Since they allude to JFK relatively often, I think Barack and is team may need to give a speech about his faith in much the same sort of way JFK addressed questions of his faith on Sept. 12, 1960.
At the time, many questioned Kennedy's Roman Catholic faith Kennedy addressed those concerns and it may be time to take a chapter from Kennedy's campaign and meet the Muslim whispers head on.
Follow me over the fold for some ideas.
Senator Obama has a wonderful chapter in "Audacity of Hope" that addresses his spiritual journey very well, it is forthright and inspiring no matter your own spiritual journey and it wouldn't hurt to draw from his own biography for such a speech.
In my work I meet many folks, mostly women, they are generally liberals here in Seattle and time and again during recent conversations I am finding that even they think he is Muslim. This of course doesn't bother them but my point is if thoughtful, reasonably well read liberals in Seattle are confused about this then less informed, and potentially less tolerant folks who otherwise might be open to his message on a wide range of other issues, need to know the truth so that they can have context to understand the rest of what he is talking about.
He is so eloquent and I can imagine a speech by Barack about the importance of faith in his own life, but more importantly the importance of faith to all Americans and how we as Americans have a history of honoring all religions and creeds.
I can see him refute the central idea behind these smears, dismantle the religious tests of the religious right that has become such a divisive litmus test these past eight plus years, and then invoke the power of Our Constitution to protect all matter of faith including the faith that gives comfort and context to the life he, Michelle and their girls live, Christianity.
I realize that there will be those who say it shouldn't matter and I agree, in a perfect world it shouldn't, but for some it does, and so they need to understand who he is and what he believes. Putting these sort of things to rest, inoculates against the rumors and whispers so that we can talk about things that do matter.
Just my $.01