'My Muslim Faith' Quote Not a Slip, Just Misinterpreted

Fraction under mistaken impression much greater than 5-10% nationally: poll

(NEWSER) - Nearly a quarter of Texas voters still believe Barack Obama is a Muslim, the Houston Chronicle reports. Polling shows 23% of registered voters there buy internet-fueled rumors the Democrat is hiding his Islamic faith—compared to just 5-10% of voters nationwide. The same poll gives John McCain a comfortable lead over Obama, at 51%- 40%. More»

28 million DVDs inserted into newspapers in key battleground states

(NEWSER) - A DVD on Muslims packed with violence and inserted into newspapers in key swing states is being viewed as a not-so-subtle attack on Barack Obama, reports CNN. Entitled Obsession, the production appears to capitalize on erroneous impressions that the Democratic candidate is Muslim and may be soft on terrorism. Some 28 million of the DVDs were inserted as advertisements into 70 newspapers last month, primarily in key campaign battleground states such as Florida, Ohio and Colorado. More»

Biden dominates Sunday talk shows

(NEWSER) - The newly announced Obama/Biden ticket predictably dominated the talk shows today. Politico gives the run-down:

• Obama VP adviser Caroline Kennedy told Meet the Press she hoped Joe Biden would prove to be as sage a pick as her father's choice of LBJ.
• House Speaker Nancy Pelosi turned Biden's rep for gaffes into a snipe at Bush on NBC, saying Obama "is not just choosing a yes man, but a person that will speak what he believes.”

Dems hit competing morning talk shows

(NEWSER) - Obama likened Hillary's stance on Iran to George Bush's "cowboy diplomacy" on Meet the Press today, while Clinton took to ABC to defend the gas tax and told voters mired in the Jeremiah Wright controversy "We should move on." Tim Russert ignored her advice, however, and devoted his first 18 minutes to the pastor, reports the New York Times. “Obviously, it’s distracted us,” Obama admitted. More»

'Barely news,' gets even worse, says Shales

(NEWSER) - No winner emerged in last night's Democratic presidential debate, but for one columnist the loser was clear: ABC News. Over the course of a commercial-crammed broadcast, moderators Charlie Gibson and George Stephanopolous dwelled on petty half-controversies to incite Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama to get nasty, writes Tom Shales of the Washington Post. More»