I have to disagree with Sloth regarding this specific incident — the interview where he said, “My Muslim Faith”. I watched a longer clip of the interview last year, so this is based upon my viewing back then, and now...
I do not, nor did I ever, hear any change in tone or inflection, or facial expression that would indicate Obama was being ironic or sarcastic. When we look at his response to George (in the longer clip - which I don’t have a link to handy), we can see he is totally taken out-of-step. He stops for a moment, George repeats what he said TWICE (IIRC), and Obama said something to the effect of, “Oh, I meant my Christian faith” (not a direct quote - just what I remember).
Again, there is no indication before or after his response that his answer to the question was sarcastic. And, his response completely flowed until George cut him off to point out his mistake. Obama didn’t even realize he had said that. Now, I don’t know if it was a Freudian slip, or nerves, but by that late in the campaign (and while talking to a ‘friendly’ given Axelrod’s friendship with George) I don’t think he’d have enough butterflies for it to interfere with his answers THAT much.
In fact, I firmly believe that it was this relaxed posture during the article that allowed the truth to slip out. I’m definitely a fan of the Freudian slip theory when it comes to this particular Q & A.
* his relaxed posture during the INTERVIEW, not “article” as I wrote.
Here's the transcript:
STEPHANOPOULOS: You mention your Christian faith. Yesterday you took off after the Republicans for suggesting you have Muslim connections.Just a few minutes ago, Rick Davis, John McCain's campaign manager, said they've never done that. This is a false and cynical attempt to play victim.
OBAMA: You know what? I mean, these guys love to throw a rock and hide their hand. The...
STEPHANOPOULOS: The McCain campaign has never suggested you have Muslim connections.
OBAMA: No, no, no. But the -- I don't think that when you look at what is being promulgated on Fox News, let's say, and Republican commentators who are closely allied to these folks...
STEPHANOPOULOS: But John McCain said that's wrong.
OBAMA: Now, well, look. Listen. You and I both know that the minute that Governor Palin was forced to talk about her daughter, I immediately said that's off limits. And...
STEPHANOPOULOS: But John McCain said the same thing about questioning your faith.
OBAMA: And what was the first thing the McCain's campaign went out and did? They said, look, these liberal blogs that support Obama are out there attacking Governor Palin.
Let's not play games. What I was suggesting -- you're absolutely right that John McCain has not talked about my Muslim faith [<--insert "my alleged Muslim faith" or "what my detractors claim is my Muslim faith" here to see what Obama meant.] And you're absolutely right that that has not come...
STEPHANOPOULOS: Christian faith. [<--here Steph messes up and assumes Obama merely misspoke and interjects to correct him]
OBAMA:... my Christian faith. [<--here Obama repeats the correction but quickly realizes that Steph misunderstood him and that he needs to give further clarification of what he meant...] Well, what I'm saying is that he hasn't suggested...
STEPHANOPOULOS: Has connections, right. [here Steph realizes that Obama hadn't misspoken but was using "my Muslim faith" in a shorthand way, and so now he is letting Obama know that he doesn't need to explain himself and can get back to his point, which Steph believes is something about people connected or allied with McCain's campaign making the suggestion that O is a Muslim]
OBAMA:... that I'm a Muslim. And I think that his campaign's upper echelons have not, either.
What I think is fair to say is that, coming out of the Republican camp, there have been efforts to suggest that perhaps I'm not who I say I am when it comes to my faith -- something which I find deeply offensive, and that has been going on for a pretty long time.[here Obama he recaps his point in order to clarify his meaning. He realizes he hadn't been clear and that Steph had misunderstood and made a of hash of things, and so he has to make this clarifying statement.]
My question to you is this -- given that Obama is in the middle of complaining about the Republicans accusing him of being a Muslim, which he obviously objects to, why would he at that moment make a casual Freudian slip and admit to the world that he's a Muslim? At that moment of all moments, how would he not know that he had just spoken of his Muslim faith? The answer is he said what he said on purpose but he relied too heavily on context to make his meaning clear.
It's a perfect example of how politicians must learn to speak in cut & dried, unambiguous statements. Otherwise what they've said can easily be misunderstand or distorted, both of which have happened to Obama in this case.