Rev. Jesse Jackson proved once and for all Sunday that he is a mean-spirited, foul-mouthed human being. And in case you didn’t get it Sunday, he made it crystal clear by waiting until today to apologize to Barack Obama. Like so many before him, Rev. Jackson was tripped up by an open mic. I’ve always … Continue reading Parade has passed by a bitter, pathetic Jesse Jackson
Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama spoke about patriotism this morning in aptly named Independence, Missouri. And whether you credit him or Mark Twain with the best quote of the day, the speech was an uplifting way to begin our 4th of July week.
A few excerpts:
Most Americans [during the ’60s] understood that dissent does not make one unpatriotic, and that there is nothing smart or sophisticated about a cynical disregard for America’s traditions and institutions. And yet the anger and turmoil of that period never entirely drained away. All too often our politics still seems trapped in these old, threadbare arguments – a fact most evident during our recent debates about the war in Iraq, when those who opposed administration policy were tagged by some as unpatriotic, and a general providing his best counsel on how to move forward in Iraq was accused of betrayal.
Given the enormous challenges that lie before us, we can no longer afford these sorts of divisions. None of us expect that arguments about patriotism will, or should, vanish entirely; after all, when we argue about patriotism, we are arguing about who we are as a country, and more importantly, who we should be. But surely we can agree that no party or political philosophy has a monopoly on patriotism.
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I believe those who attack America’s flaws without acknowledging the singular greatness of our ideals, and their proven capacity to inspire a better world, do not truly understand America.
Of course, precisely because America isn’t perfect, precisely because our ideals constantly demand more from us, patriotism can never be defined as loyalty to any particular leader or government or policy. As Mark Twain, that greatest of American satirists and proud son of Missouri, once wrote, “Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.” We may hope that our leaders and our government stand up for our ideals, and there are many times in our history when that’s occurred. But when our laws, our leaders or our government are out of alignment with our ideals, then the dissent of ordinary Americans may prove to be one of the truest expression of patriotism.
Continue reading “Dissent doesn’t make you unpatriotic, says Obama”
Sen. Hillary Clinton delivered a good speech this morning in Washington. It sounded more like a “unity” speech than a concession speech, and she did a great job of emphasizing the importance of getting a Democrat elected in November. She was well into the speech before finally mentioning Barack Obama, and in that sense it … Continue reading Primary season finally ends with Hillary’s unity speech
At a town hall meeting in Denver today, Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain of Arizona revealed what he thinks about oil and U.S. involvement in the Middle East: My friends, I will have an energy policy that we will be talking about, which will eliminate our dependence on oil from the Middle East that … Continue reading McCain knows why we are in the Middle East — oil
More campaign shenanigans? Was Rev. Wright simply quoting Ambassador Edward Peck when he made those controversial remarks that ended with, “God damn America”? Over at the Daily Kos, naijaman seems to think so. He posted the following YouTube link showing approximately ten minutes of the sermon, rather than the short clip being run by the … Continue reading Wright was quoting someone else; media reports wrong?
By now everyone knows that in Jordan yesterday, Sen. John McCain said Iran (predominately Shiite) was training Al Qaida (mostly Sunni) operatives to go into Iraq to fight. In fact, the Sunni and Shia are fighting each other in Iraq, and Iran is reportedly training Shiite extremists, not Al Qaida. However, not until Joe Lieberman … Continue reading McCain gaffe, Lieberman correction are cause for concern
