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Old 06-16-2009, 04:24   #10
Sigaba
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Southern California
Posts: 4,482
Question What did President Clinton actually say? (The Drudging of America)

The article quoted in the OP has a headline that seems different than the comments indicated in the text of Ms. Simmons's report for the AP.

The headline suggests that Clinton is saying that America, once dominated by Christians and Jews, no longer is dominated by either of those two groups. That statement is offensive because it activates awful stereotypes.

Yet, from Ms. Simmons's report, I wonder if President Clinton said something else. Ms. Simmons paraphrased Clinton's remark:
Quote:
nor [is America] a country that is dominated by Christians and a powerful Jewish minority[.]
If Simmons is accurately representing what President Clinton said, he's telling the audience of Arab Americans that America has never been theocracy and that America has never controlled by Jews.

The "no longer" may be a phrase added by the editorial staff at OneNewsNow . This artful spin, commonly seen at drudgereport.com, may serve to catch readers' eyes and to shape perception of Clinton's speech.

While a transcript of President Clinton's speech is not currently available, other news outlets do not suggest that he said anything as controversial as the headline of the OneNewsNow story indicates. (For example, Haaretz.com's coverage here presents Clinton's speech in a different light.)
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