There are lots and lots of ways to interpret this, none of them very good for Obama.
From the far right we're already seeing a 'gotcha' reaction, pointing to the slip as a smoking gun that all is not what it seems with Obama's religious orientation, something which the hardcore right has been claiming ever since they learned he attended a madrassa as a kid and dug up a photograph of Obama in a robe. The cornerstone of their argument is that Islam includes the doctrine of the 'permissible lie' where you may conceal your faith without committing a sin if it is part of a Jihad or if you are lying to unbelievers. This feeds into the conspiracy theory that Obama is some sort of Islamic version of the Manchurian Candidate, programmed from an early age to serve the cause of radical Islam while pretending all his life to be a Christian American. It's a nice, dramatic story, but that doesn't make any of it true.
The defense from the left is predictable and pretty weak, dismissing it as nothing but a slip of the tongue, from someone whom they have set up as a leader of genius and the great orator of our time. Arguing that someone so articulate and intelligent could get flustered and misspeak so seriously when being questioned by a lightweight like George Stephanopoulos, is a pretty weak position to take. But let's just dismiss it. The evil Republicans have been calling Obama a Muslim so much that it's like the example from the story I told earlier. He can't get the dreaded word out of his head, so he blurts it out.
As always, the truth lies somewhere between these two extremes. As Stephanopoulos argued effectively enough for Obama to be forced to agree, no one on the right who is taken seriously is really pushing the idea that Obama is a secret Muslim. Why bother? The Christian church he attended for years is as bad as anything you'll find in Islam, and if the public will give him a pass on that, they're probably willing to overlook anything.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Jon Sobel
Whoa, that's a whole mess of interpretation for one slip of the tongue. Slow news day?
2 - troll
...being humans I suspect that all of the candidates have their demons
3 - Dr Dreadful
Stephanopoulos's correction makes even less sense. Why would an opponent's Christian faith be something McCain would want to make hay out of?
I suspect, however, that Obama simply forgot to insert the word 'alleged'.
4 - troll
agreed Dreadful but Obama wasn't quick enough to correct Stephanopoulos' 'correction' - a clear indication of internal torment
5 - Deano
"dark and troubled waters filled with the looming shapes of monsters from Obama's id"
You know if you expand on this a bit more, you just might win the Bullard Lytton Fiction Contest...it is so stupidly bad, it's good.
6 - Ruvy
that's a whole mess of interpretation for one slip of the tongue. Slow news day?
Jon, it would seem so. But, there is a real question whether, according to Moslem law, Obama is a Moslem. We have Arab and Iranian terrorist leaders claiming he is a Moslem. On the other hand, Moslem legal scholars are debating the issue.
Obama, of course, is keeping his trap shut.
Jon, Obama's natural sympathies are with the Arabs. And you know that, whether you will admit that or not. That works for me. Until people I know and trust can tell me that Sarah Palin wilkkl do what is right and let us end this "Palestinian" shit, McCain is no better than Obama - he supports the "peace process" that will kill this country.
An enemy who stinks like an enemy is a tool for guys like me to get rid of the puppets of that enemy, the cabinet in Jerusalem. But the bottom line is that the man is surrounded by and supported by Jew-haters.
I want to make that clear, Jon - Jew-haters - not Israel haters. So far as Israel is concerned, he probably wishes it didn't exist. From what I read from a lot of Jews, they wish it didn't exist either. If there were no Israel, there would be no Israelis pounding the door saying that Jews have an obligation to come home, would there.
But Obama's Jew-hatred, and the Jew-hatred of his supporters hopefully is what will help drive Jews who absolutely refuse to consider leaving America to come home, to at least consider leaving America, and joining me in coming home.
7 - Jordan Richardson
I hope Obama wins the presidency, sticks Michelle in a hijab, and shouts "Surprise!" right before the adhan blasts out over Washington.
8 - Daniel Miller
Dave,
Cut the poor guy some slack. Tanking in the polls, not doing well enough in fund raising, having Governor Palin impailin (sorry, I couldn't resist) him -- no wonder he's confused. Oh. I was for him (sort of) before I was against him.
Dan(Miller)
9 - Jordan Richardson
Ruvy, two things:
1. Interesting that the link you provide is to a blog called, proudly, Anti-Mullah. Are we giving terrorists credibility now?
2. Has Barack Obama sincerely recited the shahada?
There is no "debate" amongst scholars as to whether or not he could be a Muslim. He either is or isn't. He says he isn't and that denial alone ought to be adequate proof.
10 - troll
...Ruvy - did you see the report of Palin sitting through a lecture by the rep of Jews for Jesus in August at her Church (which is described a 'more mainstream' than her old pentecostal one)
pretty strange
11 - Ruvy
Jordan,
You're right. There really isn't any debate here. Obama was a Moslem, studied Islam and lived it.
From the link:
We do not know if he self-identifies as a Moslem or not, but his comment to Stephanopoulos indicates that in spite of all those years listening to Christians haranguing him, Islam lives in his heart.
As far as the American constitution goes, that shouldn't mean anything. But so far as policy goes, it means everything.
12 - Ruvy
Yeah, troll, I know all about Brickner's sermon at Palin's church. I also know that she disassociated herself from the statements.
13 - lLumpy
you miss the ttuly significant thing here. even though the video was clearly edited for time they didn't cut obama's slip. strange from the left-leaning media and a sycophant like stephanopopadopolous.
14 - troll
true - she fell back on the bromide of expressing her 100% support for Israel
and when I viewed the vid I couldn't tell if her jaw was so slack due to rapture or astonished disbelief
all strange none the less
15 - Jordan Richardson
That article is so convoluted and perplexing that I'm hard-pressed to make any sense of it, Ruvy.
A few things I noticed:
1. Try and go to the link that the website got the "story" from. You can't. The Freedom's Enemies page on "Obama Education" isn't there.
2. Ted Belman is a pretty well-known right-wing smear artist. Much like anything read on the Daily Kos, the site which I linked you to on Belman, I'd take anything said with a rather large grain of salt.
3. The Obama/Muslim connection has been thoroughly debunked by just about every mainstream outlet in the country. There is simply no good reason to believe the lie anymore unless one has a hidden agenda (or a not-so-hidden agenda in your case, Ruvy).
4. We do not know if he self-identifies as a Moslem or not. Actually, we know he doesn't.
5. his comment to Stephanopoulos indicates that in spite of all those years listening to Christians haranguing him, Islam lives in his heart No, it doesn't mean that.
Ruvy, if you're going to try to "prove" something about Barack Obama, I suggest you lay off the wildly speculative reasonsings of hard-right or hard-left "pundits" and stick to the facts.
16 - Ruvy
Jordan,
Frankly, I'll believe Belman over any asshole writing of the mainstream media. At least he doesn't turn himself into a whore for a story like they do, and misreport it when they get their hands on it, like they do.
As to Obama, you only know what you believe. Obama is a slippery snake, just like the Clintons are.
And do remember, as of now I support Barak Obama to be president.
17 - Jordan Richardson
Frankly, I'll believe Belman over any asshole writing of the mainstream media. At least he doesn't turn himself into a whore for a story like they do, and misreport it when they get their hands on it, like they do.
Highly debateable. He is a whore for his agenda and he is as guilty of deception as anyone else. Belman's the same. Whether you choose to believe one asshole or another is your option, naturally, but I prefer to believe actual sourced, factual statements over conjecture and speculation.
Obama is a slippery snake, just like the Clintons are.
He may well be, but he's not a Muslim.
18 - Glenn Contrarian
So we have a choice - Barack Obama with the funny name who has an occasional slip of the tongue...or McCain the 'national security expert' who, thanks to his 'senior moments', doesn't know the difference between Sunni and Shi'a and the significance of that difference in our foreign relations.
'Know your enemy' - that's been a mantra of great generals since Sun Tzu. McCain, if he doesn't know that single most important fact about the Islamic schism, hasn't got a clue.
19 - Dorjam
The next US president will be just like the ones before him and will do as he's damn well told by the people with the money and the power. Who gives a shit what his name is or his religion. He'll be another asshole acting on behalf of a nation populated by a majority of flag-waving easily manipulated fools.
20 - Jordan Richardson
Dorjam,
Bingo.
21 - Baritone
Dave's article is typical of the crap that the right wing is desparately attempting in the hope of garnering a vote here or a vote there. Plant the seed. Nevermind that the seed itself is not viable. The objective is for it to germinate in the minds of those who are so vacuous they have ample room for it to grow.
Now, can we, by that same prescription, believe that every time McCain says something inane and stupid that he is just a few syllables short of dementia? It really must have been a slow news day for Dave.
Ruvy buys it all hook line and sinker because it supports his "jew hater" belief. I would pose this question to Ruvy just to stir things up and play devil's advocate: If so many people "hate" jews, why? Arabs and muslims aside, what is it about jews that apparently produces so much hatred? Because jews killed jesus? Give me a break. Anyhow, it was all a part of god's plan.
About the polls. They are no more meaningful than when Obama had a substantial lead. It is always predictable that the candidates get a "bounce" immediatly following their respective conventions. I must hand it to McCain with the timing of his Palin announcement, he succeeded in dampening Obama's convention bounce. Job well done, Johnny.
Overall, the polls still show the race to be a dead heat. If that's the best McCain can do after his (I'll give it to him on this as well) totally unexpected nomination of Palin and his raucous convention antics, I'd say his campaign is still in deep doodoo. The Palin glow will fade, especially if she is shown to be the light weight that I suspect her to be. The McCains better hope that Sister Sarah gets better than "Cs" in her government, economics and international relations survey courses. Perhaps if she prays hard enough, she'll pull out a couple of "Bs."
B
22 - lLumpy
Baritone this response to the Obama gaffe is one of the mildest and most moderate I've seen. But like most of the commentary it gives Obama a pass on the rest of the interview which consisted of Obama lying and stephanopopulos pointing out the facts and then more lying and more contradictions with fact.
Obamas compulsive lying is an embarassment and a lot of demograts are starting to wish they had the iron bitch back.
23 - Jordan Richardson
Name one of the lies from the interview, lLumpy.
24 - Baritone
What's up with the "justified" margins?
B
25 - Arch Conservative
"I hope Obama wins the presidency, sticks Michelle in a hijab, and shouts "Surprise!" right before the adhan blasts out over Washington."
Jordan...more likely it will be a scoody doo ending where Obama during his victory speech pulls off a rubber mask and it's really Osama.
"Obama? Osama? Hello Mcfly? you infidels really are stupid." Then he pulls out some type of detonator device, presses it and shit starts blowing up all over the country as he screaming about allah and MSNBC carries it live with a smiling Keith Olbermann.