The contentions over the publication of Barack Obama's prayer note he left at Jerusalem's Western Wall continue. Politico reports,
Obama spokesman Bill Burton flatly denied the contention that Obama's prayer, in the form of a note slipped into the Wailing Wall, was "approved for publication."This in apparent response to the claim of the publishing newspaper, Ma'ariv, that "Barack Obama's note was approved for publication in the international media" before Obama even arrived at the Wall.
"That didn't happen," he said in an email. "We have neither confirmed nor denied the prayer to anyone."
Well, I already said that Ma'ariv was conducting a CYA exercise.
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One thing has extremely bothered me about this whole story since it started.
The local paper reprinted the AP story when this first broke, including the text of the note itself.
You, in a previous post, included a photograph of the note. The writing and the words were plainly legible.
If we are to express outrage at the Israeli newspaper publishing the text of the note, because it violates a privacy between a man and his God, how in the world can anyone other media outlet - newspaper, TV, radio, blog, whatever - buy any less guilty when they reprint it or repost it themselves?
To me, every single entity - no exceptions - that speaks of this privacy violation and, in doing so, continues to violate that very privacy by reprinting the note, is as guilty as Ma'ariv.
Simply qualifying it as reporting the story doesn't cut it. It's no better than after the latest celebrity topless photos that come out on the internet every media outlet decries their posting, yet in the story posts them themselves!
The point is that all of these are continuing the cycle of privacy invasion and I can't understand how people don't see that...
Check out this link and look halfway down the article in IsraelInsider to see how Obama is using the words of his "leaked" prayer in his new campaign ad:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2053165/posts
Ad comes complete with photos of Obama in church, Obama at the Wailing Wall, "Amazing Grace" as background music, and a request for a donation at the end.
I don't know if Obama "leaked" it to the press or not, but now that it's leaked, he's sure taking full advantage of it to give people the impression that he is spiritual.
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