I'm starting to crush on Campbell Brown

For a long time, she was just one of those many brunette newscasters on CNN.  But lately, she's been doing opinion pieces that I rally like... that are really asking good questions of us and the CNN-reading public.  First, there was the call to "Free Palin," calling out the McCain camp for its own sexism and kidglove handling of Palin.   Today, Brown has a great piece about something that has been bothering me the entire election--why it even matters if Obama is a Muslim (which he's not, not that it should matter), as apparently "Arab" and "Muslim" are bad words that mean terrorist and radical:

Woman at rally: I don't trust Obama. I have read about him and he's an Arab.

Sen. John McCain: No ma'am, no ma'am. He's a decent family man, citizen that I just happen to have disagreements with on fundamental issues. That's what this campaign is all about. He's not, thank you.

Now, I commend Sen. McCain for correcting that woman, for setting the record straight. But I do have one question -- so what if he was?

So what if Obama was Arab or Muslim? So what if John McCain was Arab or Muslim? Would it matter?

When did that become a disqualifier for higher office in our country? When did Arab and Muslim become dirty words? The equivalent of dishonorable or radical?

Whenever this gets raised, the implication is that there is something wrong with being an Arab-American or a Muslim. And the media is complicit here, too.



It's the same logic behind calling someone a "socialist" or a "communist" in order to incite McCarthyist fear.  The only difference is, unlike someone who is Arab or Muslim (or similar in "color" to or wearing traditional garb reminiscent of--sorry Sikhs!!), you can't assume someone is a communist or a socialist just by looking at them.  So, you can't act on your ignorant racism and prejudice towards your friendly neighborhood commie quite so easily as your fellow Arab-Americans or Arab immigrants or Muslim neighbors...  Bleck.