Breaking News: Obama's Car Does Not Have A Giant, Yellow, Magnetic "I Support The Troops!" Ribbon

WASHINGTON - A photo appearing on the internet of Senator Barack Obama's Chrysler 300 without a giant, yellow, magnetic "I Support The Troops!" ribbon is causing chaos in the presidential campaign over what constitutes a smear.

The AP photo show Obama's car in his Chicago, IL. driveway WITHOUT a giant, yellow, magnetic "I Support The Troops!" ribbon. Drudge posted the photo yesterday and said it was being circulated by "Clinton staffers". The story quoted an e-mail from an unidentified campaign aide. However, Drudge did not include the text of the e-mail in the report.

AP's Nedra Pickler observed:

"Sen. Barack Obama's refusal to slap a giant, yellow, magnetic "I Support The Troops!" ribbon on his car borders on treason. This omission combined with Obama's reluctance to wear 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".

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.

"The reason it hasn't been an issue so far is that we're still in the microcosm of the Democratic primary," said Republican consultant Roger Stone. "Many Americans will find the three things offensive. Barack Obama is out of the McGovern wing of the party, he doesn't have a giant, yellow, magnetic "I Support The Troops!" ribbon on his car and he is part of the blame America first crowd. And I also have an anti-Hillary website called C.U.N.T., so I think that makes me a credible judge of what most Americans think about giant, yellow, magnetic "I Support The Troops!" car ribbons and patriotism. [ABC News]

The AP story prompted CNN.com to push-poll it readers about Obama's obvious lack of patriotism:

Should Senator Obama be allowed to run for President without slapping a giant, yellow "I Support The Troops!" magnet on his car?

A follow-up poll asked, "Is patriotic for candidates to have the middle name "Hussein"?"

Both polls were quickly pulled from the CNN website.

The Clinton campaign responded the photo flap.

"I just want to make it very clear that we were not aware of it, the campaign didn't sanction it and don't know anything about it," Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson said in a teleconference with reporters. "None of us have seen the e-mail in question. If anybody has independent reporting that they've done on it I would welcome it."

Obama, in an interview with WOAI radio in San Antonio, Texas, said voters are "saddened when they see these kind of politics."

"The notion that the Clinton campaign would be trying to circulate this as a negative on the same day that Senator Clinton was giving a speech about how we repair our relationships around the world is sad."

Obama campaign manager David Plouffe accused Clinton's campaign of "the most shameful, offensive fear-mongering we've seen from either party in this election."

Clinton campaign manager Maggie Williams said the Obama campaign's reaction was inflaming passions and distracting voters.

"Enough," Williams said in a statement. "If Barack Obama's campaign wants to suggest that a photo of his car without a giant, yellow, magnetic "I Support The Troops" car ribbons is divisive, they should be ashamed. Hillary Clinton's car doesn't have a giant, yellow, magnetic, "I Support The Troops" car ribbon either and our rouge staffers won't be circulating those photos later to right-wing mouthpieces. I won't dignify the accusation that he doesn't even drive an SUV with a response. And frankly, I don't care if Michelle Obama is finally, really proud of her Chrysler 300 that doesn't have a giant, yellow, magnetic, "I Support The Troops!" car ribbon. That's between her, her husband and Allah."

"This is nothing more than an obvious and transparent attempt to distract from the serious issues confronting our country today and to attempt to create the very divisions they claim to decry."

In response to a question from ABC News' David Wright about it taking "two Clintons to beat" one Obama, President Bill Clinton said, "Jesse Jackson drove a car without a giant, yellow, magnetic "I Support The Troops!" car ribbon in South Carolina in '84 and '88. Jackson ran a good campaign. And Obama ran a good campaign here."

Comments

[JustAnotherJoe]

Karen,

I love the taste of good satire in the morning. Goes well with toast. Funny.

[aceman]

You keep using the word "pledge", when you know it was the national anthem. Why is that/

[aceman]

You keep using the word "pledge", when you know it was the national anthem. Why is that/

[JohnFromCensornati]

This is very funny.
I'm glad he doesn't have one.

[sarge]

You know, it's almost as if we are in a time warp, re-living the 1960's.

You won't believe the racist paraphernalia my wife just found in our laundry cabinet. I'm not making this up, she just discovered it, to her horror, and showed it to me right away.

2 bottles of "Mary Ellen's fabric stain remover", one for "white's", and another for "colored's"!

Shocking!

[HowardRoarke]

Who still has one of those yellow

"I pay lip service to the troops"

magnets on their vehicle?

[LeftRight]

I still see lots of them. I find it amusing, actually, since the ones that I see are all very faded, and almost not even yellow anymore. Coincidentally, those are the same vehicles that I tend to see with a bush/cheny '04 bumper sticker....

[gsikev]

You don't need to love your leaders and policy to love your country. Our country and the constitution and what we strive for are what should cause anyone to put their hand on their heart during the pledge. Just because Bush is an idiot you don't' turn your back on the country like Obama has during the pledge.

[LeftRight]

Right now, even though I spent six years in the US Navy, and was always showing my own patriotism before I joined, right now I not only DON'T put my hand over my heart during the pledge, I don't recite it, and I'm no longer standing during the National Anthem. I can't stop myself from singing along with it, and I doubt that I ever will. However, that you cannot seperate pride and respect for one's country from pride and respect for the gov't, I'm sure that you would be one of those who question whether or not I'm patriotic.

[gsikev]

poor analogy . not having a ribbon on a car and not putting your hand over your hear, as a senator, during the pledge are 2 DIFFERENT things.

Obama hates America and wants to make it a welfare state. He was part of a radical Chicago Anti-war group that set off bombs. His church purpose read like the black KKK .

His wife is not proud of America, he won't wear a American Flag pin. He has almost nothing good to say about the country.

He wants to sit down with every dictator in the world and have milk and cookies. He hates his country, is naive, got nothing done as a legislator ( proves he can't cross the isle) and will divide the country more than any leader in recent history because he is a radical.

Unlike you I look at what a person has done, who they associate with, and what comes out of their mouth.. I don't melt at the words hope and come together. Do you really think these lazy Obama supporters who want hand outs are going do a damn thing when he gets elected. Give me a break.

[aceman]

you keep using the word "pledge" when you know it was the national anthem. why is that?

[LeftRight]

Beause for the National Anthem you're not necessarily supposed to put your hand over your heart. If you are a man, and you're wearing a hat, you place the hat over your left shoulder, holding it in yourr right hand, which places your hand over your heart, but if you're not wearing a hat, there's nothing about it. With the pledge, you are actually supposed to do so, which I won't do now....

[LeftRight]

Wow, I've never seen such a self deluded post here on HuffPo. That you are trying to claim that Senator Obama hates America, while it has been proven time and time again that he does, AND time and time again that president bush does NOT....

[sarge]

Well, nothing ad hominem or hyperbolic about this! (and, by the way, it was the "National Anthem", not the "pledge" where he didn't have his hand over his heart.)

[LeftRight]

Please tell me that this is satire! In case it is not, I have a few points to make:

First: Obama's patriotism is above question, just cause he chooses to not support the present administration without question is not proof that he lacks patriotism, it is proof that he IS patriotic!

Second: Hillary needs to turn on that much-vaunted brain of hers and realize two things. She's not going to be the nominee, and going negative in a positive world is a really stupid thing to do.

Third: I'm so f*cking tired of having my own patriotism called into question by those who simply support the president, no matter what. I've been called a traitor by people who've never served, even after I inform them that I served 6 years in the US Navy, including 3 years during the GWOT. While I was there I learned more about history than I'd ever known, and grew to love my country, EVEN WITHOUT LOVING THE POLICIES THAT IT ESPOUSES!

[DemandTruth]

Absolutely fabulous! I gotta admit, the "quotes" in the hilighted boxes nearly got me - it's almost ridiculous enough to believe!

(this IS a joke, right?)

[amagila]

Absolutely agree! This is brilliant.

I'm almost certain it's a joke. I think...