Out of Africa

Is Obama a Muslim? A socialist? A Marxist? None of them really go hand in hand but logic hasn't stopped the sensationalism machine from saying yes to all of the above. Yet despite the wild eyed pushbacks from his followers whenever the above charges are mentioned we still don't have a definitive picture of what Barack Hussein Obama is truly all about.

Take for instance his 2006 African foray, taken at the behest of his fellow Kenyan tribesman and politician Raila Odingo. According to his Wiki site Odinga is a "social democrat", an kinder gentler offshoot of the pure socialism chosen by his late father, also a Kenyan politician. Odinga is formally affiliated with an outfit called "Liberal International", whose purpose appears to be aligned more with social liberals rather than Marxists or Communists. A factoid--Odinga named his first child "Fidel" in honor of the bearded tyrant in Cuba.

Odinga is officially an Anglican. He came under fire when running for president in 2007 when an agreement with Kenyan Muslim leaders was leaked that promised support for favors. Some controversy exists, since another version was distributed in the US suggesting that the agreement bound Odinga to push the country towards Sharia law if elected in return for their support at the polls.

There's no dispute an agreement was signed, as evidenced by this recent letter to now Prime Minister Odinga begging him to come through on the promises. It's hard to say which one was faked, since it doesn't seem out of the question for Muslims to ask for the moon if they believed the agreement to be secret. Snopes debunks some of the African myth but not all. Just remember, we've been told it's OK to lie for jihad but we've also seen (as Snopes points out) lies for Christianity, so the jury is still out.

An aside--the most famous al Qaeda suspect wanted for the East African Embassy bombings in 1998 is Fazul Abdullah Mohammed, a native of the Comoros Islands off the east African coast. It's interesting al Qaeda chose to target the embassy in Nairobi, and it's also interesting that Kenya was involved in the recent US military sweep in Somalia along with Ethiopia. It's even more interesting that the Muslims who lobbied Odinga (undisputed) are using western instruments like habeas corpus to lobby for the halt of some alleged renditions of Muslim terror suspects given the fact they'd choose Sharia if they could.

The question is whether any of this says anything about Obama or how he might run the country. All we can do is take an overview of his known friends and acquaintances, such as messers Odinga, Ayers, Dohrn, Wright, Pfleger, Moss and various others and paint a partial picture of a man who'll likely lean more left than middle. It'd be sweet if such unknowns could get sorted out in the debates but we're more likely to see Mitchell's aliens before that ever happens.

MORE 7/27/08

Right Truth has a story about some interesting requests the advocacy group "Muslim Americans for Obama 08" are making of the candidate. I can't help but notice the similarity with the requests made by the Kenyan Muslims to Odinga, whom Barack supported. For what it's worth.

MORE 7/27/08

Not the Kenyan school he once knew, or another smear? You decide.