The (Middle) Name Game

Many Republicans amuse themselves and each other with Barack Obama's middle name. They can't resist tossing it like a hand grenade into their political emails, editorials, letters to the editor. Barack HUSSEIN Obama.  HUSSEIN, always in all caps, so we won't miss it.  It really is his middle name, so let's remind everybody about it whenever we can. All in CAPS of course. He's a Muslim, you know. Related to Sadaam. He's not one of us. He's secretly a terrorist.

In other parts of the world, Hussein is an extremely common name. Like Smith.  Or John.

Hmmm. John.  John Hinkley.  John Wilkes Boothe. One, a would-be presidential assassin. The other, an actual one. Both named John. Using the logic of the HUSSEIN-ophobes, we must assume that JOHN McCain has assassination in his blood. A Manchurian Candidate, programmed like previous Johns to assassinate the president... even if his target ends up being himself.  JOHN McCain. Be worried. He's going to kill the president.