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Conservative speaker claims Obama not criticized because he's black

Is President Obama criticized too much or too little? The answer you get may depend on who you ask. And if you're asking at least one conservative writer, the
U.S. President Barack Obama speaks on Syria - 08/30/2013
U.S. President Barack Obama looks up during a meeting with Baltic leaders in the Cabinet Room of the White House in Washington August 30, 2013.

Is President Obama criticized too much or too little? The answer you get may depend on who you ask. And if you're asking at least one conservative writer, the answer is too little and the reason why might surprise you.

Conservative writer and occasional conspiracy theorist David Horowitz joined high-profile Republicans like Gov. Bobby Jindal and Sen. Marco Rubio at the Koch Brother-sponsored “Defending the American Dream Summit,” in Florida last Friday. While his fellow speakers were busy blasting the president, Horowitz claimed that Obama doesn't get attacked enough as The Washington Post first reported.

“The reason we don’t attack him is obvious, but no one will say it out loud. I will: It’s because the color of his skin is black--actually he's half black,” Horowitz told the crowd. “It is because Obama is a minority that nobody will hold him to a standard or confront him with what he has done.”

Horowitz also called Obama “the most brazen and compulsive liar to ever occupy the White House,” to cheers from the audience.

In reality, the president receives criticism on a nearly daily basis, from everything from his policies to his demeanor.

The latest Obama bashing came after the White House released a photo of the president on the phone with House Speaker John Boehner over Labor Day weekend. The problem? The president had his foot on his desk.

After the Drudge Report featured the image prominently over the weekend, everyone from Tea Party members to Fox News radio host Lou Dobbs began complaining about it.

Does Seeing President Obama’s Foot on the Oval Office Desk Make Your Blood Boil? http://t.co/qxzy7OnZ5L #TeaParty— Tea Party (@TeaPartyOrg) September 2, 2013

Check out Drudge Report pic of the President with his foot on the desk. The White House released it mistakenly thinking it's a cool image.— Lou Dobbs (@loudobbsnews) September 1, 2013

And while Obama is far from the first president to prop his foot up on the oval office desk (yes, George W. Bush did it, too), it's not even the first time conservatives have complained about this particular pose. Glenn Beck ranted about it during his radio show back in 2011.

These latest attacks are reminiscent of the "uppity" complaints that have been used against Obama the president, which is just one example of racially-tinged criticism. From the continued "birther" rumors--supported still today by members of Congress--to Sarah Palin's use of the phrase "shuck and jive," even people in the Republican Party have started to call fellow conservatives out for the behavior.

Not all criticism directed at the president touches on race, of course. Horowitz's "liar" critique against Obama popped up again on the right when Rep. Tim Huelskamp chimed in to question the president's trustworthiness barely an hour after House Speaker John Boehner voiced his support for Obama's call to action.

Since #Obama still refuses to tell us the whole truth about #Benghazi, why do GOP leaders trust Obama to be truthful about #Syria? #TCOT— Cong. Tim Huelskamp (@CongHuelskamp) September 3, 2013

What do you make of Horowitz's argument? Tell us in the comments.