The Importance of Being Jewelry

Jesus, Chuck.  Let the flag pin go.

I have read bloggers that I admire state that they read a paragraph of an article or opinion piece and could read no further it aggravated them so.  I always thought, well, that's not fair.  It's piecemeal.  The whole isn't given proper consideration.

Now, I get it.  I could read no further.  Charles Krauthammer from The Washington Post:

You'll notice Barack Obama is now wearing a flag pin. Again. During the primary campaign, he refused to, explaining that he'd worn one after Sept. 11 but then stopped because it "became a substitute for, I think, true patriotism." So why is he back to sporting pseudo-patriotism on his chest? Need you ask? The primaries are over. While seducing the hard-core MoveOn Democrats that delivered him the caucuses -- hence, the Democratic nomination -- Obama not only disdained the pin. He disparaged it. Now that he's running in a general election against John McCain, and in dire need of the gun-and-God-clinging working-class votes he could not win against Hillary Clinton, the pin is back. His country 'tis of thee.

Any argument of merit Mr. Krauthammer might offer, which I will discover after my irritation dissipates, is belittled by this attempt to start his point with the fucking flag pin.  Surely there are sounder arguments to introduce in criticism of Sen. Obama.  I may or may not agree with them, but honestly, how can I intellectually entertain any further argument if Mr. Krauthammer finds sinister political indicators in a fucking flag pin.

And the snottiness of the last two sentences is exactly why this campaign cannot be reported with a higher, purposeful level.  This is acceptable for the press in proving a point?  Really?  As a representative of The Washington Post?  Looka here.  The extent of obnoxious criticism I can in good conscience muster on a blog that no one reads is "fucking flag pin."

I have been annoyed by Glenn Greenwald's tirades against Sen. Obama over the FISA issue, mostly because he is a brilliant lawyer who is more often than not on point but offers no pragmatic, workable and yes, political, solution for Sen. Obama to consider.  (Yeah, I know...not his job...but come on.)  Yet Mr. Greenwald has never let his tirades sink into the snotty muck of Mr. Krauthammer's last two sentences.

This political process crap is tiring.

UPDATE:  Now, see what happens when grown folks talk.  THIS is a reasonable criticism of Sen. Obama.