepfather, Roger Clinton Sr., was a drunk. Clinton never knew his natural father, and neither did Obama, so why would Obama keep a name that could cause repercussions if he wanted to go into politics?
“why would Obama keep a name that could cause repercussions if he wanted to go into politics?”
Actually, that’s something to think about.
If he had been planning to run for office since he was 2, I would agree, but since he probably wasn't, had he done it as an adult, it would end up looking like what Gary Warren Hartpence did. He would have looked ashamed and vain.
Obama's proud of his name; it signifies that his roots are other than American, and he learned to hate America at the knee of his radical mother, described by those who knew her as a "fellow traveler" -- so, in Obama's world, the America he hates must be "changed."
That said, it's SOP to have local radio hosts warm up a crowd at campaign stops, and McCain could easily have shrugged it off with "I don't know the guy, but he's entitled to his political views." or "Isn't that my opponent's name? I don't understand the problem." Instead, he gave the media, as usual, exactly what they wanted.
If McCain doesn't realize what he's up against in Obama, and how this guy has come on the scene at a time that combines economic uncertainty, war weariness, and a moral vacuum that yearns for a "savior," we are in deep trouble. If he intends to "play nice" and keep to the high road of political niceties or, even worse, tack further left to out-pander Obama's socialist promises, we're heading for a national disaster.