Hand Over Heart: Is This Really What Makes Us Patriotic?

Asked during a town hall meeting in Lorain, Ohio, about "an attempt by conservatives and Republicans to paint you as unpatriotic," a questioner cited the fact that [Barack] Obama once failed to put his hand over his heart while singing the national anthem.

The questioner also noted that the Illinois senator does not wear an American flag lapel pin, has met with former members of the radical anti-Vietnam War group, Weather Underground, and his wife was quoted recently as saying she never felt really proud of the United States until recently.

Asked how he would fight the image of being unpatriotic, Obama said, "There's always some nonsense going on in general elections. Right? If it wasn't this, it would be something else. If you recall, first it was my name. Right? That was a problem. And then there was the Muslim e-mail thing and that hasn't worked out so well, and now it's the patriotism thing.

"The way I will respond to it is with the truth: that I owe everything I am to this country," he said. Obama said it was a speech about his love for this country that put him in the national spotlight. He shot down the idea that failing to put his hand over his heart during the national anthem makes him unpatriotic.

Both Democratic Candidates Take Aim And Fire At One Another

[Hillary Clinton] clutched two negative fliers sent to Ohio voters by the Obama campaign that she says make false claims about her position on health care and trade agreements. "Shame on you Barack Obama. It is time you ran a campaign that is consistent with your messages in public. That's what I expect from you," Mrs. Clinton said.

Mr. Obama quickly fired back. "These are accurate," he said of the fliers. He also accused his rival of hypocrisy in denouncing the negative campaigning. "We have been subject to constant attack from the Clinton campaign, except when we were down 20 points. And that was true in Iowa. It was true in South Carolina. It was true in Wisconsin. And it is true now."

He also questioned why Sen. Clinton raised the issue of the fliers now, weeks after they were first mailed to Ohio voters. "It makes me think there was something tactical about her getting so exercised this morning," he said at a campaign stop in Columbus, Ohio.

Two More Democratic Debates: Barack vs. Hillary

MIKE HALPERIN writes:

The Obama for America campaign today announced that Barack Obama will participate in two more debates before the March 4 primaries. He has accepted an invitation to participate in a debate at Cleveland State University hosted by NBC News and WKYC, the NBC affiliate in Cleveland. The debate is schedule for Tuesday, February 26th. NBC affiliates throughout Ohio have agreed to carry the debate, which include those in Cincinnati, Columbus, Toledo, Dayton, Lima, Steubenville, Youngstown, and Zanesville. The Obama campaign will soon announce participation in a debate in Texas, before the primary on March 4.

The Ohio debate will be moderated by Brian Williams and Tim Russert. It will be streamed live on MSNBC.com, and it will air on Telemundo the same evening after it is translated into Spanish.