Mr. Obama's revelation of his "inner Muslim" in Cairo reveals much about who he is. He is our first president without an instinctive appreciation of the culture, history, tradition, common law and literature whence America sprang. The genetic imprint writ large in his 43 predecessors is missing from the Obama DNA. He no doubt meant no offense in returning that bust of Churchill ("Who he?") or imagining that a DVD of American movies was appropriate in an exchange of state gifts with Gordon Brown. Nor did he likely understand why it was an offense against history (and good manners) to agree to the exclusion of the Queen from Saturday's commemoration of the Anglo-American liberation of France. Kenya simply routed Kansas. —Wesley Pruden, columnist and former editor of the Washington Times, opining in "'Inner Muslim' at work in Cairo"

I don't use the "racist" label often. But this is racism in its purest form—with a bit of religious bigotry thrown in for good measure. Pruden's writing reached it's nadir when he penned "Churchill ('Who he?')." For those who don't speak American English, let me explain that Pruden is suggesting here that Obama is ignorant of Churchill, and that upon hearing the name, he responded in a Black dialect traditionally associated with "Black stupidity" in which the verb "to be" is omitted.

From references to Obama's DNA (no metaphor here) to the allusion to Kenya (i.e., the black side of Obama's heritage), I don't recall seeing anything quite so racist in a quasi-mainstream newspaper since the days of the civil rights movement.

I note that at the time of writing Pruden's column is #2 in the Times' list of the "Most Read" and #1 among the "Most Shared."

I hope the Secret Service is following the Washington Times with interest. When a newspaper turns its op-ed page over to the Klan, it's sure to bring out the loonies.

Related post
Subtle Menace of the Day: Barack Obama (6/02/09)

Tags: news and politics Wesley Pruden Washington Times racism Barack Obama assasination threat