Quote of the day

President Obama addresses some of his fiercest, and oddest, critics

Published February 4, 2010 7:22PM (EST)

When he speaks in public, President Obama often addresses his critics in order to deal with and argue against their complaints (sometimes, you could argue, those critics are really straw men, but that's a whole other story). But he rarely, if ever, acknowledges the most rabid of his opponents, the Birthers.

Not so when it came to a prayer breakfast held Thursday morning. During his remarks, Obama had this to say:

Civility also requires relearning how to disagree without being disagreeable; understanding, as President [Kennedy] said, that "civility is not a sign of weakness." Now, I am the first to confess I am not always right. Michelle will testify to that. (Laughter.) But surely you can question my policies without questioning my faith, or, for that matter, my citizenship.


By Alex Koppelman

Alex Koppelman is a staff writer for Salon.

MORE FROM Alex Koppelman


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