Now I’ve had a chance to read Mr. Obama’s words, and I will assume the quotes I read reflect the sense of what he said. If that’s true, then he is describing the same action some people take when they come to the realization that they are headed for a divorce: they take off their wedding rings.
The reason people are all het up and uncomfortable about what he has done is that they understand the guesture, and his words have confirmed that taking off the lapel pin meant what they thought it meant. He’s trying to hide behind some sort of intellectual purity argument, but he could still let his patriotism show by his words and actions, and still keep his commitment to national unity. But, he views those two goals as being inconsitent with one another.
As far as I am concerned, he can wear any piece of jewelry, or none. But because he meant the act of taking off that lapel pin to convey the divorcee’s message, I will not vote on any ticket with his name on it. He would not represent the union of all the people.
