Thai, nice post… still havn’t seen you over at TDR posting >< (and where’s that write-up I need?)

While I do credit him with enough poise to rise above the usual smear tactics, his handler’s habits of taking offense at every criticism lobbed their way has grown old. I’d much rather see him respond with indifference. Even disdain. I’d rather Obama 08 not play the wounded child and show, instead, some machismo. As I ended in the article, I’d like to see something resembling tough (note: not mean) out of the Obama camp.

That was not my intention however

It looks like his campaign throws a hissy fit whenever someone speaks about his middle name. I guess things that are factual about him are off-limits just because it mars his carefully crafting marketing of his persona?

Shouldn’t it concern us all that we cannot speak about the factual things about a candidate?

Does that mean if he gets elected we won’t be able to criticize him about anything?

I think one of the things that bugs me the most about his campaign is the “don’t criticize the messiah” vibe I get from it.

Natrually it creates a backlash.

The Press referred, for years, to her as Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Senator George Allen had the middle name of Felix. In the last ekection in 2006, the democrats and the Press had a field day with that name as well in a not-so-clever bid to cause some less than understanding people in Virginia to think him Jewish and not vote for him.

Why is it that now that Obama has an unfortunate middle name that it is supposedly taboo?

The reason its included in my post is precisely not for the reason you think. It is included because many recent politicians were referred to with all of their names (or at least 3). Why does he get a pass just because his name is really unfortunate? Its inclusion is my statement that I won’t cower to political correctness of the Left in trying to own the words we use and therefore silence critics.

Hussein is his middle name. End of story.

P.S. – when I write about Hillary I’ll include the middle name she goes by (Rodham). Same with McCain.

Fair enough?

The one thing I absolutely disagree with is the not so subtle use of his middle name. So his name is Hussein. Thousands of people named Adolf in post WWII Germany weren’t forming Nazi parties and I don’t think it’s anymore likely that Barack is planning on throwing anybody in plastic shredders because of his middle name. I’m not saying you’re trying to capitalize on the convenience of Obama’s middle name but it’s certainly enough of a trite and obvious attempt at social manipulation by conservative spin doctors in the news lately that it turns me off the minute I see it. If you’re going to use it in anti-Obama writings then I expect to see Bill Clinton’s stock rise for his middle name (Jefferson), Jimmy Carter start doing voice over work for Darth Vader in Star Wars (James Earl), both former and current George Walker Bush be indicted on espionage charges (remember John Walker?) and Gerald Ford pulling a sleigh next Christmas (Rudolph). It’s a name; an unfortunate one, but still just a name. Mohammed Ali wasn’t a prophet. Nor can the Hispanic immigrant doing landscaping across the street from me turn water in to wine despite being named Jesus.

My father gave me the names of a biblical giant-slaying king, a disciple and a butler. I’ve yet to find employment in any of those vocations, nor am I inclined to seek it. Our right wing government endorsed a replacement government in Iraq headed by a man named Talabani. Now where have I heard a very similar name to that before? So to borrow a very famous quote… what’s in a name?