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Here comes the RAIN: “My Muslim Faith…”

Posted by TYRONE STEELS II, Site Administrator in Politics.
Sep 8th, 2008 | Comments

Senator Obama slips up and says “my Muslim faith” in an interview with George Stephanopoulus:

http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Politics/13078.htm

While Israel Insider has issues with Senator Obama, the video doesn’t lie:

And 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. And you’re absolutely right that that has not come–

STEPHANOPOULOS: Christian faith.

OBAMA: — my Christian faith. Well, what I’m saying is that he hasn’t suggested–

STEPHANOPOULOS: Has connections, right.

OBAMA: — that I’m a Muslim. And I think that his campaign’s upper echelons have not, either.

I see where Senator Obama slipped up and corrected himself but that doesn’t matter. That “my Muslim faith” may get ACCELERATED coverage in the press (Left, Right, Center, Sideways, etc). How fast things could unravel for Senator Obama depends on how this is played. There’s no evidence of Senator Obama worshiping in a mosque (all we see is Trinity Church and Jeremiah Wright in his religious background). But in American politics, you RARELY get a second chance.

Thanks to Holly In Cincinnati for the tip…

UPDATE

I received a few e-mails about this and I’ve read some of the comments. Thanks to commenter CStanley, I’ve added the phrase “may get ACCELERATED” instead of painting with a broad brush. I usually practice not painting with a broad brush but I did and that’s not me. For that I apologize. We’ll just go with a WAIT AND SEE approach.

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CStanley

That “my Muslim faith” is about to get ACCELERATED coverage in the press (Left, Right, Center, Sideways, etc).

Of course, there's no evidence of that at this point- the story gets a minor mention on Memeorandum with only a few blogs picking up on it, and several center right blogs have already moved quickly to dispel any idiotic chattering (saying that it's quite obvious in context that Obama didn't "admit to being a Muslim."

Undoubtedly some right wingnuts will latch on to this, but let's not paint with a broad brush or hyperventilate over the unfairness of something which hasn't even happened as you suggest that it will.

djshay

Thanks for spreadin' the propaganda.

CStanley

And on a related note, several center right bloggers have made two other points in regard to this interview.

The first is to note that when Obama made that gaffe about his Muslim faith, Stephanopolous was quick to follow up on it so that Obama had an opportunity to clarify what he actually meant to say. Good on George for doing that (that's what anyone would do in polite conversation, if a friend makes a slip that is potentially embarrassing you'd say, "you mean, X, not Y, right?" but in politics such moments are too often used as gotchas.) IOW, I don't think it's a problem that Stephanopolous did this, but I do think it's a problem that journalists typically do not follow up politician's verbal slips that way.

Second point is that Stephanopolous also allowed Obama to clarify his accusations against the McCain campaign for spreading scurrilous rumors, and Obama backed down from that assertion. I'm glad that he corrected himself on that too, but his initial accusation is really offensive.

jwest

CStanley is absolutely correct on this.

Right wing talk radio and blogs are treating this as a speaking gaffe, not trying to mischaracterize it as an admission of being a Muslim.

Classy, confident and so un-liberal like response.

How do people feel Daily Kos or Olberman would have handled a comparable slip on the republican side?

HappySurge

Oh, Holly in Cincinatti, really? The person that's been smearing which candidate in particular for the last several months?

Oh, that's right. Barack Obama.

T-Steel

Stop it djshay. This is a major news interview that will get seen. No propaganda. News. If Obama wouldn't have said it, it wouldn't have been mentioned. 'Nuff said.

I understand your point CStanley (not hyperventilating). But in this election, there has been a GOTCHA environment. Yes I'm painting with a broad brush. But this is a strange election season and stories like this have plenty of food to grow legs and run.

SteveK

Relax folks, it's all about punctuation.

They were discussing "You mention your Christian faith. Yesterday you took off after the Republicans for suggesting you have Muslim connections."

To which Obama replied: "... Let’s not play games. What I was suggesting — you’re absolutely right that John McCain has not talked about my Muslim faith. And you’re absolutely right that that has not come"

In context he was saying: "John McCain has not talked about my "Muslim faith"... As in John McCain was not spreading the "Obama is a Muslim" lie.

Punctuation is important... when the czar had written: "Pardon impossible, to be sent to Siberia." Empress Maria's moved a comma and the note read: "Pardon, impossible to be sent to Siberia.

T-Steel

And to defend Holly, she sent the article to me and I posted this. Holly DID NOT write Israel Insider article. And I'm not part of the "Smear Obama" crowd.

petef

I'm sorry, but I don't see the slip up here. Obama was acknowledging the discussion of his "muslim faith." So what? He didn't say he was a muslim, just that people were talking about his muslim faith. What is he supposed to say? They aren't talking about his christian faith. That's just the point.

T-Steel

I've updated my post. Please read. Thanks CStanley.

elrod

I agree with CStanley on this. If this was going somewhere it would be all over the place. Nobody honestly sees this as some sort of admission of Muslim beliefs. It was in the middle of a long exchange of Obama defending himself against charges of it and accusations (perhaps wrongly) that McCain is stoking it.

RememberNovember

The sad thing is most Americans don't pay attention to punctuation and nuance. He should have immediately countered with "I was not talking about being Muslim but the attribution of me being Muslim by virtue of having spent my pre-globally aware years in a school in Indonesia" As far as I know, Harvard is not a Madrassa, nor is Punahoe school in Honolulu."

Or at least he should have used bunny ears.

HappySurge

I know you're not, T-Steel. But let's be honest. There's a reason she forwarded that article.

AustinRoth

Simple slip of the tongue. Nothing more. Or maybe as suggested, Obama forgot to do "air quotes' with his hands.

But I just can't resist. Does this mean Obama is showing early signs of Alzheimers or dementia, too? :-)

T-Steel

A friend of mine read this blog post and cracked me up by saying this:

I think your hidden Conspiracy Brutha got the best of you buddy.

Maybe... Oh well. I'm big boy so I'll take my medicine.

CStanley

Thanks for the update, T-Steel.

ThinkingOnMyOwnTwoFeet

I'm not voting for Obama, but I think he's a good guy, and I have to agree that this is silly. It would have been more clear if he had said "my supposed Muslim faith," but it seemed obvious to me that that's what he meant anyway. I in no way think this was an "accidental" admission to being Muslim.

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