Middle Names

Rep. Steve King of Iowa is complaining that President-elect Obama plans to use his middle name during the inauguration. Since it's Hussein, this is some kind of big deal to Steve King, called a "whackjob" at Talking Points Memo, who understate the case.

Rep. King is still functioning in life with a fifth grade brain, no offense to actual fifth graders, but most of us once were there. We remember the playground taunts and bullying, making people's names alone into a bludgeon against them. Grow up, sir.

There's nothing wrong with Obama's middle name. Just because it happens to be the name of some guy who was our enemy for a while, big deal. It's the name of millions of people. And of course it had nothing to do with our enemy.

For the most part, a name is a name. There's nothing more to it. You get it when you're born, you have nothing to do with it. So whatever.

On the other hand, did anyone happen to see the other day that someone named their kid "Adolph Hitler"? Seriously. I'm not saying any old name should be appropriate, although it's their business. You wouldn't want to be named Scumbag or something.

But Hussein, that's a proud name around the world and not bad at all.