Barack Obama doesn't wear a flag pin. So what?

Posted 45 weeks 2 days ago by Joel

Bill Kristol demonstrates in this morning's New York Times that the secret to making a political smear stick is to keep plugging away.

In this case, Kristol has revived an oldie-but-a-goodie: Obama doesn't wear a little flag pin on his lapel. Usually, this story is meant to demonstrate that Obama isn't all that patriotic. But that angle doesn't have enough traction, so Kristol has tried out a new direction:

But Obama chose to present his flag-pin removal as a principled gesture. “You know, the truth is that right after 9/11, I had a pin. Shortly after 9/11, particularly because as we’re talking about the Iraq war, that became a substitute for I think true patriotism, which is speaking out on issues that are of importance to our national security, I decided I won’t wear that pin on my chest.”

What’s striking is that Obama couldn’t resist a grandiose explanation. Obama’s unnecessary and imprudent statement impugns the sincerity or intelligence of those vulgar sorts who still choose to wear a flag pin. But moral vanity prevailed. He wanted to explain that he was too good — too patriotic! — to wear a flag pin on his chest.

This might be a good example of moral vanity if Obama were trumping his non-flag wearing in campaign brochures, advertisements, etc. But that's not the case. Obama didn't wear the pin. He got asked about it. He gave a thoughtful response -- that he felt symbolism was trumping substance in the national security debate, and he was opting for substance.

You can disagree with that decision -- though if you spend too much energy on that disagreement, you're probably proving Obama's thesis. Tiny little lapel flag pins may well be the last refuge of the scoundrel

But more than anything, this "controversy" demonstrates the silliness and pettiness of so much of our discourse. Obama has made a truly minor fashion statement. And his critics on the right are determined to keep throwing it against the wall, over and again, until they make it stick. It's almost like they don't think they can win on the issues.