Cross-Posted at Democrashield
Two days ago I wrote about the right wing's latest attack on Barack Obama--basically, that he's unpatriotic because he doesn't wear an American flag lapel pin.
Some excerpts--and Kingston's stunning hypocricy--below the fold.
Key excerpts:
Of course, anyone with $2 in their pocket can wear an American flag pin, regardless of what they believe. In fact, how many politicians have worn that pin while tearing down nearly everything this great country stands for?
Patriotism isn’t defined by what we wear–it’s defined by what we do. And through his actions, Barack Obama has shown us what true patriotism is
[...]
So, Barack Obama doesn’t wear a flag lapel pin. But you know what? Neither does Mitt Romney. Or John McCain. Or Mike Huckabee. Or John Boehner. Or Mitch McConnell. Or RNC Chair Mike Duncan. And neither did Newt Gingrich. Or Tom DeLay. Or Bill Frist. Or even Ronald Reagan, for that matter.
Well, today GOP Congressman Jack Kingston ressurected the smear:
On MSNBC’s Live With Dan Abrams last night, Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) said it was okay to "question" Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-IL) patriotism because he doesn’t regularly wear an American flag lapel pin. Kingston claimed that "everybody" in politics "wears them."
Here comes the hypocricy:
Asked by Abrams if he was wearing one, Kingston had to admit he wasn’t
In fact, Jack Kingston has made a habit of not wearing his American flag lapel pin--he's not wearing one here. Or here. Or here. Or here. Or here. Or here. Or here. Or here. Or here. Or here. Or here. Or here. Or here. Or here. By Kingston's own logic, then, I should be questioning his patriotism.
I won't, though--it's just plain stupid to judge someone's patriotism on whether or not they wear a $2 flag lapel pin. This all just shows how desperate Republicans are to attack Obama--they don't have legitimate criticism to throw at him, so they come up with this kind of gutter politics nonsense.
Of course, it's backfiring because these guys keep getting caught with their pants down. Note to Republicans: if you're going to criticize someone for not wearing a flag pin, you better make sure there aren't a bunch of pictures out there of you not wearing yours. Because this hypocricy exposes you for what you are--desperate, shameless partisan hacks.
Just like Jack Kingston--the shame of Georgia.
UPDATE: Jack Kingston has an announced challenger in Democrat Bill Gillespie.
Here's part of Bill's compelling biography:
Bill Gillespie of Chatham County served 23 years in the U.S. Army, retiring this year as a Lt. Colonel. In 2003, he served in Iraq as Senior Logistician for the Third Infantry Division, earning a Bronze Star.
Other positions held in the military include Inspector General, West Point professor, Operations Director of the Army Ordinance Center and Chief of Leadership and Tactics at the Army Ordinance Center. Gillespie has traveled to six continents and been stationed overseas in Kuwait , Korea and Germany . His military awards include the Legion of Merit, Combat Action Badge, Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award, Master Instructor Award, and three NCAA Championships as coach of the West Point Orienteering Team.
Bill's a Fighting Democrat, and reading about his life reminds me of another young Iraq veteran who was once an unknown political up-and-comer--Pennsylvania's Patrick Murphy, who pulled off an unexpected victory against Mike Fitzpatrick in 2006.
Want to send Jack Kingston to the unemployment line? Then spare a few dollars for Bill Gillespie, and help trade a partisan hack for a true blue fighting Democrat.