The Clinton campaign flatly denies any hand in the Obama-is-a-Muslim smear campaign that has bubbled beneath the media surface, but it is more than willing to take advantage of it, says the lone Muslim member of congress.
Rep. Keith Ellison, in an interview with The Huffington Post, said the Clinton camp was “opportunistically trying to reap the benefit” of voter concerns about Obama’s religious beliefs. Ellison, who is a declared supporter of Senator Barack Obama, faced fierce religious attacks in his election to congress two years ago.
“People are going to throw some stuff on the wall and see what sticks and at this point the Clinton camp is trying to do whatever it can to be successful,” said the Minnesota Democrat. “And if that means benefiting from political bigotry, I don’t think they will try to put a stop to it.”
I’ve got two questions:
For Obama defenders: Why is being called a Muslim necessarily a “smear?”
For those playing the “Obama is a Muslim” card: Why would Obama being a Muslim be worse than Obama being a member of the church he actually admits belonging to?