Obama-Muslim Connection Won't Go Away

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Sep 8, 2008 4:30PM

Presidential candidate Barack Obama appeared on ABC's This Week with George Stephanopoulos yesterday and an apparent "gaffe" has once again raised questions about his connection to the Muslim faith, an accusation that followed him during the primary season, most famously in West Virginia. But is yesterday's alleged "gaffe" really that? Or is it just a misunderstanding by Stephanopoulos, as Frank James at the Trib's Washington bureau suggested? Here's the video:

It does appear as if the gaffe is on George, here. As James points out:

Stephanopoulos evidently thought Obama had misspoke and corrected him. But Obama didn't misspeak...If he had used an exaggerated air quotes sign, the index and middle fingers on both hands being moved in a slight clawing fashion-- then Stephanopoulos would've gotten what he was saying and wouldn't have felt the need to correct him, leaving the impression that Obama had some sort of Freudian slip. Obama didn't.

Of course, one does have to wonder if this would all go away if Obama just didn't address it. Probably not completely, as whisper campaigns are a staple of politics, but it wouldn't give the claims any more credence. Well, until the whole "He's ignoring the claims because they're true" allegations. Ah, politics, such a fun game.