Obama to Address Patriotism Today

By: Maria Gavrilovic
Topics: Barack Obama

(CBS)

From CBS News' Maria Gavrilovic:

(CHICAGO) Barack Obama kicks off the 4th of July week with a speech on patriotism today, as he continues to reach out to voters who may not be familiar with his life story. The issue of patriotism was a major source of controversy during the primary, and has fueled internet rumors that have repeatedly distorted Obama's biography.

Obama came under fire as early as last September for not holding his hand over his heart while singing the Star Spangled Banner at the Harkin Steak Fry in Iowa. He was also criticized for not wearing label flag pin, which he now wears at almost every campaign stop.

Both Barack and Michelle Obama have been tackling rumors about their patriotism since the primary.

Just last week, Obama wrote an essay in Time Magazine on what patriotism means to him. In the essay, titled "A Faith in Simple Dreams", Obama wrote, "As a young man of mixed race, without a firm anchor in any community, without even a father's steadying hand, this essential American ideal, that our destinies are not written before we are born, has defined my life. And it is the source of my profound love for this country: because with a mother from Kansas and a father from Kenya, I know that stories like mine could only happen in America."

John McCain wrote an essay on patriotism for the same issue of Time.

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by mattcat25 July 1, 2008 12:06 PM EDT: He is all alone. McCain has been tested. He is a worthy match for any adversary. His experince has branded that lonely quality into his mind forever.
Posted by anappleadae

Maybe, this could be the explanation as to why Republican Presidential Candidate John McCain is such a vehement War Monger?; Reply to this comment


by anappleadae June 30, 2008 9:41 PM EDT: Obama''s words of patriotism are for me profoundly touching. Being a fatherless child myself I can relate to the confusion and doubt for a growing boy. It wasn''t till I returned from Vietnam did I feel I had garnered personal license to defy family pressure and find my father. The meeting was unbelievably enlightening for us both.

Being President requires skill, perception and a cunning unlike anything Obama has ever known. There exists a world in that position where not even his closest confidants can share. He is all alone. McCain has been tested. He is a worthy match for any adversary. His experince has branded that lonely quality into his mind forever.; Reply to this comment


by mattcat25 June 30, 2008 6:20 PM EDT: Republicans love war, violence, and hate. Iraq is costing all of us $12Billion Dollars per month each and every month. Bush has cut taxes and raised spending for his Oil War on Iraq, John McCain will sustain war indefinitely to continue to divert Federal Treasury Funds to the Private War Contractors. Republicans do not care about anything else but the killing, destruction and profits being made from Iraq. I feel this is not an example of what the United States stands for and, anyone that continues to support this type action isn%u2019t a patriot.; Reply to this comment


by jack3213 June 30, 2008 5:15 PM EDT: If Obama truly wants to be seen as a figure of change, he needs to talk less about the past and more about the future: not the war that should never have been fought but the war that he, alone of the two candidates, can find an honorable way to end.

HE CAN''T DO THAT- BECAUSE IF HE DOES HE WILL NOT BE SEEN AS A TRUE DEMOCRAT: THOSE WHO ONLY SEE LIFE THROUGH THEIR OWN SELF INTERESTS; Reply to this comment


by rowdywicca June 30, 2008 3:32 PM EDT: Oh geezus, here with go with more BORING KRAP about Obama''s freaking identity crisis!

Re-inventing himself AGAIN to cover up his total trashing of this country, and thinks that we want to live in a country CHANGED by him and his Marxist ideology!; Reply to this comment


by mattcat25 June 30, 2008 2:33 PM EDT: if your angery with others who support another candidate other than yours then go f--- yourself. this is and will always be America and FREEDOM OF SPEECH. If you think others are racially assaulting your candidate go f--- yourself. This is and will always be America and FREEDOM OF SPEECH. you can''''t have it both ways. you want America to let your rapers have freedom of speech that say "kill our cops", but if a person speaks his mind you condemn him/her. Your still just a hypocrite. I''''ll say what I waznt when I want to whom I want. A--hole!!! is that racist. you race baiting fools
Posted by bswalker12

Hostile intimidation tactics are taken by people that don%u2019t/can%u2019t think, nor debate. Repubullyicans consistently resort to offensive and aggressive measures to promote their detrimental agenda on all other Americans.

I see this type of offensive actions as extreme and highly unpatriotic.; Reply to this comment


by jrnltsingty June 30, 2008 2:07 PM EDT: Having to address his and his wifes Patriotism?? Only in a RACIALLY driven ReBushagain parties assault on the Obama''s. Basically, because they are not WHITE.

I know some of you who have totally bought into the ''RACECARD'' lie, are leaning, as you think, securely against this status quo created phrase. It''s not some ''card'' that''s being played. It''s truth. I don''t even need to defend what I''ve said.

"THE TRUTH NEEDS NO DEFENSE"

Every red-blooded American knows in his or her own heart, this is happening because the Obama''s are not white, are intelligent, do not have an American sir name etc. It is the McCARTHISM of the new millineium. It''s a shameful thing. It is an unfortunate genectic ailment in our American heritage.; Reply to this comment


by mattcat25 June 30, 2008 1:49 PM EDT: "Presidential temperment?" What the *F* are you taking about?
If you mean the bad attitude of an unknown "black man" compared to an "old man" when one gets mad- that is enough for me not to vote for Obama. Phew- that was just too easy.
Posted by jack3213

This is the kind of temperament displayed by people who would threaten a little girl in effort to sustain their oil war.

Rude and Aggressive Republicans are not Patriots.; Reply to this comment


by jack3213 June 30, 2008 1:36 PM EDT: "Presidential temperment?" What the *F* are you taking about?
If you mean the bad attitude of an unknown "black man" compared to an "old man" when one gets mad- that is enough for me not to vote for Obama. Phew- that was just too easy.; Reply to this comment


by jack3213 June 30, 2008 1:35 PM EDT: "Presidential temperment?" What the *F* are you taking about?
If you mean the bad attitude of an unknown ''black man" compatred to an ''old man" when he gets mad- that is enough for not to vote for Obama. Phew- that was just too easy.; Reply to this comment