Sarah Palin and Muslim Fundamentalists

Salon's attacks on Sarah Palin are so extreme that they're almost funny, worthy of appearing in The Onion. Almost.

Gary Kamiya calls Sarah Palin a dominatrix.

Juan Cole equates her with Muslim fundamentalists.

Cole writes:

John McCain announced that he was running for president to confront the "transcendent challenge" of the 21st century, "radical Islamic extremism," contrasting it with "stability, tolerance and democracy." But the values of his handpicked running mate, Sarah Palin, more resemble those of Muslim fundamentalists than they do those of the Founding Fathers. On censorship, the teaching of creationism in schools, reproductive rights, attributing government policy to God's will and climate change, Palin agrees with Hamas and Saudi Arabia rather than supporting tolerance and democratic precepts. What is the difference between Palin and a Muslim fundamentalist? Lipstick.

...Palin has a right to her religious beliefs, as do fundamentalist Muslims who agree with her on so many issues of social policy. None of them has a right, however, to impose their beliefs on others by capturing and deploying the executive power of the state. The most noxious belief that Palin shares with Muslim fundamentalists is her conviction that faith is not a private affair of individuals but rather a moral imperative that believers should import into statecraft wherever they have the opportunity to do so. That is the point of her pledge to shape the judiciary. Such a theocratic impulse is incompatible with the Founding Fathers' commitment to tolerance and democracy, which is why they forbade the government to "establish" or officially support any particular religion or denomination.

McCain once excoriated the Rev. Jerry Falwell and his ilk as "agents of intolerance." That he took such a position gave his opposition to similar intolerance in Islam credibility. In light of his more recent disgraceful kowtowing to the Christian right, McCain's animus against fundamentalist Muslims no longer looks consistent. It looks bigoted and invidious. You can't say you are waging a war on religious extremism if you are trying to put a religious extremist a heartbeat away from the presidency.

This is insane.

I really don't know why Obama's supporters don't stop.

It's as if they're on a suicide mission.

In this one paragraph, there are so many lies.

Saying Palin is akin to a Muslim fundamentalist, in effect, a terrorist, is about as extreme as one can get.

Bottom line: Cole and those of his ilk are terrified of religion and Sarah Palin, absolutely terrified. They, like Barack Obama, slime those so-called bitter Americans clinging to their religion.

Meanwhile, Joe Biden says that he's Catholic as often as John Kerry said during his failed 2004 presidential campaign that he served in Vietnam. Go figure.

I'll grant Cole this much: He is doing really great work in helping to get out the vote and fire up supporters-- for John McCain and Sarah Palin.