I have seen some discussions in the blogosphere of late about the fact that Barack Obama’s middle name is “Hussein” – the discussions usually involve speculation as to what that supposedly means (“is he a closet Muslim terrorist?!?” is the strong implication I get from some of what I’ve read).
Greg Tinti [1], I think, has the definitive post up on this ‘controversy’ – to paraphrase and summarize he says “So what”?
So, the point is, the character of the man and his positions are what should matter and neither can be determined from a middle name. That some Republicans/conservatives/whoever, have decided to try to use his middle name to play into fears about terrorism is really low. And I think it shows that Hillary isn’t the only person grasping at straws when it comes to a candidate with a clear record and no scandals in his shadow.
Blogs of War [2] and Blue Crab Boulevard [3] are on the same page.
BTW, one minor correction on scandals and Obama: there was the issue of a land deal [4] with a shady Chicago political insider, a deal that Obama in retrospect has called a “boneheaded” mistake on his part.
WED AM UPDATE: Just to clarify, I don’t mind looking at a candidate’s religious background as part of his overall record. As some commenters have pointed out and I agree with, it’s important to know about it along with knowing whether or not the candidate is sincere. What I objected to was some people making Obama out to be a closet jihadi because of his name when he’s done absolutely nothing that would lead me to believe he is.