Questioning Obama, Neither ABC Moderators Nor Clinton Wore Flag Pin Either

Underlining the inanity of last night's Democratic debate, at the same time that Senator Barack Obama's patriotism was being questioned because of his decision not to wear an American flag pin on his lapel, neither of the two debate moderators were -- you guessed it -- wearing a flag pin of their own.

Indeed, as one reader of the Huffington Post pointed out, neither the well-dressed Charlie Gibson nor his sidekick George Stephanopoulos donned an American flag last night. In fact, Obama's opponent, Sen. Hillary Clinton, didn't have one either.

See the pictures here.

That, of course, didn't stop the ABC honchos from raising the issue strictly with Obama. Segueing off of a voter video and "conversations" that had come up "again and again," Gibson scolded Obama:

"It's something of a theme that Senators Clinton and McCain's advisers agree could give you a major vulnerability if you're the candidate in November. How do you convince Democrats that this would not be a vulnerability?"

Obama responded by restating, as he's done in the past, that he reveres the American flag as well as the country.

"What I've tried to do is to show my patriotism by how I treat veterans when I'm working in the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee," he said, "by making sure that I'm speaking forcefully about how we need to bring this war in Iraq to a close, because I think it is not serving our national security well and it's not serving our military families and our troops well..."

Sensing that the moderators weren't swayed (this was, after all, the same group that had just asked Obama if his controversial former pastor "loves America as much as you do?"), the Senator went on.

"And let me just make one last point on this issue of the flag pin," he said. "As you've noted, I wore one yesterday when a veteran handed it to me, who himself was disabled and works on behalf of disabled veterans. I have never said that I don't wear flag pins or refuse to wear flag pins. This is the kind of manufactured issue that our politics has become obsessed with and, once again, distracts us from what should be my job."

There were no follow up questions as to whether Clinton didn't show the requisite amount of patriotism. Nor, for that matter, did Gibson and Stephanopoulos turn and accuse each other of sedition.

Comments

[Jey]

Senator Obama you handled yourself very well last night. ABC owes you, Hillary and the rest of the country an apology. They should not be allowed on television again. They're disgusting.

[SCCavie93]

Sam:

How wonderful it is that you seem to bring attention to hypocrisy and complete lack of logic being used with respect to a damn lapel pin. One can wear all of the lapel pins in the world but will that fix one problem in lives most Americans???

I for one am sooooooo sick of the talking points and think that this country is sinking to low of an era of Anti-American / unpatriotic/ hate for all things American -Constitutional silliness when we are reduced to determining one's patriotism based on a pin.

Would it make sense to assume a person is NOT christian become he/she does not wear a cross on a neckless?? Or does it mean that those who wear crosses are MORE christian??? Unbelievable

[simmern4u]

Who say a African American not held to higher standards than a White American? This shit is so crazy that makes me puke. Majority of ameicans do not wear a flag lapel pin do that mean that are not patriotic? Hell no! I served for 20 years in the U.S. Navy and I don't always wear one myself, do that mean I am not patriotic, hell no! All the problems we are facing in this country and we stoop to this level of debating issues just do not make sence. I am a disabled veteran and I think that time could have been used discussing how we going to fix the Veterans Affairs department. This is a silly season and with these two clowns, George and Charlie, I hope it is the end of the debates.

[AnninSoCal]

It has nothing to do with the pin.

It's really all about Wright as his spiritual mentor.

People are people. They see his mentor's real attitudes?

They get it.

Is this guy even a regular guy? Who could claim that guy as a mentor?

These are legitimate questions.

Regular folks boil it down to........pins.

But the real question?

It's very fair.

[IndyStacey]

nice try, Ann, but the flag pin bullcrap was around long before Rev. Wright's comments surfaced.

and if it is true that "regular folks" care about pins, then why do they only care about whether the black man wears a pin?

[Roose]

Get a life!

[SLone08]

Uhh Bill Clinton turned to Rev Wright for guidance after he fucked an intern and everyone found out. What does that make him?

"Regular folks boil it down to....pins"

What are you saying, Ann? That we don't have the capacity to understand the subtext of the questions? That's kind of an "elitist" statement, don't you think?

[tstamp]

Oh AnninSoCal. Your comments are always good for a laugh. The kind of laugh where you're like " Wow. How embarrasing to be that guy."

[jg08091]

In January 1995, as the Clintons were licking their wounds from the 1994 congressional elections, a debate emerged at a retreat at Camp David. Should the administration make overtures to working class white southerners who had all but forsaken the Democratic Party? The then-first lady took a less than inclusive approach.

"Screw 'em," she told her husband. "You don't owe them a thing, Bill. They're doing nothing for you; you don't have to do anything for them."

[ChangeNow]

Heres a little ditty that sums it up nicely....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1qE2vJdDw4

John Prine's "your flag decal wont get you into heaven any more"

[fignozzle]

"I was just waiting for Charlie Gibson to hurl a fist full of lapel pins at Senator Obama while shouting, "Where's Natalie Holloway, Senator? "

Bob Cesca

[ohioangel]

LMAO

[imusintheevening]

hahahahaha! Why wasn't Nancy Grace invited to be part of the moderator team.

[okayigive]

When did wearing a flag pin start denoting patriotism? Since I missed it would someone tell me what other criteria I need?

[jeffp26]

When I was a teen during Vietnam, a flag pin meant you were a raving conservative who supported the war. So I never wore one. but I do consider myself a patriot for the two pins I do wear:
one says simply ITMFA
the other spells it out politely Impeach Bush

That, to me would be truly patriotic.

[ChangeNow]

You need the following to be a patriot under the current rules:

- You must believe in preemptive war
- You must hate muslims
- You must deny any knowlege of the constitution, except the second amendment
- You must believe that the Bible should be the law of the land
- And, God help you, you must be a ditto head

You have twenty four hours to comply. Get moving.

[ohioangel]

What the hell? You forgot:

You must drink Crown Royal in shots.
You must chug-a-lug Iron City Beer
You must NEVER make elitist comments such as "I'll have a Dasani water".
....and above all else....

You must keep a Smith & Wesson in an unlocked gun cabinet in your den with the deer's head over the non-working fireplace.

Welcome to America. Home of the flag pin wearing hypocrites.

[apoyo]

Remember Office Space (movie) and "pieces of flare"?

Your patriotism is in your heart and your mind (remember "hearts and minds") and not on made in China pins. The Chinese must be having a huge laugh today.

[DebinD]

Is there such a thing as a "Push Debate" - Karl Rove was king of push polls - has ABC taken it one step further? In this age -where everyone has an agenda -I wish they could put in 100 questions and have an automated machine/computer spit out the questions - that's the only way to be fair -unless of course the machine is on the hook to a special interest group because of a hanging chad issue back in 2000.
This was sooooo bad. I used to like both these guys.

[AnninSoCal]

The issue about the pins obviously isn't about the pins.

It was what ABC dug out.

What about your pastor-mentor's attitude that we deserved to be bombed?
What about your friendship with a radical bomber who said, on 9-11, we should have done more, even though his actions led to American deaths.

Now, those are the facts about the people Obama has as his friends.

That is where his roots are. That is who he is.

I don't doubt he somewhat regrets it. It's one thing to run for an Illinois position. They might overlook it.

But the presidency?

His choice of compadres is absolutely up for debate.

[SLone08]

Do you REALLY want to get into shady associations? Hill and Bill have more of them than Obama by far.

But I suppose if those were brought up you'd think they're irrelevant, right?

[memoryaid]

He wrote two awesome books that show solid grounding in American values and a great sense of identity. Highly recommended.

[marymansour]

There are people of my generation today who protested in many harmful ways in the 60's and now lead decent lives and have done so for many years. The war in Vietnam brought out the same bitterness and intense feelings of this war in Iraq. Many reacted violently and oftimes illegally. Does that mean they have to be ostracized forever? Barack Obama is about healing the wounds of this nation.

[pleeezzze]

How could Obama ever go about healing wounds ,while taking his own kids to hear the gross Hate speeches from Wright ?? teaching the youth of today all about (hate the whites,can Never make anything Better.

That is why I cannot believe him !

[Roose]

Please do not even go there. Bill Clinton pardoned FALN terrorists so that his wife would gain the support of the Puerto Rican community when she first ran for office here in New York and when there was a hue and a cry, she denounced her own husband for pardoning them. Please DO NOT GO THERE.

[skip4Obama]

anninSOCA: I heard your friends don't wear flag pins and you judge others but their associations. you are a great american just like Sean Hannity!

[Toerag]

This topic is ridiculously stupid, and I'm sure you, Sam, are aware of that. ABC News is a joke. The only good thing ABC has had lately is LOST, and that's not even very good anymore. If ABC wasn't in the same umbrella company (Disney/Go) as ESPN, I'd boycott the lot of them. I'll boycott all of them except for ESPN (they did hire Keith Olbermann for quite a while...) - maybe even ESPN once the NBA Playoffs are over.

[PrdAmerican]

I found their flag pins....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/daquellamanera/1242771346/

[ChangeNow]

Nice

[unsolved999]

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/17/about-last-night/

[kobold]

Why was i censored? Are the flag pins made in USA? or not???

[kcal2000]

Here's a good article regarding patriotism.

Factor military duty into critism.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-oped0404wrightapr03,0,92000.story

[SLone08]

Oh, I get it now.. He's black with a funny name so he HAS to wear a flag pin at all times so we know he's "one of us". What a crock of shit! This is the same warped idea of patriotism that was used against anyone that criticized the Iraq war when it started.

Good to see the Clintonistas are all too eager to join hands with the Republicans on this one....

[ChangeNow]

Next question: When did you stop beating your wife?
There were no questions last night - just accusations in the form of questions.

[azteacher]

As far as I know Barack does not beat his wife...

(I doubt that any man could lay a hand on Michelle. She's one tough dame!)