Obama Supporters Take His (Middle) Name

The New York Times chronicles a web-based phenomenon surrounding Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama. A growing number of his supporters are taking his middle name as their own in their online identities. It is cropping up on networking sites and discussion boards as a rash of new "Husseins" take their man's Arabic middle name. Sen. Obama has been trying to run down the rumor that he is a Muslim. He is not, but due to his father's Muslim heritage, Obama's youth spent in Indonesia, and that middle name of his, the rumor persists. Now, a rash of new Husseins are appearing online, taking on the controversial name as a way of showing just how inconsequential a middle name is.

Some of the new name takers say that they are doing so out of anger at perceived Republican attacks on Obama using his middle name as a slur. "I am tired of Republicans pronouncing Barack Obama's name as if it's some sort of cuss word," said Jeff Strabone of Brooklyn, NY. In fact, the issue of Sen. Obama's middle name was placed before the public not by Republicans, but by the Hillary Clinton campaign. Prominent former Senator and Clinton supporter Bob Kerrey first used Sen. Obama's full name during an interview with the Washington Post.

"It's probably not something that appeals to him, but I like the fact that his name is Barack Hussein Obama, and that his father was a Muslim and that his paternal grandmother is a Muslim. There's a billion people on the planet that are Muslims and I think that experience is a big deal."

The Republican nominee, Sen. John McCain, has never used the name in referring to Obama and has angered some in conservative circles by publicly rebuking a popular conservative radio talk show host for repeatedly referring to Obama as "Barack Hussein Obama" at a McCain event in Ohio. And the Republican National Committee formally denounced a Tennessee Republican Party advertisement featuring a picture of Sen. Obama dressed in Kenyan attire that used his full name. "The RNC rejects these kinds of campaign tactics," said RNC Chairman Mike Duncan. "We believe this election needs to be about the critical issues confronting our nation."

Kerrey appeared to be making a ham-fisted attempt to compliment Sen. Obama. Nevertheless, Obama's name has been a thorn in his side ever since. That may be a reason that the Obama campaign would be less than enthusiastic about well-intentioned supporters continuing the use of his middle name. It keeps the name, and the controversy, simmering just below the surface. Ultimately, the campaign might just as well prefer that the name issue drop once and for all.