In "America's first Muslim president? Obama aligns with the policies of Shariah-adherents" in the Washington Times, June 9, Frank Gaffney of the Center for Security Policy echoes a point I made in March 2007: that Barack Obama, whether or not he is actually a Muslim himself, can be America's first Muslim President the way Bill Clinton was our first black President: it's all about empathy, doncha know. Gaffney says:
During his White House years, William Jefferson Clinton -- someone Judge Sonia Sotomayor might call a "white male" -- was dubbed "America's first black president" by a black admirer. Applying the standard of identity politics and pandering to a special interest that earned Mr. Clinton that distinction, Barack Hussein Obama would have to be considered America's first Muslim president.This is not to say, necessarily, that Mr. Obama actually is a Muslim any more than Mr. Clinton actually is black. After his five months in office, and most especially after his just-concluded visit to Saudi Arabia and Egypt, however, a stunning conclusion seems increasingly plausible: The man now happy to have his Islamic-rooted middle name featured prominently has engaged in the most consequential bait-and-switch since Adolf Hitler duped Neville Chamberlain over Czechoslovakia at Munich....