Obamessiah's "Prayer" Was Leaked to the Press by the Obama Campaign

Various people were feigning indignation when a "prayer" written by Barack Obama on King David Hotel stationery and placed in the Western Wall was reprinted in the paper. It now turns out that the "prayer" had been leaked to the press before the carefully staged visit to the wall:

Israeli newspaper Ma'ariv was lambasted for printing the note that Obama placed in the Western Wall, allegedly stolen by a Yeshiva student. "Notes which are placed in the Western Wall are between the person and his Maker; Heaven forbid that one should read them or use them in any way," said the Chief Rabbi of the Western Wall. "This sacrilegious action deserves sharp condemnation and represents a desecration of the holy site."

But according to a statement from Ma'ariv yesterday, the paper alleges that the Obama campaign actually leaked the note to reporters before Obama even placed it in the wall.* Yediot Aharonot, Israel's most popular daily, claims to have also received a copy of the note in advance but decided not to print it.* As a Ma'ariv spokesman told the Jerusalem Post:

Barack Obama's note was approved for publication in the international media even before he put in the Kotel [Western Wall], a short time after he wrote it at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem.


The Obama campaign is denying the note was "approved for publication." At this point, it's their word against that of the two Israeli papers. Obama may be above politicizing our troops, but if they did approve the note for publication before he placed it, then I guess he isn't above politicizing religion.

Is anybody surprised by this? I'm not. The "prayer" had been carefully crafted (and probably focus-grouped) and was clearly intended for publication. At the very least the Obama campaign had to know that somebody would snatch his note out of the wall and read it.