Farrakkan praises Obama

Each February, the Nation of Islam celebrates its Saviour's Day, and its leader, Louis Farrakhan, manages to make news. This time it involves Barack Obama.

Here are some past Saviour's Day "highlights" from Calypso Louie:

2007: (Farrakhan predicted) "the fall of the great Babylon, the United States of America."

2006: "These false Jews promote the filth of Hollywood that is seeding the American people and the people of the world and bringing you down in moral strength…It's the wicked Jews the false Jews that are promoting lesbianism, homosexuality. It's wicked Jews, false Jews that make it a crime for you to preach the word of God, then they call you homophobic!"

Because an NOI member was a member of the Illinois Hate Crimes commission, those comments led to several resignations from the panel.

1996: See, sanctions is a weapon of mass destruction. America is angry with Saddam Hussein because his people love him. And they want to punish the Iraqi people to make the Iraqi people rise up and overthrow Saddam. They had a so-called election, a referendum. Ninety-nine percent of the people vote for their man. You can't get that in America. They love their man.

Here is an excerpt from yesterday Farrakhan's Saviour's Day speech:

If you look at Barack Obama's [diverse] audiences and look at the effect of his words, those people are being transformed from what they were. This young man is the hope of the entire world that America will change and be made better.

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There is just no way, however, that Obama will roll up Saddam Hussein-type numbers even in a Democratic primary. Sorry Louie.

To its credit, the Obama campaign fired back, via its spokesman Bill Burton:

Senator Obama has been clear in his objections to Minister Farrakhan's past pronouncements and has not solicited the minister's support.

But Obama should unequivocally rebuke Farrakhan's support, just as Ronald Reagan did when the Ku Klux Klan endorsed him.

Obama is a member of the Trinity United Church of Christ of Chicago, which follows an Afro-centric brand of Christianity. Its former pastor, Dr. Jeremiah Wright, routinely speaks of "white arrogance" and has repeatedly called the country Obama wants to lead as "the United States of White America." The senator denounced it, but TUCC awarded Farrakhan a lifetime achievement award last year.

Technorati tags: Obama politics Barack Obama Democrats election 2008 religion christianity african american race Farrakhan Nation of Islam Ronald Reagan anti-semitism racism history Ku Klux Klan