The politics of the flag

Although neither candidate, nor the ABC moderators, wore a flag pin at Wednesday's debate, it was Barack Obama who was forced to answer the question about the pin and his patriotism.

Nash McCabe, identified by ABC News as a voter in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, put Obama on the spot.

"Senator Obama, I have a question, and I want to know if you believe in the American flag. I am not questioning your patriotism, but all our servicemen, policemen and EMS wear the flag. I want to know why you don't."

"I revere the American flag. And I would not be running for president if I did not revere this country," Obama said. The candidate talked about the opportunities the country has given to him and tried to turn the question into a discussion of the issues and themes of his campaign. "What I've tried to do," he said, "is to show my patriotism by how I treat veterans when I'm working in the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee; by making sure that I'm speaking forcefully about how we need to bring this war in Iraq to a close..talking about how we need to restore a sense of economic fairness to this country."  

But Obama ran into a bit of trouble when he denied that he had ever refused to wear the flag pin. "I have never said that I don't wear flag pins or refuse to wear flag pins," he said. But last year he seemed to say just that.

"You know, the truth is that right after 9/11, I had a pin," Obama told ABC News last year. "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," he said. 

Obama said then, "I'm less concerned with what you're wearing on your lapel than what's in your heart." Speaking at a campaign event in Iowa, Obama said: "You show your patriotism by how you treat your fellow Americans, especially those who serve. And you show your patriotism by being true to your values and ideals. And that's what we have to lead with, our values and ideals."

Senator Hillary Clinton has made similar remarks. Although Clinton does not always wear a flag pin either, she has in the past. When asked what she thought about the flag pin last year, Clinton described it as one of many different ways in which Americans might show their patriotism.

"Wearing a flag pin, flying the flag, pledging allegiance to the flag, talking about the values that are important to America, teaching your children about what a great nation we have, standing up for those values, speaking out, there is just so many ways that one can demonstrate patriotism," Clinton said.

It's not the first time Obama has faced criticism over his devotion to the flag. Last year the candidate ran into trouble when he appeared at an Iowa campaign event and did not place his hand over his heart during the singing of the National Anthem.

The incident took place on September 16, 2007, at Senator Tom Harkin's annual steak fry. Although Obama has crossed his heart in other events when the national anthem was sung, the video of the candidate standing on stage with his rivals quickly circulated on the Internet. The video appeared to show that Obama was the lone candidate who did not cross his heart.

The U.S. Flag Code dictates that "During a rendition of the national anthem when the flag is displayed, all present except those in uniform should stand at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart." Obama appears to have violated that code in the video, although the other candidates standing immediately to his left also seem to be violating the code by not facing the flag during the song.

Asked about the controversy last fall, Obama said, "My grandfather taught me how to say the Pledge of Allegiance when I was 2...During the Pledge of Allegiance you put your hand over your heart. During the national anthem you sing."

But an e-mail sent out during the past year claims that Obama refuses to place his hand over his heart even during the pledge of allegiance. "He refused to not only put his hand on his heart during the pledge of allegiance, but refused to say the pledge...how in the hell can a man like this expect to be our next Commander-in-Chief?" asks the anonymous e-mail.

The Washington Post fact checker describes the e-mail as "wrong on the facts." In fact, several videos exist in which Sen. Obama does have his hand over his heart during the recitation of the pledge. In some videos, Obama is actually leading the pledge in the United States Senate.

Patriotism and the flag have long been political issues in American politics. The Congress has considered and rejected constitutional amendments to ban flag burning and past Democratic presidential candidates have had to profess their faith in the flag in order to defend their patriotism.

But will it work against Obama or Clinton? "This is the kind of manufactured issue that our politics has become obsessed with," says Obama. He says the flag pin issue "distracts us from what should be my job when I'm commander-in-chief, which is going to be figuring out how we get our troops out of Iraq and how we actually make our economy better for the American people."