Swiftboating Obama

by Taylor Marsh

Swiftboating is something I know a lot about. I've written on it for years. The latest efforts by the wingnuts began in January with Fox "News" and Steve Doocy. It continued in February with the Malcolm X hit. In March it was Roger Ailes. April came Townhall. Now, as the primaries close in, it's the Washington Post.

Obama is being swiftboated yet again. It's despicable. It's not surprising, because this is what wingnuts do best. Get scurrilous whisper campaigns inside the hack pack press, long after they've been debunked. South Carolina is known for this stuff. That The Washington Post is revealing it through a long winding piece is journalism at its worst. If it came as a warning on what's on wingnut radio that would be one thing. But what it actually does is provide a platform for a rumor campaign, not to mention a preview of things to come for Democrats. It's John Kerry revisited, the religious version.

Conservative talk-show hosts have occasionally repeated the rumor, with Michael Savage noting Obama's "background" in a "Muslim madrassa in Indonesia" in June, and Rush Limbaugh saying in September that he occasionally got "confused" between Obama and Osama bin Laden. Others repeatedly use the senator's middle name, Hussein.

The rumors about Obama have been echoed on Internet message boards and chain e-mails.

Bryan Keelin of Charleston, S.C., who works with an organization of churches there, posted on an Internet board his suspicion that Obama is a Muslim. "I assume his father instructed him on the ways of being a Muslim," said Keelin, who described himself in an interview as a conservative Republican who will vote for former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee.

"The Muslims have said they plan on destroying the U.S. from the inside out," says one of the e-mails that was posted recently on a blog at BarackObama.com, the campaign's Web site, by an Obama supporter who warned of an attempt to "Swift Boat" the candidate. "What better way to start than at the highest level, through the President of the United States, one of their own!" ... ..

Foes Use Obama's Muslim Ties to Fuel Rumors About Him

Mr. Obama has to have a signed letter attesting to his Christian faith for assuage Iowa voters? Excuse me, but I'd tell them to go pound sand and so should Obama's team. The Post using this is disgusting. It's even worse than the flag pin hit.

Staggering lack of impulse control and messaging by the Post. But it gets worse.

Obama aides sharply disputed the initial stories suggesting that he was a Muslim, and in Iowa, the campaign keeps a letter at its offices, signed by five members of the local clergy, vouching for the candidate's Christian faith. Aware that his religious belief remains an issue, Obama has denied a separate charge: that he does not hold his hand to his heart during the Pledge of Allegiance. This rumor stemmed from a photo that was taken while the national anthem was being played.

The phony pledge picture was just another attempt to paint Obama as not sufficiently patriotic. I've never kept my hand over my heart while singing the national anthem.

Oh, and by the way, CBS has picked up the story. Our liberal media at work.

Comments

[1will]

If people are lying about Obama than it should be exposed as lies.
On the other hand The Swiftboat Vets have not been debunked. Even after all of these years John Kerry has not addressed their claims. Even for a 1 million dollar reward John Kerry has not refuted their claims.
John Kerry recently told the media that he would refute the claims of the Swiftboaters. His military records have still not been released and he still has not proven his critics wrong. If he was wronged then how many years does it take to refute the falsehoods and release ALL of his military records?
If you keep using the term 'Swiftboating' some will believe it means lying and dirty politics but many of us will remember the truth.

[veracity]

Oh boo hoo! So Obama is being Swift-boated. Just what the hell did he expect?
Where is Obama's OUTRAGE over fraudulent vote counts, 2000, 2002, 2004, and even 2006 (In Florida 13, Katherine Harris' old seat, Dem. Christine Jennings was denied a win by 13,000 'Undervotes'. Neighboring districts had undervote tallies in the low one-thousand as one would expect for a _congressional_ off-year election.)
Where is Obama's outrage over the stinking mounds of trash still present all through New Orleans, despite _Billions_ of dollars of taxpayer reconstruction spending there? Does anybody know how many billions have been spent? And Why not?
Did Obama think that by joining in the "major media" narrative that "there is no problem here" re these scandals, he would get a free pass from the Swift boat gang? How about all the other scandals that define the rogue White House, from outing a CIA undercover officer to obstructing justice to war contracts fraud to torture and lies-to-war? Where is Obama's outrage?
In chapter 1 of his book "Secrecy & Privilege", Robert Parry explains how newl inauguerated president Bill Clinton allowed Republicans to terminate on-going investigations into scandals of the Reagan-Bush1 years (Iran-Contra, Iraq-gate/BCCI, others), hoping this sweeping of scandals under the rug would gain him more cooperation from Republicans. It of course had the opposite affect; freeing up Republicans from the defenseive, they went on the attack against the Clinton White House with tag-team investigations culminating in the "Monica- Did she, or didn't she?" impeachment.
By turning a blind eye to the mountain of Bush administration scandals, Obama is repeating Bill Clinton's 1993 mistakes, and, no, Barak, being "nice" will not get you a free pass from the Swift boat crew.

[Tankan]

It's the application of a simplistic psychology whereby the seeds of distrust concerning a persons character are sown in the minds of vunerable people. It does not matter that the whispers have no substance in fact, the implanted seeds germinate and take root and bear fruit in the mind of the victim, the result is the rejection of the accused person.
It's been going on forever it seems, yet people never seem to learn that they are being deceived and manipulated. This is a by product from the dirty world of politics, this is the game they all play, and may the dirtiest and most ruthless man or woman win! It's a dog fight, with no holds barred, gouging, biting, stomping and any other savage combination you can dream up! Politicians are like sharks, they smile before they bite!

[Kally]

So swift boating what's new. Hillary has been the recipent for the last 15 years. Where's the comments about that. Is Obama supposed to be above swiftboating. He better get used to it, cause the republicans do nothing else but. He has to learn to develope a think skin. We know he has had problems with the stupid racist in this country, so he has a head start of ignoring them. But I tell you one thing it will get worst.

Look at how the have HIllary Clinton ...1 -she has and affair with Vince Foster, she kills him. 2 - she has an affair with the present PM of Pakinstan..3 - oh wait, no she's a lesbian she is having an affair with a female member of her campaign.

So say Obama is a muslim is mild...goodness only knows what they will come with next.

[akhinaten]

Do you know that during the Spanish inquisition those who were not Spanish by blood what were Christian were subjected to eat pork (bacon) and display them in their houses lest they be accused of being "Muslim plants" if you are behaving like the Spanish inquisition, then all of your claim of civilizational gains sense the dark ages is falsified by this piece of inquisition journalism.

The existential argument of Neanderthals: "I is what I is"


Obama should eat "Perry BACON" to prove that he is no a muslim

[Renton2000]

Isn't it obvious that the conservatives and their media lapdogs want Hillary to be the Democratic candidate, and how best to do that than by reviving lies about Obama. This reminds me of the 2000 GOP South Carolina primary's rumor-spreading campaign against John McCain. The Republicans know that Obama will be a tougher candidate to beat in a general election - and that Hillary makes a bigger, easier target for them. Too bad it takes episodes like this to remind us that the media can be trusted to play stenographer for them. How pathetic.

[xrayman]

HuffPo bloggers are pretty thin skinned about anyone using gossip and innuendo about Saint Obama. How many blogs does that make now about this WaPo article? Three? Four?

You should try being a Clinton supporter. You have to deal with this kind of crap daily.

[EnderCraig]

It would be a problem if Obama was a Muslim, but I don't feel any better about it if he's a Baptist or Catholic or Hindu. I want a nominee with the courage to pledge that his religion won't taint his decisions and is private and not to be discussed publicly. If I heard an honest declaration like that the nominee could believe whatever he wants, Muslim or not. I like Obama and hope he is able to stand up for himself with strength against these cowardly attacks. How ignorant Americans have let these treasonous swift boat losers damage our already sloppy elections is beyond me.

How can any American justify spending millions of dollars to spread middle school rumors about honorable men, while others of us don't have enough food, heat, clothing, or education? I don't propose swift boaters donate their millions to needy children's education, because they obviously need to grow up and go back to school themselves.

[army193]

"The Conservatives definition of torture: Anything that provides death or false information from its captive." Me 2007

[GoreSavingPlanetForJesus]

What's the big deal.

Democrats have been "MoveOn.org-ing Republican candidates with lies for years.

Get over it...

...that's the "politics of personal destruction" culture that the dems created. Now it's coming back to bite them in the rear.

[lovethesinner]

I think this story was a Hillary plant from the beginning.

Republicans know that their best chance of winning in '08 is by running against Hillary, so they start with the Obama as Terrorist campaign a few months ago.

Now, Hillary needs something extra to win in Ohio, so she trots out this old fable, knowing that most of us will assume it's coming from the Republicans.

But, who stands to gain from this story. Sure, the GOP will eventually, but would they put this out for the Ohio Democratic Primary? I'd think they'd save it for down the stretch in the general.

And, forgive me for saying this, Taylor, but how does it help Obama to keep this story in the news cycle?

It's a dead issue. It's not like Kerry getting swiftboated, it's like Harold Ford being painted as MANDINGO.

OR GEORGE ALLEN WELCOMING "MACCACA" to the "real world" of Virginia race baiting.

It's more than likely Ohioans will see through this media manipulation, and turn out for Obama because he's able to rise above it.

[kittycago]

I will not support Obama even though I like him alot but why is this an issue here regarding the vt that a henious lie is being told about him.If he was a muslim would that be a bad thing?Do you think he would not be comfortable admitting this if he was?I don't think so .A lie is a lie and no candidate should be defined by a lie.That IS the issue here.John Kerry tried to take the high road by not immediately attacking the lies told about him and we all saw how well that worked.It is important to stop these liars in theri tracks and call them out as liars.If we don'r we allow a path for psychotic liars like Bush to become president.That can never happen again.

[Doofus]

Is this one of those 'You Can't Handle The Truth!' deals?

The WashPo article concludes...

'Obama's advisers say they are not worried that the candidate will hurt his campaign by invoking his connections to the Islamic world. "He understands that there are scurrilous attack e-mails going on underground that distort his religious affiliation and worse, but his judgment is that he trusts the American people more than that," said David Axelrod, a top Obama strategist. "He genuinely believes. . . . that people want to have a president that the world looks at and says, 'I believe this guy has an understanding of us and how we fit together on the planet.' "'

The article is about RUMORS, not about truths.

The various efforts by HuffPosters to complain
about the article are abetting the spread of
these false rumors, most likely.

He should have changed his name to Fred C. Dobbs,
maybe, but a rose is a rose is still a rose.

[dantheman]

All you Barack Obama supporters out there,
It's time to walk the walk. We are in the final stretch before the caucases and primaries. Contact your local Barack Obama campaign headquarters and offer your time and energy to help elect Senator Obama. There is no time to waste. Call 411 and get the number to your local Barack Obama campaign office, or go to www.barackobama.com and find an office near you. The world is full of well intentioned people who do not follow through. This is our liberty and our democracy we are voting for. We need you to make phone calls, knock on doors, make flyers, help organize, and talk to all your friends and family and get them to commit to vote for Barack Obama on your caucus or primary day. The time for action is now.

[UltraClassic]

Taylor, there are people who won't vote for a conservative christian, an athiest, a catholic or a jew. Some of those reasons are pure prejudice and others are more legitimate concerns about how involved in these sects the candidate may be and whether their judgement is affected by their religious beliefs. There is a legitimate belief out their that GW has gone easy on Israel because of his conservative chrisitan beliefs.

Frankly, I think all religion is nonsense and would rathe vote for someone who practices yoga instead of religion.

I'm sorry Taylor, I have no problem with Obama being put through the wringer on whether or not he is a muslim. If you think muslims are the only ones being dragged through the mud, stick around on this site and see what some of the commentors say about christians and jews.