Yesterday, someone succeeded where angry chain emails, blogs, and talk show hosts have failed, and convinced Senator Barack Obama to pin an American flag pin to his lapel. Disabled Vietnam veteran Philip Fiumara, Jr. presented Obama with a flag pin in Washington, Pennsylvania. The presidential candidate thanked Fiumara and donned the pin to a round of applause. Fiumara is the Ways and Means Committee Chair for the Disabled American Veterans Department of Pennsylvania.
When Barack Obama stowed his flag pin last October, a maelstrom of controversy erupted, despite the pins' absence from the lapels of most of his opponents. Vowing to show patriotism through his actions and ideas rather than his attire, Obama refused to cave and return the American flag to his lapel for over six months. Some pundits have noted that the pin's return just before the criticial Pennsylvania primary election seems too politically convenient to be truly spontaneous. Video of the event shows Fiumara, who describes himself as an undecided voter, in his powerchair acknowledging Obama's thanks:
“I appreciate your service,” Obama said. “Thank you so much. It means a lot coming from you, and we are very grateful to you. Tell all the disabled veterans who are not here today that we are going to be fighting for them every inch of the way.”
