Similarly, you could say it is ‘plausible’ that Obama told him he would nuke the world.
You could say a lot of things that aren’t in the article, but in the end we are left with what the article actually tells us - and it says Obama told him he was a muslim.
You are absolutely right, dgroundhog, I am, indeed, speculating about things that weren't in the article - that's because the article (like most) is poorly written, or at least because the article leaves a lot of important things out, chief among them: Just how reputable and reliable is Mr. Gheit? How seriously should we take his claim? Was Mr. Gheit perhaps a little tipsy at the time of the conversation? Does Mr. Gheit perhaps have a secret agenda? Is Mr. Gheit thinking of promoting a book? Is Mr. Gheit a liar? Did anyone think to cross-examine Mr. Gheit, telling him just how serious/controversial his allegation is? Did, upon hearing that Obama publicly claims to be Christian, Mr. Gheit admit that, in his private conversation, Obama in fact might have phrased himself a little differently?
Simply put: Most if not all newspaper articles nowadays are hopelessly incomplete. Sources are quoted who claim that someone else "said" something, without offering those sources' credentials. This amounts to hearsay evidence.
dgroundhog, rest assured that I have no high opinion of Obama. But I don't think that we Conservatives need to stoop to taking seriously every off-the-cuff remark some corrupt Middle Eastern bureaucrat makes to gullible reporters.
Regards,