In a column posted January 14 at Townhall.com and January 16 at conservative news website WorldNetDaily about the role of religion in presidential campaigns, former Los Angeles Times humor columnist Burt Prelutsky said of Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL): “To be fair, I acknowledge that he has a pleasant smile and speaks better than most politicians. The truth is, he sort of reminds me of David Duke.” Duke is a former Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan and former Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives.

In the column, Prelutsky asked, “Why is it, I wonder, that nobody is asking Barack Obama about his religious convictions?” and, referring to Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ, asserted that Obama is a “member of a black church that apparently feels it owes greater allegiance to Africa than to America.” The latter statement echoes a January 11 entry on the Media Research Center's NewsBusters blog, in which Media Research Center director of communications Seton Motley questioned Obama's allegiance to the United States and claimed that Obama's membership in Trinity -- which is predominantly African-American and professes to “remain 'true to our native land' ” -- “seems to stand in diametric opposition to ... the oath to faithfully execute the office of President of the United States,” as Media Matters for America documented.

Discussing all three major Democratic presidential candidates -- Obama, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (NY), and former Sen. John Edwards (NC) -- Prelutsky wrote: “I consider all three of them to be anti-military, tax raising, left-wing flyweights who would bury this country in entitlements while essentially ignoring Islamic fascism. I regard them as three run-of-the-mill hacks who would bring tears to the eyes of John Kennedy if he were around to see what's happened to his party's leadership over the past 45 years.”

From Prelutsky's column:

Why is it, I wonder, that nobody is asking Barack Obama about his religious convictions? From what I've gathered, they're far more fascinating than [former Massachusetts Gov.] Mitt Romney's [R].

For over 20 years, Sen, Obama has been a faithful member of Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ. The other day, I paid a visit to Trinity's website. There I read that the vision statement of the TUCC is based upon something called the systematized liberation theology that began in 1969 with the publication of Dr. James Cone's book, “Black Power and Black Theology.” Dr. Cone believes that black Christians should not follow the “White Church,” as it had failed to support them in their struggle for equal rights in America. I suspect that most white Christians would disagree.

Trinity United boasts that it is a congregation “Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian.” What's more, “it is a congregation with a non-negotiable commitment to Africa. We are an African people, and remain true to our native land, the mother continent, the cradle of civilization.”

Its pastor, Reverend Jeremiah A. Wright, Jr., has referred to “white arrogance” and “the United States of Whiter America.” To my ears, that sounds unashamedly black, but I'm not so sure about the unapologetically Christian.

Furthermore, Rev. Wright's church publishes a magazine, The Trumpet. Not too surprisingly, all things considered, the recipient of the 2007 Lifetime Achievement Trumpeter Award for Social Justice was none other than Louis Farrakhan, the fellow who plays the race card even better than he plays his violin.

Now, my own reasons for hoping that Sen. Obama is not elected president next November are pretty much the same reasons I object to Hillary Clinton and John Edwards. I consider all three of them to be anti-military, tax raising, left-wing flyweights who would bury this country in entitlements while essentially ignoring Islamic fascism. I regard them as three run-of-the-mill hacks who would bring tears to the eyes of John Kennedy if he were around to see what's happened to his party's leadership over the past 45 years.

That being said, I have no idea how a member of a black church that apparently feels it owes greater allegiance to Africa than to America and that pays homage to a bigot like Farrakhan, has the gall to present himself as the one candidate who can bring us all together.

To be fair, I acknowledge that he has a pleasant smile and speaks better than most politicians. The truth is, he sort of reminds me of David Duke.