CHICAGO - Barack Obama is wearing a flag pin again. The Illinois senator and Democratic presidential candidate has been accused of being unpatriotic for declining to wear the American flag on his lapel, which he stopped doing out of an objection to hypocrisy in some politicians. 

But this week it reappeared, and Obama said veterans felt it was important that he had one on.

“I started wearing it again at that veterans event because once again I had been handed a flag pin by a veteran who said it was important,” he told reporters on his campaign plane during a flight to Chicago.

“This is an issue that is a phony issue because I was never opposed to wearing flag pins.”

He said giving up the flag pin in the first place was a commentary on hypocritical lawmakers.

“It was a commentary on our politicians and folks in Washington who sometimes are very good about saluting our soldiers when they come home but then don’t follow up with budgets that make sure that they’re getting treatment for post traumatic stress disorder,” he said.

“So it was a commentary about our politics, not about, you know, individuals who wear the flag with pride.”