Breaking News: Obama caves! Flag pin returns to his coat lapel

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OMG, will you look at that? Amazing what a protracted primary struggle amid bitter small towns will do to previously stated political positions.

The flag pin is back on the lapel of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. No, really. Look closely at his left lapel in this photo from MSNBC on Tuesday.

You may recall Obama removed the lapel flag pin last fall as something of a gesture of independence if you're an Obama fan -- or an act of defiant antiwar non-patriotism if you're not.

At the time Obama removed the pin, which most politicians had worn on their suit coats since 9/12 as a sign of patriotism, solidarity with 9/11 victims and their families and national support for American troops.

However, when a sharp-eyed local ABC-TV reporter in Iowa asked him, half-jokingly, about it in October, Obama went on to explain seriously at some length:

"You know, the truth is that right after 9/11, I had a pin. 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.

"Instead," Obama added rather grandiosely, "I'm going to try to tell....

the American people what I believe will make this country great, and hopefully that will be a testimony to my patriotism."

Of course, removal of the little symbol could also be framed as a statement of principle that usefully underlined his oft-stated and long-standing opposition to the Iraq war unlike, say, some other Democratic senators who wanted to be president and voted to authorize use of force in Iraq.

The little flag's big disappearance aroused considerable controversy at the time. It was tied in with the fraudulent photo of Obama not placing his hand over his heart during the Pledge of Allegiance, thus publicly displaying a lack of patriotism.

"It just shows you he's not ready for prime time," said Laura Ingraham, the conservative commentator.

Once the flames of controversy really got roaring, Obama reasonably explained, "I'm less concerned with what you're wearing on your lapel than what's in your heart. You show your patriotism by how you treat your fellow Americans, especially those who serve. And you show your patriotism by being true to your values and ideals. And that's what we have to lead with, our values and ideals." But it was too late by then.

OK, he weathered that one and has done just fine on the delegate-collection side of things ever since, wearing naked lapels. Although the Rev. Jeremiah Wright's sermon about the chickens coming home to roost on American shores on 9/11 re-created some awkward moments for Obama.

But, whoa, there he was Tuesday on national television at a Keystone State town hall meeting trying, with some success, according to recent polls, to play catch-up to Sen. Hillary Clinton in the next key Democratic primary state of Pennsylvania, which votes April 22.

And there, like a screaming eagle proclaiming Obama's patriotism for all the bitter, disgruntled voters of small-town America to see just days after he seemed to dis them to an elite crowd of donors at an allegedly closed fund-raiser in a San Francisco mansion, waving stiffly on the senator's left lapel was the old red-white-and-blue flag pin. Watch and see if it's still there in tonight's debate.

According to a touching-possibly-true-but-then-again-you-never-know-in-big-time-politics report circulating on several blogs during the night, the pin was reportedly given to Obama Tuesday morning by a disabled veteran whose name nobody seems to know right now.

So naturally not wanting to hurt the vet's feelings, how could the 46-year-old Obama do anything other than immediately put the pin back on his public lapel for as long as necessary?

If we were cynical and had over the years seen even the most seemingly idealistic politicians sway with the winds in the face of political pressure just before a crucial election, we'd write something about how convenient that no one caught the vet's name.

But then, probably by lunchtime today someone will find a disabled Pennsylvania veteran who claims he's the one who proudly gave the little pin to the candidate. And Obama can then wear the minute flag until he himself turns 88 without having to explain an embarrassing but awfully convenient political flip-flop in the face of running against a Republican war veteran who spent nearly six years in a POW cell. And who, by the way, won his party's presidential nomination rather handily without any lapel pin.

(UPDATE: Thanks to loyal Ticket reader Ariane for steering us to video of Obama acknowledging the disabled vet. And it didn't even take until lunchtime.)

So we'll leave out all that cynical part.

--Andrew Malcolm

                                                                                                                                 Photo Credit: AP

Comments

[T PEREZ]

now a days reporters dont do research, this article would get a D- in journalism class for lack of documentation. If you read Obama's speech transcrip, he mentioned the vets name and thanked him.

[Emmanuel Winner]

Gee, if you bothered to read the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette - which you would do, if you took this primary seriously - you would discover that Obama is wearing a gift given by a vetern and is doing so out of respect for that person and his dedication to his country, and not to win over votes from elitist bloggers from the LA Times.

(Right. No staging there.)

[Diick]

lets see he doesn't wear a pin , he does wear a pin. not patriotic if he doesn't and a hypocrite if he does. what does that make rush limbaugh , hannity and cheneyand several other chicken hawks that wear a pin and express their love for my country and yet some did all they could not to go to war for my country. by the way i did serve and I don't wear a pin but no nincompoop is going to tell me that I don't love the USA

[andyK]

Malcolm ignores the video in which Obama clearly says the Vets name, acknowledges him, and the Vet is shown waving...instead Malcolm prints "the vet whose name nobody seems to know"...talk about agenda journalism! Malcolm doesnt even have the decency to print a correction!!!

(You ought to read the entire item first. And if it was so clear, what was the vet's name?)

[Rockyspoon]

Newsflash! There is no such thing as an uncritical war. People who wage the war, people who plan the war, and people who determine when to wrap it up are NOT unthinking, unplanning, insensitive humans. They, more than anyone else, understand what is going on--far more than some green politician from Chicago that criticizes without much information upon which to base his opinions.

[Bud]

How convenient that Obama's crew just had a video camera. Bud

[Brendan Wilson]

Overcompensating? Hmm. Maybe for the next debate he will dress up like Apollo Creed.

[johnny]

I wonder if the terrorist that Obama likes to hang around with where's a flag lapel pin. I didn't see one on Akmadinijad.

[Bud]

Leave the cynical part in....Hilliary '09

[Garrigus Carraig]

Mr Malcolm: What a beautiful smear job. Thanks for helping to elevate the discourse. Oh, and next time you see Karl Rove, say "hey" to him for me.

[Nate]

First, the cynicism in this case is misplaced. Second, his reasoning for not wearing the flag was laudible and one I respected...in the same way I respect the decision of those who chose to wear the flag. This is America and your free to express your patriotism in any manner you wish.

Whats alarming is how many people think this stuff matters in the face of truly collosal world changing events, a pending economic disaster thats already sunk its teeth in deeply, 2 intractable wars and hostile nations who feel threatened by our recent tactics and as a result are going nuclear (or NUCULAR for you Bush suck ups) and a dithering incompetant president....lets just ignore that and discuss a candidates pastor, whether or not he wears an American flag or puts his hand over his heart during the national anthem (morons...you dont need to do that anyway).

Talk about a group of people with nothing to run on, no issues to put on the table. All the real issues cannot be discussed because then Bush and he Repugnican partys missteps are focused on.

When you have no solutions and a small minded following the best possible thing you can do is distract them with wedge issue's so they dont think about the real failure the last 8 years has brought us.

News Flash you right wing trouts, your moment in the sun is done. Limbaugh, Hannity, Coulter, Sullivan, Glen Beck and all of the right wing bombasts couldnt even get a 'real' neo-con elected this time. The choices your left with are all centrist to leftist and you must be very frustrated. It shows in your posts and what the entire group of you schmos are focusing on.

Sign of the times...what was for a breif moment the party of ideas has became the party of excuses. Obama 08

[barbara]

Actually, my veteran dad thought about doing the same thing, if he had been able to see him in person...
except he wanted to give Obama one of his medals.
But my dad is an intelligent guy, and he AGREED with Obama not wearing a flag pin...he says it means nothing because of all the chickenhawks who DO NOT REALLY LOVE their country that are wearing one.
BTW...my dad is now an EX-republican. Says he is tired of getting screwed.

[Aron]

A pin? A FREAKING PIN?!?! Let's pretend for a second that the whole basis for this story hasn't already been debunked (that the pin was a gift, and he didn't "flip-flop"). We're supposed to divert focus from real issues (economy, war, immigration, health care) to debate whether or not it is proper for Obama to wear A FREAKIN PIN??? Wow, journalism and political punditry has truly become pathetic, and I'm embarrassed that I even wasted the time to read this article. To think that some Americans might even CARE about this is disgusting....

[Bitter in a Small Town]

Thank God my bitterness is paying off and the candidate is responding to me. Hopefully he will wear the American Flag at tonight's debate.... or maybe Michelle will tell him NOT. Beyond guns, god, illegal immigrants, lapels w/no flags, my bitterness looks like it is changing the face of america. I'm going to get a beer and a shot and watch the debate... and see if I need more bitterness tomorrow.

[The Outlander]

He will wear a pin but he will not say the Pledge. That should be the story.

Thank you for your time.

[Country of Laws not of Men]

President Bush was duly elected and re-elected.
Congress duly voted to deploy troops in the Iraq War.
The war is being prosecuted appropriately and if you believe in our Constitution and the rule of law you do not have the right to try to redefine patriotism to allow you to undermine our success.

Barack can say he was against it, but of course he was a back-bencher in a state general assembly that is rife with corruption and Barack's buddy from Chicago is at this very moment on trial for same.

And one more thing, we are all well aware that the move-on crowd was against the War in Afghanistan too. We know that you don't think much of the military, but they are completely capable of fighting on two fronts despite your doubts.

Doesn't it ever occur to you that if you have to lie and complain constantly to defend your position that perhaps your position was wrong to begin with?

Remember all the lies you told about welfare reform, the threat of communism, and the technical feasibility of missle defense?

[Nathan Smith]

this is garbage i will not return to this site anymore

[Craig]

Under "Post a comment" it says:

"If you are under 13 years of age you may read this message board, but you may not participate."

Does that count for the original blog postings, too?

Nothing to see here, people ... move along ...

[Susan Murphy]

Yes, leave out the cynical comments. I saw the video and a guy who is head of some veterans organization gave it to hiim. He said he was touched and that he would wear it.
I am sure that you could easily find the video to watch it yourself.....
what a nutty country we have

[Kabookey]

As usual, Mr O is playing the politics he claims others are playing. He put the pin on put out the story how he got it from a solider and thus he gets cover for putting the pin back on. The man is phony to the core, just like his claim he is not taking money from oil company's or lobbyists. He doesn't take it from the company just their bosses, he doesn't take if from lobbyists just their spouses. The man is gaming the system.

[Alfred]

Shame on you Andrew Malcolm. You can continue to steer controversy or you can spend quality time writing about real issues that directly affects America's pocket book/wallet.

Be honest. I'm sure you've worn a suit lately and perhaps even still do. When was the last time you wore a flag pin. Please be honest.

[Rough Rider]

B. HUSSEIN IS A PHONY. Here is the proof:.... The new 3 dollar bill has Barry's photo on it and he is NOT wearing a pin in that photo.

[Ken]

Obama Intern: We're taking a beating on this patriotism thingie.
Obama Volunteer: How do we get a pin on him, without looking like hypocrites?
Intern: How about if we find someone to give him a pin and then he can say, someone gave it to him.
Volunteer: What if we make it a vet?
Intern: Even better!. Bingo.

[Brandon]

I was at the event in Washington PA yesterday and stood in line behind the disabled vet who gave Obama the pin. He wasn't a campaign plant. Guy was a character, but not a plant.

[Chapman]

Hearing Obama talk about his reasons for removing the pin in the first place was heartening to me & reflected what I saw & felt all around me (false patriotism in the form of a pin or magnetic "support the troops" sign (made in China)).
I have felt ashamed of my Government (not my Country).
Watching Obama conduct his campaign & hearing him talk to me like an intelligent thinking person has given me hope that we may be in the process of taking our Country back & to see Sen. Obama in a touch of humanity, reach out to a Veteran who has served our Country & agree that yes there is a reason to wear that flag proudly, tells me this is a man who is willing to constantly reassess his positions & adjust them as appropriate & necessary, qualities I'd like to see in the next President of the United States of America.