Kerrey apologizes to Obama

In what is emerging as a pattern for supporters of Hillary Clinton, former U.S. Sen. Bob Kerrey says he didn't mean any harm when he suggested that Barack Obama has a unique ability to reach out to the Muslim world.

"What I found myself getting into in Iowa — and it was my own fault — it was the wrong moment to do it and it was insulting," Kerrey told the AP. "I meant no disrespect at all."

Obama spokesman Bill Burton said the senator accepted Kerrey's apology, sent to the campaign in the mail and via e-mail.

While announcing his support for Clinton on Sunday, Kerrey told The Washington Post in an interview that while he hopes Clinton is the nominee, he would like Obama to have a role — especially because of his ability to reach out to black youth and Muslims around the world.

"It's probably not something that appeals to him, but I like the fact that his name is Barack Hussein Obama, and that his father was a Muslim and that his paternal grandmother is a Muslim," said Kerrey, a former governor and the current president of the New School in New York City. "There's a billion people on the planet that are Muslims, and I think that experience is a big deal."

Kerrey's mention of Obama's middle name and his Muslim roots raised eyebrows because they are also used as part of a smear campaign on the Internet that falsely suggests Obama is a Muslim who wants to bring jihad to the United States.

Obama is a Christian.

So, after giving it a couple of days to sink into the public consciousness, Kerrey says now that he meant no harm when he "praised" Obama with exactly the same language that Fox "News," Ann Coulter, and right-wing Internet trolls have been using to attack him.

Yeah, okay.

I don't suppose it is worth mentioning that two Clinton campaign volunteers were dismissed after it became public that they had trafficked in versions of those very same smear e-mails.

And of course, Kerrey's remarks came just days after a Clinton campaign staffer apologized and resigned after expressing concern that Obama's admitted drug use as a teenager might provide campaign fodder for the Republicans during the general election if he is the nominee.

These are certainly just unfortunate coincidences. It's not as though Hillary Clinton would send people out to do her dirty work for her, and then, for the sake of appearances, have them apologize and/or fired after the damage is done. I'm sure she wouldn't do that. That would be mean.

Kudos, by the way, to the AP's Nedra Pickler for demonstrating how to write about a smear. Call it a smear. And, when somebody who is a Christian is alleged to be a Muslim, don't write that he denies he is a Muslim. Write that he is a Christian. Well done, Ms. Pickler.

Take a lesson, Washington Post.