I am so outraged at the race-baiting and religion-bashing coming out of the Clinton camp against Obama that it absolutely makes me want to puke.

A few months ago, Clinton volunteers circulated an e-mail falsely claiming that Obama was a Muslim (he is in fact a Christian)–not that there’s anything wrong with being a Muslim, but it was clearly intended to play into people’s prejudices about a minority religion. Obama has worked hard to dispel that rumor.

Today, the Drudge Report was sent a picture of Obama in traditional Somali garb as a goodwill gesture on an overseas visit a couple of years ago (something not at all unusual for politicians and ambassadors)–and Drudge attributes the picture to a source in the Clinton campaign.

When asked and after Obama protested release of the picture, the Clinton campaign erupted in righteous indignation:

Enough. If Barack Obama’s campaign wants to suggest that a photo of him wearing traditional Somali clothing is divisive, they should be ashamed. Hillary Clinton has worn the traditional clothing of countries she has visited and had those photos published widely.

This is nothing more than an obvious and transparent attempt to distract from the serious issues confronting our country today and to attempt to create the very divisions they claim to decry.

We will not be distracted.

In a perfect Clintonian trap, her campaign manager has the unmitigated gall to put out a statement like this while at the same time declining to deny the picture was sent to Drudge from her campaign. Of course it came from her campaign–and why? To cement the image of Obama as a Muslim, of course…and to play into people’s racial and religious fears. Why else would anyone submit a picture like this to Drudge?

I am so thoroughly disgusted at these tactics that if Clinton ends up being the nominee, I will stay home on Election Day. I would rather see John McCain be president than vote for that witch.

Tags: 2008-election, clinton, obama