I generally turn CNN on in the evenings and then ignore it, but my ears perked up when I heard Campbell Brown, in the “Cutting Through the Bull” segment of “Campbell Brown: Election Center” last night, say, “So what if Obama was Arab or Muslim? So what if John McCain was Arab or Muslim? Would it matter?”
Like anyone who’s read Article VI of the Constitution, my answer was a resounding “No!” Apparently Brown is also up on her Constitution knowledge, because she seemed as frustrated as I am by the implicit religious test for public office being created by the reaction to this whisper campaign about Obama’s “secret Muslim identity.” And she made some spectacular points – take a look:
Brown is right: Obama is not Muslim – although millions of patriotic Americans are – but it shouldn’t matter. What should matter are his positions on the issues at stake, and that he’s an American. Everything else is just intolerance at best, and hatred-driven prejudice at worst.
Campbell Brown may be my newest hero.
