Is Obama Patriotic Enough to be President?

"After a town hall meeting in Lorain, Ohio, a reporter asked Obama about "an attempt by conservatives and Republicans to paint you as unpatriotic."

The reporter cited the fact that Obama once failed to put his hand over his heart while singing the national anthem.

Obama replied that his choice not to put his hand on his heart is a behavior that "would disqualify about three-quarters of the people who have ever gone to a football game or baseball game."

The reporter 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."

So is Barack Obama patriotic enough to be President?

And what is "patriotism" actually?  Is it wearing lapel pins and waving flags?  Is it putting your hand over your heart when the anthem is sung?  Is it being a POW in Vietnam?

I suspect that many Americans confuse "nationalism" with "patriotism". 

This is the best definition I could find:

"1: loyalty and devotion to a nation; especially : a sense of national consciousness exalting one nation above all others and placing primary emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations or supranational groups."

This is flag-waving.  This is the "America right or wrong" or "America love it or leave it".  And it is also the wearing of flag-pins. 

Flag-pins really aren't a very good manifestation of patriotism.

John F. Kennedy in 1961 had a better definition and warning about patriotism:

"Let our patriotism be reflected in the creation of confidence in one another, rather than in crusades of suspicion. Let us prove we think our country great, by striving to make it greater. And, above all, let us remember, however serious the outlook, however harsh the task, the one great irreversible trend in the history of the world is on the side of liberty--and we, for all time to come, are on the same side."

Confidence in one another rather than in crusades of suspicion.  Doesn't that sound familiar?  Doesn't President Kennedy's words echo today when we choose whether to come together to fight poverty, global warming, and the challenge of conflict facing our generation, or whether we choose to cast suspicion on one another, on the Spanish-speaking immigrant, on the homosexual couple, or the Atheist who wishes to be respected by his government.

Patriotism is working to make America better.  Healthier,  More Economically successful.  And more caring. 

Patriotism isn't about just lowering taxes and shrinking government.  It is about what we can do and not what we are doing wrong.