A US President Named Hussein?

Oh, what's in a name? Media and leftist darling Barack Obama may learn answer soon as public debate shifts from his talent to his politically-unfortunate middle name.

Taken from Ynetnews, Israel, 12.12.06
By Yitzhak Benhorin

WASHINGTON - The youthful African-American senator from Illinois has not yet officially announced his intention to contend for the top spot on the Democrat's presidential ticket, but you couldn't tell that fact from the hoards of supporters screaming Barack Obama's name this weekend in New Hampshire – a key election state.

The energetic senator, aptly labeled a true media-darling, continues however to stick to his 'testing the waters' routine no matter how convinced everyone else is that he's already kicked off his election campaign.

Touring New Hampshire under the official guise of touting his new book 'The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream', it was clear that Obama was also using the opportunity to seriously examine his chances at running against strong Democratic candidates such as widely expected front-runner Hillary Clinton.

Should he choose to announce a presidential bid on his part, Obama is likely to face a wall of questions doubting his eligibility for the job. The 45-year-old son of a Kenyan father and American mother, has only two years of senate service under his belt and no additional experience on the national level.

Obama also faces a difficult battle against various stereotypes, namely the color of his skin and his middle name – Hussein – which reminds many Americans of certain figures they would rather forget, much less elect as president.

Obama's 'problematic' middle name does not appear on his official Senate biography webpage, nor is there any mention of it on other official sites. But apparently someone viewed this rising-star as a threat in the political sky and pushed the name forward into the public arena, perhaps in the hope of tarnishing Obama's image.

While it remains unclear who stands behind the revelation, it left the considerably low-key internet political blogs and forums and made its way to American households when New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd dedicated last weekend's column to the subject.

Liberal bloggers were seething. Obama is their sweetheart, the alternative to Hillary Clinton and the only potential candidate who objected to the war in Iraq besides Al Gore; who for now is maintaining a low profile and even lower polling figures.

And so now instead of questioning Obama's capabilities - will Americans be more busy wondering if they can live with a president named Hussein?