Columnist no expert on anything

Neocon propagandist Charles Krauthammer, in his syndicated opinion column July 20, launched into an attack against Sen. Barack Obama positing that the senator's most compelling motivation for wanting to give a speech at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin is, believe it or not, his "narcissism." Even for an inveterate smear merchant of Krauthammer's ilk, that is a pretty weak hook to hang a column on.

Krauthammer proceeds to question the senator's very right to speak at this site where Presidents Kennedy and Reagan have previously gone. After all, a perplexed Krauthammer demands to know, "Who is Obama representing?" For starters, Charlie, how about the 70 million or so Americans who will be voting for him in a little over three months from now?

Further evidence of Sen. Obama's narcissistic nature, according to Krauthammer, is that he authored "a biography of his favorite subject: himself." Predictably, Krauthammer makes no mention of the fact that his preferred candidate, John McCain, has also done an autobiography, as that would shoot down his own idiotic propaganda point.

Krauthammer concludes his muddled creed by taking an Obama phrase about "our planet (beginning) to heal" absurdly out of context to imply that the senator sees himself as larger than Jesus. Krauthammer concedes, however, that he is "no expert" on Christianity. Maybe it's time he concede he is no expert on anything.

Jonathan Neumark

Libertyville