Thursday, March 20, 2008

Obama just another pol?

Last October an AP story included this:

"The truth is that right after 9/11 I had a pin," Obama said. "Shortly after 9/11, particularly because as we're talking about the Iraq war, that became a substitute for I think true patriotism, which is speaking out on issues that are of importance to our national security.

"I decided I won't wear that pin on my chest," he said in the interview. "Instead, I'm going to try to tell the American people what I believe will make this country great, and hopefully that will be a testament to my patriotism."
Ok, I had no problem with that.

But did you notice all those flags surrounding him Tuesday when he gave his speech in Philadelphia in which he didn’t answer the questions he needed to answer about his relationship with the anti-American and racist Rev. Jeremiah Wright?

I count eight of them; four on each side of the podium and in “camera view.”

WSJ’s James Taranto at Best of the Web noticed them and commented:
We didn't write about this back in October, because the whole kerfuffle was, at its root, silly. There are many ways of expressing patriotism, and if wearing a flag pin is not Obama's idiom, who cares? …

But in light of his October comment, what are we to make of his extravagant use of the Stars and Stripes on Tuesday?

If a flag pin on a lapel is "a substitute for true patriotism," is that not also true of eight flags on a stage as a backdrop to a political speech? Obama proclaimed himself too good for cheap symbolism, but resorted to it the first time he faced a real crisis. Is he really any different from the run-of-the-mill politician?
When a national leader delivers a speech, I like to see an American flag displayed in the backdrop.

That said, I think flag display can be overdone by pols and others, as when at a national convention we see dozens in the backdrop as the nominee strides to the rostrum.

As for Obama’s use of eight flags Tuesday in Philadelphia, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt on the question of whether he was engaging in cheap symbolism.

Now what about Taranto’s question: “Is he really any different from the run-of-the-mill politician?”

I’m not ready to give my answer to it.

But I know that as a result of the Wright's sermon tapes breaking through the MSM "filter," millions of Americans are now asking that question.

Obama and his staff knew if he emerged as the Democratic presidential nominee, it was inevitable people would take a closer look at him and ask whether he was just another pol.

But in their worst scenarios did they ever envision people asking that question in the context of the Wright tapes?

They must know tonight that for all the MSM spinning ( Did you hear Chris Matthews effuse about “the greatest” speech “ever given” on race? ), Obama’s speech didn’t get them into a “post-Wright” world.

Here are the AP story and Taranto’s post.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

If Chris Matthews thinks Obama's speech was "the greatest ever," you can bet it was a blivet (3 lbs of fecal matter in a 2 lb bag). Why any thinking person pays the least attention to the likes of Matthews is a mystery. The man is an utter buffoon.
Tarheel Hawkeye

Anonymous said...

John:

"Now what about Taranto’s question: “Is he really any different from the run-of-the-mill politician?”

I believe so.

From his voting record, his close association with a racist pastor and the extreme comments of his wife, all suggest the most viral kind of left wing extremist. This won't turn off the Kos followers but the rest out the crowd is leaving the building. Obama's no run-of-the-mill politician.

Unfortunately for Obama, the Clintons know how to take advantage of their opponents missteps. What's about to happen won't be pretty.

Ken
Dallas

mac said...

Obama,the truth is, everybody had a flag after 9/11. After a while, lots of people stopped wearing them or took them down from their homes or businesses. The patriots of summer.

Mine stays up (during the day, of course, and not in the rain) and it will continue to be raised there. That's because it's easy to have a reflex-patriotism, the kind you appear to have, the temporary kind, and mine isn't quite so shallow.

You don't wanna wear a flag or fly one? Fine. Just don't pretend that when others choose to fly a flag, it's a substitute for discourse and real patriotism: mine is just as real as yours.

And probably more real: I wouldn't give any quarter (in the battle sense) to an insane pastor who dared damn my country - worse yet, a racist bigot who was once a Marine, and probably once was a real patriot before he lost his mind.

You might as well take down the flags: they're too starkly contrasting with the way you've apparently felt for the last 20 years.

mac said...

Barrack Obama:
His grandmother was just another "typical white person."

Come again?
We all look alike to you, maybe?
"Typical?"
Typical what?

Why don't you just say "you white people all look alike," while you're at it, Slick? Emphasize the "you people" part, while you're at it.

Obama, are you so tone-deaf that you can't hear your own resonating racism?

Typical, isn't it?

Anonymous said...

The greatest speech ever given on race? Seems like Matthews, as have most blacks, has forgotten about MLK,s "I Have A Dream".