Obama Won't Question My Patriotism

We are reassured to learn that

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Monday he will never question others' patriotism during the race...

Right - his advisers were no doubt chomping at the bit to besmirch McCain's patriotism, confident that the American public would see past McCain's tired war hero gambit, but Obama stood on principle.

Let's note (hmm, with Karl at Team Protein) that this new non-questioning is a flip-flop for Obama, who felt comfortable passing judgment on the patriotism of others not so long ago:

“Somebody noticed I wasn’t wearing a flag lapel pin and I told folks, well you know what? I haven’t probably worn that pin in a very long time. I wore it right after 9/11. But after a while, you start noticing people wearing a lapel pin, but not acting very patriotic. Not voting to provide veterans with resources that they need. Not voting to make sure that disability payments were coming out on time.

“My attitude is that I’m less concerned about what you’re wearing on your lapel than what’s in your heart. And you show your patriotism by how you treat your fellow Americans, especially those who served. You show your patriotism by being true to our values and our ideals and that’s what we have to lead with is our values and our ideals.”

Whatever.  We have no idea who this guy is - let's elect him President so we can get to know him better.  (This idea for bringing us closer to Obama and vice versa never caught fire).

Comments

[Neo]

Obama excuse #347:

not acting very patriotic

not acting very patriotic is not he absence of patriotism (i.e. unpatriotic)

[Neo]

Make sure in the future to temper all you comments that might possibly maybe be misunderstood to make Obama sound unpatriotic with the phase "not acting very patriotic"

[Thomas Jackson]

Not acting patriotic may not mean he is unpatriotic but throw in some friends who do not lookout of place at Politburo meetiung or Hamas meeting and you've really got something.

[Sue]

are less than six months until the election, an election that will decide the next President of the United States.

The person elected will be the president of all Americans, not just the
Democrats or the Republicans.

To show our solidarity as Americans, let's all get together and show each
other our support for the candidate of our choice.

It's time that we come together, Democrats and Republicans alike.

If you support the policies and character of John McCain, please drive with
your headlights on during the day.

If you support Obama, please drive with your headlights off at night.

Thank you for your participation.

I got this in an email. ::grin::

[centralcal]

Hey, Sue - I like it!

[kim]

Heh, Sue. What's good for General Motors, is good for the USA.
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[Sue]

I thought it was stupid, but cute. It made me smile.

[Patrick R. Sullivan]

After hearing McCain's lame response to Wesley Clark, I question his intelligence...or, his energy level.

I mean, Clark not only put the ball on the tee for McCain, he carried his bag to it, pulled out the driver, removed the head cover, handed a Big Bertha to him and asked what size glove he wore.

McCain then stepped up...and shanked the ball into the woods.

[GMax]

Senate Majority Leader Scary Reid today:

"The one thing we fail to talk about is those costs that you don't see on the bottom line. That is coal makes us sick, oil makes us sick; it's global warming. It's ruining our country, it’s ruining our world. We’ve got to stop using fossil fuel.”

Can someone keep sticking a microphone under this guy's nose? We sure appreciate the help.

[JM Hanes]

Unlike Obama, McCain appears to be trying to avoid pontificating on patriotism. If he seems gun shy, maybe it's because someone gave him well-deserved hell after the Republican debates for chanting that he served his country for patriotism not money, in an obvious slam at Mitt Romney.

TM:

According to the new centrist Obama, it looks like the fact that old stuck-in-the-60's Obama didn't wear a flag pn was just a bit of boneheaded "carelessness."

[kim]

GMax, I swear this AGW business could be an election swinger for the Republicans. The carbon dioxide paradigm is just collapsing, but the resistance to change beliefs about it is just tremendous. It is apostasy to argue against it, but an ad campaign could move the muddle. Look at the tax revolt in Britain against the green initiatives, and they've been propagandized even worse than we have been.

I don't think anyone in either party or the press is aware of the inroads that skepticism is making.
===============================

[Sue]

Kim,

I posted a snippet last night about how the Dutch airport is going to see 50,000 fewer passengers because of their environmental tax. I suspect the Dutch will be on board with the British sooner rather than later when their economy collapses.

[Sue]

I wasn't clear. 50,000 fewer passengers this year. That has to hurt.

[Sue]

Juan Williams just went down a few pegs in my book.

[kim]

Sue, this guy may have the coup de grace:

weatherquestions.com/Climate-Sensitivity-Holy-Grail.htm
==================================

[MikeS]

I do think it is wrong to question Obama's patriotism. He claims he loves his country. Who am I to say he doesn't.

My gripe is that he shares many of the same goals as the enemies of my country. So, I question his judgment.

[Semanticleo]

"Not voting to provide veterans with resources that they need. Not voting to make sure that disability payments were coming out on time."

Few weeks back I asked y'all what you thought about Republican (and WH) opposition to bringing the GI Bill into the 21st century.

I got few takers. Maybe you can comment on
Bush and McCain's taking credit for Webb's
tireless efforts to develop an alliance on the issue across Party lines, and managing to pass this overdue measure.

Does wearing a flag lapel pin cover a multitude of sins?

[Sue]

Kim,

I haven't attempted to read it yet, but I did scroll through and thought 'oh geeze'. I went back to the top to attempt to start reading it and this caused me to laugh out loud.

The following is a simplified version of a paper entitled "Chaotic Radiative Forcing, Feedback Stripes, and the Overestimation of Climate Sensitivity

Simplified. ::grin:: Okay, I'm off to try and wade through it.

[MikeS]

Does wearing a flag lapel pin cover a multitude of sins?

You're right. Of course it doesn't.

I hope everything is going great for your son in the Marine Corps.

[Semanticleo]

MikeS;

I missed (timing is all important) Hoosier Hoops query into Zack's progress so I hope he reads this late reply and I thank you both for your sincere interest.

He is in Ft Belvoir
VA, acquiring his classified training and should complete just prior to Thanksgiving.

My best to all to have relatives or friends
waiting for orders or currently deployed.

Vaya Con Dios.

[Rocco]

And you show your patriotism by honoring a symbol that drapes the caskets of brave men and women who make the ultimate sacrifice. Commander in Chief my ass!

[Elliott]

maybe it's because someone gave him well-deserved hell after the Republican debates for chanting that he served his country for patriotism not money, in an obvious slam at Mitt Romney.

I hope so, JMH. That part of McCain's act was very unbecoming.

[RichatUF]

cleo-

Few weeks back I asked y'all what you thought about Republican (and WH) opposition to bringing the GI Bill into the 21st century.

It will turn it into a clusterfuck and they will all back away from it once it does.

Here is an overview:

graf-

Under the new GI Bill you will be provided tuition up to the highest established charges for full-time undergraduate students charged by the public institution of higher education in the State in which you are enrolled. One of the added features of this tuition payment plan is that the tuition will be paid directly to the school, relieving you of the responsibility. This is similar to the process used for military tuition assistance.

This is why the VEAP program was changed with the Montgomery GI Bill. Also the write up did not include the GI Bill buy-up or the various services college fund programs. The good thing is that those that qualify under both can still stay in the MGIB.

[Jor]

TM, do you have a single post making a case for why McCain should be president? I eagerly await your nit-picking analysis of how McCain is not running for Bush's third term. I'm sure we will see that post some day soon. Although I guess its lose, lose for you guys over here either way. If you say he's running for a third term -- he loses popularity, if you say he's not, you have to defend your brilliant judgment in the 2004 election.

[Semanticleo]

"they will all back away"

You think it's too rich? Purchasing power of the dollar in the late 40's and early 50's
meant fewer dollars, but the result (tuition, books and housing) was similar to benefits under the new version with an admittedly higher number of dollars. Anyway, should less be afforded a Vet with little more than a torso to function with for the remainder of his natural life?

[Sue]

If you say he's running for a third term -- he loses popularity, if you say he's not, you have to defend your brilliant judgment in the 2004 election.

I personally wish he was running for Bush's 3rd term. In fact, truth be known, I wish Cheney was running for Bush's 3rd term.

[centralcal]

Me too, Sue. Me too.

[kim]

Yeah, Sue, 'simplified' is pretty funny. I've already read it a couple of times, and am not sure I can explain it, but I'll try. It's been known for awhile that the GCM's, the giant computer programs used to project climate, do not do water vapor well, poorly understand clouds, and inadequately parameterize convective forces. The exquisite sensitivity of climate to CO2 depends upon initial warming bringing more water vapor into the atmosphere which magnifies the effect of CO2 by three or more, creating the fear of a lot of warming, and perhaps a runaway effect. In this scenario, used by the IPCC and the GCM's, water vapor is a strongly positive feedback to CO2's effects on climate.

What Spencer has noticed is that the relationship between temperature and clouds, when looked at at three month intervals, as the GCM's do, makes a bigger deal of the positive feedback than if the relationship is looked at in daily intervals. He notes that these short term relationships more accurately characterize the actual feedbacks going on than the long term relationships.

Almost intuitively you can understand that temperature effects clouds, via evaporation, and clouds effect temperature. These short term two-way feedbacks have been missed by the models. With a little graphical legerdemain he shows that though the long term relationship looks like a strong positive feedback, analysis of the short term relationships shows a small negative feedback, meaning that the effect of CO2 on climate has been exaggerated, and that there is no possibility of a runaway effect.

If it holds up, it is a death blow to the IPCC's conception of the Greenhouse Effect.

On several climate blogs I've admitted that I am not a sophisticated scientist and often cannot follow the intricate details of a technical argument. What I can do is evaluate rhetoric, and lately the discussion between skeptics and warmers resembles an Adult-Child conversation.
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[Sara]

Jor, I, for one, wish that McCain was running as Bush's 3rd term. I would feel alot more comfortable and safer if that were the case. The problem with McCain is that he is running against his own party and more like he wishes he were the dem. nominee. Even still, he is eminently more qualified to be president than Obama. But he doesn't want my vote. He would rather have yours.

I have both trust and respect for President Bush, I have great respect for John McCain, but I do not trust him. With Obama, I neither trust nor respect him, so my choice is to stay home or vote for McCain on the basis of half a loaf is better than none. I have no intention of staying home since there are down ballot candidates that I want to see win and issues that I want to have a voice in. However, I still haven't decided whether McCain will get my vote or I do a write in for my true candidate of choice. Much will depend on who McCain choses as a running mate and how the next few months go.

[Sue]

Kim,

Thanks. You reinforced what I thought I read.

[RichatUF]

cleo-

You think it's too rich?

That's not my claim. The tuition gets paid to the school not the veteran-hope the system doesn't run late. A disabled veteran is eligible for many additional benefits that can be used for job training or education in addition to the MGIB.

The MGIB has the additional $6000 buy-up and the services have college fund kickers.

How is it "more" if someone with the GI Bill+GI Bill Kicker+College Fund Kicker (1100+150+950=2200)*9mths=$19800 and in the new system gets the E5 BAH rate for the school they attend which would be about $9000 ($1000/mth), with the tuition getting paid directly to the school ($6k/yr)=$15K, +another $1k for books=$16K (of which the veteran only sees $10K, nor do I trust college administrators to get the program right, so you'll have veterans dropped from classes for non payment of fees).

This doesn't even get into FASFA issues (eligibilty for student financial aid) or tax credit eligibilty. Going to school is a lot more than just tuition and books.

[Chris]

Jor,
"TM, do you have a single post making a case for why McCain should be president?"

Don't need 'em. We have scores of quotes from both that indicate one candidate is fairly mainstream (and a lot less conservative than many here prefer) and the other is a hard-left marxist. Most of us will show our patriotism and dissent from leftist orthodoxy by voting McCain.

[Jor]

Sara, Kim, and Sue: PLEASE, PLEASE! Write to McCain, and tell him he should advertise himself as the third term of Mr 24%. Please!

[Sue]

Sara, Kim, and Sue: PLEASE, PLEASE! Write to McCain, and tell him he should advertise himself as the third term of Mr 24%. Please!

Wait. Are you saying he isn't running as the 3rd term of Bush? That was the point of your post, no? Besides, McCain wouldn't listen to me. I'm the base of the party and he doesn't have a lot of use for me. I did write to Cheney and beg him to run. Guess he didn't have any use for me either. ::grin::

[kim]

Well, McCain can still pick Cheney for Veep. Actually, this is one of the reasons I hope he'll pick Romney. The CEO-COO model has worked well for this administration, despite the cluelessness of the media, and could for 'Bush's Third Term'.

I mean, really, Bush will end up looking even better than Truman. He's further along in a decisive war.
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[kim]

If he wins, Jor, historians will characterize McCain's term as Bush's Third Term, and Romney's two as the Fourth and Fifth. So there.
==============================

[Rick Ballard]

GW3 or Mr. Peanut Redux (with even more Marxism). Gee, that's a tough one.

Gas cost $2.20 when Dems took the majority two years ago, it costs $4.08 today. That's a sample of the "change" that Obama "hopes" for.

[MikeS]

That's a sample of the "change" that Obama "hopes" for.

Obama has given us some examples of his judgment.
On the energy crisis, Obama hopes things change.
On Iran's atomic bomb, Obama hopes things change.
On stimulating the economy, Obama hopes things change.
On Islamic terrorism, Obama doesn't think it's a serious problem.

[ben]

"TM, do you have a single post making a case for why McCain should be president?"

I don't speak for TM but one good reason is that he is running against someone with no experience, no accomplishments, suspect judgement combined with some really bad ideas on foreign policy, national defense, the economy and taxes. McCain scores well on those issues, and his bad ideas on the first amendment and immigration don't completely offset the positive.
Actually, since Obama is not qualified, he doesn't even pass the first threshold you would need to get to the issues. In a rational society Obama would have to forfeit, or lose by WO.

[Tom Maguire]

not acting very patriotic is not he absence of patriotism (i.e. unpatriotic)

I was wearing my flag pin while cutting the lawn the other day and thinking that very thought - most activities don't fall on a patriotic/unpatriotic divide and the lapel pin is irrelevant.

Of course, Obama wasn't talking about people "not acting very patriotic" while mowing the lawn - my interpretation is that among activities that *do* fall on a patriotic/unpatriotic divide, its reasonable to think it is one of the other. Obama's acolytes will want to insist on a broad, gray middle ground and further insist that Obama was simply offering the banality that some folks wearing a lapel pin sometimes engage in patriotism-neutral acts. Fine, so Obama is banal - I'm sold.

I eagerly await your nit-picking analysis of how McCain is not running for Bush's third term.

Does it get heavy carrying those talking points all the way from the many lefty-parrot sites on the left?

[Sara]

Over on Wizbang approval poll on GWB. Go vote.

[eightnine2718281828mu5e]

---
I don't speak for TM but one good reason is that he is running against someone with no experience, no accomplishments, suspect judgement combined with some really bad ideas on foreign policy, national defense, the economy and taxes.
---

OMG!!!

Bush is running AGAIN???

HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE?!?!?!?!?

[Sara]

And the companion article to the poll by DJ Drummond on Stolen Thunder. Very much on point to the current discussion.

"The W Factor, Still Alive"

[Sue]

Well this worked out well for democrats in Congress.

[GnuCarSmell]

Obama sure has the victimhood role down pat. I've noticed a trend lately where he defends himself against non-existent attacks. The preemptive grievance sessions usually begin with "They're gonna attack me for [imagined insult goes here]."

Not very becoming of someone feigning leadership.

[kim]

Almost unbelievable Sue. Why doesn't the cognitive dissonance asphyxiate them it is so thick. I really don't know who's worst, Reid, Pelosi, or Obama. I know who is the most dangerous, though. When he takes the lemon of cognitive dissonance and squeezes, out comes lemon Kool-Aid.
=========================================

[Neo]

After all that tripe about poor relations with other nations, the Democratic Congress finds that they are the problem ..

.. the Qatari minister criticised a move by US politicians to sue the Organization of the Oil Exporting Countries if the oil club did not pump an amount of oil that Washington sees sufficient.
"The Congress should look to increase exploration inside the United States," Minister said. "It is strange to ask what I should produce. It's an issue of sovereignty."

[ben]

"Sara, Kim, and Sue: PLEASE, PLEASE! Write to McCain, and tell him he should advertise himself as the third term of Mr 24%. Please!"

Actually you may regret that statement. Bush is not at 24% more like 30% (32% Rasmussen) which is not a bad base to start from. If McCain could get the vote of everyone of those 30% he would probably win easily. There are some Republicans (30% according to Rasmussen) who don't support Bush, plus a lot of independents and even Democrats for McCain to get another 20% of the vote.

[kim]

Thanks for the link, and nice comment, Sara. I've come to trust McCain, despite the way he savaged the Swifties, because it's obvious he knows he must have the muddle to win. I don't particularly trust his conservative instincts but I don't believe he'll betray them dramatically. He's just not a traitor. That said, I only trust him because I'm a fool and feel better when I trust the nominee I prefer; I'd have rather trusted Thompson for his ideology, and Romney for his competence.

Look upon McCain as Thompson lite. Pale ale, and not bitter.
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[eightnine2718281828mu5e]

link

---
Newsweek is set to publish a highly embarrassing report on Sen. John McCain, revealing that the McCains have failed to pay taxes on their beach-front condo in La Jolla, California, for the last four years and are currently in default, The Huffington Post has learned.

Under California law, once a residential property is in default for five years, it can be sold at a tax sale to recover the unpaid taxes for the taxpayers.

The McCains own at least seven homes through a variety of trusts and corporations controlled by Cindy McCain.

UPDATE: Newsweek's story is now online. The report notes that the McCains paid the bulk of their back taxes yesterday, but continue to owe additional taxes:

When you're poor, it can be hard to pay the bills. When you're rich, it's hard to keep track of all the bills that need paying. It's a lesson Cindy McCain learned the hard way when NEWSWEEK raised questions about an overdue property-tax bill on a La Jolla, Calif., property owned by a trust that she oversees. Mrs. McCain is a beer heiress with an estimated $100 million fortune and, along with her husband, she owns at least seven properties, including condos in California and Arizona. [...]

Shortly after NEWSWEEK inquired about the matter, the McCain aide e-mailed a receipt dated Friday, June 27, confirming payment by the trust to San Diego County in the amount of $6,744.42. County officials say the trust still owes an additional $1,742 for this year, an amount that is overdue and will go into default July 1. Told of the outstanding $1,742, the aide said: "The trust has paid all bills shown owing as of today and will pay all other bills due."
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