What’s the Difference Between Osama and Obama?

Tue, July 22, 2008 - 4:17 PM

Q: Do you know what the difference between Barack Obama and Osama Bin Laden?

A: One is murderous thug with excellent facial hair who orchestrated the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history. The other is a clean-shaven presidential candidate who did not orchestrate the worst terrorist attack in U.S. history.

There are other differences, of course. Obama is a Christian. Bin Laden is not. Obama lives in Chicago. Bin Laden lives…well, we don’t know exactly. Somewhere in Central Asia, probably. He’s crafty, that Bin Laden.

Others answer that question differently. Consider this one, from the Web site of South Carolina state legislator Kevin Bryant, that is causing a bit of flap on the Internets today.

A: A little B.S.



Get it? ‘Cause if you swap out the “B” for an “S” then Obama becomes Osama. And vice versa.

The point of this shirt, and others of its ilk, is to suggest, completely falsely, that Obama is a murderous terrorist, or shares their hatred of America and all that it stands for. Let me stress this again: Barack Obama is not a murderous terrorist. Oh, and Bin Laden is not a former community organizer who graduated from Harvard. In case you were wondering.

These sorts of things wouldn’t even be worth debunking if there weren’t actual (stupid) voters who believe that because Obama sounds like Osama, he must be a terrorist.

But they’re out there. I’ve interviewed more than a handful of them. Covering the Democratic primary in North Carolina in early May, I had the following conversation with a voter who interrupted me while I filed a story from a Waffle House in Greensboro.

Him: “Whatcha typin’?”

Me: “A story about the campaign. Who are you planning to vote for?”

Him: “Hillary. Obama’s a terrorist.”

Me: “Well, you can’t really just say things like that without justifying them. Why do you think that?”

Him: “Well, take his name.”

Me: “What, Obama? Or Barack?”

Him: “Obama. Sounds just like Osama.”

Me:

Him: “Think about it. Terrorist name, must be a terrorist.”

Me: “Okay then. I’m going to get back to work now.”


Sometimes, I fear for this country. Mostly when I go to Waffle House.

--Sean Mussenden