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Obama Distances Self from Middle Initial?
June 26, 2008 10:15 AM
It's one thing for Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, to distance himself from his minister, his home lender, his pledge to try to work out an agreement to use public financing, or the importance of telecom immunity in the FISA bill.
But his own middle initial?
In today's New York Times, Adam Nagourney and Jeff Zeleny take a look at the difficult process of reconciliation between staffers of Obama and those of Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY:
"In the primary, aides to Mrs. Clinton referred to their rival as B.H.O. — initials of Barack Hussein Obama, including his middle name, which has been a politically sensitive issue — while Mr. Obama’s team simply referred to him as B.O. The B.H.O. shorthand is frowned upon inside Mr. Obama’s campaign headquarters, a warning for any Clinton staff members coming aboard."
Just for some context, the three-initial shorthand on campaigns -- GWB, JSM, JRE, HRC, WJC -- is pretty standard.
Especially in this day and age of blackberries and text messaging. I frequently email Obama campaign staffers using "BHO" as shorthand, and McCain campaign staffers using "JSM" as shorthand -- with no malice intended at all. (And I did the same for Johnny Reid Edwards, Hillary Rodham Clinton, etc. Though I didn't use "WMR" for Willard Mitt Romney, I confess.)
Clearly, however, the middle name "Hussein" is not an automatic crowd-winner, and the Obama campaign is sensitive to any reminder -- no matter how internal or benign -- of said name. To his credit, unlike some other Democratic presidential hopefuls, Obama didn't legally change his name.
Certainly Obama's staffers can use whatever initials they want in their inter-office communiqués. I've just never considered use of a middle initial to be an insult.
- jpt
June 26, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (138)
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From the very beginning I tried to warn everyone that Osama Obama is essentially a covert terrorist. He will not have anything happen during his reign of terror in the U.S, but the seeds he plants to destroy us from within will be sewn when he leaves office. There will be many people who challenge and flat out show disdain for the truth but the reality is they are mindless, unthinking sheep that cannot see the forest through the trees. We can take back our country but it will require a complete disregard for the talking heads on television and start from grass routes movements in the states. You may think I am wrong but no one thought planes would fly into buildings in NY either. be smart people, stand up now and say NO to OSAMA OBAMA's terror plot against our country.
Posted by: tco123 | Jun 4, 2009 9:51:10 AM
deep in my heart I feel as if BHO (no disrespect) is the Antichrist in the flesh! With all that has been & Bn said about him seem pretty fitting. Read the bible & c 4 yourself. This Dude is too mysterious & doing things that r on his agenda!
Posted by: Melchizedek | Jun 28, 2008 1:33:22 AM
James Danley, that doesn't mean that they're all Muslims. Half the people in Saudi Arabia aren't Muslims, but Christians and other types of religions. You can't truly believe all Americans are Christians, and all people in the middle east are Muslims. That's one of the dumbest things probably heard of. Many people go to Saudi Arabia because of their high technogoly.
Posted by: Barack-rocks | Jun 27, 2008 12:59:07 PM
Obama never speaks about his father. Who was African and a Muslim. Now he wants to drop his middle name , to distant himself from the Muslim world. Why doesn't he go back to Barry. the name used in his past?To get the blue collor vote, he speaks of his white mother and hard working white grandparents. Just because he has the black vote , now he distant himself from his father.
Posted by: jp,michigan | Jun 27, 2008 10:54:54 AM
Barack-rocks, you wrote: "First of all, it was said that the bombers were 19 arabs, not muslims!"
The people of Saudi Arabia are predominantly Sunni Muslim.
Posted by: James Danley | Jun 27, 2008 8:51:15 AM
"Why does his name matter at all? Shouldn't you be concerned about the health plans and gas prices? Even if he was Muslim, I don't see what's wrong with that?"
-------
I couldn't agree with you more. So the question is, why is Obama himself so touchy about it? Why NOT use his middle initial? Why NOT sit in front of a couple of head-scarf wearing women?
I feel like he should be standing up and saying "I am not a Muslim, but if I were I would not be ashamed of that fact. And I am not ashamed of my African heritage, or of my middle name. I am happy to be seen in the company of observant Muslims."
So what is HIS problem with it? That's what I'd really like to know.
Posted by: Annie May | Jun 26, 2008 9:38:14 PM
Sense:
The marxists with whom Obama has been friends include Frank Marshall Davis, William Ayers, and Bernadine Dohrn, just to name a few.
Or did you seriously not know that? My guess is, your next move will be to argue about whether these three are "marxists," rather than addressing the point.
Any well-known conservatives Obama can call "friends" in the same manner as Davis, Ayers and Dohrn?
I thought not.
Posted by: Trustbutverify | Jun 26, 2008 6:53:18 PM
Why does his name matter at all? Shouldn't you be concerned about the health plans and gas prices? Even if he was Muslim, I don't see what's wrong with that? It's not like he was involved with some terrorist group or something. Muslims don't bomb anything, cause then they're not considered Muslims. Some of you are close-minded. When the 9/11 happened, everyone is afraid of Muslims. And when the IRA happened, no one says anything. First of all, it was said that the bombers were 19 arabs, not muslims! You need to open your ears and listen to the real news. Anyways, all we ever had for president is white, anglo, saxon males. Let us change.
Posted by: Barack-rocks | Jun 26, 2008 6:41:29 PM
Sense said
" conservative friends. I'm not a conservative. We shouldn't be thrown in the hat with the company we "keep" "
Conservatives and non-conservatives are acceptable. Terrorists, anti-Americans, crooks, and crackpots are not. There's a difference.
Posted by: Billw | Jun 26, 2008 6:12:15 PM
I always thought that is was *more* polite to use BHO for Senator, because when I grew up "BO" meant "body odor".
Posted by: Annie May | Jun 26, 2008 6:07:16 PM
Which famous marxists? Just because I associate with atheists doesn't mean I am one. I have conservative friends. I'm not a conservative. We shouldn't be thrown in the hat with the company we "keep". See my point?
Posted by: Sense | Jun 26, 2008 6:06:07 PM
Barack Hussein Obama is not the man he knew... heheheee
Posted by: Billw | Jun 26, 2008 6:04:22 PM
"Why isn't it relevant when Barack likes to hang out with former yippies and members of the Weather nderground?"
Many of todays generation goes for "charisma" and liberal thinking.
Posted by: Billw | Jun 26, 2008 5:57:42 PM
anon said "Obama is an all-American
politician with a Kenyan name."
So what -- he's still a world class liar who can't be trusted. He makes Nixon look like a saint!
Posted by: A | Jun 26, 2008 5:55:35 PM
Sense:
People have labeled Barack a "marxist" because he's got long ties to some pretty famous ones from the Sixties.
If McCain liked to hang out with former members of the KKK (other than Senator Byrd)that would be relevant. Why isn't it relevant when Barack likes to hang out with former yippies and members of the Weather Underground?
Posted by: Trustbutverify | Jun 26, 2008 5:51:47 PM
Again...anyone who refers to Obama as being a Marxist/Socialist. Please let me know what about Obama makes him a marxist. I haven't been able to find one person who can make a comparison between Obama and Marxism. You are writing that word because you have heard it from some pundit and his/her drabble. Don't be mislead by the media!
Posted by: Sense | Jun 26, 2008 5:44:38 PM
It's not him. His campaign, if
true as stated in the article,
is only saying there are enough
bigots who are spooked by H, so
until he's elected it's BO,
thereafter when he occupies the
White House it'll be BHO.
Posted by: anon | Jun 26, 2008 5:42:35 PM
I agree that there are many people, both democrat and republican that show a great deal of intelligence, but what I am saying is that anyone who would vote based on someone's name, fake rumors about their religion, or their race have no intelligence. Obama has never been a Muslim, any credible source would comply, but if he had been, what would be so bad about that? I would like to know a negative difference that is not a stereotype between christianity and islam? Jaye-- you're correct in saying that we each have our opinions and are entitled to them, but where we derive our "facts" are different. If we get two different answers from two different places on whether Obama has ever been a Muslim, one of them has to be wrong. I'd love to know what two schools he went to and what source you have for that implication.
Posted by: Sense | Jun 26, 2008 5:41:37 PM
Perhaps this is nothing; but why has the Senator's campaign (Obama's, that is) refused to produce a certified copy of his birth certificate?
The Democrats and the MSM even caused a flap recently because McCain was apparently born in Panama and they wanted to make sure he was a citizen.
Why the roar of silence when it comes to BHO?
Posted by: Trustbutverify | Jun 26, 2008 5:40:21 PM
It's not him. His campaign, if
true as stated in the article,
is only saying there are enough
bigots who are spooked by H, so
until he's elected it's BO,
thereafter when occupies the
White House it'll be BHO.
Posted by: anon | Jun 26, 2008 5:38:39 PM
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