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Photo: AFP
I read the column of Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed with interest, but the comments that appeared in esteemed newspaper on March 27 on Senator Obama appears to be inappropriate. The swift boating campaign in 2004 had been launched against Senator John Kerry, presidential candidate of the Democratic Party who was contesting against the incumbent President George W. Bush. The swift boating veterans and POWS for truth group launched the campaign on lies, factual distortions and baseless attacks against John Kerry, who was given gallantry awards by the US Navy in Vietnam War. Senator Obama has been confronted with severe criticism because of his association with his religious leader and friend, Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who delivered inflammatory remarks against America and Jewish community during his regular church sermons at Trinity Church, Chicago where senator Obama regularly attended. Senator Obama never condemned the remarks earlier. When the video surfaced during the election campaign he has begun condemning the inflammatory sermons. Senator Obama condemned the sermons, but refused to distance himself from the pastor Jeremiah Wright. A pundit of the New York Times web log, Kate Phillips suggests swift- boating becomes a verb for negative ads. In case of the video of pastor Wright is concerned, sermons given by the pastor appears to be correct. It was the problem of the Senator Obama who did neither distance from the pastor nor from the church. Therefore, the using swift-boating in this case is inappropriate.
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