This week the McCain ticket has tried to tenuously connect Barack Obama to Columbia University professor Rashid Khalidi, a leading scholar of Middle Eastern studies, who served on the University of Chicago faculty with Obama.
Sarah Palin said yesterday: "This is important because his associate, Rashid Khalidi . . . in addition to being a political ally of Barack Obama, he's a former spokesperson for the Palestinian Liberation Organization." But while Barack Obama was acquainted with Khalidi (who denies ever being the PLO spokesman), John McCain led an organization that gave Khalidi money for research.
While John McCain served as chairman of the International Republican Institute during the 1990s, he oversaw grants to Khalidi's Palestinian research center, including one grant for half a million dollars. To see how McCain is trying to push a one-sided version of the story, read more.
This week, McCain demanded the LA Times release a videotape of a Khalidi's going-away party attended by Obama in 2003. While the newspaper described the event, saying Khalidi praised Obama, it would not release the tape because it promised the source it would not.
By repeating the dangerous-sounding name "Rashid Khalidi" paired with Barack Obama's, the McCain camp could reinforce voters' unfounded fears that Barack Obama is a friend of terrorists, or that he is Muslim. In fact a new poll shows 23 percent of Texans believe Obama is Muslim. These attempts present another example of how guilt-by-association attacks can be misleading, and hypocritical.
Ed Hardy
High
Panache
So what's worse giving someone money in support of their causes
or just being a friend?
1Thanks for posting this story, Liberty.
So funding a foe of Isreal = not bad
Working for the same university = bad
2This whole Muslim thing is ridiculous and the smear is ridiculous. The whole idea that him being a Muslim (which is not true as well all know) and somehow that being a negative thing is so horrible and reflects and culturally intolerant America.
3McCain's campaign has screwed themselves a couple of times by not researching things carefully enough, and with all you can learn with just a computer and a telephone, there's really no excuse. What would they do in the White House?
4Was Palin aware of McCain's ties before she blabbed her big mouth? Seems like it would have better for them if she just shut up.
5I *so* wish this election was over already.
I could have sworn the US was founded on the basis of religious freedom. I guess that means only if your religion is "acceptable". The intolerance and bigotry are really rearing their ugly heads.
6Professor Khalidi was born in the United States and lives in New York, making him an American of Palestinian descent. But let's keep calling him a Palestinian. It sounds a lot scarier.
It made me sick to my stomach to see how the audience immediately booed when Palin first mentioned him. I'm betting half the people didn't even know who he was, they just booed his muslim sounding name. It's not an Obama-McCain thing, but I am seriously daydreaming about moving to another country. Americans putting up political figures in nooses and booing foreign sounding names has me so fed up.
7Mavericks don't wait for information! That's the kind of thing an elitest would learn in school.
8What is WITH this idea that you should attack your opponent for something you are guilty of. I mean what IS this logic? Go after your opponent for something over which you are even more vulnerable?
9That's right, Steph. Didn't Palin say that "there's no time to blink..." when referring to being Prez? Looks like she's already gearing up for that.
10Stephley... haha. I didn't read your comment before I commented. oops. I hope that doesn't make me a Maverick. haha
11Schadenfreude! I hope swing voters note this.
12I'm in favor of blinking over winking.
13Yes, her winking makes me ill.
14theyve done this a few times now -- with the fanny mae and freddie mac thing (his campaign advisor was a lobbyist for them); with the "unamerican" thing (palin's husband was a secessionist)... my guess is that they just figure their audience is too stupid/lazy to seek out the truth and realize that they are hypocrites. which is totally insulting to republicans. i know they are smarter than that -- hopefully they'll come around and see that this is just one of many, many half-truths mccain/palin have been spreading.
15"theyve done this a few times now -- with the fanny mae and freddie mac thing (his campaign advisor was a lobbyist for them); with the "unamerican" thing (palin's husband was a secessionist)... my guess is that they just figure their audience is too stupid/lazy to seek out the truth and realize that they are hypocrites. which is totally insulting to republicans. i know they are smarter than that -- hopefully they'll come around and see that this is just one of many, many half-truths mccain/palin have been spreading."
16Pot meet kettle: Isn't this like the 5th time that's happened......
17As I've said before, people who live in glass houses shouldn't hurl boulders.
18This campaign is a mess. Do they think anything through?
19I so agree with the last three posters on this one.
20Amen to y'all above me.
21
Again? They're making this way too easy.
22dreamsugar, I thought exactly that same thing when I was first reading this! you beat me to it!
23oh geez..
24Repeat after me...
Five more days.
Five more days.
Five more days.
Deep breaths
25Five more day.
26Five more days.
Five more days.
Feel better?
27Five more day.
28Five more days.
Five more days.
I will feel better in
29Five more days.
Five more days.
Five more days.
five more days.
30five more days.
five more days.
it will all be over in five more days....
LOL -- that's the spirit -- now go vote people!!
31Don't they fact-check these things before they start accusing? I guess not.
Btw, where all of the conservatives/Republicans on Citizen? I haven't seen them around a lot today. I appreciate their opinion on these posts too
Honestly.
32I too, would like to see their perspectives on this.
I have a soft spot for the Palestinians, and people can dislike me for that if they wish, but they have suffered greatly for decades, their education and way of life has been utterly destroyed and while I wish no harm on the Jewish state, I think my mom said it best when she said "They started using their bodies when they ran out of anything else to fight back with."
So, I hate seeing the Palestinians even brought into this. The PLO has had its dark days, no doubt, but honest to God, why is THIS MORE IMPORTANT to Americans than their futures, their homes, their jobs, schools, roads, drinking water and air??!?!?!?!
Is this the APPROPRIATE thing to be discussing in the final days, Mrs. Palin? Is this the BEST you can do for your party and your running-mate's candidacy?
Chrissakes.
33Of course the Republicans are m.i.a on this.
34It would require they admit that
McCain and "Bible Spice"
(Alec Baldwin came up with that...pretty funny)
are completely inept.
I wish ,just for once, they would be
honest about how disastrous the
McCain/Palin campaign has been.
hahahha! bible spice? i hadn't heard that one yet!
35The Republicans are MIA on this because this story was covered yesterday on Conservative Sugar. This is old news.
36What's with McCain's nazi pose in the picture?
McCain has run a really poor campaign. It begs the question how well he will be able to run the White House.
37"It made me sick to my stomach to see how the audience immediately booed when Palin first mentioned him. I'm betting half the people didn't even know who he was, they just booed his muslim sounding name."
True, I'm guessing not 10 people in the rally had ever heard of this guy. There's no WAY it was even close to half.
In general rallies are scary. Too much group think.
38yawn, is it over yet? I cant wait.
39it might be old news piper, but that doesn't make it any less damning.
40I didn't say it wasn't damning, yy. I responded to this yesterday on another thread and I didn't say it wasn't damning on there too.
41Am an just confused as to why they would run with this accusation when it clearly wasn't vetted by their campaign. The carelessness is scary. I hope he wouldn't run his administration this willy-nilly.
42"Larry King: You don't believe Barack Obama is a socialist, do you?
MCCAIN: No. "
Where did McCain's integrity go?
43How could he let all of these allegations fly when they haven't been vetted and/or he KNOWS it isn't true?
"How could he let all of these allegations fly when they haven't been vetted and/or he KNOWS it isn't true?"
Desperation?
44Roarman: Heil Hilter???
dream: LOVE your avvy...so cute!
em: Desperation IS as desperation DOES.
45"I have a soft spot for the Palestinians, and people can dislike me for that if they wish, but they have suffered greatly for decades, their education and way of life has been utterly destroyed and while I wish no harm on the Jewish state, I think my mom said it best when she said "They started using their bodies when they ran out of anything else to fight back with.""
Shadow I wanted to say that I can't imagine how anyone can dislike you for feeling sorry for the innocent who have lost their homes and their lives. I also feel very sorry for them. They have little support from even the surrounding Islamic countries let alone from the West. It is really sad. I am repeating the 5 more days mantra- I am so tired of this attack against Muslims.
46people are b*tchin on here about Obama being called a socialist...than the next minute joking about McCain being hitler?
I dont get it.
47CG, I think the difference is that the "socialist" attack is being used as an actual allegation by the McCain campaign and surrogates, while the "Hitler" thing is really just a joke not meant to be taken seriously. You don't see Biden running around calling McCain a fascist or using scare tactics to convince people that a vote for McCain is a vote for the Holocaust.
484 more days...
I can't take it. *bites nails*
49I know Jude, its a joke, but some things just arent funny, like anal sex and hitler.
50Post New Comment
Please share your opinion with our community, but make sure it is on topic and follows our Community Rules. We moderate comments and prohibit personal attacks, threats, spam, lewd images, or the promotion of your personal website.