Bob Kerrey Deftly Completes Slur Cycle

A few days ago Mike Huckabee made some allegedly "off the record" crack about Mormans believing Jesus and Satan were brothers to a reporter who was writing an otherwise forgettable Huckabee backgrounder. Before the backgrounder was published the "off the record" crack was given wall to wall media coverage. Mitt Romney rightly took the comment as an attempt to mislead the voters and to play the religion card. He cried foul. That got even more media coverage which allowed Huckabee to slyly reinforce his initial slur. After milking it for all it was worth Huckabee put a final twist on the story by publicly apologizing to Romney. A simple slur was turned into a 3 day story reinforcing the initial message that Romney is the member of some kind of kooky cult.

Earlier this week Bob Kerrey, an open Clinton supporter, pulled the same stunt. He made a couple of misleading comments about Barack Obama's family and religious background. He said the comments were to point out Obama's "strengths." The well covered and coordinated slurs were obviously intended to reinforce the mistaken belief that Obama attended a Muslim religious school as a child. The comments were a blatant attempt to play a "religion" card and to tarnish Obama's reputation. They were rightly criticized in the media which kept the story going a few days longer. Today, just as the story is dying down, the now contemptible Bob Kerrey completes the circle and reinforces the initial slur by loudly apologizing to Obama "for any unintentional insult he committed by raising the Democratic presidential candidate's Muslim heritage while endorsing rival candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton." The AP writer says that Kerrey denies Clinton's involvement in either the initial story or the apology. Color me skeptical. Somebody needs to ask AP writer Nedra Pickler who told her Kerrey was apologizing. The whole smear has Clinton campaign finger prints all over it.

Such is the politics of indirect personal destruction. Do we really want to return to the 1990s?

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Campaign Video of the Day -- December 19, 2007

Out of all the videos distributed the last few days there can be only one that captures the potential ugliness of the season--Mike Huckabee's "What Really Matters."

During the last few weeks Mitt Romney has said, retracted, and winked that there isn't a Muslim in America qualified to be in his cabinet. I guess only good Christians, Mormons or Jews need apply.

Of course, there is a completely untrue, but persistent rumor that Barack Obama is a Muslim. Hillary Clinton supporter Bob Kerrey, a man I used to respect, has recently tried to damn Obama with faint praise by mentioning that he attended elementary school in a Muslim country--which Kerrey wrongly called a Madrassa. Kerrey and Clinton should be ashamed.

Mike Huckabee, the "author" of today's video, recently, if indirectly, attacked Mitt Romney's Mormonism slyly alluding to a poorly understood feature Mormon doctrine. His attack was an efficient, if indirect, back stab that left lots of room for plausible denial.

Yesterday the Catholic League president slammed Huckabee for this 'subliminal' cross ad. Apparently the cross ad has reminded Catholic League's Bill Donahue of something from his childhood because he suddenly fears the re-introduction of overt religious tests in American politics. As Catholics old enough to remember John Kennedy know it wasn't long ago when good Protestant Americans wouldn't vote for a "papist." The marriage between Catholics and evangelicals over pro-life issues is a shotgun marriage at best.

Outside the pro-life debate modern Americans are not used to such a frothy mixing of politics with the old time religion. We better get used to it. The kind of America Huck seems to want is a "Christian" America. Historically, "Christian" America wasn't big enough for cultist Mormons. I live in Western Missouri. Our history is filled with ugly incidents involving riots and massacres. After Missouri's "Christian" governor issued a shoot on sight order, the good Christians ran the Mormans out of Missouri. As every Morman knows that ultimately led to the founding of Utah.

Some of Huckabee's fellow "Christians" deeply believe Catholics are also members of a dirty anti-Christian "cult." Donahue and American Catholics rightly fear that "Christian" belief might lead to a renewal of the ancient religious war that nearly destroyed Europe, and continued to rage in Northern Ireland until a few short years ago. If history is a guide I would guess Jews, who are definitely not Christian, are going to be next. Of course, the tolerant Episcopalians count gays in their number, so to some I am sure they aren't qualified to hold office. Pretty soon "Christian" America won't be big enough for Pentecostals or Lutherans.

Merry Christmas and welcome to what might be the end of America as the land of religious tolerance and freedom. Once religious tests are introduced into the public square the world quickly becomes a very dangerous place. Praise the lord and pass the ammunition.



If you encounter a video worthy of sharing please email the link to proctoring.congress@gmail.com subject: Campaign Video of the Day.

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