This Haarertz news item made my mind reel! I can’t believe Obama would say this

haaretz.com

“During the interview Wednesday, when confronted with the anxiety that some Israelis feel toward him, Obama said that “some of it may just be the fact that my middle name is Hussein, and that creates suspicion.”

“Ironically, I’ve got a Chief of Staff named Rahm Israel Emmanuel. My top political advisor is somebody who is a descendent of Holocaust survivors. My closeness to the Jewish American community was probably what propelled me to the U.S. Senate,” Obama said. “

(i.e., some of my best friends are Jewish)

Of course, his first name is a cognate for “Baruch” which means “blessed” in Hebrew.