CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: Despite his best efforts, Barack Obama couldn't stop all that internet chatter from the radical right that he's actually a Muslim or an actual terrorist sympathizer. Even up to Election Day 12% of Americans thought Obama is a Muslim. At times McCain rallies even played on those doubts. Here's a conservative radio talk show host at one of those rallies.
CONSERVATIVE TALK SHOW HOST: At some point the media will quit taking sides in this thing, and maybe start covering Barack Hussein Obama.
MATTHEWS: When Obama won, Muslims in Africa and elsewhere rejoiced. No surprise, and so now, irony of ironies, al Qaeda is worried, al Qaeda is worried that Obamas global popularity will hurt their appeal around the world. David, I'm fascinated by this. To what extent do they see him as a son of that part of the world, being from a Swahili name, a father from Kenya, with that name, Barack Hussein Obama, how much do they see as one of their own and therefore a popular figure?
DAVID IGNATIUS, WASHINGTON POST: Well, they don't know yet, but you can see that they're excited at the possibility that this really is a different kind of American president. How amazing his middle name is Hussein. Can this really be? And this is a world that has really grown to hate the United States. Im sorry to say, in the numbers, if you read the polls, that this should worry all of us. So, you can see it in the statement recently by the number two in al Qaeda, Ayman Zawahiri, this racist statement describing Obama as a house Negro
What that shows me is that they are really unsettled by this. This is not the kind of president they're used to facing. In a sense, I shouldnt say this, but Bush was comfortable for them because he was an easy adversary for them. Obamas a very different kind of person. All across the Muslim Middle East I find these groups are looking out Obama, kind of revaluating their positions. You see that with Hamas. You see it in Syria. In Iran there's a great debate going on how about how do we deal with this guy, this force in America and world politics.
MATTHEWS: One reason for the rage from the east, and Im no expert. All these years that have led to the terrorism, the undercurrent of rage against the west, us, is the sense that we have disrespected them, their culture, we have looked down on them. In fact, we have defeated them technologically in some cases. But theres that sense that they feel they're reacting to the hatred of the west. By electing somebody with this name, are we going to diffuse some of that? I think that would be very hopeful if we could.
KATTY KAY, BBC: Yeah, I think it really does undermine some of that knee-jerk criticism of America. It's much harder if you're in the Middle East now to stand up and reject an American president whose middle-name is Hussein. It just, it just is.
Looks like it won't be my Christmas present for this year.
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sort of way -- from the Chris Matthews Show...
