Powell Takes Issue with Republicans Who Call Obama a Muslim
Monday, October 20, 2008 at 05:49AM And so do I.
During GEN (RET) Colin Powell’s endorsement of Barack Obama yesterday on Meet the Press, he described disappointment with those in the Republican Party who refer to Obama as a Muslim or Arab:
POWELL: I’m also troubled by, not what Senator McCain says, but what members of the party say. And it is permitted to be said such things as, “Well, you know that Mr. Obama is a Muslim.” Well, the correct answer is, he is not a Muslim, he’s a Christian. He’s always been a Christian.
But the really right answer is, what if he is? Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer’s no, that’s not America. Is there something wrong with some seven-year-old Muslim-American kid believing that he or she could be president? Yet, I have heard senior members of my own party drop the suggestion, “He’s a Muslim and he might be associated terrorists.” This is not the way we should be doing it in America.
……And John McCain is as nondiscriminatory as anyone I know. But I’m troubled about the fact that, within the party, we have these kinds of expressions.
The Obama camp hasn’t been very good about condemning “members of their party” who assault Sarah Palin in the most disgusting terms or Democratic leaders who call them racists, have they?
The only thing Powell is wrong about (in this exchange) is that “senior members of my own party drop the suggestion” that Obama is Muslim. In fact, it is Obama himself who has consistently regurgitated the line in stump speeches that he doesn’t look like “the other Presidents on the dollar bill” or that he has a “funny name.” His wife also pointed out his “funny name” in speeches. John McCain and Sarah Palin have not called Obama a Muslim but defended him as a self-professed Christian.
Powell’s attempt to tie that issue to terrorism doesn’t work. The fact is that Obama has very, very troubling associations with anti-Americanism, including a domestic terrorist and Black Liberation Theology pastor. These were not just neighborly associations, but ones closely affiliated with his political beginnings, and ones which he only denounced when he was forced to. The fact that Barack Obama surrounds himself with these bad Americans is deeply disturbing and a completely legitimate issue for examination. The man wants to be President of the United States, after all.
But what Powell gets right is that there are some in the GOP who try to associate Obama with Islam, as if it were true, and as if there were something wrong with that. Obama is not Muslim but if he were, he’d be a bad one because he has denounced the faith.
Some people, and it isn’t limited to the GOP, have a difficult time distinguishing between Islam and terrorism. Terrorism in the name of Islam is apostasy, or Hirabah. Every religion has its apostates, but those of other religions tend to be more subtle than the apostate Osama bin Laden, et al.
An obstacle some experience accepting Islam as anything but terrorism is that they think it means theologically condoning the religion. It does not. I do not condone the theology of Islam or compromise my own Christianity by living peaceably with all men, as St. Paul said we should.
Let’s not forget that the war in Iraq could not be won without the help and cooperation of brave Muslim Iraqis who turned against terrorists. They have in fact sacrificed their own lives for the lives of U.S. soldiers and vowed to take the fight to Osama bin Laden. Muslims have been reaching out for several years to consolidate with Christianity and other efforts to combat terrorism. These are not the actions of terrorists, but good Muslims.
It’s a better point to examine his Christianity. There is a bigger problem with his profession of Christian faith, which is incompatible with the moral and sometimes theological tenants of faith.
There are plenty of legitimate issues that expose Barack Obama as an inexperience and inadequate candidate for President of the United States, but his faith isn’t one of them.
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Reader Comments (11)
Good post, amy. Thank you. The only point I disagree with you on is that Obama's camp hasn't done enough to condemn attacks on McCain/Palin. When Lewis made his comments, the Obama camp came out the next day and said that they didn't agree and the comments were unfair. Obama in his last debate against McCain had the chance to go after Palin but took the high road and chose not to. Biden did the same in his debate with Palin. Michelle Obama had nothing but kind words for Palin in her Larry King Live interview "Palin is a role model for so many women etc.". What I'd like to see is McCain and Palin not condone when their surrogates introduce them and refer to their opponent as "Barack Hussein Obama".
I disagree that the Obama camp has done enough to distance itself from the horrible assualts on Sarah Palin. Maybe it's because there are so many that they can't keep track. I don't recall Obama disagreeing with Lewis' comments that McCain/Palin are racists.
I don't expect to win any brownie points on this post. It usually hurts my conservative readership, but the truth is the truth. My husband is a counterinsurgency expert in religious leader engagment in the Army. He's been to Iraq twice. He's worked for GEN Petraeus' staff in Iraq and was also leading convoys in Baghdad in 2003-04. There are many good Muslims and we need them to win the war on terror. It cannot happen without their help, and they are bearing a huge burden in this effort.
I still get e-mails from people saying Obama is a Muslim and they have the facts to prove it. It's embarrassing, sort of like the Obama birth certificate.
After reading the Powell interview on Press the Meet, it's apparent Mr Brokaw please retire. He had so many other important questions he could've asked the Secretary, but didn't. Plus, he had absolutely no follow ups when Secretary Powell was being inconsistent other than his support the Bush Adminisration. How surprising???
Secretary Powell you should be proud of yourself, you aren't what many on the left thought and Harry Bellafonte summed up in two words, a "HOUSE SLAVE."
Thanks, Amy. I agree, Obama's camp needs to do everything they can to repudiate false rumors/unfair attacks just as we expect the McCain camp to do the same. I fear the McCain camp has been part of the problem though in perpetuating these rumors in the last 2 weeks, part of what Powell eluded to in his statement yesterday, but we'll see how it turns out. But I really liked what he said Muslim Americans, and that Muslims don't equal radical Islamics (as you also pointed out). It will take many years for America to move forward in that regard.
“Powell’s attempt to tie that issue to terrorism doesn’t work. The fact is that Obama has very, very troubling associations with anti-Americanism, including a domestic terrorist and Black Liberation Theology pastor. These were not just neighborly associations, but ones closely affiliated with his political beginnings, and ones which he only denounced when he was forced to. The fact that Barack Obama surrounds himself with these bad Americans is deeply disturbing and a completely legitimate issue for examination. The man wants to be President of the United States, after all.”
Very smooth Amy and I am proud of you, really. You do not need to yell to get your point across; this was very affective. I do not agree with many of your statements because of extensive personal research in this area. I agree that Barack Obama association with Ayers is more than he has said, because they worked together on community projects, but I know his association is much less than what FOX news and other media outlets have charged. I do not think Ayers has any influence on Barack Obama as a person
I am very disappointed in the media because if I can find these facts they should be able too. I called how FOX was going to handle the FBI and ACORN days before FOX reacted and yes, FOX on their first broadcast they failed to mention that ACORN contacted election officials first…FOX is becoming so predictable.
Amy, it is ok to disagree and you disagreed with grace :-) Smiles for you :-)
~ peace
Pete, I completely agree. In fact, the worst presidential debate was the one moderated by Browkaw. He may be a good anchor or possibly an adequate reporter, but he's a terrible interviewer. Tim Russert was EXCELLENT. Browkaw will eventually leave because viewership will tank. It's really hard to sit through.
And yes, Powell's inconsistencies in the interview were overwhelming. As a political layperson I was able to singlehandedly pick out flip flops and factual errors in his interview.
I remember when Republicans wanted him to run for president after the 1st Gulf War. He never would haver gotten the nomination; people were just grateful for his leadership in the war (although it was a blunder to have not taken out Saddam then). Powell is pro-choice, wishy washy and a liberal Republican. He's a fiscal Republican as far as I can tell but where it counts, on ethics and morals, he's a Democrat.
I'm not throwing him under the bus, though. He deserves respect for his years of service to our country in several capacities. But to act like he is a real Republican supporting Obama is a mistake. He's an independent at best. Really, no surprise here. I would have been surprised if he would have endorsed McCain.
The Obama endorsement is a sign to me that my support for John McCain & Sarah Palin is right on.
Here is a great example of what Colin Powell was talking about. This guy is a McCain supporter who made an ass out of himself at a rally by linking Obama to Islam (as if it were a bad thing in and of itself). The McCain crowd, including Muslim McCain supporters, challenged this jerk's assertions and he ran home with his tail between his legs.
He is an EMBARRASSMENT to the GOP, and yes I did shout that.
Amy, this Colin Powell endorsement is about one thing Colin Powell. It's been reported that Powell talked to both campaigns about HIS requirements to get an endorsement from him. It was nothing, but a ploy to appear to be fair. McCain could've taken an ink marker out and put a Hitler mustache on a Cheney poster and Powell wouldn't have endorsed him. Powell's pre-conditions might be an explanation why McCain didn't even touch on the Obama's association with the Good & Just Rev Wright. I don't know about you Amy, but I laughed when Powell stated that the Obama was ready to be President because of the way he ran his campaign. HIS CAMPAIGN. My God and Tom BrokJAW didn't challenge him on that assertion. I guarantee you that if Powell had endorsed McCain and tried that kind of reason to defend Palin, the MSM would of followed the lead of the left and labeled Powell as some patsy for the Republicans.
Colin Powell has made it clear he wants to be part of the Obama's administration. He believes the Obama to be a trasnformational figure and nothing like being remembered in the history books as being part of his cabinet.
McCain did just that.
2/3rds of McCain's speech out on the campaign trail will deal "with the issues"; a third of it will mention Obama and question Obama's connections to questionable characters- which are more than just guilt by association. What gets picked up by the Obama campaign, and driven home by the sensationalist-loving media? The 1/3rd of McCain's speech that causes headline news. Meanwhile, when Obama's team goes negative, or talks about things other than the issues, like Bush this and McCain that, and how McCain is being mean with the attacks and how he is more of the same....when these happen, Obama is given a kind of free pass. He exudes the aura of being "above the fray", when in fact, he's just as down and dirty in it as McCain has been.
Yeah, Wordsmith, McCain repudiated those remarks back in February before he was running head-to-head with Obama. But I've yet to hear him repudiate the "middle name" tactic in any recent rallies, now that the GOP is pulling out all the negative stops to win. I do appreciate him calling out the crazy lady ("Can't trust Obama cause he's an Arab.") but he needs to do better than that and set a healthier, less divisive tone at his rallies. Anger over the economy, the war etc are legitimate feelings but acts of rage or fear mongering--not cool.
Hi, Amy. I'm new to your blog. Sarah Palin was in Reno today and I was interested in what McCain/Palin supporters thought of her place on the ticket, especially given her perhaps unwitting stimulus of some of the nastiest comments made about any candidate in this campaign as well as in the primaries. I was also curious what McCain/Palin supporters thought of Colin Powell's criticism of Palin's place on the ticket as well as her role in drawing out the racist and xenophobic rants. I agree with MD in Ohio: She continues to grant that these ugly moments may not be representative of the RNC or the ticket but reminding both that they need to speak out against the hate speech. One thing I'd add is this: Both McCain and Palin must stop the hateful comments the moment they are spoken. I was so glad to see (on CNN) the McCain supporters oppose the McCain supporter who was passing out bumper stickers with Obama's name associated with the hammer and sickle and the crescent and star. All McCain supporters should repudiate -- publicly -- this person and the likes of this person. And they should repudiate the robo-calls and the e-mails that continue to circulate that are clear character assassination.