Daily Slur

The Daily News-Record editorial page is a daily regurgitation of bile flung (usually) at Tim Kaine, Barack Obama, and anyone the editors deem liberals (which is all Democrats and any Republican to the left of Newt Gingrich). At least they aren't so happy with McCain either, especially since, gasp, his "Left Talk Express" has a (inadequate) plan to deal with climate change and environmental issues.

This week, the DNR editors put out this below the belt crap:

Edward Luttwak, writing in The New York Times on May 12, makes a few interesting points about Sen. Barack Obama, the Democrat presdential candidate. Speaking of Mr. Obama's professed Christianity, Luttwak writes that Islam does not recognize Mr. Obama's conversion, which could be problematic for a President Obama.

"Like all monotheistic religions, Islam is an exclusive faith," Mr. Luttwak wrote.

"As the son of the Muslim father, Senator Obama was born a Muslim under Muslim law as it is universally understood. It makes no difference that, as Senator Obama has written, his father said he renounced his religion. Likewise, under Muslim law based on the Koran, his mother's Christian background is irrelevant. ...

"His conversion, however, was a crime in Muslim eyes; it is ‘irtidad' or ‘ridda,' usually translated from the Arabic as "apostasy," but with connotations of rebellion and treason. Indeed, it is the worst of all crimes that a Muslim can commit, worse than murder (which the victim's family may choose to forgive)."

All of which means, Luttwak says, that providing security for a President Obama on a visit to a Muslim country would be ticklish "because the very act of protecting him would be sinful for Islamic security guards. More broadly, most citizens of the Islamic world would be horrified by the fact of Senator Obama's conversion to Christianity once it became widely known — as it would, no doubt, should he win the White House."

This truth, should not, Luttwak observes, affect whether a voter casts his ballot for Mr. Obama. But it does mean a President Obama's miraculously smoothing relations with the Islamic world isn't the certainty some observers say it is.

A sampling of the interesting comments on the DNR's online forum (join in with your own):

"... DNR, racism has no shame..."

"So which is it? Is he a secret Muslim that we have to fear, or a Christian who converted from Islam and we need to fear FOR him? Can't have it both ways."

"'Obama's professed Christianity.' You must be implying that he is some sort of manchurian Muslim candidate. False, wrong, and shame on you..."

"The best part (OK, I'll grant you there's a lot of best parts in this short piece) is how the DNR decides that we Christians should recognize Koran teachings and disregard Obama's mother's faith..."

The Daily News Record is a pretty solid in reporting local and state news. Too bad they have the right wing monkey cage running the editorial room.