In other words, Obama lied about the new kind of politics and resorts to mudslinging.

Oy.

Obama has no principle other than Me First.

To suggest that he has other principles would mean he'd have to stand by them when push comes to shove and, heaven forfend, make someone mad. And if you're a post-partisan, like Obama, you don't want to do that.

"The GOP made me do it" is olden days politics at its finest.

http://www.politicalcartoons.com/cartoon/5ac55bb8-537d-44ca-98a5-501f2c6881ad.html

Steve...I read the post above a few times just to make sure I got it right...sounds like a tremendous overreaction by you to the email. It seems this is a carryover from your post yesterday about Obama's Muslim coordinator.

I hope you will take a deep breath before condemning the Obama campaign...and Obama himself... again. Ranting against Obama, in this way, does nothing to promote a rational dialogue that will move forward change for Muslims in an Obama administration.

Steve's not ranting about Obama. He is rightly pointing out the identity politics at the core of the Obama campaign and their repeated craven attempts to play the victim -- without concern for those they victimize in the process.

Tahoe Editor...his comments are certainly aimed at Obama since he mentions him throughout the critique...Steve refers to Obama in each paragraph directly. Accusations such as "craven attempts to play the victim" and "identity politics at the core of the Obama campaign" are grossly unfair and inaccurate.

The point of the Obama campaign email was simply to emphasize the unequal media focus and attention that is given to McCain...i.e. Obama would be under extreme scrutiny and questioning if the same donation scenario had occurred to his campaign unlike the McCain scrutiny so far. The main point was not to scour the donation list for all people with Muslim or Middle Eastern sounding names.

Ranting about Obama as a "promulgator of anti-Muslimism" is over the top and unnecessary to produce constructive engagement on the Muslim topic.

I admire Steve's work, but his position on this specific topic is misplaced needs to be discussed further.

Jonore -- thanks for your note. Read my piece again. I say that this is not a major issue and their should be no over-reaction. But I won't stand quietly when I see campaigns explicitly or indirectly promulgate ethnic discrimination of a minority in the U.S. I had enough of this from Bush and the way Muslims have been treated. I know Obama is not a racist -- of course he isn't. But having the campaign itself send a note out without any qualifier at all is wrong.

To some degree, there are some in the Obama campaign -- and they are rivals of the view I have -- who think that the more alienated American muslims are from Obama, the more secure he is with the financially important givers in the Democratic party.

So, happy to discuss -- but I am not engaged in rants but rather expressing serious concerns about Obama's positioning and direction when it comes to American Muslims -- and to Muslims elsewhere.

Let's argue the merits on both sides -- best,

steve clemons