Daniel Cody - “Left on the Lake”

As we enter double digits on the Sen. John McCain flag lapel pin watch, it’s important to remember that it’s not actually about the pin anymore as some of my right wing radio squawkers have correctly pointed out.

It’s now about more than the pin itself. Because in their words, “by rejecting the pin, he’s rejecting what it stands for, loyalty and love of America”. Thank you Jay Weber for reminding all of us why this issue is so important.

Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., left, walks with Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., to an event Friday, May 9, 2008, in Columbia, S.C

While that particular radio host was actually talking about Barack Obama not wearing a pin himself, who cares! We all know that those on right wing talk radio hold Republicans to exactly the same standards as Democrats. Not wearing a flag pin is not wearing a flag pin!

Right?

And Lindsey Graham, you’re now on notice…

If only Starbucks sold flag pins at the counter next to all those world music CD’s, Sen. McCain and his wife could have picked up a pair! And secondly, the American people demand to know if his choice of designer footwear is as elitist as his choice in coffee drinks!

And I thought he was a man of the people…

What’s missing from this picture?

US Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain (R-AZ) speaks during a visit in Charlotte, North Carolina, May 5, 2008

Why, Sen. McCain’s patriotism of course!

Isn’t it funny that just this morning local right-wing radio talk show hosts were still trying to drum up outrage about Barack Obama not wearing a flag pin while completely ignoring the fact that their own candidate hasn’t worn one either for the last several weeks?

The Selective Outrage Express rolls on.

On the same day you have a Professor at a Jesuit University claiming that people are either “Christian” or not based on their choice of comedians, another keeps up the ridciulous meme about Barack Obama not wearing a flag pin.

…despite the intensive(!) work of myself and others that proves Sen. John McCain refuses to wear a flag pin himself.

This is why they, and their tens of supporters, take themselves so seriously…

Another day, another chapter of silly right-wing Wisconsin bloggers.

With no public events scheduled today, Sen. McCain seems to be joining his flag lapel pin at home where it’s kept out of the public eye. As a result, neither myself or the plethora of media reporters breathlessly covering this story so they can have something to ask Sen. McCain in the next debate have been able to confirm or deny that he isn’t actually choosing to not wear a a flag pin on his lapel.

Even if Sen. McCain is keeping it “casual” this weekend and lacks a lapel on which to place a flag pin, I’d still like to point out the amount of real estate one can find on a polo shirt color or even a t-shirt. If you’re trying to be patriotic, is a little thing like a missing lapel going to stop you? Not me. And definently not a man hero like John McCain.

Isn’t it strange though that firefighters, police officers, and military personal all wear flags on their uniforms even when it’s the weekend?!?

Another day, another missing flag lapel pin from the Republican nominee for President. In fact, the only thing that changed today was the color of Sen. McCains shirt…

Talk radio hosts are now starting to take notice. Rush Limbaugh himself was recently heard wondering aloud “What’s so hard about saying, I love this country? I wouldn’t be running for president if I didn’t revere this country?”.

Regular Americans are also starting to ask tough questions about the absence of McCain’s flag pin. “How can I vote for a president who won’t wear a flag pin?” asked Nash McCabe, an unemployed typist. “I watch him on TV; I keep looking for that lapel pin.”

Indeed. So do I Nash, so do I…

US Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain (R-AZ) visits supporters in a round table style venue to talk about health care at the Mizel Family Cultural Arts Center in Denver, Colorado May 2, 2008.

Another day, another missing lapel pin from the Republican nominee for President. Some are beginning to ask how this is starting to affect his campaign and wondering how McCain expects to express his patriotism without a flag pin on his lapel as the campaign heats up.

Speculation also swirled recently when former Presidential candidate Mitt Romney gave a speech to the Concerned Lettuce Growers of Southeaster California with an American flag pin proudly displayed on his lapel. Some Republican insiders are starting to privately express their concern to party leaders that this series of missteps by Sen. McCain is leaving the door for the Republican nomination open to a more patriotic Mitt Romney.

Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. gestures during a town hall meeting, Thursday, May 1, 2008, in Cleveland, Ohio.

Sen. McCain’s campaign of disdain for America’s symbol of freedom rolls on. Another day, another missing flag pin on his lapel:

I’m looking forward to Fox News devoting an entire piece of airtime to this important issue on tonight’s broadcast so the American people can finally learn the truth about how this tells us everything we need to know about what kind of President John McCain would be.

For the record whenever Sen. McCain appears at his next debate I fully expect the moderators to spend a significant amount of time asking him why he wasn’t wearing a flag pin on his lapel today.

I mean, this is important stuff, right?

Having two nieces who are at the age where Hannah Montana rules their lives, I noticed the “controversy” surrounding the girl who plays the character on TV, Miley Cyrus, showing off a shoulder in the latest issue of Vanity Fair with some amusement.

Reading about it today in this AP piece, I had to laugh after reading the following statement from a Disney press release:

The Disney Channel, which airs Cyrus’ TV show “Hannah Montana,” was also critical of Vanity Fair.

“Unfortunately, as the article suggests, a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines,” a network statement said.

…because doesn’t everyone know it’s Disney who gets to deliberately manipulate the 15 year old girl to sell magazines!?! …and clothes, and concert tickets, and makeup, and posters, and TV shows, and shoes, and CD’s, and on and on…

How dare Vanity Fair try to move in on their turf?

Another “McCain moment”:

Yet on the issue of New Orleans, it’s still unclear how different McCain and Bush actually are. Speaking about Katrina, McCain, like many other Republicans, has trashed the administration’s handling of the storm and has vowed to prevent similar catastrophes. “We can never let anything like that happen again,” McCain told reporters on board his Straight Talk Express earlier this week.

The senator won’t present his own plans for recovery, at least not today. Asked earlier this week if he thought the Lower Ninth Ward should be rebuilt, McCain shrugged, considering the question for several seconds. “I really don’t know,” he finally said. “That’s why I am going … We need to go back to have a conversation about what to do: rebuild it, tear it down, you know, whatever it is.” - Newsweek

Just another example of Sen. McCain “misspeaking” I guess. Or does was his answer really, “I don’t know”? Whatever it is!

More importantly, can the cable news networks spend the next four days examining how “I don’t know” is just another elitist euphemism - because elitists love euphemisms! - for “I don’t care”?

And then maybe we can engage in a week long national conversation to question his “electability” and how maybe, just maybe, Mitt Romney doesn’t seem that crazy anymore in retrospect…