Love Of Country

John Kennedy, Jan 20, 1961:

And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country.

John McCain at Annapolis, April 2, 2008:

We are the heirs and caretakers of freedom; a blessing preserved with the blood of heroes down through the ages. One cannot go to Arlington Cemetery and see name upon name, grave upon grave, row upon row, without being deeply moved by the sacrifice made by those young men and women.

And those of us who live in this time, who are the beneficiaries of their sacrifice, dare not forget what they did and why they did it, lest we lose our own love of liberty.

Barack Obama, Philadelphia debate, April 2008:

Well, look, I revere the American flag, and I would not be running for president if I did not revere this country.  This is -- I would not be standing here if it wasn't for this country.

And I've said this -- again, there's no other country in which my story is even possible; somebody who was born to a teenage mom, raised by a single mother and grandparents from small towns in Kansas, you know, who was able to get an education and rise to the point where I can run for the highest office in the land.  I could not help but love this country for all that it's given me.

And so what I've tried to do is to show my patriotism by how I treat veterans when I'm working in the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee; by making sure that I'm speaking forcefully about how we     need to bring this war in Iraq to a close, because I think it is not serving our national security well and it's not serving our military families and our troops well; talking about how we need to restore a sense of economic fairness to this country because that's what this country has always been about, is providing upward mobility and ladders to opportunity for all Americans.  That's what I love about this country.  And so I will continue to fight for those issues.                    

MORE:  Let me offer some help to Barack's wordsmiths:

Well, look, I revere the American flag  [Promising start]

This is a country which has produced great men and women such as.... [insert some list here; take a chance on sneaking George Washington and Abraham Lincoln past your base, then pivot to Martin Luther King;  probably a good great idea not to nominate Jeremiah Wright or Bill Ayers.  Yeah, yeah, we all know that "Bomber Bill", as he is laughingly called around Hyde Park, courageously stood up to a corrupt, war-mongering gang of war criminals, but maybe you can get into that later.  Please?]

And this is a country whose ideals of freedom and liberty have inspired mankind for generations [So sorry, but the history lesson about how we oppressed the Indians, the blacks, and everyone else will have to wait.  Swallow hard.]

I honor our nations heroes; I honor our nations ideals; and I hope, as President of these United States, to be your humble servant in carrying them forward.  [Try not to choke on "humble".  Better practice that with, hmm, not Michelle... just practice.]

I'm just thinking out loud here - almost anything would have to be better than the current "Of course I love America, it's working great for me."

Obama's 2004 convention speech would be a useful starting place.  Obama tried to sound-bite it for the Philly debate, but picked the wrong excerpt and gave it the wrong emphasis.  From 2004:

I stand here knowing that my story is part of the larger American story, that I owe a debt to all of those who came before me, and that, in no other country on earth, is my story even possible.

That debt disappeared by the 2008 debate.  Well, he did score with the book deal and pay off his student loans. 

This is the part from the 2004 speech he ought to rehearse until it sounds as if he believes it and is the first thing he thinks of:

Tonight, we gather to affirm the greatness of our Nation — not because of the height of our skyscrapers, or the power of our military, or the size of our economy. Our pride is based on a very simple premise, summed up in a declaration made over two hundred years ago:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

That is the true genius of America, a faith -- a faith in simple dreams, an insistence on small miracles; that we can tuck in our children at night and know that they are fed and clothed and safe from harm; that we can say what we think, write what we think, without hearing a sudden knock on the door; that we can have an idea and start our own business without paying a bribe; that we can participate in the political process without fear of retribution, and that our votes will be counted -- at least most of the time.

"Most of the time".  Well, he was talking to Dems, so three whole paragraphs without bashing Bush must have been a strain for everyone.

Obama is capable of sounding like he thinks America was a great country even before he came along; he ought to try and get back to that.

As a general rule, a Presidential candidate should not approach "Why do you love America?" as a trick question.

Comments

[Tom Maguire]

Don't even mention it:

Michelle Obama, probably every morning and evening:

“For the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country,” she told a Milwaukee crowd today, “and not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change.”

[clarice]

It's all about ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[windansea]

I will move to Mexico if this poseur gets elected.

oh wait, I already did that

[Lesley]

You've got that right, Clarice.

Big Narcissism.

[PeterUK]

Why do these "liberals" want to change America,all they have to do is move to Europe.

[BH]

Obama has never served. He got a lot of money working for the government.

[Soylent Red]

I already did that

You live in L.A.?

[MayBee]

Jake Tapper reports that Obama is going to haul out some patriots to criticize Hillary for her Tusla story.

[MayBee]

Oh...I love this post, TM.

[Jane]

It brings tears to my eyes. I was brought up to believe I could accomplish anything if I worked hard enough, and he was apparently raised to believe he could get people to give him anything if he didn't make too many quick moves. That is the legacy of AA. It's downright sad.

[David]

OT, I am angry and bitter that the price of Eruca sativa (arugula) has gone up.

[MayBee]

That's so weird. The Jake Tapper piece I mentioned is gone. Perhaps I am losing my mind.

[Donna B.]

What does that mean that the Iraq war, "it's not serving our military families and our troops well;

Huh? Does any war serve the military? I don't get that. I thought (and I think most soldiers think) they are serving the country.

[ROA]

Does Obama want to be America’s Mikhail Gorbachev?

[vnjagvet]

Is Eruca Sativa any kin to Cannabis Sativa, David? Those last names are mighty similar.

[David]

Its the first name that counts, the second is a descripter, in this case it means cultivated.

[Porchlight]

MayBee, you're not losing your mind - it looks like it's just been moved:

Obama Campaign Revives Attack Over Clinton's 'Bosnia' Account

Previously it was posted on Tapper's Political Punch blog, now it's on another ABC blog called "Political Radar."

[vnjagvet]

Thanks. A gap in my knowledge has been filled.

[ben]

"I am proud of my country because it is hungry for change"

This reads like an oxymoron...

In other words "I will love this country if it changes to something different"

[ben]

Clinton is up 1 in the Gallup and only down 2 in the Rasmussen tracking polls. Cold feet? Buyer's remorse? Caveat emptor!

[David]

I wish you were right, then we could have Obama's I did not inhale moment.

[ben]

Well, we already had "I did not listen to that preacher" moment.

[Ranger]

Things must be getting bad for Barry. Talk Left says that his is saying today that Hil doesn't have the right to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier because of her Tuzla Tail.

More politics of hypocrisy from the Obama campaign, now claiming on a conference call today that Hillary isn't fit to lay a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier because of her Bosnia misstatement. Of course, Obama just said at the debate he wasn't commenting on the Bosnia story.

It's coming down to we can't even trust his words. And words are all he has shown us so far.

Is it a bad thing that I actually enjoying reading Talk Left so much?

[Pofarmer]

This reads like an oxymoron..

How bout just a typical leftist moron?

[PeterUK]

Massively off topic but bound to rear its ugly head in the primaries, AGW thoroughly debunked (pdf but well worth it)

[centralcal]

I haven't followed politics all weekend (BTW I got Friday off, so it started then). Instead I have watched the wall-to-wall coverage of Pope Benedict's visit to the US via Fox News.

Obama has shrunk into nothingness for me. Rev. Wright is just anathema to me.

OH HAPPY DAY!

[MayBee]

Ranger- thank you! I thought I was going crazy, because that's a report on the story that was at Jake Tapper's blog earlier. I wonder why he took it down.

[Jane]

Centralcal,

What did you think of the Pope's visit. I saw a lot of the coverage in between the garden and errands and the like. I found it very moving. I'm not the least bit religious, so I found the fact that I found it moving, odd.

Mr. Right says this Pope has reverted back to the most fundamentalist of fundamentalists. He's catholic and he sees that as a bad thing. How do you see it?

[Danube of Thought]

I was baptized Episcopalian, spent only two years at an Episcopal school, and never got confirmed (my parents let me choose to race sailboats on the Potomac instead of going to confirmation classes). I never go to church except for weddings, baptisms and funerals, and when I do the choice of church is determined by the families involved.

But the Pope inspires me, and every Pope has inspired me. There's something very much worth pondering about an institution that has survived for so long, and whose message is so benign. I'm not denying that the message has been distorted and abused by mortals over the ages, but God bless the Roman Catholic Church. (I think my malevolent little heart loves it most for its enemies and those it infuriates.)

[Barry Dauphin]

PUK,

Thanks for the AGW link. Interesting stuff.

[Sue]

I was raised Protestant, though my dear mother would bemoan the fact that her raising did little to instill much in me. My son in law is Catholic. My daughter is...I'm not sure. Spiritual, but not religious. My granddaughter loves the Pope. She thinks she wants an outfit likes his instead of the Cinderella costume she wears 24/7. I like a Pope who inspires my granddaughter to change her outfit. ::grin::

[Sue]

Is there some kind of religious rule against a 3 year old dressing like the Pope?

[Sue]

Today is the 13th anniversary of the OKC bombing. I hadn't realized today was the 19th.

[Jane]

But the Pope inspires me, and every Pope has inspired me.

I found him inspiring too, and that surprised me.

Today is the 13th anniversary of the OKC bombing.

Which means it is the 13th anniversary of my trip to Greece. The bombing happened when I was in the air. It's always an odd anniversary for me. Even then I was a news junkee, and I couldn't tell how big the story was (or wasn't) because I didn't know how to take the Greek news.

[MayBee]

Today is the 13th anniversary of the OKC bombing. I hadn't realized today was the 19th.

I remember that day so vividly.

I was babbling about this this morning when talking about Obama/Ayers.
Obama met Ayers 20 years after the Weather Underground.
Which means in 7 years, it will be perfectly acceptable for a presidential candidate to seek Terry Nichol's endorsement for office.

[Porchlight]

April 19th is Waco, too (15th anniversary). And tomorrow is Columbine (9th).

All that and Virginia Tech, too. Crummy month.

[Sue]

I was trying to remember what year Waco was.

[Porchlight]

It's weird to think Waco was that early in the Clinton administration. It had already at that point seemed like he'd been around forever.

[Ralph L]

FDR died on the 12th, Lincoln on the 15th.
Someone said the most important events of Reagan's presidency were in the first year: PATCO strike, his shooting, the tax cut. Clinton started with gays in the military, Zoe Baird, Waco, the Rep. filibuster of his spending payoffs, travel office firings, Lani Guinier, Vince Foster, huge tax increase by one vote, and ended '93 with the State Trooper sex scandal and the beginnings of Whitewater. Every event made Clinton look weaker, more deceitful, more indecisive, more reckless, more corrupt. Why Democrats rallied to him in 1998 remains a mystery to me.

[Daddy]

Concerning Love of Country;

I am heartened today by 2 negative stories concerning CNN. The first is Jack Cafferty's "goon" comments prompting International protests of the network by the Chinese. The second is Drudge's Headlining of CNN International host Richard Quest being caught in Central Park with drugs and sordid sexual paraphenalia. The reason I am heartened is that CNN International, along with BBC, basically have a stranglehold on how domestic US news is presented to the world, and it is a consistant poisonous diet of Conservatives as Evil, and Hate America First. Cafferty is unashamedly that way, and the insufferable Quest, though pretending an unbiased Brittish quirkiness, slips the propaganda in much more skillfully. Anything that contributes to bad headlines for CNN, and to either of these 2 characters getting canned, is a positive development for the Love America First crowd. Here's to hoping this current notoriety breaks the logjam of BBC/CNN and opens the door for a serious alternate media presence in the International arena, but if not I'd happily settle for a diminishment in CNN's ubiquitousness on International television. Spend a week or 2 in any International Hotel watching these 'blokes' and if you personally don't wind up hating America also, at least you'll understand why TV viewers in the rest of the world think they ought to.

[M. Simon]

Eruca sativa?

Now I know what you are smokin'.

[M. Simon]

Is it a bad thing that I actually enjoying reading Talk Left so much?

I recently got banned from there for some mild and measured comments about Obama - I know how tetchy some of those leftys are and was extra careful.

I wear it as a badge of honor. I saw a lot worse from the leftys. There appears to be a double standard for rightys.

Nooooooooooo. Say it ain't so.

I'm just going to go A Rovin.

[M. Simon]

Is there some kind of religious rule against a 3 year old dressing like the Pope?

Not if he is Jewish. The kid I mean.

[Charlie (Colorado)]

You know, I have to admit that among all the things that might interest me this week, the Pope visiting is right down at the bottom of the list.

[PeterUK]

"Is Eruca Sativa any kin to Cannabis Sativa,"

The dressing makes Eruca Sativa harder to light.

[Sue]

It's weird to think Waco was that early in the Clinton administration.

What's even weirder is there was very little outcry about it. Had a republican, and especially Bush, pulled that stunt, he would have been run out of office.

[centralcal]

Good Morning. To answer Jane about Pope Benedict - yes I like him. I am probably a Catholic minority of one who did not at all care for Pope John Paul.

His speeches have all been inspiring and a stark contrast to the speeches of people like Rev. Wright, who preach only blame, hate, victimization, and give me.

I am a convert to Catholicism and do not view it through rose colored glasses (i.e. the recent and ongoing pedofilia scandals).

Anyway, in this political year, I found his visit to be very moving, inspirational, and thought provoking. And, I wondered about democrat Catholics - do they hear the difference in the message he gives and that of their boy wonder?

[MayBee]

Oh Daddy- you know I agree with you completely!

[Porchlight]

Had a republican, and especially Bush, pulled that stunt, he would have been run out of office.

I was barely 24 at the time so didn't have much to measure it against, but I remember thinking "this sure seems like a big deal." When the media coverage died down and Reno still had her job, I figured I must just not know much about politics.

[Sue]

Porchlight,

I went against conservatives, or at least the ones that I have actually discussed it with. I blamed Koresh, not Clinton/Reno for the fiasco. I still do. When the government comes a knocking, open the door. I'll find you a good attorney if it was wrong to knock.

[Porchlight]

Sue,

That was the attitude I took, too - the responsiblity ultimately belonged to Koresh. But it was still a surprise to me that Reno wasn't more damaged by it. Especially now, having seen what's happened to various AGs since then.

[Sue]

Porchlight,

Yeah, I'm tempted to go along with the "why not her too" crowd. Especially when you consider how Ashcroft and Gonzales have been treated. But, I'm kind of a law and order type person. If the authorities are at my door, I'll open it. And fight them in court.

[Porchlight]

Sue,

Me, too. I used to always joke that I had the opposite of "authority issues," being almost overly compliant in the face of authority. I was totally conflicted during the Monica thing with Clinton, because while I thought his behavior was disgusting and outrageous, he was still the POTUS, and I felt compelled to defend him. The end result was that I stopped voting Democrat. So what goes around comes around, I guess.

[Danube of Thought]

My starkest memory of Waco is the instinctive response of Bill Clinton at the time. He disclaimed any responsibility, and suggested that the press should ask Janet Reno about it instead of him. An eerie, early glimpse into the man's character.

[Ralph L]

Reno got good press out of it, making it difficult for Clinton to replace her. Like Ruby Ridge under GHW Bush, it was a case of the law enforcement bureaucracy going overboard.

[M. Simon]

I was a Libertarian at the time of Waco and it was a big deal in those circles. Same for Ruby Ridge.