** JUST IN ** OBAMA'S PERSONAL PRAYER STOLEN AND PUBLISHED

[President Decider]

How fucking sad is this? ... A seminary student evidently went to the wall and picked out the personal prayer that Obama put into a crack into the wall.

In Obama's defense, his prayer was AWESOME and shows the depth and intellect of this man.





http://www.nypost.com/seven/07262008/news/nationalnews/prayer_theft_sets_off_wailing_121638.htm

Barack Obama visits Jerusalem's Western Wall Thursday.
By MAGGIE HABERMAN
July 26, 2008
Posted: 3:47 am
July 26, 2008

A note of prayer that Barack Obama penned and slipped into the cracks of the Western Wall in Jerusalem was pilfered from the holy site and published in an Israeli newspaper - exposing to the world a personal plea for God to help him "guard against pride and despair." Obama left the hand-written note during his trip to the 2,000-year-old solemn site in Jerusalem early Thursday, following a tradition of visitors to the wall leaving messages of prayer in its cracks.

But in a move that many said was unheard of, the note was stolen from the wall - reportedly by a Jewish seminary student - and then published in the Israeli daily paper Maariv.

"Lord - Protect my family and me,"Obama wrote on stationery from the King David hotel, where he stayed.

"Forgive me my sins, and help me guard against pride and despair. Give me the wisdom to do what is right and just. And make me an instrument of your will."

Shmuel Rabinovitz, the rabbi in charge of the wall, slammed Maariv for publishing the text, telling Israeli Army Radio, "The notes placed between the stones of the Western Wall are between a person and his maker. It is forbidden to read them or make any use of them . . . damages the Western Wall and damages the personal, deep part of every one of us that we keep to ourselves."

The site, the holiest in Judaism, is the only remaining piece of the outer wall of the second Jewish temple, which was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.

Yediot Ahronoth, another paper in Israel, said it had a copy of the note but opted not to run it.

Several handwriting experts who have examined other pieces of Obama's writing said his penmanship suggests a different mood than in the past.

"There's nothing in it that makes you think he's not sincere with what he's saying, but it's actually making him feel very different than his energetic handwriting," said Michelle Dresbold, author of "Sex, Lies and Handwriting."

Expert Arlene Leachman said that when he wrote "forgive me," there was "too much space between forgive and me, so he probably doesn't feel he needs to be forgiven."

The Obama campaign declined to comment on the note.

[dbonds]

1. This is something personal to Obama and in no way has anything to do with politics.

I do not think we should be posting this, even though it shows his humility.

[VeraAgnes]

7. I agree.

It's seems too "propaganda like" even though it may indeed be a personal crime against Obama.....it just will get a bad spin as political gaming....prove he is not Muslim spin by Foxx.

[BeatleBoot]

2. 2 or 3 days old actually.

[Whisp]

3. this is as low as low can get.

I think it is best that the campaign does not directly comment on this and let supporters do the talking.

Am i missing something in the text, or is the newspaper that printed this not named?

[NYC_SKP]

4. Arlene Leachman is no expert.

If she jumps to that conclusion. There's plenty of space between other words, too.

[rfranklin]

6. She is a fraud...like most handwriting "experts"

It is no more scientific than reading chicken bones or tea leaves.

[ronnykmarshall]

5. That is just wrong!

That pissed me off when I read that.

Barack did something personal and private. It's not to be published.

[Blue_In_AK]

8. If you do something personal and private

in a public place, and you're a presidential candidate, you cannot expect it to remain "personal and private" for very long. Surely Obama knew the possibility existed that this would become public, and if he didn't want that to happen, he shouldn't have taken the chance.

That said, it's probably not going to hurt him any.

[Occam Bandage]

9. "Handwriting experts" are demonstrable frauds.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graphology#Validity

[TahitiNut]

10. Perhaps Obama should submit to an analysis of the bumps on his skull.

The perverted obsession with such pseudo-science seems to mirror the resurgence of ignorance and superstition accompanying a nation's plunge into fascism and feudalism. Ignorance is regarded as a virtue and 'faith' is measured by the ability to withstand the onslaught of FACT.

[Occam Bandage]

11. WHAT IS HE HIDING~~~

[Douglas Carpenter]

12. what is he hiding? That he has sinned

Inadvertently, I expect that this might actually help Sen. Obama. Most people are somewhat skeptical not only of any politicians claims of religious faith but of the inner sincerity of their motives.

This prayer would appear to support the both the notion that his claims of religious faith are genuine and his sincerity of motives are genuine and heartfelt.