Politico's Simon cropped Wright quote, claiming he "made it legitimate" to use Obama's middle name

Summary: In writing that Rev. Jeremiah Wright "made it legitimate" to use Sen. Barack Obama's middle name, the Politico's Roger Simon selectively quoted Wright saying at an NAACP dinner, "Please run and tell my stuck-on-stupid friends that Arabic is a language; it's not a religion. Barack Hussein Obama. Barack Hussein Obama. Barack Hussein Obama." Simon omitted the portion of Wright's remarks that immediately followed the part he quoted, in which Wright appeared to criticize those who use Obama's middle name.

In his April 30 Politico column discussing Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., Sen. Barack Obama's former pastor, chief political columnist Roger Simon pointed to conservative radio host Bill Cunningham's repeated references to "Barack Hussein Obama" at a February 26 rally for Sen. John McCain, writing: "Remember how, to his credit, John McCain strongly denounced the talk show host who repeatedly used Obama's middle name at a speech? Well, McCain doesn't have to denounce that in the future. Wright made it legitimate." As evidence, Simon selectively quoted from Wright's April 27 address at the Fight for Freedom Fund Dinner hosted by the Detroit chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People: " 'Please run and tell my stuck-on-stupid friends that Arabic is a language; it's not a religion,' Wright said at a speech to the NAACP on Sunday. 'Barack HUSSEIN Obama. Barack HUSSEIN Obama. Barack HUSSEIN Obama.' " But Simon omitted the portion of Wright's remarks that immediately followed the part he quoted, in which Wright appeared to criticize those who use Obama's middle name. As Media Matters for America has noted, Wright actually said:

WRIGHT: Please run and tell my stuck-on-stupid friends that Arabic is a language; it's not a religion. Barack Hussein Obama. Barack Hussein Obama. Barack Hussein Obama. There are Arabic-speaking Christians, Arabic-speaking Jews, and Arabic speaking atheists. Arabic is a language; it's not a religion. Stop trying to scare folks by giving them an Arabic name as if it's some sort of a disease. [emphasis added]

Moreover, in asserting that McCain deserves "credit" for denouncing Cunningham, Simon failed to note that Cunningham had a history of using Obama's middle name prior to his appearance at the February 26 rally, an appearance that the McCain campaign reportedly coordinated. Nor did Simon note that McCain's denunciation of Cunningham is part of a pattern of smears against Obama that McCain subsequently denounced or distanced himself from.

From Simon's April 30 Politico column:

Wright is not just a loose cannon; he is a loose weapon of mass destruction -- and one that can easily be used by Obama's opponents.

Remember how, to his credit, John McCain strongly denounced the talk show host who repeatedly used Obama's middle name at a speech? Well, McCain doesn't have to denounce that in the future. Wright made it legitimate.

"Please run and tell my stuck-on-stupid friends that Arabic is a language; it's not a religion," Wright said at a speech to the NAACP on Sunday. "Barack HUSSEIN Obama. Barack HUSSEIN Obama. Barack HUSSEIN Obama."

Gosh, that muddled point really helps in a country where 15 percent of voters already mistakenly believe Obama is a Muslim.

—K.H.