Ask Joe Biden and he’ll tell you that Barack Obama is the first clean, articulate African-American with a real chance at the White House… Ask the average American and they’ll tell you he’s a Senator from Illinois and he’s written a few books… Ask the pundits and many will tell you he has a legitimate shot at the Presidency because of voter dissatisfaction with incumbents… Ask me and I’ll tell you an Obama Presidency; indeed what’s been described as an “Obama Nation” would be an abomination. Something worthy of scorn and disdain.

Obama on patriotism:

Obama’s overriding message is that he’s an agent for change. He’s not a Washington insider. His presidency wouldn’t be the same ol’ same ol’. He pledges to be different. In an effort to further establish himself as the antiwar candidate to MoveOn.org and other socialist muckrakers who attack our military, he stopped wearing an American flag lapel pin he had put on after September 11th.

When asked about it, Obama claimed he removed it when it became a substitute for “true” patriotism. Fair enough. Flag waving alone does not allow one to carry the torch for America’s patriots. It’s just rather funny that the lapel pin came off right around the same time as MoveOn.org’s “Betray Us” shenanigans. The lapel pin is not the issue. Disrespecting my colors for political gain is; and it is becoming a pattern with Obama. It was also widely reported in print and cable news coverage of a September campaign event that Obama didn’t properly observe the Pledge of Allegiance. When cornered, Obama expressed frustration and pointed to dirty campaign tricks, explaining that the picture was taken during the national anthem not the pledge. Obama explained that his grandfather taught him the pledge when he was 2 and that during the pledge you place your hand on your heart but during the anthem you sing.

If Obama knew his American Civics, he would know that Congress codified the protocol for rendering the Pledge and the National Anthem. In both cases, all present not in uniform shall face the flag or music, uncover and place their right hand over their hearts - except for military members in uniform who render a salute. Anyone who ever attended a pro sports event knows that. Either way; Pledge of Allegiance or National Anthem; Obama is dead wrong and no one in the mainstream media called him on it.

Obama on Terrorism:

While breaking in his training wheels on the White House bunny slope, candidate Obama has taken many contradictory positions as they relate to the military fight against terror. Back in August I wrote of his belligerence towards Pakistan, and I truly believe that those brash comments had some influence on Musharraf’s recent decision to declare a state of emergency. Obama now floats a plan to reward Iran for its continued refusal to halt uranium enrichment. His plan calls for meeting with Iranian leaders, establishing a series of economic incentives and not pushing for regime change if Iran stops meddling in Iraq and cooperates on nuclear issues. If only… This week, Iranian President Ahmedinejad triumphantly boasted of some 3,000 active centrifuges to spin out enriched uranium and has stated numerous times the nuclear train cannot be derailed.

Obama on the campaign trail:

It was also recently noted with many a giggle that Obama’s plane landed at the wrong Iowa airport. The gaffe was described simply as a mix-up. Funny, I can’t recall a commercial or military pilot ever making that type of mistake. Either his pilots should be grounded for incompetence or those running his campaign should. Barack Obama is right, America is ready for change. The problem is, he just isn’t ready to be President. He’s far too impulsive and naive. I don’t care how many books he’s written, before aspiring for the presidency he should start with 4th grade US geography and American civics.

Judge for yourself whether Mr. Obama is showing proper respect. To be fair, none of these canditiates got it right. Even if it required turning their backs on the crowd, they should have faced the flag, but at least they tried. Although the original source of the photograph is not known, Obama has ackowledged publicly that it exists, but says it depicted the National Anthem as opposed to the Pledge of Allegiance. He never denied just standing there.

Author’s Note: On this Veteran’s Day, I ask all of America to reach out and offer your support to America’s veterans in any way possible. Without our sacrifices, you’d be speaking German… Or Japanese… Or Russian… Or Arabic. New Studies suggest that veterans now comprise 1 out of every 4 homeless people.

Technorati Tags: 2008, barack obama, patriotism