Jealousy sparked Giuliani's Obama remark
Here's what I think happened: Rudy Giuliani walked into that eat-and-greet dinner for Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker -- a dinner he wasn't originally invited to -- saw all the big-money executives and conservative media people inside that trendy New York restaurant checking out the potential presidential candidate, and decided he wanted them to pay attention to him instead. So in a fit of jealousy, he threw a hunk of red meat at the diners, saying something so explosive it would make national news. That it was a lie did not dampen Giuliani's fervor.
"I do not believe, and I know this is a horrible thing to say, but I do not believe that the president loves America," said Giuliani. "He wasn't brought up the way you were brought up and I was brought up through love of this country."
It's hard to believe that anyone would put up with the attacks on his character that Obama has had to take from Giuliani and others if he didn't love his country. Giuliani's remark is even more appalling when you consider what it suggests about Obama's maternal grandparents, who helped raise him. During World War II, Stanley Dunham served his country as a G.I. in Europe while his wife Madelyn worked on a bomber assembly line back in Wichita. Isn't it likely they taught a young Obama a thing or two about love of country?
There is evidence that their lessons stuck. In speech after speech over the years, Obama has expressed affection for his country and explained what makes the United States great. After his 2012 reelection, he said, "What makes America exceptional are the bonds that hold together the most diverse nation on Earth, the belief that our destiny is shared, that this country only works when we accept certain obligations to one another and the future generations so that the freedom which so many Americans have fought for and died for comes with responsibilities as well as rights, and among those are love, and charity, and duty, and patriotism. That's what makes America great."
By ignoring such statements and perpetuating the lie that Obama is not as patriotic as other presidents, Giuliani put another log on a fire that has kept Obama haters warm ever since he became president. This crowd goes beyond questioning the president's policies and positions; they question his citizenship, his patriotism, even his intellectual ability to lead. Giuliani's comments have caused problems for the Republican Party as it insists that it wants to be more inclusive. So the former New York has tried to backpedal a bit, but now he says Obama may have been influenced by communists when he was younger. Instead of trying to explain why he said what he said, Giuliani needs to find a corner and be quiet. He's said enough.
Harold Jackson is editorial page editor of The Inquirer.