Hi Tamar,

>>And, yes, I do think he's the Manchurian Candidate and last I looked I am entitled to an opinion.
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>Well, regardless of whether the GOP or the mainstream media are questioning his patriotism, you certainly are, with that accusation. The Manchurian Candidate was brainwashed into being a Communist assassin. By calling him, you're saying that he's been brainwashed and really represents the other side (whatever that is, in this day and age).
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>>But back to the main point: Not only does he rail against those "questioning his patriotism" but if you look at the whole speech he goes on to define what patriotism is. And this is key - conservative candidates don't do this as far as I can tell. And why is that? Because conservatives are not INSECURE about what patriotism is. Liberals, like Obama, feel compelled to explain what they mean by patriotism because it differs from the norm. Without the explanation it would fall flat on the ears of the every day American joe.
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>Wrong. Liberals feel the need to explain what "patriotism" is because conservatives have hijacked the term to mean supporting your country's actions, whether they're right or wrong. It really means loving your country and what it stands for. In my view, that includes standing up and being counted when your country is on the wrong path.

I'll grant you that the argument could be made that liberals feel the need to define patriotism because it's been hijacked by conservatives. That's a rational argument. But it's false in context. IMHO, liberals are so sensative on patriotism and the need to define it because when not trying to win elections they go out of their way to denigrate the institutions of this country which strains any definition of patriotism beyond the breaking point. How about that group of morons that spit on and heckled the soldiers deploying out of Ft. Lewis to Iraq a few years ago? Golly gee, they weren't conservative. Or the cretins who crapped over the tired and shell-shocked Vietnam vets in the 70's when they came home?

As Ricky Ricardo might say, perhaps liberals need to define patriotism because a lot of them "got some 'spainin to do'