Lynn Sweet

SO HIS MIDDLE NAME IS HUSSEIN, THERE ARE A LOT OF WHITE PEOPLE OUT THERE PRESIDENTS SENATORS, ETC, I AM SURE THOSE LAST NAMES AND MIDDLE NAME COULD CARRY OVER TO SLAVE OWNERS AND OTHER FEARS OF AMERICAN HISTORY.

Shine the light on these cockroaches..using the word Muslim with Obama is just another way to xxxxxx

Wow, although maybe i shouldn't be shocked, I am a bit shocked at hearing things. I have never seen obama stoop to that level, and I dont think he will either. These remarks sound so uneducated!!!

It could be worse. His middle name could be Bush. Or it could start with a "W", as in, "Worst President Ever."

Give me a break. Has history not taught us anything. The last charismatic, crowd thrilling, dais slapping, empty suited, inexperienced do nothing up-start that hood winked a nation into believing he could lead poor fools to the promised land of milk and honey, ended up running a country into the ground. That person was Adolph Hitler.

Nobody is surprised these views still exist in American society today!Just watch, now your going to see the real America, just like when Jesse Jackson ran for president.

I think it is obvious that people want to come up with an excuse not to vote for a black man. Good for him, this is the best they can com up with. It's obvious these people don't know what they're talking about, or don't care, or are willing to lie to tarnish is record. I'm sure lots of people in Africa/Mid East have Hussein somewhere in their name. What's wrong with him being interested in his culture. Are Irish people disloyal to the U.S. when they celebrate St. Patrick's Day? Lots of people where suits with no tie. Obama's father became an atheist, and left the U.S. when Jr. was 2. He's a Christian. He said so. Is that not good enough? But, of course, we always find a way to vilanize black men.

Mike makes an excellent point. But all these attacks will not work. The American public is awakening to the fact that manipulation from whatever "swift-boating" source is too transparent anymore. Obama realizes, and he is bringing the nation with him, that America wants the freshest start since 1776. And Barack Obama is just the person to provide it!

for that matter what kind of name is Rodham?

How humorous & how desperate to focus on a name, a parent's religion or how one dresses!
I thought we chose leaders based on their character. Silly me.

This is just the beginning of the misinformation and propaganda campaign that will try to get Barack killed. I hope he decides not to run in 2008 and is instead drafted to be Hillary's running mate. At least that way he'll have more Secret Service protection. By 2016 the rednecks and so-called conservatives will be used to his leadership. There are enough bigots out there that are dead-set on trying to stop this great man by any means necessary without the current and sure-to-come future inflamatory rants from the straight-up idiots who are stupid enough to continue to support being Bush-Whacked on Iraq and at home economically. Yet these same people are unwilling to even listen with open minds when it comes to a Black man or a female being poised to become President, both of whom have bold and specific plans that will not only get America out of its current global and domestic morass -- they will restore the world's trust and respect for our country. But these are people who would rather spread their misguided, ridiculously racist fears and stay stuck on stupid. To them, that's The American Way. For the record, Barack is a Christian and he attends my church. Plus Christians and Muslims have been fighting the Crusades for centuries. When is enough, enough?

It is unfortunate. No it is savage to say the kind of things that opponents say about Obama. Should we conclude that Rush is the kind of man that rushes through everything just because his name is Rush? Or is Bush, well.. what can I say?
Let the man be judged by the content of his character. Now that is civilized and American.

Idiots on parade

Did you all really expect anything different from these individuals? They are threatened by the fact that there is an individual who is potentially capable of great things & making many changes if he made a successful presidential bid. At this time, the only negative thing they have is his non-traditional American name. In my opinion, it could be worse. I hope that the majority of Americans resound with one voice & finally choose a capable leader that is able to unite everyone as AMERICANS & refocus on the real issues at hand. At this stage in the game, there are too many important issues that need to be dealt with than to be once again distracted by negative campaigning & fear tactics perpetrated by the usual suspects!

There are probably many valid reasons for questioning Obama's qualifications to be president. The middle name of "Hussein," however, is not one of them. This is equivalent to the Virginia Congressman who said the U.S. should limit immigration of Muslims into the U.S. because of the recent election of a muslim to Congress. The new Congressman has responded that his family has been in the U.S. since 1742. The sickness goes on and on.

It has been clear to me for many years that the media has adopted a collective form of bias & bigotry when it suits them. They use it to protect incompetent presidents, thieving executives and rich friends. So I am not surprised to hear the attacks on Senator Obama and Senator Clinton. The media and the so called religiously correct will constantly speak of being unbiased however, when something so against their cultural norm or their personal preference surfaces(a bi-racial man or a strong woman for president), this so call group of professional experts in television, print and radio becomes unglued. The overt bias is right in our faces. The use of these 'scare tactics' is no different than the WMDs in Iraq, the terrorist threat levels and the bird flu. Why do the players/reporters in the media find it so hard to understand why the general population no longer believe or trust them? The media big guns and media owners have manipulated the news and lied for the Bush/Cheney outfit for six years. Now ,six years later, you want to tell the old truth as current news They will lie & manipulate whatever they can to keep a bi-racial man or a strong woman from reaching greatness and/or acheiving their goal. I'm not surprised at your(Media) behavior-just continually disappointed. Each day I find less and less cause to respect anything the media says. But, hope against hope, I'll keep reading, watching and listening for the honesty and integrity of respectable media that will repsect the intelligence of the general public. You use to be one of us! Thank you.

It's amazing that at one point in time when he ran for Senate; all you heard were praises and how competent and strong he is as a congressional leader and now since the elections are coming up he's not to be trusted? Not only the media but the politicians always contradicts themselves and are full of sh*! We don't and shouldn't worry about him, we should be worrying about the current president doing what he's doing and put more focus on that instead of someones name. Muslims share the same names just as with any other culture. Ya' know, they (media/critics/politicians) should just log on to all of the other blogs and gossip columns and just have a big ole' blast session because they're acting like "haters" shall I say and need to understand the true meaning of life and this world.....any comments??

Are Americans perceived as empty-headed fools by the media and political pundits who spew this nonsense? What is needed is not making references to his heritage but rather focus on his abilities and refreshing straightforwardness.

I agree that it is disgusting to slander Senator Obama by invidious recitation of his middle name. However, Greenfield and Moos spoke satirically, and Greenfield even clarified that, for the humor-impaired, with a second column. I would think Sweet would set these things straight, rather than carelessly parroting mediamatters and possibly slandering Greenfield and Moos.

This is just another example of how low American politics has gone.Let's hope that after 8 years of Bushite politics, the American public has learned to read through the trash and separate out the propaganda.

Has America really been reduced to this, that we are picking a president based on his middle name? Has the level of political discourse sunk so low, that we are even having this conversation, rather than one about Obama's politics?

God help America, because neither the politicians or the media will...

Who cares about his name or religion. I want to know what was it about Tony Reczko that motivated Obama to approach him about purchasing the adjacent lot in the first place. There had to be a reason Reczko came to mind. Were they such close friends Barack felt comfortable asking him to buy property so as to sell Obama a section of it? Did they have other business dealings. Did Reczko mention he was interested in real estate? Did a third party help broker the deal or suggest Reczko? Just what made him think of Reczko? Amazingly, Barack's memory seems to get a bit fuzzy about this question. Another question. Did Obama approach anyone else about this real estate deal?

although i detest osama/obama the courage he stands up to should be recond with.I think in my heart he will usher in all things united nations maybe even training
here on our soil. So if ever a chance to sand up now for a change do so in 08'
vote indie get all the lifers out for goog

Well it is very clear that the right is scared of Obama. They have only a name to slam him on, clearly they are reaching.

The truth is that Obama will always shed light on these silly moves by the right, by speaking the truth and calling for a new kind of politics. He is truly one that can walk his talk at a time that the country is so ready for this.
Just remember the harder that the right pushes the more Obama will show the country that he has what it takes to be a great leader. I know that this will only make Obama stronger.

You should read this Screenplay called Ameristan, it will send chills down your spine.

Ameristan Screenplay
The "password" is the word password.

The story you’re about to read is fiction, but it’s based on research, facts and some very real events. For instance, all of the following actually happened:

On June 25, 1991, Siraj Wahaj walked up the steps to the Capitol dome—symbol of the American people, their government and their freedom. He had proudly accepted the honor of being the first Muslim ever invited to deliver a daily invocation before the U.S. House of Representatives.

Wahaj was an African-American convert to Islam who worked with cops to clean up drug abuse in his tough Brooklyn neighborhood. Since converting in 1969, Wahaj had become an international speaker for Islamic causes, hosted a radio show and served on the advisory board for the American Muslim Council.

His smiling, cherubic face was set off by a gray-flecked black beard trimmed to a neat point several inches below his round chin. Wahaj stood before Congressmen, cited the Qur’an and prayed that the Almighty would guide American leaders and “grant them righteousness and wisdom.�

A little over a year later, addressing an audience of Muslims in New Jersey, Wahaj delivered a different message. If only Muslims were more politically clever, he said, they could take over the United States and replace its constitutional government with a caliphate – one Islamic commander wielding spiritual, temporal and military power over all.

“If we were united and strong, we’d elect our own emir and give allegiance to him,� Wahaj said. “If six to eight million Muslims unite in America, the country will come to us.�

In 1995, Wahaj testified as a character witness for Omar Abdel Raham in a trial that found that sheikh guilty of conspiracy to overthrow the United States government. The U.S. attorney for New York listed Wahaj as one of the unindicted persons who may have been co-conspirators in the plot.

During the summer of 2003, the Virginia-based Muslim American Society began building an influential voting bloc for the 2004 elections with a goal of “eventually seeing Muslim candidates on ballots for everything from city council to congressional seats,� according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

And in the spring of 2004, Attorney General John Ashcroft said “credible intelligence from multiple sources� revealed that al-Qaida’s Muslim extremists “are determined to launch an attack in the United States in the next few months.�

Those are “the facts on the ground,� as Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was fond of saying.

What follows is make-believe.

But do not deceive yourself into thinking it couldn’t happen. The “Ameristan� movement might be underway at this very moment. It could be happening as we sleep.

Charles Welty

New York

Ameristan Screenplay
The "password" is the word password.

This right wing bigotry makes me even more hopeful that Obama runs..and wins. At least he will have been out of the country prior to a Presidential run, unlike George W. Take note of his international disaster!

I am still trying to figure out the import of all this name brouhaha. So George W. Bush had a "convntional" name, did he not? To what extent did that help in his judgement and policy formulations?

America, wake up. Barack Obama will principally be judged on his intelligence, judgement, and ability to unite our fissured country. As it is, the US has lost its leverage and ability to be seen as a respected power in global affairs after eight years of botched Bush (mis)leadership.

Frankly, unlike the rest of the potential 2008 field for the presidency, Barack Obama has the understanding and wherewithal to understand the complex kaleidoscope that is our world in this new millenium. Which of our prospective leaders will be comfortable dealing with an ascendant China, an increasingly confident Indian, the troubled African continent, or a still very paradoxical Middle East?

My vote goes to Obama.

I always thought that these comments wouldn't come out of America. I can't actually believe that this is a civilised society because, it is full of haters who would take take the first shot given the chance to kill Obama. If America don't watch out, I can't even describe what will happen. God has left this country.

These right wing pundits are disgusting. Obama is above all this, that's why we need him in office. I could come up with a million names about Bush that are much more well, negative.
-Bush?? Come on!
-Dubya??? (Wait a minute, that looks sort of like Dubai, which is in a predominantly Muslim country!!)
-Dumbyeah??? I like that one.... The possibilities are endless. The difference is, Obama doesn't stoop to that level and will show these idiots just how dumb they look and make any American who buys into their ridiculous rants look even dumber.

the thing about bigots is that they blend in just like the terrorist. except they don't look like them or do they?they smile in front of the camera and intelligently gets there air time to spew there venom.i feel that fair and barely balanced news programs that smile for the camera everyday and constantly feeding there viewers there agendas will play a major role again in this next presidential election.they're going to have oodles of smart nobodies bashing not just osama or senator clinton but whom ever should challenge the republican party,will be fiercely attacked with hate and lies.and it might just work.

As usual, "language well calculated to fool the ignorant". Obama indeed, since when is getting elected to the senate sufficent qualifications for leader of the free world? He's just another manufactured stuffed shirt. We would do well to know the power behind the "head filled with straw"."Say hello to the new boss, same as the old boss". He would be the intellectual equivalent of typing in all caps, all style and no substance.

I knew It would be just a matter of TIME when they will start BASHING HIM!!!!!

So...if your name has any Islamic flair to it, then you are obviously a terrorist and good for nothing. Well, I seem to remember that a certain late Middle Eastern monarch carried the name HUSSEIN and his son today still is an American allie! I hope that Barack runs, and then again I hope he doesn't. If this ridiculousness is already starting, then God help him if he does decide to dive in. The excitement has been described as JFK and RFK like. Sadly and tragically we all know what happened to them. I don't think the 'establishment' is any readier now than it was then. If Obama rocks the boat and I feel he will intend to, it's not going to be a pretty site. We can only pray that if he is in fact the 'real deal' and does decide to get in the race, that he will win and not fall into the VP w/Hillary trap. We're going to know real soon how the next 2 years are going to playout. The right-wing extremists are going to try and destroy this man. I hope he has the will and the determination to discredit every move they make.

Last time I checked this was the war on Terror, not the war on Islam. Debbie get it right. It's such a shame that we still have idiots like these people(Neo-Cons).

The Republican party has lost their mind. They have advocated a war, no re-phrase that, they have shoved their policies down our throats, and see nothing wrong with it.

They are the most bigoted group of people in the world. Who cares if his last name is Hussein, I only want to know if the man can do the job.

Rather his name is Obama or Clinton, I feel we need to give the other party a chance. We have had almost 8 yrs of partisan politics from a party which ws supposed to unite the country under the banner of GOD, well i'm still waiting.

Gee I can't understand why a backlash is starting...especially when "reporters" like you jam Obama in our face every day.

to Stuart Royston: its not going to be the 'right doing Obama in. Its going to be Hilary's army (Carville and company) who do him in.

This is absolutely ridiculous, this is not a war on Islam, but a war on terrorism. If we are assuming that every islamic person is a terrorist then we're looking at the same scenario that we saw for the second half of WWII. We would eventually do what we did to the Japanese, throw all of them in internment camps and treat citizens as non-citizens.

I am not surprised one bit. I predicted this months ago. I am an American of Muslim descent and I had a feeling that if Barack came close to getting in the race that the middle name card would be played. Bottom line: Despite everything there are a lot of people in this country who cannot handle the idea of a President whose roots are not from England. However as I understand it Barack Obama attends church with his wife. I assume then his is a Christian of some denomination.

2 years of being a senator qualifies him for the presidency? Who are you kidding, mainstream media?