Pres. Hussein addresses Arab world

Suddenly its okay to mention Obama’s Muslim roots
Jan. 29, 2009

Where’s John McCain to the rescue? During the campaign, McCain chided anyone who used the current president’s middle name. Mention of the H word became taboo and labeled “fear mongering.” But where is that sentiment now?

Obama referred to himself by his full name when being interviewed by Al Arabiye, a Saudi-owned TV network, during an interview -- his first sit-down interview of his presidency. Apparently telling a pan-Arab television network about his Muslim ties is okay, just not the American press.

“I have Muslim members of my family. I have lived in Muslim countries,” Obama told Hisham Melhem.

Obama’s father, Barack Sr., was born into a Muslim family – though he became an atheist before arriving in Hawaii, where Obama Jr. was later born. Obama spent four years as a boy in Indonesia – the world’s most populous Muslim country.