Is Patriotism Fair Game?

As we approach the nation's 232nd birthday this Friday, Vincent Carroll asserts, in the Rocky Mountain News, that it's "fair game" to discuss an opponent's patriotism.

He quotes Barack Obama as saying, earlier this week, that "I will never question the patriotism of others in this campaign" — a noble sentiment but one about which Carroll expresses doubts.

"Obama is right, to be sure, that some Americans have been far too quick to question others' patriotism," Carroll writes. And Carroll agrees with Obama's assertion that "[m]ost Americans understood that dissent does not make one unpatriotic" when the Congress was discussing whether to authorize George W. Bush to go to war with Iraq.

"[M]ost probably also understand that not all 300 million Americans are patriots, and that it's not impolite or jingoistic to say so," Carroll says. "If everyone were a patriot, the word would have no meaning."

That's true. And, in my mind, patriotism in the presidential sense is synonymous with commitment to the job of being national leader. In that sense, I think it's legit to talk about your opponent's patriotism.

Even if the opponent was a P.O.W. for several years and endured frequent beatings at the hands of his captors.

But no matter what one thinks of the conflict in which the individual may have fought, it's not a good idea to speak ill of your opponent's patriotism in a way that implies more than a mere lack of full commitment to the job.

For example, you don't want to question someone's willingness to make sacrifices for the country. It isn't wise to attack the patriotism of someone who was injured or maimed in service to our nation.

Of course, that sort of thing doesn't happen in America. Does it?

Former Sen. Max Cleland of Georgia might disagree. He was elected to the Senate in 1996 but he was defeated for re-election in 2002 when his Republican opponent ran advertisements that linked Cleland to Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein.

The ads implied a lack of patriotism or commitment to homeland security — even though Cleland (who lost both legs and an arm in Vietnam) voted in favor of the resolution authorizing Bush to go to war.

That campaign was a disgraceful chapter in American political history.

Patriotism is fair game when choosing a president. Let's try to remain civil, shall we?

And a happy Fourth of July to everyone!