by Patrick Appel
A group of Iowan Republicans was made to watch the Obama interview Conor analyzed earlier. I laughed at the host's reaction when most the group admitted to believing Obama is a Muslim. The host begins, "now do you understand the implications of what you're saying here," which made me think he was actually going to challenge the group's false belief. But, no, instead he wants them to know "what the media is going to say about this group and about Iowa Caucus voters in the future." Fox News and Sarah Palin have caricatured the rest of the media as liberal and deceitful. Telling these voters, and Fox viewers at home, that the media will attack them for believing an untruth does nothing to dislodge the lie:
National Review's Rich Lowry is surprised that GOP voters think Obama is Muslim. Kevin Drum's head hits the desk:
Both Lowry and Bill Kristol have gone after Glenn Beck for his nutball conspiracy theorizing over the past week about caliphates and the Muslim Brotherhood. That's good news, because someone on the right needs to do this. Now it's time for them to do the same to anyone who helps prolong the maybe-Obama-is-a-Muslim-maybe-he's-not-it's-kinda-hard-to-know meme. Then they can work up to disowning Sarah Palin.