from Media Matters:
Washington, D.C. -- Taking the current media focus on Sen. Barack Obama's (D-IL) middle name a step further, right-wing pundit and regular MSNBC guest, Debbie Schlussel argued that because Obama's middle name is Hussein and the fact that his late father was of Muslim descent, Obama's "loyalties" must be called into question. In her December 18 column headlined "Barack Hussein Obama: Once a Muslim, Always A Muslim," Schlussel asked: Is this "a man we want as President when we are fighting the war of our lives against Islam? Where will his loyalties be?" She ended her column by asking if Obama becoming vice president instead would be acceptable. Answering her own question, she wrote: "NO WAY, JOSE ... Or, is that, HUSSEIN?"
Schlussel's column fits into a larger pattern in the recent media coverage and commentary regarding Obama. Indeed, like Schlussel -- who has repeatedly appeared on MSNBC in the past -- numerous media figures have gone out of their way to highlight Obama's middle name in recent weeks.
by John Whiteside - Houston Chronicle blogs:
For those of us who cling to the belief that one of our nation's great strengths is that our identity is based on our shared belief in liberty, opportunity, and the importance of an individual's personal qualities over the blood that runs through his or her veins, Schlussel's column is nothing more than a stomach-wrenching bit of trash.
It's interesting, though; Obama and Schlussel have some things in common. They are both Americans. They both are members of minority groups in the United States. And both of them belong to groups that have, in fairly recent history, suffered discrimination and worse both here and abroad.
The difference, of course, is that Obama seems to understand what it means to be an American, and why living up to the ideals of that heritage can help us prevent some of the horrors of the past. Schlussel, on the other hand, seems more interested in recreating them - as long as she's on the side running things.
How sad that someone could grow up in this country and understand so little about its promise to its people.
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