Who needs a patriotic President?
Associated Press attributes the dust-up over Obama’s apparent lack of patriotism to Conservatives;
Sen. Barack Obama’s refusal to wear an American flag lapel pin along with a photo of him not putting his hand over his heart during the National Anthem led conservatives on Internet and in the media to question his patriotism.
Now Obama’s wife, Michelle, has drawn their ire, too, for saying recently that she’s really proud of her country for the first time in her adult life.
Conservative consultants say that combined, the cases could be an issue for Obama in the general election if he wins the nomination, especially as he runs against Vietnam war hero Sen. John McCain.
I’d suggest that it’s not exactly a strictly conservative concern. After all, the man is trying to be leader of the country, not leader of the United Nations. Just by definition, he should pledge himself to the good of this nation above all others – it’s supposed to be the job description for the employment he’s seeking.
Of course, it gives AP a chance to remind of John Kerry’s fall;
Opponents of Sen. John Kerry proved in the 2004 election that voters are sensitive to suggestions that a candidate is not sufficiently patriotic. The Democratic presidential nominee’s campaign was torpedoed by critics of his Vietnam War record called the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, even though he won multiple military honors and was lauded by his superiors.
The Swift Boat campaign started as a relatively small television ad buy that exploded into an issue that dogged Kerry for months. The Massachusetts senator has conceded since losing to President Bush that the campaign and his lackluster response to unsubstantiated allegations he considered unworthy of a reaction likely cost him the election. And the term even became part of the campaign lexicon — swift boating.
And they missed the entire point. John Kerry made a career of being the anti-patriot and paid the price at the polls. It took other Vietnam veterans to remind the country of his dishonorable conduct. Oh, and he wouldn’t set the argument aside by merely signing his Form 180.
“Whenever I’m in the United States Senate, I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America,” Obama frequently tells voters.
“I’ve been going to the same church for 20 years, praising Jesus,” he adds.
Retired Major General Scott Gration, an Obama military adviser, said he expects the attacks will only increase if Obama wins the Democratic nomination.
“People are projecting things and taking things out of context,” Gration said. “There’s absolutely no question in my mind that Michelle and Barack are extremely patriotic, appreciate our freedoms and our values and everything else that the flag represents.”
See, there’s the problem – no one has to come out and say “President Bush is patriotic” nor does John Mccain have to say that he says the pledge of allegiance. If you have to explain something like that, the electorate doesn’t believe it – you might as well drop out now.
By the way, I’ll take any opportunity to post that picture from now until such time it’s clear that Obama isn’t going to be president. My Mom, the life-long Democrat, sent it to me this week as soon as she saw it for the first time.
Category: Politics
