The gaffe machine rolls on

Barack Obama referred to “my Muslim faith” in a nationally televised interview today with ABC’s George Stephanopoulus. Israel Insider, whose commentary on the gaffe is otherwise ridiculous if not contemptible, aptly notes that Stephanopoulus corrected Obama, interjecting “Christian faith,” although the correction offered by Stephanopoulos makes no sense.

Here is the transcript:

STEPHANOPOULOS: You mention your Christian faith. Yesterday you took off after the Republicans for suggesting you have Muslim connections. Just a few minutes ago, Rick Davis, John McCain’s campaign manager, said they’ve never done that. This is a false and cynical attempt to play victim.

OBAMA: You know what? I mean, these guys love to throw a rock and hide their hand. The…

STEPHANOPOULOS: The McCain campaign has never suggested you have Muslim connections.

OBAMA: No, no, no. But the — I don’t think that when you look at what is being promulgated on Fox News, let’s say, and Republican commentators who are closely allied to these folks–

STEPHANOPOULOS: But John McCain said that’s wrong.

OBAMA: Now, well, look. Listen. You and I both know that the minute that Governor Palin was forced to talk about her daughter, I immediately said that’s off limits. And–

STEPHANOPOULOS: But John McCain said the same thing about questioning your faith.

OBAMA: And what was the first thing the McCain?s campaign went out and did? They said, look, these liberal blogs that support Obama are out there attacking Governor Palin.

Let’s not play games. What I was suggesting — you’re absolutely right that John McCain has not talked about my Muslim faith. And you’re absolutely right that that has not come–

STEPHANOPOULOS: Christian faith.

OBAMA: — my Christian faith. Well, what I’m saying is that he hasn’t suggested–

STEPHANOPOULOS: Has connections, right.

OBAMA: — that I’m a Muslim. And I think that his campaign’s upper echelons have not, either.

Allahpundit rightly condemns any attempt to turn Obama’s gaffe into an admission, noting that Obama’s construction is a reference to those falsely imputing Islam to him, as Obama subsequently made clear. Of particular interest in the Washington Times’s restrained article on this gaffe, however, is this comment from Obama spokesman Bill Burton: “I’m not surprised that the only outlet doing this story is The Washington Times.” In that respect, to borrow a phrase from Mark Twain, Burton no doubt spoke with the calm confidence of a Christian with four aces.

Via Lucianne.

To comment on this post, go here.

Notice: All comments are subject to moderation. Our comments are intended to be a forum for civil discourse bearing on the subject under discussion. Commenters who stray beyond the bounds of civility or employ what we deem gratuitous vulgarity in a comment — including, but not limited to, “s***,” “f***,” “a*******,” or one of their many variants — will be banned without further notice in the sole discretion of the site moderator.

Responses