Why Obama Becomes Osama

GOP presidential contender Mitt Romney's no harm no foul denial that he intended any slander in mixing up Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama's name with terrorist bogeyman Osama bin Laden was tepid and perfunctory. So much so that it sounded less like a denial than a simple misstatement of a fact. But that's what it was intended to be. The reason Romney got off with a half-baked blow off of his verbal goof starts and ends with Obama.

There's his name. The similarity to Osama, America's universal symbol of evil and mass death and destruction has been just too juicy to pass up as the butt of jokes, ridicule, and sincere or calculated confusion. Two years ago a befuddled Senator Ted Kennedy stumbled and confused Obama with Osama. Kennedy had no political ax to grind with Obama. Both are moderate Democrats. Since Obama announced his candidacy, some off-beat bloggers have run rampant poking fun at the Obama-Osama name nexus. Then the fun and games with his name turned malicious. There was the flood of emails that fanned the rumor that Obama is a Muslim (he's not) and therefore suspect in the terror war, and insinuated that he's less than patriotic.

Any other time the Obama name tweak could be laughed off as just another silly, warped, cheap shot at a politician. But the fear of terrorism makes the Obama-Osama name mix-up anything but off color camp. Polls still show that terrorism ranks at or near the top of America's jitters. On the sixth anniversary this past September of the 9/11 terror attack, an AP poll found that an astounding nine out of ten Americans said they believe the U.S. will be attacked again by terrorists on American soil. Despite Bush's towering foreign and domestic bumbles and failures, and ocean bottom popularity ratings, polls show that a majority of Americans still approve of his response to the 9/11 attacks.

The terror scare and Bush's adroit milk of it was the single biggest thing that propelled him back to the White House. Romney and the GOP contenders know that, and in a campaign season when legions of Americans are fed up with GOP corruption and sex scandals, policy failures, and a failed and flawed war, and when the current bunch of GOP contenders barely stir a pulse among hard line evangelicals, the terrorism card looms as the biggest, maybe the only, ace in the hole for the GOP in 2008.

That makes Obama a tailor made fall guy to again blast the Democrats as soft on terrorism. Unfortunately, Obama gave them some ammunition for blasting. In a Democratic debate in July Obama loosely proclaimed that he wouldn't hesitate to reach out to America's favorite pariahs, Fidel Castro, Iran, and North Korea. That brought howls from conservatives, and even raised the eyebrows of Hillary Clinton and other top Democrats. That instantly transformed Obama into the presidential candidate even more suspect in waging the war against terrorism.

Obama tried mightily to do damage control, and shot from the lip again with a quip a week later that he'd launch preemptive strikes against terrorists wherever they were and that included search and destroy missions to ferret out Osama and Al-Qaeda. He added more bluster when he quipped that he'd put his own life on the line to stop another 9/11 attack. Obama's bring-on-em' Bush like saber rattle on terrorism, let alone a little rhetorical bravado on 9/11 won't make one iota difference to conservatives and legions of voters. He'll still be their perfect foil to whip saw the Democrats as losers on terrorism.

That was evident with the audience that Romney picked to make his Obama-Osama gaffe. He addressed the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce meeting, a group not likely to give Romney the boot for his slip. It's even less likely to have much sympathy for an Obama candidacy. Then there are the anti-Muslim tremors that shake millions of Americans. Romney flatly told the Chamber audience that Osama implored radicals and jihadists to further bloody the killing fields in Iraq with American lives.

In Romney's Osama name twist, it wasn't Osama that made the call it was Obama. In one crude stroke, Romney punched three political hot buttons--America's horror of Muslim initiated terror attacks, disdain for liberal and moderate Democrats, and Obama's soft-on-terrorism tag. Romney had it both ways. He made the obligatory denial of any insult to Obama while driving home the point that terrorism is still very much in play on the campaign political table, and that whenever and wherever he can, he'll play it. If that means Obama becomes Osama and vice versa than so be it.

One more note. Despite repeated requests to Romney from the press for clarification during his other stops campaign stops in South Carolina, he refused. As far as he was concerned, the case was closed on the issue. In other words, Obama is still Osama.

Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author and political analyst. His new book is The Latino Challenge to Black America: Towards a Conversation between African-Americans and Hispanics (Middle Passage Press). [e-mail]

Comments

[Nic]

There is no bashing. Read their books and see for yourself. To believe the world will only be "delightsome" when we all turn white is disgusting.

[Nic]

Bateman, when did Harry Reid deliberately switch the names of Obama and Osama? The "white and exceedingly fair and delightsome" passage is in the book of mormon. Look it up. Their founder did stuff his face in a hat filled w/rocks, calling it "seer" stones. He did claim to have "magical" glasses. It's not mormon bashing. It's THEIR history.

[nypoet22]

Mr. Hutchinson, is there any issue you won't use to take a cheap shot at Barack Obama? Presumably you're doing so on behalf of Hillary. I really never had any major gripe against Hillary, but this "why people dislike Obama" script is getting very old very fast.

[chouwalker]

I don't care what Mitt says, I'm voting for Obama.
Besides, we all know what "Mitt" rhymes with...

[cyberhawk]

Maybe if Obama is so close to Osama he knows where Osama is.We will never know though because of the republican clown's who are in control of this country.They sit back and laugh at our military doing the wrong thing.We need our troops home now!Please vote for our President Barack Obama.

[djarvis]

I think this whole name mix-up business is a stupid, repulsive political tactic. Just because the name Obama sounds similar to Osama is no reason at all to equate the two. The two people are not alike in any way!

If anyone listens to what Obama says, they realize this. Obama has said that we should have gone after Osama bin Laden and that if we had actionable intelligence as to where he was, we would capture or kill him! Obama has stated clearly that we took our eye off the real target, the real enemy, when we quit pursuing bin Laden and attacked Iraq. He was against the invasion of Iraq from the beginning.

If Romney really thinks he can make people fear Obama or tag him as being soft on terror by this ridiculous name gaffe, it only shows how stupid he is. And the fact that this comes from the man who said we should "double the size of Guantanamo" and has flip-flopped on any number of issues from abortion, to illegal immigration, to gun control - only makes it easier to consider the source and disregard what Romney says about almost anything!

[Carlee]

a lot of people do it. have a local radio show hosts who support the senator make the same slip. trying to create a story out of nothing... perhaps, with all the real stories out there you lack the talent and should get a new job.

[unhipcat]

That's right, where IS Osama? Six years after the 9/11, six years after "Dead or Alive," six years after "We're gonna schmoke him outta his caaave," after "Mission Accomplished" and "Bring them on!" and these morons think Obama-Osama makes Barack look bad? Are you kidding me? The only thing that actually confuses me is why Osama's name isn't brought up in every interview, every debate, every campaign event.

[Dandy12]

Some try to portray Obama as naive wanting to talk one on one with world leaders that perhaps we disagree with. Take Admenijad for instance, Putin doesn't think that he is too important for a one on one visit. After this administration's destructive wake is left behind, we will need to bend fences one on one ASAP.

[JimR]

Ronald Reagan used to meet face-to-face every year with the leader of the Soviet Union, which he called "the Evil Empire."

[starrianna]

MITT ROMNEY, at heart, is a closedminded, sheltered, pampered, twelve year old BOY in a man's body.

His whole life has gone swimmingly, allowing him to achieve all of his boyhood dreams: having a pretty white wife, pretty white kids, pretty houses, lots of money, and becoming a symbol of red-blooded American values and Mormon "perfection".

Unfortunately, by staying firmly in his famously closedminded religion and lifestyle, he has not evolved past the childlike humor of his Aryan youth.

George W. Bush grows up blowing up frogs;
as an adult he blows up Iraqis.

Ditto for Erik Prince of Blackwater.

Mitt Romney grows up making jokes like
"Osama Obama and Chelsea's Momma"
and today he still finds them hilarious.

And sadly, so does about 40% of the rural west and south.

[realpolitic]

Romney is as programmed as a robot.

[Janco54]

It has become a familiar refrain over the last few weeks - Mr. Hutchinson hates Obama. That's it in a nutshell. And it's getting old really fast.
To now pick up the Republican and Fox News - Obama/Osama - jeez we can't tell the difference - nonsense is almost laughable if it weren't so pathetic.

[JimR]

Agree.

[bringbackimus]

I agree with you Janoco54. Hutchinson hates Obama, and does not make any sense in his commentary.

[MichaelJames]

As for the Pakistan comments, it was hardly a "shot from the lip." Obama has a degree in international relations and serves on the Senate Foreign Relations committee. He’s got plenty of experience on foreign policy and has a lot of policy heavyweights, such as Zbigniew Brzinski and Ted Sorenson, on his side.

Barack gave a roughly 40 minute speech, part of which included the reference to the potential need to act in Pakistan. He laid out a series of conditions that, if met, would prompt him to act against terrorists, NOT act against the military forces of the government of Pakistan.

He NEVER used the word invade or said he wanted to attack the government of Pakistan, despite what you may have seen in the headlines. Barack Obama said “I understand that President Musharraf has his own challenges. But let me make this clear. There are terrorists holed up in those mountains who murdered 3,000 Americans. They are plotting to strike again. It was a terrible mistake to fail to act when we had a chance to take out an al Qaeda leadership meeting in 2005. If we have actionable intelligence about high-value terrorist targets and President Musharraf won’t act, we will.” I find it incredible that any American would find Barack Obama’s willingness to actively protect us from terrorists to be a bad thing.

I look forward to President Obama being sworn into office in 2009. He is our best chance to restore the reputation of the USA around the world and get us on the right track to solving the problems faced by the international community.

[SensibleAmerican]

"During World War II and the Cold War, FDR and Harry Truman met with Josef Stalin. JFK met Nikita Khrushchev -- after Khrushchev famously declared, "We will bury you." Richard Nixon went to China and toasted Mao Zedong, the tyrant responsible for the deaths of thousands of GIs in Korea and greatest mass murderer of the last century" ... good examples but more applicable to what Hillary has proposed than Obama!

In none of the instances you quoted, did the President simply get on Air Force One and started meeting all adversaries! Kissinger was the one who spent months scaling the Great Wall of China which paved the way for Nixon

That is precisely what Hillary wants to do, unlike Obama who is ready to meet them right off the bat! It just further exemplifies his naivette ...

[JimR]

Please provide us a link that shows where Barack Obama said he would simply get on Air Force One and start meeting all adversaries. Go ahead - we'll wait.

[MPeter]

Romney is not just a mormon, he is in fact a moron.

[INQUIRER]

I've always thought that angel was named Moroni for a reason.

[MichaelJames]

I don’t know how to account for Mr. Hutchinson’s decidedly anti-Obama perspective, but his article mis-characterizes Barack Obama's stated positions on meeting with adversaries as well as the possibility of taking military action in Pakistan.

Obama didn't "loosely proclaim" anything, he merely said that he disagrees with those who think being allowed to talk directly to the US is some sort of reward for good behavior. If you want to talk about “loosely” proclaiming something, what about Hillary Clinton’s statements that she would not take the use of nuclear weapons against terrorist training camps off the table? Talk about irresponsible!!!

Not talking to countries such as Iran and Venezuela doesn’t save us from losing a propaganda battle, it helps these countries win a propaganda battle because they can claim to be for peace or working out our differences or anything else they want and then close by saying “…but the US isn’t interested in dialogue or negotiations.”

During World War II and the Cold War, FDR and Harry Truman met with Josef Stalin. JFK met Nikita Khrushchev -- after Khrushchev famously declared, "We will bury you." Richard Nixon went to China and toasted Mao Zedong, the tyrant responsible for the deaths of thousands of GIs in Korea and greatest mass murderer of the last century.

Given these historical precedents, why should anyone be afraid of meeting with Ahmidinejad, who is only a figurehead or Hugo Chavez?

As JFK said, “let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate.”

[dijo]

I can tell you how to account for Mr. Hutchinson's decidedly anti-Obaama perspective...Mr. Hutchinson has been trashing Obama from day one. You can count on him to slant any story to make Obama look bad. IMO he has done far more damage to Obama than Romney has, because anyone who would vote for Obama wouldn't pay much attention to anything Romney says anyway. The man is a total slime bucket. As for Mr. Hutchinson's problem with Obama...who knows...but he seems obsessed with derailling his campaign. If he ever took the time to actually read Obama's speeches he might have to admit that Barack is an awesome candidate with intelligence and a diverse background that probably helps his perspective on many things.