Political Insider: Let the Hat Wars Begin
Posted By James BesserPolitical Insider: Obama in a Turban, Rudy in a Headdress: Let The Hat Wars Begin
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Kudos to Newsday's Spin Cycle blog, which came up with the most interesting response to the ongoing flap about the picture of Barack Obama in native African garb.
That picture, snapped during a trip to Kenya in 2006, shows Obama in a turban; some Obama supporters have accused the Hillary Clinton campaign of starting its circulation on the Internet, and using it to create the impression that he is somehow foreign, or maybe even Arab (it's a foreign-looking headdress, after all, right?)
But political observers point to a long history of politicians donning ethnic garb that goes back at least to Calvin Coolidge, who was particularly fond of dressing up like a Native American. The image below is from the Library of Congress collection.
To prove the point in the modern context, Newsday unearthed a picture by one of its photographers showing former Mayor Rudy Giuliani in what was represented as a native American headdress -- but which, with its flowered lei, looks more like a leftover from Johnny Carson's "Carnac the Magnificent" routine.
(see the item and picture here )
An earlier Newsday blog item shows former President Bill Clinton in a flattering Ghanian outfit.
And remember Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis in an army outfit, sitting in a tank and looking abashed?
Other blogs noted that Clinton herself once appeared in Somali headgear, and that pictures are available on -- a picture now at the Bill Clinton Presidential Library.
Will ethnic headgear be an issue in the presidential election? Has John McCain ever posed in a funny hat? Stay tuned.