POWERLINE: No one, least of all us, is in favor of smears, so a lot of what appears on Obama's site is easy to applaud. The site effectively disputes the claim that Michelle Obama railed against "whitey" at the Trinity Church. That rumor, apparently started by the Clinton campaign, should now be regarded as false. Likewise, Obama has now made his birth certificate public; there is nothing odd about it.
The problem with Obama's site is the issues it doesn't address. Thus, Obama's debunking of the "whitey" tape appears under the heading, "The truth about Michelle." But what about the other questions that have been raised about Michelle Obama, such as her claim to have been proud of her country for the first time when her husband ran for President? The "truth about Michelle" is very much in doubt.
Similarly, another "smear" is the claim that "Obama's Books Contain Racially Incendiary Remarks." This "smear" is disproved by quoting several emails that are either false or out of context, none of which I had ever seen. The fact is, though, that Obama's books do include racially incendiary comments--for example, Obama's account of how he was inspired to join Trinity Church by hearing Rev. Wright preach that "white folks' greed runs a world in need." So Obama's debunking, while not false as to the instances it addresses, is misleading.
The site proclaims that "Senator Obama has never been a Muslim, was not raised a Muslim, and is a committed Christian." I've seen what appears to be credible evidence that Obama was raised as a Muslim as a boy, during the time he lived in Indonesia. But that is of little importance. What concerns me, and millions of others, is not the idea that Obama could be a Muslim--he clearly is not--but rather the fact that the religion to which he was drawn as a young man, and in which he participated for twenty years, is not Christian at all. Rather, Rev. Wright preached hatred, paranoia and racism, the opposite of Christianity, and for twenty years, Obama treated Wright as a spiritual mentor. This is, obviously, a legitimate concern which Obama's "smear" site does not address.
It will be interesting to see what "smears" Obama chooses to rebut as the campaign continues, and whether he ever uses this site to respond to the many legitimate concerns that have been raised about him and his candidacy.
powerlineblog.com |
