Posted on 06/02/2009 4:25:37 PM PDT by markedmannerf
Edited on 06/02/2009 4:52:25 PM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
June 02, 2009 6:58 PM
ABC News' Jake Tapper and Sunlen Miller report: The other day we heard a comment from a White House aide that never would have been uttered during the primaries or general election campaign.
During a conference call in preparation for President Obama's trip to Cairo, Egypt, where he will address the Muslim world, deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communications Denis McDonough said "the President himself experienced Islam on three continents before he was able to -- or before he's been able to visit, really, the heart of the Islamic world -- you know, growing up in Indonesia, having a Muslim father -- obviously Muslim Americans (are) a key part of Illinois and Chicago."
Given widespread unease and prejudice against Muslims among Americans, especially in the wake of 9/11, the Obama campaign was perhaps understandably very sensitive during the primaries and general election to downplay the candidate's Muslim roots.
The candidate was even offended when referred to by his initials "BHO," because he considered the use of his middle name, "Hussein," an attempt to frighten voters.
With insane rumors suggesting he was some sort of Muslim Manchurian candidate, then-Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and his campaign did everything they could to emphasize his Christianity and de-emphasize the fact that his father, Barack Obama Sr., was born Muslim.
The candidate's comment at a Boca Raton, Florida, town hall meeting on May 22, 2008, was typical: "My father was basically agnostic, as far as I can tell, and I didn't know him," he said.
In September 2008, candidate Obama told a Pennsylvania crowd, "I know that I'm not your typical presidential candidate and I just want to be honest with you. I know that the temptation is to say, 'You know what? The guy hasn't been there that long in Washington. You know, he's got a funny name. You know, we're not sure about him.' And that's what the Republicans when they say this isn't about issues, it's about personalities, what they're really saying is, 'We're going to try to scare people about Barack. So we're going to say that, you know, maybe he's got Muslim connections.'...Just making stuff up."
Back then, the campaign's "Fight the Smears" website addressed the candidate's faith without mentioning his father's religion:
"Barack Obama is a committed Christian. He was sworn into the Senate on his family Bible. He has regularly attended church with his wife and daughters for years. But shameful, shadowy attackers have been lying about Barack’s religion, claiming he is a Muslim instead of a committed Christian. When people fabricate stories about someone’s faith to denigrate them politically, that’s an attack on people of all faiths. Make sure everyone you know is aware of this deception."
The website also provided quotes from the Boston Globe and Newsweek mentioning his father's roots.
Since the election, however, with the threat of the rumors at least somewhat abated, the White House has been increasingly forthcoming about the president's roots. Especially when reaching out to the
Muslim world.
In his April 6 address to the Turkish Parliament, President Obama referenced how many "Americans have Muslims in their families or have lived in a Muslim majority country. I know, because I am one of them."
- Jake Tapper and Sunlen Miller
What was the name of his book? “Dreams from My Father”? Words fail me.
Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and his campaign did everything they could to emphasize his Christianity and de-emphasize the fact that his father, Barack Obama Sr., was born Muslim.
Barack Obama Sr. was born a muslim because his father was a muslim.
Barack Hussein Obama must have been born a muslim also, because his father was a muslim.
So he should feel right at home speaking to his muslim brothers and sisters in a couple of days in the heart of Islam.
Of course, the spin that the press will put on that statement will be, "It MIGHT mean that he's admitting to be Muslim; but it could also mean that he admits to having Muslims in his family, or having lived in a Muslim majority country."
Of course, the spin that the press will put on that statement will be, "It MIGHT mean that he's admitting to be Muslim; but it could also mean that he admits to having Muslims in his family, or having lived in a Muslim majority country."
When the democrats went from red to blue in one election night it reminded me of how the environmental catastrophe in the making changed from impending Ice Age to global warming overnite.
On the political palette, democrats will always be Red to me. Progressive democrats are North Korean Red.
Yes, that's it. Here's an excerpt that'll give you a warm, fuzzy feeling (from the Obama Timeline):
Obama wrote in Dreams From My Father, “Only Malcolm X’s autobiography seemed to offer something different. His repeated acts of self-creation spoke to me.” Malcolm X stated that the white race was created by an evil scientist named “Yakub,” and “history proves the white man is the devil.” He was largely responsible for the spread of Islam among blacks in the United States, and stated that Islam was the “true religion of black mankind” while “Christianity was the white man’s religion.” Malcolm X wrote, “We’re not Americans, we’re Africans who happen to be in America. We were kidnapped and brought here against our will from Africa. We didn’t land on Plymouth Rock; that rock landed on us.”
Gerald Kellman later relates that Obama’s job [at the Woods Fund] “largely consisted of interviewing community members and creating a narrative out of their experiences, the problems the community faced.” Kellman also noted, “It is clear that the benefit of those years to Mr. Obama dwarfs what he accomplished… On issues, we made very little progress, nothing that would change poverty on the South Side of Chicago.” According to his boss, Obama was a failure as a community organizer, despite being a “master of agitation.” Obama is less a community organizer than a community agitator, teaching people how to demand more welfare benefits and other government handouts. But like many poverty pimps, Obama is able to parlay his experience into something fashionable for his politically correct resume, even if he did little to help those he had led on crusades.Good to see that the more things "Change", the more they stay the same...
Will someone come forward with his long form Birth Certificate and/or adoption papers ... PLEASE!
I hate the press.
They didn’t know he was Muslim? We knew!
shhhh...you’re making too much sense!
I saw an allegation on another thread that Zero's tuition at Columbia was picked up by the Nation of Islam.
Unfortunately, that same poster was asserting the old story (which I think is a canard) that Obama is the secret bastard child of Malcolm X, which caused Louis Farrakhan to come to regard Obama as some kind of "black Messiah" (or scourge) .... n/w/s that Farrakhan is allegedly heavily invested in the burial of Malcolm X's memory and legend, Farrakhan having conspired at Malcolm X's 1965 murder. Or so it is said.
So these stories that are floating around are incoherent.
Still would like to see all the documentation, though. It might be the end of Obama's residency in the Oval Orifice (oops, sorry, reverted to the Clintonista name for it).
I was just wondering, what the hell do we do if he just up and recites the Shehada for real and pronounces himself a convert to Islam?
What do we do with a back-door Musselman in the White House?
Re:my question in post # 213. I just googled it. It means Egypt is saying Obama is their (a) God! WTF!!!
Democrats confuse the fact that Obama is competent with the fact that he is presentable. He has been known to cut his hand on the pleats of his trousers. When Obama gets up in the morning he has to make a decision of whether that day he is going to be more dapper than he is cocky or more cocky than he is dapper. In the meantime, the dominance of Obama and the Democrats in this nation is the electoral reenactment of the Bataan Death March.
Politics is a dirty job and the Democrats are the only ones dirty enough to do it. The Democrats are not a party, they’re a puddle. (Firehat)
Looked to me that *O* just greeted the Saudi king in good Muslim fashion.
I don't think that's right. My dictionary of names says it's swahili for "He who nationalizes everything."
He is the Egyptian pharaoh. God be with us all. Obama has a web page calling for unity to stand with Sotomayor Click Here Who does he think he is? 
President Obama Lands In Saudi Arabia President Obama To Meet Saudi King Abdullah
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