As a child of a Holocaust survivor and one whose in-laws were both in the death camps (my mother-in-law actually escaped from Auschwitz), I tend to classify people three ways: those who would have worked to save my family, those who would have worked to kill my family, and those who would have done neither but whose attitudes are such that they would have stood idly by, whether nodding their heads or shaking their heads, and let my family die by their lack of action. Martin Luther King would have been in the first category. DF's My Least Favorite Thing About Barack Obama, Candidate and the responses to it, was the last straw for me. I've realized that the vast majority of people on the TPM web system seem to be in the latter category. As such, I have had enough of TPM. Reading it is too painful. From now on, I will stick with blogs that have nicer people.

Referring to last night's debate as "Russert's run of shame," Josh Marshall wrote:

"I would say it was borderline to bring up the issue of Farrakhan at all. But perhaps since it's getting some media play you bring it up just for the record, for Obama to address.

"That's not what Russert did. He launches into it, gets into a parsing issue over word choices, then tries to find reasons to read into the record some of Farrakhan's vilest quotes after Obama has just said he denounces all of them. Then he launches into a bizarre series of logical fallacies that had Obama needing to assure Jews that he didn't believe that Farrakhan "epitomizes greatness".

"As a Jew and perhaps more importantly simply as a sentient being I found it disgusting. It was a nationwide, televised, MSM version of one of those noxious Obama smear emails."

Marshall claims to be a Jew, but he has no concept what is appropriate in talking about Jews. Obama jokes about Farrakhan liking him, and Marshall complains about Russert for bringing up the issue? Many of my relatives were murdered because people like Obama were not outraged by Hitler's words from the 1920s and 30s.

Marshall appears to be so blinded by Obama that he has no sensitivity to the fact that seven million (yes the U.S. Holocaust Museum says it's seven not six million) of his people were slaughtered by those with the same attitude as Farrakhan, and this slaughter was not prevented.by wonderful people like Obama and Jeremiah Wright.

Because Russert feels this is an issue, Marshall attacks Russert?

Marshall, are you insane? Can you not see that this shows a tremendous lack of sensitivity on the part of a leading presidential candidate? Can you not see that this gets into what truly is in the heart of someone who may be our next president? Obama is rapidly getting a reputation for empty rhetoric. To Marshall, that's fine. Marshall might be Jewish but he does not know what it means to have suffered through a Holocaust.

Marshall is happy that Obama denounces Farrakhan's words but does not denounce Farrakhan. Obama is happy with Farrakhan's support.

Maybe Marshall would have voted for Charles Lindbergh in 1944 had he run. Lindbergh was charismatic and gave great speeches. And Marshall would not have cared that Lindbergh refused to denounce Hitler (though he did denounce Mein Kampf). As Philip Roth pointed out, if Lindbergh had been president, Hitler would have won.

Marshall is blind, and incredibly disgusting!

An article in the Washington Post said that Barack Obama's father's brother is very close with Raila Odinga, the leader of the opposition party in Kenya. They are both of the Luo tribe, as was Barack Obama, Sr. In this article, Obama's uncle claims that the presidential candidate calls Odinga at least once every three days. I seriously doubt that this claim is true, but I can't see him making such a statement unless Obama has spoken with Odinga at least once.

I have no problems with communications between a U.S. Senator and the opposition leader of Kenya, if the ugly rumors about Odinga are not true. Odinga came very close to winning the presidency of Kenya in a disputed election, so the rumors may be political mudslinging, but they still trouble me. They come from reputable sources.

Rumor 1: The Voice of America claims that Odinga signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Orange Democratic Movement to introduce Sharia (Islamic fundamentalist law) to Kenya if he should be given power in Kenya. The ODM is an Islamic fundamentalist Muslim organization. The VOA said that Odinga's reason for signing the MOU was in exchange for financial support.

Rumor 2:  Human Rights Watch says that Odinga was charged with treason and was detained without trial for six years, after being suspected of collaborating with plotters of a failed coup against Daniel arap Moi in 1982. The Standard, in 2006, says that Odinga’s involvement in the coup attempt was much greater than previously thought. People died as a result of this coup. Raila Odinga claims that while he was jailed, he was never tried and the Standard's article has little truth in it. He claims that arap Moi deserved to be overthrown in 1982 and his actions, though minor and legal, were heroic at the time.

My guess is that Obama's communications with Odinga, if they exist, are completely innocent, but I would like to hear Obama say so and talk about it.