BEREA, Ohio - A Barack Obama event in Ohio on energy issues was disrupted on Tuesday by a man from the press area who called on the crowd to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
Noticing a commotion across the room just after he started speaking, the Democratic presidential candidate said, “What’s everyone yelling about?”
A man with photography equipment asked why no one had said the Pledge of Allegiance.
“We can do the pledge,” Obama said, leading the audience of 2,700 people in a recitation of it.
“We usually do an invocation and a pledge before we start so I don’t know what happened but I’m glad you reminded us,” the Illinois senator said afterward.
A spokeswoman said the early program of many of Obama’s events often includes a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance.
The man who spoke from the press platform declined to give his affiliation when asked about it by reporters and said only that he was “John Q. Public.”
Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage.
Photo: Reuters/Rebecca Cook - Barack Obama speaks during a campaign stop in Lansing, Michigan on Aug. 4, 2008.
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16 comments so far
What an idiot the photogapher is. Obviously a Bushie republican who fell for one of the republican smear myths about Obama… the one that falsely said Obama wouldn’t recite the Pledge of Allegiance. What a smuck. No wonder he wouldn’t give his name. I wonder why he didn’t ask Obama if he was a muslim… ha, ha, what a Rove clone dim witted idiot.
- Posted by BushGuiltyAsSinI pray that Senator Obama does not get elected. I doubt the sincerity of his intentions, his patriotism, and his sense of judgement. Though Governor Huckabee was my first choice, I am voting for Senator McCain. We will never let this country fall into the hands of those who seek to corrupt the minds of our children with thoughts of globalism under law of the United Nations, creating hysteria by labeling patriots as “rascist,” weakening our borders, forceful removal of the Judeo-Christian moral code of this great country, and the dismantling of our military might. No! The deceptive guise that liberalism calls being “open-minded” will be fought to the end. LIBERALISM IS A MENTAL DISORDER. God bless America.
- Posted by HarveyI hope that man wasn’t really a member of the press, which is supposed to at least pretend they’re unbiased. That was a bunch of b.s., and shows exactly how the media has been acting throughout this campaign.
- Posted by meIt was a fact that Obama would not sulute the U.S. Flag. He has lied to his supporters the moveon.org telling them that he would not support the warrantless phone tap bill and then voted for it, he said that he was against releasing oil from the reserve and then now he’s for it, he was against Hillary’s heathcare plan and now he for the plan she had. I could go on and on, but no use as we all know the rest! Obama is unexperience! McCain we can trust and at least we have a 25 year track on his votes! Obama has a very short record that already looks bad. I will be voting for John McCain
- Posted by GoodtimepoliticsBarack Obama continues to be a “learn on the campaign trail” type of guy. He has no set policy to discuss. It’s usually shoot from the hip, then revised over the next few days. He is saying things that even surprise him. It’s as if he is working through his ideas as they are discussed.His main goals are American disarmament, government control of individual freedoms, empowerment of the Democratic party,promotion of his self worship, and redistribution of wealth- I am sure there is more. Anyone who doesn’t see the abject negativity in this is typically young(inexperienced and immature), unemployed, a criminal, a pot head, a supporter of Farrakhan, or a foreign militant Muslim. It’s amazing to watch the media support Obama so vehemently, and feign impartiality. The whole idea of a neophyte campaigning on the fundamental of “change”, is so simplistic, intellectually insulting, stilted, and yet aimed at the most psychically limited thinkers of our culture as to be infuriating for anyone who has accomplished anything tangible in life. These are the people who blindly accept Global Warming (it’s actually global pollution, which affects the weather in various ways, not necessarily warming), that Al Gore invented the innternet; that Al Gore has any ideas which are truly worthwhile; that Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are sane; and that we should elect a woman or a person of color independent of their capabilities. This is unnerving and difficult to swallow. I pray that Obama will lose, every day; I pray for the basic ability of people to see through this sham; I pray Obama is a person of quality and continues to mature, and possibly one day would be a valuable member of Congress. So far he has done nothing tangible in terms of legislation or original thought. And what about Condy Rice- is she not black? Is she not a major government figure? Doesn’t Bush get credit for that? If our culture is so hung up on electing a Black or a woman for president, how about electing Condy Rice??
- Posted by richThanks for your words of hatred Henry. You fall right in line with the rest of the Huckabee zealots. Amazing…you claim to be Christian, and yet you have no tolerance and you spread hate through politics. Just as you demonized Romney because he is Mormon (like all Huckabee supporters did), you will demonize Obama because he does not think exactly like you do. Our Savior was intolerant to only priest craft and hypocrisy - I guess we know where you lie.
- Posted by PhilipHarvey, we’ve had plenty of your kind running our country for the last eight years. Look where it’s gotten us. We’re going to try something different now, thank you. God bless America.
- Posted by Sor[...] if you think it was just this AP report, here’s Reuters with essentially the SAME [...]
- Posted by Strange: Obama Meets Phantom Pledge Guy in Berea « Bad AmericanThe Obama Pledge lie won’t die, even after Obama leads the pledge in front of 2700 people and all of the media!
- Posted by JohnAssuming the photographer was a GOP plant, this is inspired…something right out of the Lee Atwater playbook!
- Posted by Yanush101Bet the guy thought Obama couldn’t do it.
Can you imagine being so upset that a loyalty oath to the US wasn’t recited that you would interrupt a candidate speaking?
I can understand if the candidate was a war criminal, or guilty of other heinous crimes and no one else called himout on it… but yelling because the Pledge wasn’t remembered?
Photo Guy’s gotta get a life..
- Posted by Cathy in SeattlePeople who make these claims about Obama having no policies, or that he’s ‘changed his opinion’ have simply not looked into his policies, or have only read about them in snippets through a right-wing lens. They don’t want to change their minds and they don’t want to admit that Obama is the superior candidate. They’d rather focus their criticisms on him than have to focus on McCain, and they’d rather drive this country further into ruin than admit that their ideologies and backwards foreign/domestic policies were failed from the moment of conception.
They cling to rumors and fear-mongering misrepresentations instead of thinking. Let’s get together in November and prove that there’s more of us than them. This country and the world can then enjoy a big sigh of relief, and then we’ll get back to fixing the last 8 years of destruction.
- Posted by williamObama was forced to lead the pledge in front of the people and if he had not what do you expect people would think or say John? Obama wasn’t going to have the Pledge and was called out on it, so please tell the complete story. Obama didn’t wear a flag pin until he knew that he had better or lose votes!
- Posted by Goodtimepoliticstake a look at the video and then you’ll know who to bash. not the man who asked for the pledge to be said, but the drones who began screaming and booing the man for asking for it. those are the obama supporters.
- Posted by sheeplescaremeBarrack HUESSEIN Obama! Doesnt that just say it all!!
- Posted by GENOWake up America!!! You can KEEP the Change. Ive never heard McCain having to defend HIS friends and associates. Maybe its because he doesnt associate with people like Rev. Wright who says God Damn America…IN CHURCH!!!! Or people like Bill Aires , or Luis Fharakahn Etc. Kind of funny to see the Muslims and Wackos that endorse this America HATING left winging SOCIALIST!!!!
Love Obama. He has my vote. I have to wonder if your readers are educated.
- Posted by Lauri