Richard Cohen Suggests Obama Has A 'Farrakhan Test,' Obama Responds

Democratic frontrunners Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have vowed to make nice and heal the racial rift that has lately erupted in the race for the Democratic nomination. But Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen must not have gotten the memo, because today, he offered his own flailing, inane take on the matter in an article titled, "Obama's Farrakhan Test."

Displaying the same sort of reasoning that made "Six Degrees Of Kevin Bacon" such a popular concept for six, even seven, minutes back in the late 1990s, here's how Cohen arrives at the standpoint that Obama has a "Farrakhan test" to take. Obama worships at the Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ. That church's minister, Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., also publishes a magazine. That magazine gave Louis Farrakhan an award once. So, ergo, Barack Obama totally hates the Jews.

Cohen notes that "nothing in Obama's record suggests he harbors anti-Semitic views or agrees with Wright when it comes to Farrakhan." He also notes that David Axelrod has averred that Obama and Wright "sometimes disagree." He goes on to confirm that the Farrakhan award is "one of those instances." He finally concludes: "I don't for a moment think that Obama shares Wright's views on Farrakhan." Uhm...okay! Case closed? Naturally, there's a "but."

"But the rap on Obama is that he is a fog of a man. We know little about him, and, for all my admiration of him, I wonder about his mettle." This would be a fair point in macro, but on the matter of Obama's opinion of Farrakhan, Cohen himself has duly recorded the candidate's unfogging!

Larded with a thoroughly pedantic recital of Martin Luther King and multiple violations of Godwin's Law, the whole piece is an identity politics cheap shot masquerading as high-minded outrage. It's a masterwork of tortured logic, to boot, seeing as the available facts suggest that it's Wright who has explaining to do, not the candidate. Having received confirmation that he doesn't agree with Wright's stance on Farrakhan, what more does Cohen expect Obama to do to make his position clear? Will this statement suffice?

I decry racism and anti-Semitism in every form and strongly condemn the anti-Semitic statements made by Minister Farrakhan. I assume that Trumpet Magazine made its own decision to honor Farrakhan based on his efforts to rehabilitate ex-offenders, but it is not a decisions with which I agree.

So there you go, Mr. Cohen! But hey, since we're talking about allegiances and the six-degrees-of-separation concept, maybe you could take up the matter of Clinton surrogate Robert Johnson and his history of providing minority veneer to all sorts of bad Bush administration policies. Because that seems to still be a little foggy.

Comments

[realpolitic]

If Cohen wonders about Obama's "mettle," what does mentioning Louis Farrakhan have to do with anything? And then they wonder why the public holds politicians in so little esteem. They seemingly will do or say anything.

[Sacsile]

This is actually getting BEYOND ridiculous now. It's as if they are just grasping at straws. It's too obvious. They are pulling whatever they can pull from a hat! The hat has holes in it it seems....l­ol.

I mean it's crazy! Is Richard Cohen also suggesting that if I go to the grocer and my grocer purchases their goods from a supplier who gets their items from a plant whose owner has a Son In Law that is a rapist..th­en I am also a rapist or I support rapist????? That makes absolutely no sense does it??? When is this going to end?

[geobushono]

Aipac ain't done......­.living on our blood.

[Tankan]

Obama hates Jews?

I don't think that is at all likely!

But, perhaps certain Jews hate Obama because he's not a puppet!

[SamanthaJaneSalem]

I used to look forward to Richard Cohen's column every week (or twice a week)-- but he is now Exhibit A in the case of "9/11 Fever." After 9/11 Cohen completely lost it. I feel sorry for him because I believe he was in New York when it happened. But he bought into the whole Iraq War thing and basically became unreadable. A similar tranformation happened to Howard Kurtz, also of the Washington Post.

[ChrisO]

It is exactly this type of overheated, disingenuous writing that makes HuffPo so hard to read. Jason, do you really not see the incongruity in juxtaposing Cohen as saying "Cohen notes that "nothing in Obama's record suggests he harbors anti-Semitic views or agrees with Wright when it comes to Farrakhan.­" and your statement "So, ergo, Barack Obama totally hates the Jews." Disagree with Cohen all you want, but why should anyone take your writing seriously when you so clearly mischaracterize what Cohen wrote? If you're going to be that intellectually dishonest, perhaps you could be smarter than to totally contradict yourself in succeeding sentences.

[midwestvoter]

Polls the media does not want you to see:

http://firedoglake.com/2008/01/14/the-polls-you-wont-hear-much-about/

[Nommo]

What's amazing is how a man who is essentially retired, rather ill, and not given to talking much about anything these days can get folk so crazy riled up!
When was the last time Farrakhan said anything that y'all could jump all over?
When was the last time your environmen­t/language­/other civilization destroying president said anything that mattered?
Try and live in the present, at least.

[wildflowermaven]

The pundits may have predicted the wrong winner in New Hampshire, but they've been right on about what would ensue once Hillary's lead narrowed (disappeared?). Many (can't say who I watch several programs) said that in the next few weeks Hillary and Co. would come after Obama with a vengeance, since there are only small differences between the two in policy positions. Seems to be coming true. Question is, will the same old negative politics work this time, will we let it?

[obsessed]

When the Huffington Post starting publishing articles by Richard Cohen I angrily, but without obscenity, complained. I was banned from posting without notice.

He was just as stupid and dangerous then as he is now.

[Foohog]

Here's a news flash for those still enrolled in kindergarten-- Obama wasn't condescending to Hillary because she's a woman. He was condescending because that is precisely what she deserves.

[progressiveDC]

It's clear the Jewish Richard Cohen has a problem with African-Americans; rather than Barack Obama having any issue with Jews.
As a Jew, I've had it with neo-nuts like Cohen disgracing themselves and disgracing my religion by playing the anti-Semitism card even where there is not a shred of justification for doing so.

I have a question for you, Mr. Cohen: What have you written or done to eliminate racial discrimination against blacks or Muslims in this country? Probably nothing, unless you call making false accusations and insinuations of anti-Semitism (as you did with Walt and Mirsheimer) a form of "social activism."

[Looplinker]

Jason, I see super-sensitivity here. Cohen had every right to bring up this point. I am sure Farrikan has done a lot of good for Black Americans but there is a dark side too to him too. It is akin to Hamas which does a lot of good with social services and yet supports terrorism by blowing up buses. If Obama gets his spiritual support from his church it is interesting to know what he thinks of Farrikan.

Huckabee also believes in biblical prophecy according to some. I want to know whether this is the case since it would worry me that his spirtual thinking would come into play in his foreign policy.

We have seen what can happen when we elect a President who believes that he has God's blessing for what he is doing.

I wish we had a non-believer running for office instead of these bozos who believe in the supernatural.

[fourex]

Cohen is a filthy propagandist for the WH and PNAC.

[AnninCA]

I agree that this is press-generated issue.

Here's my personal reaction.

I'm white. I'm female. And I'm offended that the race issue is put above the obvious sexism.

I saw Obama's condescension to Hillary Clinton.

I saw it.

And now, due to this issue, I'll vote.