WITH THE presidential campaign clock ticking down, Sen. John McCain has suddenly discovered a new boogeyman to link to Sen. Barack Obama: a sometimes controversial but widely respected Middle East scholar named Rashid Khalidi. Full Story »
Posted by Kelly Garrett
Without become shrill or strident, this piece points out that being able to associate with, listen to, and even debate people who hold views we don't agree with is an essential component of a well-developed intellect. And, I might add, a free and open society. It is one of the more well-reasoned cases against the McCain guilt by association smear campaigns I've read. And the ending quote from Mr. Khalidi is the first instance I've seen of anybody bothering to ask him.
This piece does note that this could play into a pattern of insults based solely on ancestry--something I noticed too. When Palin introduced Khalidi's name in a recent speech, people started to boo as soon as she said it. They might not have known what he did or who he was, but they clearly recognized an "Arab" name.