July 29, 2008

July 30, 2008

Obama's Prayer: The Real Audience

By Helen Cadogan
Barack Obama wanted the world to know that he can pray like a Christian. Thus, he penned a ‘note to God' on stationery from the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, and he generously gave a copy to the "international media even before he put in the Kotel, a short time after he wrote it at the King David Hotel." Thus says the Ma'ariv spokesman in defense of his newspaper, which may be the subject of a criminal investigation for publishing the ‘note to God' which Obama gave to the paper. For, interestingly, not only Ma'ariv was a recipient of Obama's generosity, so was Yediot Ahoronot (YA), the most popular Israeli daily. YA also obtained the ‘note to God' from Obama but declined to print it, ironically, "to respect Obama's privacy."

Given the claim of both Ma'ariv and YA that it was Obama who generously gave them a copy of his note, immediately after writing it and preceding its placement in the wall, then one must wonder about the hullabuloo over the yeshiva student who allegedly stole the note from the wall and gave it to Ma'ariv, which published it the next day.

Follow the sequence of events:

Ma'ariv had a copy of the note immediately after it was written. At that point, the note was not put in the Kotel. Allegedly, the yeshiva student stole the note after Obama put it in the Kotel. The Jerusalem Post of 7/25 claims that the student gave the note to Ma'ariv which then published it. Why the circuitous route to publication?

If Ma'ariv had the note from Obama right after it was written, it could have published it at anytime. However, had Ma'ariv done so, then Obama would have been justly accused of politicizing one of the most sacred places of Judaism, the Western Wall. How, then, is he supposed to avoid such a charge? The logical answer would be to have a supporter temporarily retrieve the note (notice I don't call it a prayer, which is a private matter), take it to a newspaper, which would then publish it, with this added cachet that vindicates Obama of spiritual crassness -- claim it was stolen.

Who was the intended audience for this little passion play? Every speech act has an intended audience, and prayer, a very personal speech act, also has its own. In the normal course of events, God is the intended audience. However, given that Obama released his note for publication immediately after writing it, then God may not be the intended audience. Rather, Obama's intended audience may be of this world: America's voting Jews, Christians, and Muslims. To reach them, Obama would have to engage in a tricky balancing act purposed to let each group know that he believes as it does.

The appeal to America's Jews is straightforward; yet, it is the one most likely to disaffect his Muslim audience. Obama goes to Jerusalem, wears a yarmulke, goes to the Western Wall, and places a prayer in it. It warms the cockles of the heart to see this man of his storied background doing what millions of Jews have done before. To go to the Western Wall is to acknowledge the Jewish claim to Israel, to Jerusalem. It is to signify that this Wall is all that remains of the Great Temple, first built by Solomon and rebuilt by Herod. The Wall is symbolic in a deeper sense: it is a remnant of the Temple and of the faith of the Jews who worshiped in it. Throughout the Bible, God promises that a remnant will remain, and He has always kept that promise, from the Babylonian captivity down to the Holocaust. So, for Obama to go to that Wall and leave a prayer is to touch the hearts of millions of Jews by indicating that he, too, believes in the remnant. For the Jews, Obama's message is this: he believes as we do about this place.

Obama's audience of American Christians presents him with a different problem. In spite of his denials that he was ever a Muslim, many Christians disbelieve Obama, based on the testimony of those who knew him when he was in Indonesia, where he attended mosque and studied the Koran in school. (Many Muslims disbelieve his claims, believing the child inherits the religion of his father.) Moreover, many Christians distrust Obama's claims to Christianity because he spent 20 years at the feet of Jeremiah Wright whose liberation theology is a rejection of orthodox Christianity. Furthermore, Obama's ads designed to appeal to Christians have not done their job. Focus on the Family's James Dobson has publicly stated his rejection of Obama and signaled a shift to McCain. Thus, to appeal to these voters, to sway them to his side, Obama has to prove his Christian cred.

To accomplish this political objective, Obama needed to attract the attention of his Christian audience and move them to sympathize with him. He needed to have that audience know that he can touch all the right Christian buttons, that he, too, the Obamessiah, the One he and his followers have been waiting for, also humbles himself before God. He needed to let American Christians know that he, too, desires to be a vessel for use as God sees fit. He needed to have his American Christian audience know that he, too, requires forgiveness of sin. He needed to have American Christians know that, in spite of 20 years imbibing Jeremiah Wright's gospel, he, Barack Obama is, too, one of us.

How could Obama have accomplished that without having his note made public? He could not. Thus, the note was made public, and he sent this message to his Christian audience: he believes as we do on all points.

But it is with regard to his Muslim audience that the full cynicism of Obama's note becomes apparent. To appeal to the Muslims, he has to be a victim of the Jews.

Having gone to the Western Wall, and not to Al Aqsa mosque, having offered a Christian-type "prayer," he has to regain some credibility in Muslim eyes, without seeming to do that. To distract his Muslim American audience from his genuflection at the Western Wall of the Jews, Obama made his fall guy a yeshiva student -- not just your average garden-variety Jew, but a seminarian.

It is the Western Wall which gives the lie to the Muslim claim to Jerusalem, to Israel. It is an archaeological reminder that before Mohammed, there was Solomon and his temple, and a long line of Jews before and after him. If the Muslims could, they would root up and discard the Western Wall, just as they have many of the artifacts unearthed in their excavation of Temple Mount.

So, Obama called a play straight out of the Farrakhan playbook. The note is stolen and the Jew did it! The Jews, they are always to be blamed for everything. Who violated the sanctity of the note a man wrote to God? The Jews! Thus, Obama distracted from his visit to the Western Wall and appealed to his Muslim audience by being a victim of the Jews. His message to his Muslim audience: he believes as we do concerning the Jews.

Why the song and dance? It was a passion play designed to win votes. Jewish votes. Christian votes. Muslim votes.

Again, if Ma'ariv had published without the "theft," Obama would have been seen as politicking and disdaining a holy Jewish site, and he would have been justly and roundly denounced for it. Plus, he would have lost his Jewish and Christian audiences, many of whom are skeptical of him. Hence the seminarian.

Ma'ariv published the note it received from Obama, made a noise about the yeshiva student, and Obama, internationally, received lots of press -- thus attracting the attention of his intended and now sympathetic audience. Better yet, he wound up looking like a victim because his note alone, and not that of any other political figure, was stolen.

Helen Cadogan is the owner of iEdit.

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