Barack Hussein Obama - Selling his hidden Muslim Past

ANKARA, Turkey – During his presidential campaign, Barack Hussein Obama rarely made an appearance.

He spoke little of his childhood in Indonesia, or his Muslim relatives. He battled rumors that he is Muslim. He struggled to appear not as somehow exotic but as the everyman.

But as he embarks on a new campaign to win over the Muslim world, Obama is calling attention to the non-traditional aspects of his upbringing like never before – hoping to turn his biggest political liability at home into a powerful asset abroad.

He’s not merely portraying himself as a break from George W. Bush’s policies, but as a leader whose unique background can help him better understand the world.

“The United States is not, and will never be, at war with Islam,” he said in a speech here Monday to Parliament.

That message was aired at the wider Muslim world, and to underline his familiarity with their culture, he recalled his own childhood abroad in Indonesia.

“Many other Americans have Muslims in their families or have lived in a Muslim-majority country — I know, because I am one of them,” he noted to applause.

On Friday, at a town hall meeting in Strasbourg, France, he made an extemporaneous comment that would have been unthinkable on a campaign where female supporters wearing headscarves were once removed from a camera shot behind the candidate.

“I think that it is important for Europe to understand that even though I'm now president and George Bush is no longer president, al-Qaeda is still a threat, and that we cannot pretend somehow that because Barack Hussein Obama got elected as President, suddenly everything is going to be OK,” he told the audience.

Translation: I recognize the powerful symbolism my name offers – but that doesn’t mean the world isn’t still a dangerous place and American allies can let down their guard. - Politico Story

It is amazing how he fought tooth and nail anytime his middle name was brought up. He and his supporters bashed on anyone who thought to discuss his Muslim connections. He tried to bury all of it.

Today, President Barack Hussein Obama is pushing and selling his middle name and his Muslim past.