From Obama's Own Mouth: "my Muslim faith"

On Sunday September 7, 2008 in an interview with George Stephanopoulos of ABC News' show 'This Week', Barack Hussein Obama uttered these words, "my Muslim faith".

Obama was trying to criticize what he called a smear campaign suggesting he is a Muslim.

Obama said that Republicans are attempting to scare voters by suggesting he is not Christian. Mr. Stephanopoulos repeatedly interrupted Sen. Obama to challenge Obama on the authenticity of these charges with the following, "The McCain campaign has never suggested you have Muslim connections." To which Sen. Obama responded,"I don't think that when you look at what is being promulgated on Fox News, let's say, and Republican commentators who are closely allied to these folks." Again, the ABC host interrupted the Senator with this statement:"But John McCain said that's wrong."

As the Democratic talking points of the past week have been to attack Governor Palin's personal family, Mr. Obama noted that when Republican vice presidential nominee Gov. Sarah Palin "was forced" to talk about her pregnant 17-year-old daughter, he issued a forceful statement to reporters that the line of inquiry was "off limits." But he said the McCain campaign tried to tie him to "liberal blogs that support Obama" and are "attacking Governor Palin."

Obama stated that he finds it "deeply offensive" that there are efforts "coming out of the Republican camp to suggest that perhaps I'm not who I say I am when it comes to my faith."

"Let's not play games," he said. "What I was suggesting -- you're absolutely right that John McCain has not talked about my Muslim faith. And you're absolutely right that that has not come."

Mr. Stephanopoulos interrupted with, "Christian faith."

"My Christian faith," Mr. Obama said quickly. "Well, what I'm saying is that he hasn't suggested that I'm a Muslim. And I think that his campaign's upper echelons have not, either. What I think is fair to say is that, coming out of the Republican camp, there have been efforts to suggest that perhaps I'm not who I say I am when it comes to my faith -- something which I find deeply offensive, and that has been going on for a pretty long time."