A diarist reports on a recent tirade in The Washington Times by Frank Gaffney, uber-conspiracist nutcase. It's really something. After leaving a few comments, I went and read the entire column. I first intended my response to be in the comments section of the original post, but it got lengthy enough that I decided to make it into a complete diary entry.
Let's take a look:
During his White House years, William Jefferson Clinton...was dubbed "America's first black president" by a black admirer.
I think Toni Morrison's much-quoted "first black president" remark was intended to be somewhat ironic. But I can forgive Gaffney on this point, because a lot of mainstream commentators took the remark at face value.
there is mounting evidence that the president not only identifies with Muslims, but actually may still be one himself.
Oh, jeez.
Mr. Obama established his firsthand knowledge of Islam (albeit without mentioning his reported upbringing in the faith)
"Reported"? Where? Of course the ultimate source is Andy Martin, Jew-hater par excellence.
Then the president made a statement no believing Christian -- certainly not one versed, as he professes to be, in the ways of Islam -- would ever make.
What I love about Gaffney's conspiracy-mongering is that he never stops to wonder why, if Obama is trying to conceal his Islamic faith, he would so boldly exhibit these supposedly giveaway behaviors in a major speech.
Even more troubling were the commitments the president made in Cairo to promote Islam in America. For instance, he declared: "I consider it part of my responsibility as president of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear."
Oh, my Lord! Fighting against negative stereotypes! What better proof is there of a commitment to the Islamic religion?
He vowed to ensure that women can cover their heads, including, presumably, when having their photographs taken for passports, driver's licenses or other identification purposes.
I'm sure Gaffney is really ingratiating himself to Orthodox Jews.
He also pledged to enable Muslims to engage in zakat, their faith's requirement for tithing, even though four of the eight types of charity called for by Shariah can be associated with terrorism.
And Christianity "can be associated" with the KKK and George Tiller. Does Gaffner think we should shut down all churches?
While he pays lip service to the "unbreakable" bond between America and the Jewish state, the president has unmistakably signaled that he intends to compel the Israelis to make territorial and other strategic concessions to Palestinians to achieve the hallowed two-state solution.
So are Bush and Clinton Muslims too?