In a now famous exchange last week between Sen. John McCain and one of his supporters at a rally, the presidential candidate cut off a woman saying she had heard Sen. Barack Obama was an Arab. His reply, according to numerous reports: “No, ma’am. He’s a decent family man and citizen…He’s
not. Thank you.”
While it’s unlikely McCain meant that simply being an Arab is a bad thing – some have speculated that she said or was going to say “Arab terrorist” – it is interesting to note that even if Obama were secretly an Arab as some conspiracy theorists have suggested he would have a decent amount of company in U.S. politics. The following, in alphabetical order, are 10 active U.S. politicians whose rise to power shows that Arab-Americans can be not only decent family men and citizens, but capable political leaders as well.
Maine Governor John Baldacci, Democrat, Lebanese
Louisiana Congressman Charles Boustany Jr., Republican, Lebanese
Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels, Republican, Syrian
California Congressman Darrell Issa, Republican, Lebanese
Illinois Congressman Ray LaHood, Republican, Lebanese
Presidential Candidate Ralph Nader, Independent, Lebanese
Tennessee Speaker of the House Jimmy Naifeh, Democrat, Lebanese
West Virginia Congressman Nick Rahall, Democrat, Lebanese
New Hampshire Senator John E. Sununu, Republican, Lebanese
Los Angeles City Councilman Dennis Phillip Zine, Republican, Lebanese
Sources: http://www.us4arabs.com/content/view/5/17/, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Arab_American_politicians, http://www.rateitall.com/t-22249-arab-american-politicians-and-public-figures.aspx
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