OBAMA: I will never question the patriotism of others in this campaign. And I will not stand idly by when I hear others question mine.

Wait a minute, whose patriotism has been questioned here? Whose qualifications have been questioned here? What’s happening here, folks, is very simple, an effort to devalue McCain’s military experience and hero status and to raise up Obama’s patriotic position by redefining what patriotism is.

OBAMA: When we’re arguing about patriotism, we’re arguing about who we are as a country and, more importantly, who we should be. But surely we can agree that no party or political philosophy has a monopoly on patriotism.

Then why the hell do you feel it necessary to go to Independence, Missouri and talk about it? Then why the hell do you have such difficulty in deciding whether or not to wear the American flag lapel pin?

One party obviously has a track record that deserves to be examined. We all know which party that is. And this is why this party is constantly defending itself on this. Let’s be honest, folks. Patriotism is equated with supporting the military when the US is at war. Which political party the last three years has done its best to secure defeat of its country and the US military at war? Democrat Party.

One party has a track record that deserves to be examined when it comes to patriotism, and they know it. They know they’re weak on national security. Which is why they gave us Kerry the last election, they thought he would overcome it. Which is why they’re now trying to devalue McCain’s hero status and his war service and that’s why they send their candidate out to Independence, Missouri, to do a defensive speech on patriotism, because they know.

OBAMA: Of course, precisely because America isn’t perfect, precisely because our ideals demand more from us, patriotism can never be defined as loyalty to any particular leader or government or policy. As Mark Twain, the greatest of American satirists and proud son of Missouri, once wrote: “Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it.” That’s what patriotism is.

Wait a second. He just contradicted himself here. Patriotism can never be defined as loyalty to any particular leader or government or policy. And then he quotes Mark Twain: “Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.” This is a huge contradiction.

Which political party is it that is suggesting to us that terrorists deserve constitutional rights, the same constitutional rights accorded United States citizens? We don’t have the right to spy on terrorists? Which party is it that wants us to sue phone companies that allow terrorists to be spied on? Which party is it that’s doing its level best to discredit any intelligence gathering technique that is used in order to improve this nation’s security? No wonder they feel defensive about this. Which party was it that was saying that the surge would never work? Which party was it that claimed the surge wouldn’t work? Which party was it whose supporters ran a full-page New York Times ad on “General Betraeus”?

Which party was it whose members accused Petraeus of lying before he opened his mouth? Which party has as a member a man who avoided voting on the MoveOn.org resolution in the Senate? Barack Obama and the Democrat Party. Remember the vote on condemning MoveOn.org, guess who didn’t vote? He wasn’t there, he didn’t vote. It was Barack Obama. Which party has accused troops of murder and rape? The Democrat Party. Which party has members that have accused Guantanamo operatives of torture and being like Pol Pot’s regime and the people who ran the Soviet Gulags? That would be Dick Durbin and the Democrat Party. Which political party has tried to kill — and they failed — war spending bills with poison pills and other techniques? It would be the Democrat Party. So no wonder they feel defensive about patriotism.

OBAMA: Surely we can arrive at a definition of patriotism that however rough and imperfect captures the best of America’s common spirit. What would such a definition look like?

Okay, so now not only are we being lectured to on patriotism by Obama, we’re being told that only he can redefine it. He’s going to redefine patriotism for us. What he says after this doesn’t matter. We don’t need The Messiah to redefine patriotism. We know it when we see it. We know it when we don’t see it. And we see it plain as day when we don’t see it. So he wants to redefine it.

McCain’s response to Wesley Clark saying being shot down over Vietnam does not qualify you to be president.

MCCAIN: I think that kind of thing is unnecessary. I’m proud of my record of service and I have plenty of friends and leaders who will attest to that. But the important thing is, and if that’s the kind of campaign that Senator Obama and his surrogates and his supporters want to gauge, I understand that, but it doesn’t reduce the price of a gallon of gas by one penny. It doesn’t achieve our energy independence, make it come any closer. It doesn’t help an American stay in their home who are in risk of losing it today. And it certainly doesn’t do anything to address the challenges that Americans have in keeping their jobs, their homes and supporting their families.

What the hell is this?

This is the Clinton response. McCain is out there saying, ‘Hey, they can challenge me all they want, they can tell me I’m not qualified to be president, but that doesn’t put one more drop of fuel in your gas tank.'” Did he sound a little hurt there? I’m not sure. Anyway, he thinks this kind of campaigning is unnecessary.

“I will never question the patriotism of any of my opponents.”

Hey! Who has questioned his?

And then he said,

“I’m not going to sit idly by when someone questions mine.”

Now, who is questioning his patriotism? There might be some fringe people out there, for crying out loud, but who is doing it? Is McCain doing it? Who of any consequence or importance is questioning Obama’s patriotism? They’re questioning his experience!

If anybody wants to talk about questioning patriotism, how about Wesley Clark and what he said?

“I don’t think that getting shot down in a plane (grumbling) qualifies anybody to be president,”

… and so forth.

Every Fourth of July, some Democrat somewhere goes somewhere and talks about “patriotism.” It must be that there is some doubt, if you have to go out there and do this, if you have to give a speech on patriotism and what it means.

We know the Democrats have spent years trying to redefine it. Mrs. Clinton herself defined patriotism as criticizing the president.

They have been trying to redefine patriotism as the abject dislike of your country, as the abject dislike of your president and the dissent and criticism of both. That’s how they’ve been defining patriotism and so they have to go out there and make speeches about patriotism.

This is a fine time. The Fourth of July is coming up on Friday, Independence Day; this would be a fine time for somebody to run around and start talking about American exceptionalism — in either party, frankly — and reminding the American people what this country is, where it started, how it started, the Founders, all of this, what happened, the miracle in Philadelphia.

Obama, finished …

“No political party has a monopoly on patriotism.”

This is the one area… We find the Democratic Party when we look at them and we look at the leftists; we see them on offense. They just are relentless. They never stop.

But when it comes to patriotism, they are defensive. They do have to go out and remind everybody that they are, and now Obama is saying …

“no political party has a monopoly on it.”

So it must mean that they’ve got some focus group data that suggests it’s a problem.
Shocking isn’t it…

Obama finished, saying that patriotism — he defined it.

“Patriotism is supporting your country all the time and your government when it deserves it.”

Patriotism is supporting your country all the time… All the time? If that’s what patriotism is, he has just accused his buddies on the left of being unpatriotic! I mean, not only do they not support the country all the time. They actively are engaged to inflict harm on this country! For example, in Iraq, they are enmeshed and they own defeat.

“…and your government when it deserves it.”

So that gives them, with that little definition, “Of course the government deserves being criticized when it’s being run by George W. Bush!”

So everybody is in the clear on that. “Patriotism is supporting your country all the time…”

Do you know how many hearings there have been with the Big Oil execs and without, just exploratory hearings?

They’ve had 40 hearings on oil and energy, and has anything happened? Yes, the price has continued to go up.

Do you know how many hearings they have had on whether or not the United States tortures detainees? They’ve had over 60 in the House and Senate combined, over 60 House and Senate hearing, and there was another one Friday.

Our tax dollars at work, folks…

It was the Constitution civil rights and civil liberties subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee. Massachusetts representative Bill Delahunt was questioning David Addington. David Addington is chief of staff, former counsel to Vice President Cheney. Addington, a very private guy, does not show up in public. He was forced to show up at this hearing.

They asked him the typical stupid questions, and he just stuck it to these guys by not bending over forwards and grabbing the ankles like Republicans usually do or anybody else does when they face a congressional committee. This did not sit well with Bill Delahunt, who said this.

DELAHUNT: Oh, I can understand why he [the president] doesn’t talk about it.

ADDINGTON: But you gotta communicate with Al-Qaeda. If you do — I can’t talk to you. Al-Qaeda may watch C-SPAN.

DELAHUNT: Right. Well, I’m — I’m sure they are watching, and I’m glad they finally have a chance to — to see you, Mr. Addington, give —

ADDINGTON: I’m sure you’re pleased.

You need me to translate this for you? -.-

Delahunt said, “Oh, I can understand why the president doesn’t talk about it.” Addington, “you gotta communicate with Al-Qaeda. If you do, I can’t talk to you, Al-Qaeda may watch C-SPAN.” I can’t tell you what we’re doing about Al-Qaeda. Not here. Delahunt says, “Yeah, well, I’m sure Al-Qaeda is watching, and I’m glad they finally have a chance to see you, Mr. Addington.”

A number of people have inferred from this that Delahunt would not be disappointed if Al-Qaeda took Addington out now that they know who he is. Delahunt has said, “I didn’t say ‘they.’ I didn’t say finally they had a chance to see you, I said finally I’ve had a chance to see you.” Okay, let’s see if that’s what he said.

Let’s do this again —

DELAHUNT: Oh, I can understand why he [the president] doesn’t talk about it.

ADDINGTON: But you gotta communicate with Al-Qaeda. If you do — I can’t talk to you. Al-Qaeda may watch C-SPAN.

DELAHUNT: Right. Well, I’m — I’m sure they are watching, and I’m glad they finally have a chance to — to see you, Mr. Addington, give —

ADDINGTON: I’m sure you’re pleased.

Did he say, I?

No, he said THEY, twice.

And these, ladies and gentlemen, are your modern-day liberal Democrats in the Democrat Party.

“More Americans now view energy as a serious concern than at the low point of the 1979 energy crisis, according to a Politico analysis of historical Gallup Polls. And the percentage of voters who consider energy issues ‘very important’ in determining their vote has also risen dramatically since the last election, from 54 percent in October 2004 to 77 percent in a recent poll released by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press… Distress over gas prices could hardly come at a worse time for Republicans. Voters usually blame a poor economy on the party that controls the presidency, and there are few more potent reminders of hard economic times than the high cost of fuel at the pump. … Thus far, it’s McCain who has most suffered from that irritation. On an issue that three in four registered voters believe will be ‘very important,'” it is the Republicans who are taking the heat.

Now, I understand the theory that the party in power, the president, the executive gets the blame for all of these things. And the polling data in this story says that the Republicans are lagging Democrats by 15 points on energy, and McCain is even further behind the GOP than that.

If this poll is accurate, what it means is that those of us who want to increase supply are getting blamed. Well, now, if the American people actually knew who wants to increase supply — and by doing so, lower prices — then they would also find out who is standing in opposition of all that.

And it’s our old buddy Chris Matthews that doesn’t even know it’s going on, and all of his leftist buddies who are doing everything they can to attack and shut down the US economy and its growth. So the party that’s trying to do something about this — the people trying to do something about it, to increase production — are getting blamed for the problem when the problem exists primarily because of leftists, the last 30 years, who have done their best to shut down the domestic oil industry.

See post: Democrats, Media, and oil – what a party.

Now, the Republicans are not sitting back.

From the Cybercast News Service:

“As expected, gasoline prices keep rising, and Republicans are placing the blame squarely on the Democrat-led Congress. Republicans apparently see ‘pain at the pump’ as a key election issue. …

“House Republican leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) called it ‘insane’ that the Democrat-led Congress is still refusing to allow increased production of American energy. ‘Today marks another dubious day for this Do-Nothing Democratic Congress. On their watch, gas prices have soared to new heights, and by refusing to schedule a vote on a plan to increase American-made energy to help lower gas prices, congressional Democrats are complicit in this unprecedented surge in fuel costs,’ Boehner said on Sunday. … ‘Every American has a right to ask: What will it take for the Democrat-controlled Congress to finally take action and help ease the pain of the Pelosi Premium on behalf of struggling families and small businesses? Speaker Pelosi has the power to schedule a vote on our plan to begin breaking America’s costly dependence on foreign sources of energy. She should not wait another day to do so.'”

Republicans are putting this out.

Have you seen this anywhere? Have you seen this statement from Boehner? Before reading this, did you know the Republicans were on the warpath on this?

No. Because, as they often say, whatever they do will not get covered.

MATTHEWS: I don’t understand why the Democratic Party doesn’t do to the Republicans what the Republicans did to the Democrats back in 1980 when we had a fuel crisis. You got gasoline going to five bucks a gallon. Everybody knows that. It could be at six by November. Why don’t they blame it all on Halliburton, the oil industry, the Republicans in bed with the oil industry?

That’s incredible! Where the hell has he been? Chris, what do you think the Democrats have been doing?

Halliburton has been blamed for everything since we went to Iraq. The Senate Democrats are trying to pass a windfall profits tax today on the floor of the Senate against the oil companies. The Democrats have been blaming Bush and his oil buddies for all kinds of horrible things for six or seven years.

From The Politico:

“The AFL-CIO is going to send members to gas stations in two dozen cities this week to focus attention on soaring prices and to attack President Bush and John McCain for being beholden to Big Oil.”

Now, the thing about this is that the AFL-CIO knows full well that it is the leftists in this country who are hurting supply and capacity. It is the leftists in this country who are doing everything they can to see to it that there’s no more domestic oil production taking place in this country.

Roy Spencer:

There have been protests filed against further oil and gas lease sales on government property. While there is an increasing public realization that we need to be drilling more and drilling now here at home, the environmentalists have begun the fight to stop future oil and gas lease sales by the US Bureau of Land Management.

These are leftists! These are people who want to shut down this country’s economy.

They know full well that there is a building public mood to start drilling here and drilling now, to increase supply and reduce our dependence on foreign suppliers.

And so what are they doing? They’re taking preemptive action to try to intimidate via protest the Bureau of Land Management from selling any further leases or awarding any further leases on government land.

It’s not a lawsuit that they have filed yet. It is a protest. And here’s a quote from it.

“This protest is predicated on the Bureau of Land Management’s failure to address global warming and climate change.”

So while Chris Matthews wonders what the hell the Democrats are doing, why aren’t they blaming the Republicans.

Chris, your own leftists — are taking every step they can to shut down any increase in domestic supplies of energy.

Now, this specific protest, is in reference to recent New Mexico lease sales, but this is just the tip of the iceberg of new efforts to stop or to greatly slow through legal maneuvering future leases.

You’ve seen the polls, the public sentiment on drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf and up in ANWR and in Montana, the Bakken Formation and expanding that. There is increasing public sentiment to do this and to do it now.

And the leftists, who are doing their best to shut this country down, are fully aware of it, and they’re using their time-honored and true techniques. They’re simply intimidating federal agencies and bureaucracies, and they may not have to intimidate them much because like-minded fellow travelers probably are working in some of these agencies, like US Fish and Wildlife Service, the EPA.

This is what the leftists have done. Over the years they have succeeded in having like-minded fellow travelers appointed to bureaucrat positions by people like Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, and in some cases even George Bush who was trying to forge a new tone with the Democrats to try to end all this partisanship.

So they’re there, and they can’t be gotten rid of.

The point is, while all these Democrats are on television, the Media types are worried to death that their party is dropping the ball; the exact thing they want to happen is not only happening, it has been happening for years; in some cases decades.