Saturday, April 19, 2008
Obama Caught in Lapel Flag Lie
Hillary Clinton got caught in a lie when she said she had dodged sniper fire during a 1996 visit to Bosnia. Now her Democratic presidential rival Barack Obama has been caught in a “sniper fire” lie of his own.
During Thursday’s debate in Pennsylvania, Obama was asked why he doesn’t wear an American flag lapel pin, as do many other politicians as well as servicemen and law enforcement officials.
“I have never said that I don’t wear flag pins or refuse to wear flag pins,” he responded.
“That is the kind of manufactured issue that our politics has become obsessed with.”
But Obama did indeed declare that he does not wear flag pins, Andrew Malcolm of the Los Angeles Times noted.
During a campaign stop in Iowa last October, a reporter asked Obama why he wasn’t wearing a flag pin to express solidarity with 9/11 victims.
This is what Obama said back then: “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 important to our national security. I decided I won’t wear that pin on my chest.”
Hillary Clinton got caught in a lie when she said she had dodged sniper fire during a 1996 visit to Bosnia. Now her Democratic presidential rival Barack Obama has been caught in a “sniper fire” lie of his own.
During Thursday’s debate in Pennsylvania, Obama was asked why he doesn’t wear an American flag lapel pin, as do many other politicians as well as servicemen and law enforcement officials.
“I have never said that I don’t wear flag pins or refuse to wear flag pins,” he responded.
“That is the kind of manufactured issue that our politics has become obsessed with.”
But Obama did indeed declare that he does not wear flag pins, Andrew Malcolm of the Los Angeles Times noted.
During a campaign stop in Iowa last October, a reporter asked Obama why he wasn’t wearing a flag pin to express solidarity with 9/11 victims.
This is what Obama said back then: “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 important to our national security. I decided I won’t wear that pin on my chest.”
