Obama's 'Private' Note to God Was a Media Stunt

On Sunday I detailed to one friend and newspaper columnist how I was nearly certain that the private, humble, pious note of Barack Obama to God was a cynical publicity stunt. I didn't publish it here because I, too, am guilty of trying to appear "moderate" and maintain my credibility. I also thought that further publicizing the story would be counterproductive, by repeating the chillul Hashem that Jews allegedly violated Obama's sacred privacy.

My reasoning was simple: who leaves a private note to God trailed by a phalanx of people on King David Hotel stationery? That makes it identifiable as genuinely his to anyone skeptical of the note's authenticity.

Here is the official statement to that effect by Maariv:

Obama's note was published in Maariv and other international publications following his authorization to make the content of the note public. Obama submitted a copy of the note to media outlets when he left his hotel in Jerusalem.

What is despicable is that Obama allowed a "yeshiva student" and an Israeli newspaper to be painted as villains for days in the international media rather than admitting that he himself encouraged its publication.

For months there have been credible stories of how Obama has thrown a parade of people close to him under the bus, including his own grandmother ("a typical white person" with fear of blacks).

Now we see that Obama can't even have talk to God without using Him for a publicity stunt.

Here is the article about the incident prior to the concrete confirmation from Maariv:

What initially seemed to be a journalistic scoop of dubious moral propriety now seems to be a case of an Israeli paper being played by the Barack Obama campaign. Maariv, the second most popular newspaper in Israel, was roundly criticized for publishing the note Obama left in the Kotel. But now a Maariv spokesperson says that publication of the note was pre-approved for international publication by the Obama campaign, leading to the conclusion that the "private" prayer was intentionally leaked for public consumption....

If the Maariv statement about pre-approval of publication of the note is true, it would mean that the Obama campaign had managed the event brilliantly, if deceptively, getting the double benefit of appearing to be victimized by the invasive Israeli press and prayer-thieving Jew while at the same time leaking out his humble Christian plea to the Lord.

Already by the weekend, a (relatively) slick video appeared on YouTube that blended Obama's Western Wall prayer with various church scenes, crosses aplenty, a dove of peace, and a soundtrack based on Amazing Grace. The video closes with a "vote" button and an invitation to visit the official campaign website

Revelation of this latest Obama collaboration with the media might detract a bit from the perceived sincerity of the prayer and strike some as an especially cynical use of the Kotel and an obstensibly private prayer to the Deity as a campaign prop.

Update: Maariv has since withdrawn their statement.