Photo: Obama and Odinga. Are they, as Odinga claims, cousins? Don't ask our media.

Writing in the Washington Times, Mark Hyman sums up what we know about Barack Obama's strangely special relationship with Raila Odinga, the Marxist prime minister of Kenya. Odinga is the Kenyan pol whose  backing from Kenyan Muslims rests on a memorandum of understanding he signed in August 2007 with Sheik Abdullahi Abdi, chairman of the National Muslim Leaders Forum. As Hyman writes:

The details of the MOU were shocking. In return for Muslim backing, Mr. Odinga promised to impose a number of measures favored by Muslims if he were elected president. Among these were recognition of "Islam as the only true religion," Islamic leaders would have an "oversight role to monitor activities of ALL other religions [emphasis in original]," installation of Shariah courts in every jurisdiction, a ban on Christian preaching, replacement of the police commissioner who "allowed himself to be used by heathens and Zionists," adoption of a women's dress code, and bans on alcohol and pork.

Hyman describes the apparent bond between Obama and Odinga, which includes what sure looks like a six-day Obama campaign swing through Kenya in 2006 to Odinga's benefit, if not on Odinga's behalf, and the easy access the Kenyan pol has had to the presidential candidate--even during the heated run-up to the New Hampshire primary.

What gives? Because our media won't ask, I'm afraid we may never know--but we may find out, if you know what I mean. Read it all here. And watch some of the Obama-Odinga  campaigning here.