My wife used to say that I'm like a dog with a bone, I just won't let certain things go. I'm beginning to believe her.
I simply cannot get the prospect of Sen. Barack Obama removing huge
American flags from the back of his campaign plane for some goofy,
Oprah Winfrey-like logo, out of my mind.
When the Obama campaign spent a ton of money "re-furbishing" the huge
Boeing 757 that the candidate and his entourage fly in, most of the
media attention was focused on the interior of the plane. And why not?
Seeing how Obama now sits in a big high-backed, leather chair in his
spacious front compartment with the words, "Barack Obama, President"
stitched on the back is a pretty jarring glimpse into the man who has
to be one of the most arrogant people ever to run for president in the
history of the country.
"President?" Stitched on the back of his leather seat? Good Lord, I
thought his lame attempt at creating a faux presidential seal, a
circular design that was going to be placed on every podium where he
gave a speech that looked just like the official presidential seal was
bad enough.
And I've heard the reports of how his staff affectionately refers to
the 757 airplane as "O-Force One." Somehow, an image of Ronald Reagan
always putting on a suit and tie before even entering the Oval Office
comes to mind. Obama and his staff's sheer disrespect for the
presidency is probably causing the Gipper to spin in his grave.
But what I can't let go is what Obama and his people did with the exterior of the plane.
The aircraft is chartered from a company that had giant American flags
on the sides of the rear tail fins. When Team Obama decided it was time
for a new paint job, the huge flags were replaced by an ugly, New
Age-type, stupid oval "O" with red, white and blue colors.
I suppose one could argue that at least they kept America's colors. But
then again, that's sort of like saying that someone who has an American
flag sewn onto the butt of their jeans is showing respect for the USA.
So now when the Messiah of politics pulls into any airport in the
country, his fainting fans get to see a huge jet with the words,
"Change We Can Believe In" on the sides and a goofy-looking red, white
and blue "O" on the back where the giant American flags used to be.
That's change, alright.
You know, all this Obama talk about change has me so doggone nervous.
In his world, change means a candidate refusing to wear an American
flag lapel pin (until he is finally shamed into doing so); change means
standing on a stage with a bunch of other political types and when the
Star-Spangled Banner is played, putting his hands over his crotch
rather than over his heart (like the rest of the people on the stage
were doing); and change means having big, beautiful American flags
removed from the official aircraft, covered up like a tired, old
furniture store sign in a bad part of town.
Before you accuse me of picking nits, consider this: there is simply no
way that this savvy political machine called the Obama campaign would
be oblivious to the reaction they would receive to the changes they've
made to their candidate's plane. Don't you think they knew that
reporters would notice the word "president" stitched onto the back of
his seat? Wouldn't you think they're aware of the fact that the whole
world is watching the big Boeing 757 with the idiotic "O" logo on the
plane where the flags used to be?
They know, alright. More importantly, Sen. Obama knows.
He doesn't care.
It doesn't matter to him if his staff calls his ostentatious, expensive
plane, "O-Force One." He doesn't give a rat's rear end if people object
to his refusal to embrace the flag, the very symbol of this great
country.
This former community organizer thinks he's got everyone eating out of
the palm of his hand right now. And he sure doesn't need some schmaltzy
American flag to distract him.
