BOOKER RISING OP-ED: Michelle Obama: Unpatriotic?

Imagine my surprise when one of my uncles informed me yesterday that Michelle Obama said she has never been "really proud" of the United States in her adult life until her husband, Sen. Barack Obama, ran for president. This uncle, who is a military veteran, was ticked off about what Mrs. Obama said...not once, but apparently twice. He called Mrs. Obama's statement in Milwaukee "selfish" and asserted that, like a typical liberal, she doesn't understand the meaning of sacrifice. Instead, my uncle argued, Mrs. Obama takes her freedom for granted. In addition to my uncle, I got emails about Mrs. Obama's comments.

I had to hear it for myself, because I couldn't believe that a political spouse (1) with such a privileged background would spout such nonsense; and (2) be stupid enough to publicly make such a statement. I heard Mrs. Obama's comments for myself, and it wasn't good. Mrs. Obama, who is vying to be First Lady of the world's superpower, has never been proud to be an American until now?! Such a statement only reinforces the opinion that liberal Democrats lack patriotism, and aren't proud to be Americans but instead try to disparage the country at every turn. Mrs. Obama definitely could have and should have instead made a statement talking about America's growth and how her husband's candidacy unites Americans. The statements instead enabled Sen. John McCain and Cindy McCain to take the political high ground in their response to the comments, and make Mrs. Obama - and by extension Sen. Obama's campaign - look anti-American. This was also potentially a gift to Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign. This doesn't help when Sen. Obama's campaign is already being charged by some conservatives as being "undercover anti-American."

Unlike other folks who are railing against Mrs. Obama right now, I don't dislike her. While a liberal Democrat, she strikes me as a good wife, intelligent, and the like. I get that Mrs. Obama is not going to approach the United States like a voluntary immigrant or the descendant of voluntary immigrants would do. Mrs. Obama, I and others are the descendants of involuntary immigrants - people from Africa who were enslaved and brought to the U.S. I concur that America has done foul things. However, unlike most liberals like Mrs. Obama, my moderate-conservative self acknowledges that so have just about every other country. I compare the United States to other countries - i.e., the real world - not to utopia. There is no other country on the planet where black folks have more opportunity, freedom, and live as well as in America.

I can rattle off a bunch of things that, from her adult life, Mrs. Obama can point to with pride. Three words immediately came to my mind upon hearing her comments: Civil Rights Movement. How about a country that has provided many opportunities for her - coupled with her own hard work - to graduate from Princeton University, Harvard Law School, become a lawyer and have a successful career? To create the sort of life that she wants? Not to mention the middle-class upbringing that she had on Chicago's South Side, prior to all of these achievements. Mrs. Obama ain't starved a day in her life. Most of the world would love to be in her shoes! How about a country with the world's lowest black poverty rate? A country that played a role in bringing down communism? Assistance to Africa? How the country came together after 9/11? The donations that were raised by Americans after the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina? Going old school, the abolitionist movement?

With her statement, Mrs. Obama not only did a slap in the face of America's history, but a major slap in the face to the generations of black Americans who paved the way for her to be able to do what she does today. That was a key reason why my 63-year-old uncle was so ticked off at the 44-year-old Mrs. Obama, because my uncle actually lived in Jim Crow Alabama and has seen America's growth and the road that was paved for Mrs. Obama and us. This is a growth that Mrs. Obama, in her implied victimology rhetoric, ignores until it involves her husband. The statement also made me wonder if Mrs. Obama has ever traveled abroad, and thus would be less apt to dismiss what she has here in America.

Mrs. Obama, not campaign surrogates, needs to clear this one up pronto. Until now, Mrs. Obama has had extremely good media coverage. However, these statements could blow up. A potential First Lady should have a lot of loyalty to her country. If not, then the job is not suitable for her.

UPDATE: Michelle Obama clarifies her controversial comments (hat tip: AmbivaBlog)