Echoes of War

The polls continue to bounce around: CNN has Obama leading50-45, what it calls a statistical dead heat. A warning sign: One-quarter say Obama lacks patriotism.

National Review's Byron York offers a valid criticism of a Washington Post piece:

"In a story reporting that Obama 'fiercely' defended his patriotism in his Independence, Missouri speech yesterday, Washington Post reporters Jonathan Weisman and Michael Shear write:

"[Obama] has repeatedly been forced to address false rumors that he will not recite the Pledge of Allegiance, place his hand over his heart during the national anthem or wear an American-flag pin on his lapel. He wore a flag pin for Monday's speech.

"I keep seeing the flag-pin issue included among the alleged falsehoods about Obama. But didn't he, in fact, actively refuse to wear a flag pin? And didn't he have a specific reason for not doing it? Like this:

" 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. Instead, I'm going to try to tell the American people what I believe will make this country great, and hopefully that will be a testament to my patriotism.

"Later, without much explanation, Obama decided to wear the pin and claimed that he had never really been against it. But is it accurate to include the flag-pin issue among the 'false rumors' about Obama without saying what actually happened?"

York's right. It's Obama who created the issue.

Among those kicking The Post around is the Findlay, Ohio, Courier:

"The Washington Post did a hit job on Findlay in its Monday edition. The story, 'In Flag City USA, False Obama Rumors Are Flying,' holds up this city and in particular, a few older residents of College Street, as prototypes of the sort of ultra-conservative, racist ignorance that Sen. Barack Obama is sadly forced to battle in his quest for the White House. The Post article by Eli Saslow shows the local people he interviewed as white, working-class, flag-waving patriotic, xenophobic -- and utterly opposed to change."

I didn't see it that way at all. The town's mayor was quoted as saying folks there are resistant to change. And it turns out the paper has its own skepticism about Obama's Christianity: "We do seriously question the judgment and motives of a man who over a 20-year period listened on at least some occasions to the hate-filled and racist black liberation theology voiced by the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Father Michael Pfleger and others."

Markos has decided not to give Obama a $2,300 contribution: