The attempts to feign plausibility while employing "Hussein" to imply connections between Senator Obama and fundamentalist Islamic extremists fall apart when compared to behaviors by those writers and/or speakers in analogous situations. Political candidates are referred to by any serious commentator in whatever way the campaigns prefer. It's respectful to not refer to Senator Clinton as Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton even though she employed Rodham deliberately earlier this decade. Willard chose to be known as Mitt Romney, and that wish was respected. Some years back now, J. Danforth Quayle was greeted by the pundits and columnists on both ends of the political spectrum as "Dan" which was obviously a political decision to make him sound less snobbish (or more folksy and normal.) How many voters today know that Senator McCain's middle name is Sidney, or that he's John Sidney McCain III?
Why don't we hear these full names? Primarily because it's not respectful. We all know that.
Employing a longer form than the campaigns are currently marketing would ignore the wishes of a well-known politician, among other reasons. I doubt McCain is any more embarrassed by Sidney than Obama is by Hussein, surely both were teased by childhood tormenters. But pundits and present detractors are aware - as we are - that in certain minds it's possible hearing Hussein repeated enough times might raise doubts, particularly since it resonates with slanderous anonymous viral smears already circulating.
Frankly, logical investigation dictates asking further why any speaker (or writer) would change their use to consistently include Senator Obama's middle name at this juncture, not just why they'd do so at all, and the only plausible conclusion is a petty attempt to undermine his candidacy, however slightly - a candidacy which seems otherwise to be attracting more followers almost every minute. Applying Occam's Razor one concludes that protests that Hussein "is" the Senator's middle name, no matter how straight-faced they are delivered, are transparent, and shamefully disingenuous in this context.
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