On Saturday, Mike flagged an AP report saying "conservatives are gearing up to go after [Obama's] patriotism. (Michelle + lapel pin + no hand over heart photo.)"
Here's my favorite part of the AP piece:
"First he kicked his American flag pin to the curb. Now Barack Obama has a new round of patriotism problems. Wait until you hear what the White House hopeful didn't do during the singing of the national anthem," said Steve Doocy, co-host of Fox and Friends on the Fox News Channel.
"He felt it OK to come out of the closet as the domestic insurgent he is," former radio host Mark Williams said on Fox.
Anyway, roughly 24 hours later, New York Times columnist Bill Kristol produced this masterpiece--a column-length shot at Obama's patriotism, sorta masquerading as a Brooks-style riff on the candidate's egotism. Great minds, or something like that. (Kristol was able to work in the Michelle quote and the lapel pin, but he somehow overlooked the photo. Always leave 'em wanting more, I guess.)
--Noam Scheiber