'Thrown Away Flags' Story False, Dem Convention Official Says

Days before September 11, on the same morning that John McCain and Barack Obama released a joint statement pledging to avoid politics in light of the anniversary of the terrorist attacks, McCain's campaign accused Democrats of throwing away 12,000 American flags.

"The campaign says the flags were recovered from Invesco Field after the Democrats concluded their convention there," Fox News reported, "and they are going to be used as part of the warm-up ceremonies before McCain takes the stage" for a rally in Colorado Springs, Col.

But according to a senior official involved in organizing the Democratic convention, the McCain camp is simply lying about the flags.

"All of the flags at Invesco were picked up and put in bags and into storage, along with the unused flags and campaign signs. The flags were going to be donated, and the signs were going to be sent out to be used elsewhere," the official said, speaking anonymously since he was not authorized to talk to the press.

Fox News' Carl Cameron and Bonney Kapp reported that they had "been told" that "a vendor at Invesco Field found the flags, which were going to be thrown out, and turned them over to the McCain campaign."

The Democratic convention official says that's not true.

"It's pretty reprehensible on their part," he said. "Someone made an assumption, took the flags, and essentially lied about what was going to happen to them. I mean, c'mon, we were never ever going to throw out flags."

Emails to three McCain spokespersons inquiring where the flags were found and how the McCain campaign obtained them were not returned.

UPDATE: DNC spokeswoman Karen Finney issues a statement: "American flags were proudly waved by the 75,000 people who joined Barack Obama at the Democratic Convention. John McCain should applaud that, but instead his supporters wrongfully took leftover bundles of our flags from the stadium to play a cheap political stunt calling into question our patriotism. On the same day he agrees to join Barack Obama at Ground Zero on September 11, John McCain attacks the patriotism of Obama supporters who so proudly waved the American flag at our historic event in Denver just days ago."

UPDATE II: Another statement from the Democratic National Convention Committee: "Stories circulating about flags at the Democratic National Convention are false. We distributed more than 125,000 American made flags at the Convention - the flags removed from Invesco field were intended for other events and taken without permission. It's disappointing that someone would take American flags without authorization and then falsely describe how they were being used. We have the utmost respect for the American flag, and it's sad to see them being used for a cheap political stunt."

Comments

[KEESA]

the republicans always wants to call someone unpatriotic their the unpatriotic slimballs who sent our troops to fight in a unjust war because the republicans didnt have the balls to stand up to osama bin laden instead they went after saddem hussein a bunch of cowards bush mccain and cheney show the american people how patriotic yall a**holes are try fixing the economy try bringing our troops home be patriotic about that. oooo lord the comments about the surge just makes me sick try making the surge work with health care, fallin schools systems job loses make that surge work a**holes. im a republican turning democrate i will not be voteing for mccain the moose burger ticket. bush what them fak a** tears when he be what a family after there sons in daughter dies in a unjust war.

[Cinnamonape]

The flags were neatly rolled, and clean.Acco­rding to the "witness" they In plastic bags, in a container on the loading dock. The Republicans took them out and placed them (disrespectfully) on the ground to take this photo.

But if the "finder" was an employee of InVesco wouldn't they have a responsibility to contact the owners about the lost property? Why is this person still employed at Invesco? It seems just common courtesy to notify a prior user about some property they had forgotten and to obtain authorization to discard it. What right did they have in taking this material for their private use?

And the same applies doubly if the person wasn't an employee of Invesco...­they took material off the property from a loading dock! That's theft! Who allowed them in? Why weren't they supervised?

The flags are clearly worth more than $1/each...­probably retailing at between $5-$15...s­o we are talking about Grand Theft charges for 12,000 flags.

[DMSmith]

I've been waiting for someone to file a theft report with the police. Because...­it clearly IS theft. A crime is a crime. File a report and let's arrest and convict whoever took them, and look into charging those who used them, knowing (as they must have) that they were stolen property.

And THEY claim to honor and love and respect our flag?! Now THAT's uppity!

[BrianMac]

I smell...

Rove.

[TN]

The question is does obama have the flags and the story is a lie or did the GOP steal them. When it was brought to the McCain campaigns attention that 12,000 flags neatly rolled were taken from the field wouldn't the right thing to do be to contact the campaign and ask if they intended to throw them out.

[curocat]

Right on..The RNC forgot about that question, they left a hole in their story...

[notthistime]

they stole it. period

[Fight4USA8]

>>>McCain in case you forgot it's your Campaign that was hoping for a "Terrorist Attack" on USA soil, in order to win your stupid election.

>>>Read this & refresh your memory.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/23/mccain-adviser-apologizes-for-terrorism-remark/

http://www.mydailymirror.com/newspapersview.php?view=39452&day=04&month=11&year=2004


http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/08/28/russia.georgia.cold.war/index.html

[Republicanmomof5]

So which is it? Dem excuse #1: "All of the flags at Invesco were picked up and put in bags and into storage, along with the unused flags and campaign signs. The flags were going to be donated, and the signs were going to be sent out to be used elsewhere," the official said, speaking anonymously since he was not authorized to talk to the press.

Excuse#2: "American flags were proudly waved by the 75,000 people who joined Barack Obama at the Democratic Convention. John McCain should applaud that, but instead his supporters wrongfully took leftover bundles of our flags from the stadium to play a cheap political stunt calling into question our patriotism­."

Excuse #3: Another statement from the Democratic National Convention Committee: "Stories circulating about flags at the Democratic National Convention are false. We distributed more than 125,000 American made flags at the Convention - the flags removed from Invesco field were intended for other events and taken without permission. It's disappointing that someone would take American flags without authorization and then falsely describe how they were being used. We have the utmost respect for the American flag, and it's sad to see them being used for a cheap political stunt."

Did anyone actually READ the article before posting?

[IBOAT]

Why OReilly, what the heck are you doing here, did not you see the John Stewart video on inaccuracies.

[backwoodsintellect]

The three different statements were made by three different people and are updated statements. Did YOU even read the article? At the very least, both the taking of the bagged flags and the statements made by the McCain camp are a cheap political stunt. At worse, you conveniently ignore the fact that the flags were STOLEN and given to the RNC, a federal crime if you care to get technical. I continues to amaze me that Republicans like to sell themselves as the keepers of the public morality when they're so disconnected from even the most basic of moral instincts.

[3Westies]

And I especially get a kick out of this:

"Fox News' Carl Cameron and Bonney Kapp reported that they had "been told" that "a vendor at Invesco Field found the flags, which were going to be thrown out, and turned them over to the McCain campaign."

You just can't beat a good "been told" report from Carl Cameron and Bonney Kapp.
LMAO!

[DMSmith]

There is no contradiction in the three 'excuses' you list. AND none is an excuse, but clearly true. There was a theft here, and it should be punished. Stealing American flags to use for a cheap political trick is disgusting. Calling these facts 'excuses' and then implying that they are mutually exclusive is equally so.

[DrFitz]

Umm, I don't see any major discrepancy here. They're all basically saying the same thing.

[rsaillant1]

Dear Rmomof5:

Ya' see, that's what happens when people aren't ruled by distributed "talking points."

The same event is often described using slightly different words, not carbon copied
as identical exclamations.

Try reading "Roshomon.­" It will assist you in undertanding (maybe just a little) human
responses to an event and how they vary in review by different observers.

Actually, you should be nervous, very nervous, when all your friends and associates
use the same words and phrases when describing an event. It means they've held a meeting to get their stories straight.

[Rutabaga]

I apologize if this has already been posted somewhere further back in the thread...i­t should be pointed out that the person from Faux Noise who "broke" this story was Carl Cameron. The same Carl Cameron who was caught posting false quotes attributed to John Kerry on the Faux News website in 2004:

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/214283.php (sorry, you're gonna have to cut and paste)

Any other even halfway reputable "news" organization would have fired Cameron on the spot. Faux Noise, on the other hand, basically just patted Cameron on the back and said, "Better luck next time."

I guess this is the "next time" they were hoping for. But it isn't gonna work. Sorry, Carl!

[Cinnamonape]

It was reported that the flags were handed out "neatly rolled" as they came out of black plastic "garbage bags". Clearly no one would spend the time and effort to roll up the flags if they were going to be discarded.

And it's simply disgusting that the Republicans would hand out stolen flags to the evangelicals who came to see Palin..inv­olving them in accepting stolen property.

But apparently the McCain-Palin ticket are not averse to stealing flags any more than they are in stealing "Barracuda" or a half dozen other songs.

[Anastasia]

Actually, Sarah Palin rescued the flags and loaded them on her dogsled. She drove over fields and freeways, enduring all manner of privation and danger, until, at last, she arrived in Minneapolis, St. Paul, the home of the Republican National Convention, where they would be safe, and secure.

[SunshineDaydream]

ana, i have a feeling you haven't read nico's post, nor the denver post. lol

[Anastasia]

Um, it was supposed to be funny. Guess I have to work on that.

[therblig]

if she had kept that jet, she could have rescued thousands more flags. i understand she was last seen carrying bolts of red, white, and blue cloth, or as she calls them "the innocent unfurled".

[Anastasia]

Re: "the innocent unfurled".

LOL! Love it!

[backwoodsintellect]

She doesn't need that little jet. She's been supplied with a bigger and better one by the RNC.

[msmith2008]

Wow, well written and plausible.­..I suppose it was a dog wagon though this time of year, it would be cruel to the dogs to make them pull a sled without snow and she wouldn't want to leave herself open to the animal rights activists, she needs those dogs to haul the moose carcass back to town when hunting season starts.

[totalliberal]

Anywhere else it is called stealing. Republicans call it retrieving while the owners aren't looking.

[QuakerBeach]

I attended Mile High at Invesco Field and got a flag. Mine ins now in my front window with my Obama "Unity" poster. I took the light rail from the stadium - everyone I saw was clutching their flags, including my friend who came with me and gave it to a kid who asked for it today when we were out canvasing, especially after he learned we had gotten it at Mile High. The patriotism bash will not work this time. Eight is enough.

[jacqmac]

I will admit to being slightly upset when this story first 'broke' on CNN-by their reporter covering the McCain/Palin Show Act III (which is the SAME as the preceding acts actually). THEN I stopped up short thinking "Wait a second! DID I just see SARAH PALIN putting HER AUTOGRAPH on one of these 'liberated' flags?" I was also thinking up 'reasons' why these flags so 'conveniently' found their way to a Republican event in Colorado Springs. Then-it also hit me that no one said that these flags were disrespectfully dropped on the ground and trampled by thousands of feet, or that someone had rescued them from the hands of people who were spitting on it or otherwise disrespecting it. THEN I really thought that 'something was up'! I was updated by someone about the outcome when I went out to REGISTER VOTERS tonight. Soo-someone was after their 'fifteen seconds of fame', eh?
Cheap! REALLY low! Not like Watergate or voter suppression, but pretty darn LOW! So-how about it Ms. so-called Red-Blooded American. Doesn't your patriotism handbook tell you anything about ACTUALLY desecrating a flag? AUTOGRAPHING IT? PUH-LEASE!! *Someone please tell me that clip was viewed and has been saved for inclusion in an ad!"

[freeman88]

This story reminds me of another set of lies we were all forced to endure back in January, 2001. If you recall, that same bastion of fairness and balance, faux noise, along with several other right wing bloviators began a days long whimper-fest about how out-going Clinton Staffers had defecated upon chairs in the West Wing, written anti-bush "stuff" upon the walls of the offices, and worst yet, removed all of the 'W' keys from every keyboard and typewriter in the White House.

After several days of this, it was proven to be A LIE. A LIE, just like this current whopper about the flags.

What this certainly proves is that in the mcsame's time of need for stealth obsification, this proves to be a distraction from an awful campaign. A failure of a campaign needing only to string 57 days of distractions and dodges in order to hide from the simple truth from the American people, that the mcsame/Caribou Barbie ticket brings NOTHING of value to America.

Upon making the previous point, I am forced to ask this simple question; as the rethuglicans have an obvious propensity to lie about most anything, how can those in this party claim tan honest belief system? And, how can any THINKING American ever believe a rethuglican as they are shown to be liars more often than not?

Can anyone give an intelligent answer to these questions?

[Anastasia]

The folks who bring us made up stories like this one, are fanatics. As usual Wiki explains it best:

Fanaticism is an emotion of being filled with excessive, uncritical zeal, particularly for an extreme religious or political cause.

According to philosopher George Santayana, "Fanaticism consists in redoubling your effort when you have forgotten your aim". According to Winston Churchill, "A fanatic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject". By either description the fanatic displays very strict standards and little tolerance.

The difference between a fan and a fanatic is that while both have an overwhelming liking or interest in a given subject, behaviour of a fanatic will be viewed as violating prevailing social norms, while that of a fan will not violate those norms (although is usually considered unusual).

In other words, lying is no biggie for these folks, because their belief system allows them to use any means to achieve their ends.

[lorisc]

freeman,

The sad thing is my Republican friend still believe this story is true. Eight years later and she still believes the lies. The good thing is, she is voting for Obama. Another lifelong Republican who has had ENOUGH!

[adm4peace]

Sadly, the repubs know that there are guillable people out there and they feed off these people's biases, weaknesses, and ignorance. They know that some people are not going to do the research themselves and look at both candidates objectively. The repubs know how to make people vote against their own interests. They know how to gain traction off of trivial things such as this little stunt they pulled with the flags. They know that all they have to do is report thier slanted view on Faux News or limbaugh and people are going to believe it . I hate to say that it works. The repubs are masters at this. That it is why it is so difficult for us Democrats to win. Hopefully, we will win this time.

[msmith2008]

I'll give you an answer that you probably won't like...ALL POLITICIANS LIE, even democrats!!! I know it is a shock to a person on the left, but those of us in the middle know it is true, so we aren't shocked by either parties amazing lies.

How about Sarah Palin's baby was actually her daughter's baby? Was that not a lie put forward by democrats?

I really wish all the left liberal freaks and right super conservative jesus freaks would just realize this country will never get to your ends of the spectrum..­.the majority of us are in the middle. Honestly we are sick of hearing all your crap on both sides. None of this crap has anything to do with the issues you should be caring about...le­ts talk about something neither candidate has really addressed.­..POLICY!!­!

[SunshineDaydream]

if you don't think obama has addressed any policy then you haven't been paying attention.

[IBOAT]

Well here is some previous policy, by the way Democrat policy -- http://www.californiachronicle.com/articles/73287 "A Day in the life of Joe Republican­." Try to get it.

[IBOAT]

Oh and by the way msmith2008 Obama is spelling out and has spelled out policy, you are just not getting it for some reason.

[NorVaGal]

Evidently "...those of us [YOU] in the [a;;eged] middle" have a truth-deficit, also.

To say that "...neithe­r candidate has really addressed.­..POLICY!!­!..." is a bald-faced lie. Obama is and has been addressing policies and issues.

You are just as untruthful and despicable as the people you so ignorantly belittle. No, YOU are even more so. Honestly, we are sick of hearing all of YOUR crap!!

[IBOAT]

Let me give it a try. A lot of people, which are republican have good jobs working for people who have done well with businesses at some point. These owners have beautiful homes, cars, Yachts etc. They have financial advisers which tell them they have many tax breaks due to the republicans. They say great. Lets get involved in local clubs representing the republicans and send in campaign contributions so that we may make even more money. It was a great thing once a upon a time. The word got out from the business people trickled down to the employees and being republican was where it was at. In other places you could use guns, hunt and feel like the wild wild west, you could feel like a real man courtesy of the GOP. So now as the GOP continues to make such promises they want to desperately believe this is what will happen, somehow, someway. The business people want to hear about the bottom financial line and become millionaires -- for the greed of easy money. They don't realize they have heard half of the story as to why they became successful. Here it the other half of the story -- A DAY IN THE LIFE OF JOE REPUBLICAN http://www.californiachronicle.com/articles/7328787

[MadeinAmericaProud]

We the power have the power but we want one man to fight an entire party who have the power of the mob.
The own radio, newspapers TV station and internet.
We the people have the power just like the 1000 US WEEKLY MAGAZINES CANCEL THEIR ORDERS.

WE SIT ON OUR BUTTOCKS blog that one man, Obama should fight back after reading the lastest op-ed. the democrats of loser becasue they want it but don't want to do anything for.

Just keep giving your money to the Murdock who not even an american but own Wall St Journal/TV station
democratis are continuing to make him rich while he trash your party. Please tell how dumb is that?

we donate nickels and dimes, while the republicans donate millions to defeat the democrats.
I thought it was a WE the People, not I Obama will do it all.

.

[nanoscare]

No wonder this country is going down the crapper. Worry about something real instead of this nonsense.

[IBOAT]

Yeah, lets stop whining-- it could be worse. I mean it can get worse.

[polchic]

Karma is a bitch and I hope McCain and all his cronies who lie, cheat and try to steal elections get exactly what they deserve; President Obama in the White House. I am so disgusted by the games played, the gimmicks, the outright lies that get put out over and over and now the joke that is Palin. !/5 of all presidents have not completed their elected terms. How the heck can anyone think Palin is ready to be president? The Dems are getting fired up but good. WE MUST WIN THIS!

[YouDisgustMe]

once again....m­aking a big election about small things. republicans make me sick.

[msmith2008]

You're right it is just the republican­s....GET A CLUE....bo­th sides are trying to make it about this petty crap. At the speeches they try to make it sound like they abhor these tactics, but both sides are using them. Lets not pretend that Democrats are honest freaking alter boys and girls...th­is is POLITICS!!!

I understand us centrists are supposed to keep our mouths shut and let the left and right scream at each other, and accuse each other of terrible lies and injustices and pad their resumes and not question it, but honestly I'm SICK OF IT!!

Please stop whining, please stop acting shocked that politics are dirty and please stop believing that your team is the only honest ones!!

[therblig]

I heard that Obama put the flags on e-bay and made a profit. Patriotism AND Capitalism. What's not to like?

[SunshineDaydream]

yeah, that's necessary.

[Anastasia]

Where exactly did you hear that? What proof did they offer?

[IBOAT]

Hey Limbaugh, what are you doing here.?

[SunshineDaydream]

crazy enough, i think he's cool - just made a bad joke.

[therblig]

jeepers folks, it was a joke meant to poke fun at the Palin/McCain campaign's continued use of the e-bay/jet lie. and now that i've explained it, it's even less funny.

[SunshineDaydream]

actually, therblig, i read your profile, and tried to defend your (ahem) joke (kidding. lol) - but for some reason it was my first post of the night that went into pending. so strange.

[Cinnamonape]

You need to put a "g" (grin) or a ;-) (wry smiley) after it!

Word is that the jet actually didn't sell on eBay...the one offer they got fell though. So contrary to Johnny she didn't actually SELL it on eBay. But that's not the whopper. Palin did find a buyer, but she lost the State a half million dollars on the deal. The Jet was valued at $2.5millio­n on eBay...but it sold for $2 million.