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Politics : American Presidential Politics and foreign affairs -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Peter Dierks who wrote (27300)	4/1/2008 10:13:48 PM
From: Peter Dierks	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 71588

Obama Gets Another Endorsement Unlike Bill Richardson, Shaaban Abdel Rahim is not a superdelegate. In fact, he's not even an American voter. But he has thrown his support behind Barack Obama for president, as Slate's Christopher Beam explains: Rahim, best known for his controversial political songs and outrageous style, will soon release a new track celebrating the end of Bush's presidency--and endorsing Obama. In an interview last week with Dar Al-Hayat, Rahim said that Obama is (roughly translated) "a good man, kindhearted, and better than Bush." Rahim, also known by his nickname "Shaabolla," gained international notoriety in 2000 when he released the song "I Hate Israel." (The song's subtitle, "But I love Amr Moussa," refers to Egypt's former foreign minister and head of the Arab League.) Since then, he's had a rocky relationship with Egypt's censors. They allowed "Israel" to be broadcast but banned his follow-up tune praising Osama Bin Laden. (Its chorus: "Bin Bin Bin Bin Bin Bin Laden.") Other songs he has rolled out include "Hey People, It Was Only a Tower" after 9/11, "Don't Hit Iraq" in 2003, and "We Are All Out of Patience" about the Mohammed cartoon controversy in 2006. Now, of course, Obama didn't seek out this endorsement, and presumably would prefer not to have it. But it does, as Beam notes, cast a not altogether favorable light on the argument some of Obama's supporters make that "a President Obama would change the way the world looks at America." It also points to a curiosity in the whole practice of political endorsements. If we're supposed to care that Bill Richardson endorsed Obama, why shouldn't we also care that Shaaban Abdel Rahim did? online.wsj.com

To: Peter Dierks who wrote (27300)	4/2/2008 3:25:40 AM
From: KLP	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 71588

In just a few words, Taranto precisely nails the reason so many Americans are so upset with the Democrats. Liberals and Progressives: Imagine if Mrs. Clinton--or any Republican candidate for office--had a "spiritual mentor" who routinely used racial slurs to disparage blacks. Does anyone really imagine that an Obama-style response would suffice to deal with the resulting political problem? For decades liberals have trafficked in identity politics. Why is it so hard for them to understand that some people "identify" above all as Americans, and that "God damn America" is a slur against who they are? It's an American thing, they wouldn't understand