A short diary, and my first. There's been some hoopla about an Obama staffer denying a pair of young muslim girls a seat directly behind Obama, in camera range, at a rally. There is a fairly good chance that this tempest remains in its teapot, but I'd like my fellow kossaks well-armed if it doesn't.
This picture was taken the day after the incident occurred and before the controversy over it began.
![title=](http://img529.imageshack.us/img529/7035/20080617t213910450x318uev4.jpg)
The Muslim vote matters, and I'd not like to see our nominee damaged by something like this. Moreover, Muslim people matter, and though I can't see them voting for McCain, they need to know that the Democratic Party and the Democratic Nominee have not embraced the rampant, unchallenged bigotry so many of them have suffered since 9/11. Thanks for reading guys. I've been lurking for awhile now; I think I'm ready to contribute.
Update: As per the comments, I ought to add that Obama called the two girls in question and personally apologized. Thanks, Incertus.
Update 2: Apparently my diary has become a pissing contest about the importance or lack thereof of the Muslim community as a voting bloc. I didn't make the diary for a Mark Penn discussion of microtrends. I wrote this because our party and our candidate subscribe to certain ideals and I don't want their reputation on those ideals compromised by a single over-zealous staffer. Campaign strategy is well and good, but keeping our politics people-centric is even more important than dissecting the math to see who we can afford to disrespect.