Obama Fights Back Against Muslim Slur

Glenn Greenwald is trying to say that this mailer from Barack Obama, where he calls himself a "committed Christian" who is "Called to Christ," "Called to Bring Change" and "Called to Serve" is similar to Mike Huckabee's use of his faith as a front and center appeal of his campaign.

It may be that the criticism of Huckabee just for using the phrase "Christian leader" was too harsh. But if I were the victim of an email forward smear for the better part of a year claiming that I was a secret Muslim, educated in Madrassahs, and that I was sworn into Congress with my hand on the Koran, I'd do what I could to set the record straight, too. Obama doesn't have a choice. It's despicable what's been said about him, and let me add that the military should be praised for shutting down the email forward among their soldiers, and these Jewish leaders in the Senate deserve admiration as well. Wingers with agendas and even a few Democrats (my sister, a Hillary supporter, absolutely knows the email is false and is forwarding it to everyone she knows anyway) have been trying to discredit Obama in the dirtiest, most under-the-radar way possible, and I think he's perfectly within his rights to contrast that with the true sense of his beliefs. We also should not, especially on a day dedicated to the memory of a Reverand, be so squishy about this kind of overtly religious appeal. The Christian left has done a lot of good in this country's history. It is not analogous to someone who wants to change the Constitution to make it more like the Ten Commandments.

Furthermore, if Obama can overcome this in the primary, he'll be better tested for the general election, where what the Clintons are throwing at them will seem like a tea party. I have to say I've gained a bit more respect for him in the last 48 hours. He addressed problems in the black community to their faces, which was extremely noble and courageous. Frankly I think his advisors suck and are giving him bad advice. And I still think he's fairly moderate at a time when a progressive is needed. So rather than staying above the fray and promoting this message of unity, he needs to hit back hard at tonight's debate and make a forthright economic, moral and ethical case for his being in the White House. We'll see if he does so.