http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/24/AR2008022400278.html?tid=informboxand its just getting started
Conservatives Say Obama Lacks Patriotism
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Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., left, and his wife, Michelle, wave as they take the stage during a South Carolina primary victory party in Columbia, S.C., in this Jan. 26, 2008 file photo. Obama's refusal to wear an American flag lapel pin has opened him to criticism from conservatives. Now his wife has drawn their ire too, for saying recently that she's really proud of her country for the first time in her adult life. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File) (Steven Senne - AP)
Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill, points to the crowd after speaking at a campaign rally in Cleveland, Saturday, Feb. 23, 2008. (AP Photo/Jamie-Andrea Yanak) (Jamie-andrea Yanak - AP)
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By NEDRA PICKLER
The Associated Press
Sunday, February 24, 2008; 7:34 AM
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Barack Obama's refusal to wear an American flag lapel pin along with a photo of him not putting his hand over his heart during the National Anthem led conservatives on Internet and in the media to question his patriotism.
Now Obama's wife, Michelle, has drawn their ire, too, for saying recently that she's really proud of her country for the first time in her adult life.
Conservative consultants say that combined, the cases could be an issue for Obama in the general election if he wins the nomination, especially as he runs against Vietnam war hero Sen. John McCain.
"The reason it hasn't been an issue so far is that we're still in the microcosm of the Democratic primary," said Republican consultant Roger Stone. "Many Americans will find the three things offensive. Barack Obama is out of the McGovern wing of the party, and he is part of the blame America first crowd."
Opponents of Sen. John Kerry proved in the 2004 election that voters are sensitive to suggestions that a candidate is not sufficiently patriotic. The Democratic presidential nominee's campaign was torpedoed by critics of his Vietnam War record called the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, even though he won multiple military honors and was lauded by his superiors.
The Swift Boat campaign started as a relatively small television ad buy that exploded into an issue that dogged Kerry for months. The Massachusetts senator has conceded since losing to President Bush that the campaign and his lackluster response to unsubstantiated allegations he considered unworthy of a reaction likely cost him the election. And the term even became part of the campaign lexicon _ swift boating.
Obama already is the subject of a shadowy smear campaign based on the Internet that falsely suggests he's a Muslim intent on destroying the United States. Obama is a Christian and has been fighting the e-mail hoax, which also claims he doesn't put his hand over his heart during the Pledge of Allegiance, and he's been trying to correct the misinformation.