Friday, July 4, 2008

Pin Sightings

Today, we* begin a new feature at Proof Positive: Pin Sightings, in which we will take note of whether the chameleon-like Barack Obama is wearing his on again off again flag pin! You know the story:

He wore one after 9/11.

Around October of '07 he said he would no longer wear an American flag pin because it had become a substitute for “true patriotism”.

In May of '08, speaking to a bunch of working-class voters in Missouri, it shows up again

Flip

Flop

Flip

Etc. (Or "Change" if you like!)

As a public service, and to keep some of you out there from getting whiplash in trying to keep track of what Obama's position is on any given day, I will take up the mantle of discovering what Obama believes day by day and try to tell you before he changes his mind again.


Today's pin sighting is in the UK Telegraph, where he appears to be sans pin.

(For those of you frightened by sesquipedalians, "sans" is another way of saying "without". "Sans" is also shorter than "without" to confuse my enemies! Heh.)

The article was datelined Washington, but did not indicate if it was there where Obama was speaking. Sans pin, he did, however, manage to position himself in front of a large American flag for the photo, maintaining that Zen-like balance that is the quintessential Barry O!

Update: Charles Krauthammer tells me this may be a short new feature!

You'll notice Barack Obama is now wearing a flag pin. Again. During the primary campaign, he refused to, explaining that he'd worn one after Sept. 11 but then stopped because it "became a substitute for, I think, true patriotism." So why is he back to sporting pseudo-patriotism on his chest? Need you ask? The primaries are over. While seducing the hard-core MoveOn Democrats that delivered him the caucuses -- hence, the Democratic nomination -- Obama not only disdained the pin. He disparaged it. Now that he's running in a general election against John McCain, and in dire need of the gun-and-God-clinging working-class votes he could not win against Hillary Clinton, the pin is back. His country 'tis of thee.


SO, if that's the case, we'll see the pin constantly up until election day. Well, at least that's a change!

* I use the editorial "we", but, for good or ill, there's no one else running this blog!

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