In an interview with George Stephanopoulos, Barack Obama talked about “my Muslim faith.” Some Republicans have suggested that Barack Obama is using the Muslim rumors to gain sympathy and to play the victim. As George Stephanopoulos pointed out, the McCain campaign never promulgated rumors that Obama is a Muslim, even denouncing the attacks. Obama defended himself by arguing that while the McCain campaign never talked about “my Muslim faith,” Fox News and other Republican circles have continued to make claims about Obama’s faith, suggesting that he is not who he says he is.
After Barack Obama said “my Muslim faith,” Stephanopoulos immediately corrected him by saying “my Christian faith,” suggesting that Obama had a slip of the tongue. It is unclear whether or not it was a slip of the tongue. Still, in the context of the interview it made sense for Obama to use the phrase “my Muslim faith” since he was directly addressing rumors of being a Muslim.
Clips of Barack Obama’s Muslim faith comment are circulating around the internet. Many suggest that it was a Freudian slip.
Although I am not an Obama supporter, I agree that the rumors are irrelevant and offensive. There is no concrete proof that Barack Obama is a Muslim. And even so, we are voting for candidates based on issues and qualifications, not on the issue of faith.
Obama and ‘My Muslim Faith:’ Other Slips of the Tongue
“Muslim” Obama is not the only candidate to have his words scrutinized. On the campaign trail, McCain made an egregious slip in addressing criticisms of his lack of conservative credentials. He said, “I am a proud conservative liberal Repub…conservative Republican. Hello? Easy there!” For McCain this may have been a Freudian slip. Maverick McCain has a moderate record on abortion, immigration, and has voted against Bush tax cuts in the past. Still, his platform has moved closer to the right this election cycle because of his stances on national security.
Hillary Clinton received criticism for referring to Robert Kennedy’s assassination during the primaries. Although she had only intended to make a historical reference, many suggested that she was advocating an Obama assassination. Yet RFK Jr. was sympathetic to Hillary Clinton, understanding that it was a historical reference. He was also a Hillary supporter.
In the past, the media has portrayed Dan Quayle and George W. Bush as unintelligent. There are famous sound bytes of Dan Quayle spelling “potatoe” and George Bush asking “Is our children learning?” While such gaffes are amusing, I don’t read too much into them. At the end of the day, it’s about issues, not slips of the tongue.
