Kerry, Lieberman urge ouster of Army officer

DEARBORN, Mich. -- Two Democratic presidential candidates speaking before an Arab-American audience yesterday called on the Bush administration to dismiss a high-ranking Army official for claiming that Muslims did not worship a "real God."

Senators John F. Kerry of Massachusetts and Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut condemned the words of Lieutenant General William Boykin, the officer leading the hunt for Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein. Boykin told evangelical Christian audiences that God was on the side of America's war on terrorism and said that Muslims worship an "idol." The comments were made public in a report aired on NBC News this week.

Kerry, speaking by video hookup at the conference sponsored by the Arab American Institute, a nonprofit civic and cultural organization, called Boykin's words "un-American," saying they "do not do honor to the victims of Sept. 11. They do not do honor to those that fought for America in Afghanistan." Lieberman said, "The war on terror is a war on terrorists not religion."

Arab-Americans gathered here to discuss political strategy expressed outrage at Boykin's words. Former Montana governor Marc Racicot, the chairman of the Bush-Cheney campaign, who was sent to the conference to represent the administration, responded to a question on Boykin by saying the president "believes that Islam is a religion of hope and peace. I don't believe there's any ambiguity regarding that position at all."

But Barakat Salah, 62, a real estate agent from Columbus, Ohio, who was in attendance, said Boykin's words "made most people in our community think the Bush administration is racist."

Arab-Americans supported Bush by a considerable margin in the 2000 election, but recent polls show a shift toward Democrats among the 4 million Americans with Middle Eastern roots, many of them clustered in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, New York, California, and New Jersey, all must-win states for any Democrat. Three issues appear to be driving this shift: dismay over the Iraq war, concerns about racial profiling of Arabs by domestic security agents, and perceptions that the US blindly supports Israel.

Yesterday, Lieberman ran afoul of this last topic, after proclaiming that "America does have a special relationship with Israel." Before he could finish, a woman in the audience screamed "the wall!" in reference to the security barrier under construction by Israel that cuts into the West Bank. For the rest of his speech, convention delegates hooted and hissed at Lieberman over his positions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Four other Democratic candidates also addressed the gathering either in person or via satellite. All strongly criticized Bush's leadership on Iraq and called for changes in the USA Patriot Act, which provides additional powers to domestic security agencies but is seen by critics, including many Arab-Americans, as a threat to civil liberties. The Arab American Institute does not plan to endorse a candidate.

Though the Boykin matter was touched on only briefly in the candidates' speeches, it was on the minds of conference participants. Boykin was quoted saying that the war on terrorism is a battle against Satan. "I knew that my God was a real God, and his was an idol," Boykin reportedly told an audience in describing the source of his confidence in fighting a Muslim military leader in Somalia.

"When a three-star general who is part of the decision-making process in connection with Iraq makes bigoted and racist comments, it makes us wonder whether the current administration genuinely believes in its mantra that the war on terror is not a war on Islam," said Abed Awad, 34, a lawyer from Clifton, N.J.

Among candidates speaking yesterday, Representative Dennis J. Kucinich of Ohio received loud cheers when he reiterated his firm opposition to the Iraq war, called for repealing the Patriot Act, and spoke of Palestinian rights. "The United States must get out of Iraq," he said. "We must end the occupation."

Retired General Wesley K. Clark, sick with the flu and unable to attend, offered prepared remarks that called for an end to the "repressive tactics" of the Patriot Act.

Senator John Edwards of North Carolina was the only candidate to speak on domestic issues, spelling out his positions on jobs, health care, and schools. Representative Richard A. Gephardt was scheduled to speak later in the evening. Today, former Vermont governor Howard Dean and former Illinois senator Carol Moseley Braun are scheduled to address the gathering.

Raja Mishra can be reached at rmishra@globe.com.