Monday, March 3, 2008

Hussein? I invoke a peremptory challenge!

By now, everybody has heard ad nauseum about conservative talk show host Bill Cunningham using Barak Obama's middle name, Hussein, during a crowd warm up last Tuesday for McCain. “at one point, the media will quit taking sides in this thing and start covering Barack Hussein Obama,” said Cunningham.

You know the rest. McCain immediately "repudiated" Cunningham for attacking Obama's integrity, character, honesty." Cunningham, apparently upset for being repudiated, got out in front of the cameras to endorse Hillary.

On Hannity and Colmes, Cunningham said this:
CUNNINGHAM: Well, Alan Colmes, let me tell you my intent. Instead of you speculating in the dark, let me give you the facts. Some of the great presidents of American history where Obama wants to be John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Ronald Wilson Reagan, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, one of your heroes. Ronald Wilson — how about Jefferson Clinton? How about — how about Hillary Rodham Clinton?

I gave him three proper names, elevating him to almost a presidency. In fact, isn't your middle name Youssef? Alan Youssef Colmes?

Not only is that funny, but he has a good point. Three proper names is very common for the leader of the free world. This story will just not leave the news cycle. Every roundtable full of political pundits has had their say on this so I figured I might as well briefly chime in, so here goes...

Barak HUSSEIN Obama, Barak HUSSEIN Obama,Barak HUSSEIN Obama,Barak HUSSEIN Obama,Barak HUSSEIN Obama,...etc

Karl "The architect" Rove says this tactic could backfire on Republicans and reinforce views that they are biggoted, and so therefore we should abide by Obama's request that his middle name not be used. Well, I must admit to having a bias against terrorists and dictator thugs.

Don't misunderstand. I do not confuse Barak Hussein Obama with Saddam Hussein, although I wish Obama would find his own spiderhole to crawl into. I will even accept at face value that Obama is not a Muslim, and that as a 6-year-old boy studying in an Islamic Madrassa, was not brainwashed into becoming a terrorist mole, sent to the US so that he could become president before being "activated". There is plenty more to be afraid of with the prospects of a president Obama than this fantasy.

However, Hussein is his name and should be a consideration for voters before they pull the lever for him because of the "slippery slope." I do not want the American public to become desensitized to muslim and/or dictator names when it comes to the big chair. That goes for either party too. If John McCain's middle name was "Mahmoud", "Gengis Khan" or "Pol Pot", that alone should be a disqualifier. As Simon Cowell would say, "sorry!".

Slippery slope. Incrementalism. Insidious creep.

In fact, I say we install the Voir dire system used in our legal system for jury questioning, examination and selection during the primary season in a presidential campaign season. Let's give each side one peremptory challenge. According to Wikipedia: "Peremptory challenges are largely based on hunches of how a juror may vote. These hunches are usually due to the stereotypes given to people of different occupations, socio-economic backgrounds, and ethnicity. This use of stereotyping in the configuration of a jury could result in some groups being challenged more than others, going against the principle that a jury is a uniform sample of the community."

Works for me. Barak Hussein Obama? Your out.

No comments:

Post a Comment