Does Obama Love the U.S.?
Ironically, there is currently an email circulating the Internet that contrasts a press conference held by President Obama with those of several of his predecessors, including George W. Bush, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. The difference? The former presidents stand surrounded by big, beautiful American flags; President Obama is flag-less. Not a single Old Glory festoons his podium.
Today is Flag Day, a holiday that celebrates the adoption of our nation’s standard by the Second Continental Congress in 1777. Ironically, there is currently an email circulating the Internet that contrasts a press conference held by President Obama with those of several of his predecessors, including George W. Bush, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. The difference? The former presidents stand surrounded by big, beautiful American flags; President Obama is flag-less. Not a single Old Glory festoons his podium.
It is impossible to know if this photo is genuine. It could well be that, like so many things on the Internet, the photo has been cropped, or the event is not really a press conference. That is, however, beside the point. The picture may be false, but the message will ring true to many Americans, who have come to doubt President Obama’s patriotism. The Stars and Stripes is a powerful symbol of American pride. During his brief tenure on the public stage, President Obama has sometimes appeared to lack pride in this country – a deadly charge for a politician of any stripe.
Why do so many Americans doubt Obama’s love of country? Their concerns began during his campaign, when he promised to “fundamentally transform the U.S.” Most Americans like the country the way it is. When elected president, Obama chose to grant his first formal interview to the Arabic Al Arabiya TV, and criticized the U.S., saying “All too often the U.S. starts by dictating…and we don’t always know the facts that are involved”, suggesting that it has been our inept Mideast policy that has caused tensions in the regions. Savvy Americans knew better. Doubts grew when he addressed the U.N. and said that “America has too often been selective in its promotion of democracy” and veritably blossomed when Obama addressed a crowd in Strasbourg saying that the U.S. “has shown arrogance and been dismissive, even derisive” towards its allies. As the U.K. Telegraph reported “his speech went further than any United States president in history in criticizing his own country’s action while standing on foreign soil.”
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