I tried to write about the Republicans, but Obama's distractions just kept distracting me.  Case in point, what's his issue with wearing, or not wearing, a flag pin on his lapel?  Do I really care one way or the other?  No.  Does John McCain wear one?  No.  Either way, it's irrelevant. What is relevant is his seeming inconsistency, or rather insouciance on this issue.  It doesn't rise to the level of flip-flopping, but his attitude about the flag pin is somewhat flippant.  Recently he explained at length that, at some point post 9/11, he stopped wearing the flag pin as a symbolic gesture against what he perceived as false patriotism.  Since he, therefore, understands the import of such symbolism he might wish to recall that, post 9/11, we were sending young troops into combat, some of whom may have had a different take on the symbolic nature of the American flag, like it sort of represents what they and their buddies were fighting and dying for.  They may not have considered it appropriate to use a flag as some sort of political football handed off on a whim as a symbolic gesture.  And some of those soldiers going into combat post 9/11 might also recall another Democratic politician who was similarly challenged with the rules governing basic American symbols.  That would be the newly inaugurated President, Bill Clinton, in 1993.  Remember his lackadaisical approach to saluting the troops?  Or not.  How about the White House staff turning away military officers in uniform - wasn't it a three star general -  sent to brief the President on national security matters?  Apparently, Bubba and the bimbos who guarded access to him had a different impression of what a military uniform symbolized.  That whole affair went down real well with the troops.  Speaking from experience, sitting in the sand in some shithole like Somalia and reading about how your new President disses his own Military's most basic symbols, doesn't give you a warm 'n fuzzy feeling.
    
Fast forward fifteen years and another liberal politician with no military experience is having similar trouble with symbols. Nowadays, Obama seems determined to wear his flag pin intermittently, depending on his mood or whatever.  Must be a big decision for him every morning - hmm, what message do I want to send to the people today?  False Patriotism....True Patriotism....Indecisiveness?  What a dialectical dilemma!  Where's my Niebuhr?  He'll know what to do.  Our troops in uniform are a little more used to, uh, uniformity.  For them, the symbol of the American flag usually stands for only one thing, their country - not necessarily their patriotism.  Wearing a flag symbol is optional, unless it's stitched on your uniform of the day.  And while many of these young troops probably lack Obama's sophistication, they do manage to get dressed every day in uniforms that are festooned with a variety of pin-on symbols, like rank and such.  They are not simpletons.  They might, however, be a little too preoccupied right now to understand the convoluted discourse of a Harvard educated lawyer/presidential candidate seeking to explain something as simple as pinning a flag on his suit lapel.  Or not. The logic of his verbal gyrations on this issue might elude them.  Considering he hopes to be their commander-in-chief someday soon, Senator Obama might want to remember that, and adopt a more simplistic approach to his morning constitutional.  Note bene senator:  You don't want to emulate Bill Clinton on this one.