It seems to have started again - Democrats complaining that Bush and Company are attacking their patriotism. Apparently, John Kerry (did you know he served in Viet Nam?) intends to "be a president for all Americans who takes back the flag of our country because it doesn't belong to any party".
We have meme sightings here and here.
Our first response is one from the archives:
Sept. 18, 2002
The Next Big Thing
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif, announced today that she will be pushing Silicon Valley to speed development of a Verbal "Edit-Delete" device, so that the spoken word can be retracted and modified. As she noted in her statement to an astonished press corps "It's too late for me personally, but others may benefit. If we can save one politician from heartbreak and humiliation, it will be worthwhile".
Impetus for this project was provided by Sen. Feinstein's comments as reported in the San Jose Mercury News, and now mercilessly promoted by Andrew Sullivan:
"Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., just back from Europe, said she detected growing opposition to the United States among America's allies. ``The driver of a lot of this animus,'' she said, ``is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. To leave this unresolved and to attack an Arab country is going to be viewed as an attack on the Arab world.''
She said the anti-American sentiment was so strong that she felt it personally.
``As an American, I have always been proud,'' Feinstein said. Referring to her U.S. flag pin, she said, ``I was embarrassed to wear it.''
Emphasis added? No, phrase highlighted for deletion.
Secondly, a while back there was a very interesting discussion in someone's comments.
One of the Dems advised her side not to surrender symbols. Excellent advice, which I thought I posted on, but it seems to be gone now.
As a follow-up to that, I was at a Kerry event in Washington a while back (my secret life!). No one, amongst the Senator's staff or supporters, had an American flag pin in their lapel. The Senator, however, did. And did I, you ask? Sadly, no - I have had a pin there intermittently for years, and steadily since 9/11. However, and I am not making this up, the previous weekend, while sitting in Church, God would not answer my very immediate and specific prayer, so to quiet my kid I let her play with my lapel pin. Which of course was gone the following Wednesday.
But I asked Kerry's supporters what was up with the flag pins, and whether they sensed the least bit of cognitive dissonance - "We are here to support Sen. Kerry, American patriot, who proudly wears the flag. We however, do not."
Not to worry, I was told - in Washington, Republicans wear flags, and Democrats don't. Wearing a flag does not mean you support our country (it was explained to me), it means you support Bush and the war.
Got it. I have since turned on Kerry like a snarling, cornered rat. That incident was only part of the reason.
UPDATE: Not just me! FORMER Communications Director Chris Lehane steps down.
And Sen. Kerry steps up:
Early this month, as he formally began his campaign, Kerry told reporters he "reserved the right" to make changes and gave a mixed assessment of his staff's performance. Trying to quell talk of a staff purge, he issued a statement saying there would be "no changes."
The statement, drafted with Lehane's assistance, was meant to be the last word, but Kerry has backpedaled from it. "Those weren't precisely my words. They were the words of a press release sent out," Kerry told The Boston Globe in a story published Sunday.
Several campaign sources said at the time that Kerry read and approved the document.
Did that press release have my name on it? How about my signature? Well, then, disregard it.
Presidental press briefings will be a laugh riot if Kerry is elected. Any point in anyone even asking the press secretary for his thoughts?
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