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“I have never challenged other people’s patriotism. I will not stand by and allow somebody else to challenge mine,” Mr. Obama said. “The fact that I’m running for president right now is an indication how much I love this country.”

Does Obama mean to say that he believes every American is patriotic, or does he mean to say that he doesn’t care if they are patriotic or not because he would never challenge it? Either way it is not a good thing to say. He won’t allow people to challenge his patriotism because he has never challenged anyone else’s, yet he offers an irrational justification for his patriotism. Just running for the president does not make you patriotic, Mr. Obama. Certainly someone could run for the presidency without loving the country.

This nonsensical statement about patriotism can only mean that he doesn’t understand American patriotism. If someone understands American patriotism they understand it can be challenged at times, and indeed should be. If someone understands American patriotism they understand that running for President doesn’t automatically qualify you.

That being said, I just read an article by one of my favorite authors Thomas Friedman. He went on and on about how America needs to make changes if we want to remain the number one in the world. America will never be as far ahead of everyone else as we were at the end of World War II, but we will remain a major player in international relations, so I'm not really that worried. But what struck me was his comment about how he wasn't sure if Obama is the right person to lead America into the future, but it is not insignificant that he has inspired so many people to get involved, especially young people. There is something to learned from this man, Barack Obama.