She's a Grand Old Bush Flag:
So, like, why does the George W. Bush campaign store sell American flags? No, really, right there in the store run by the Spalding Group, but officially sanctioned and licensed by the campaign, there's two kinds of American flags you can buy: "the best nylon flag available" and "weather resistant yard sign." They are simply American flags with no markings on them - just the flag, our flag, presumptively the flag that represents all of us, even those of us who would rather see a flag pole shoved up Dick Cheney's ass than let him sit back in the Vice President's office.

John Kerry's campaign store doesn't sell American flags. Howard Dean's strangely still existing campaign store doesn't sell flags. Neither does the Edwards for President store, nor Wesley Clark's store. Ralph Nader's selling copies of the Declaration of Independence, presumably with his signature added to the bottom, but, you know, it's hard to put that on a yard sign or flag pole. And, besides, who gives a fuck what Ralph Nader's doing?

So, back to the Bush campaign store and its flags. Is this really the message that Bush wants out there: Bush/Cheney - we're selling the American flag. 'Cause, you know, c'mon, it's a bit obvious. What happens if you buy a flag at the Bush campaign store and burn it to protest Bush? It's a Bush flag, right? Bush, in essence, selling you the flag. It is the capitalistic equivalent of the Bush/Cheney signs. The campaign yard sign costs the same as the American flag yard sign. What if one buys a box of gear from the Bush/Cheney store, including the flag, and just burns the whole box?

Or maybe the proper response here is a smidgen of outrage (the Rude Pundit is storing outrage, camel-like, for potential use on November 3). Because the effort here is so fucking calculated: Bush equals flag equals America. To believe otherwise is to not believe in America or the flag. It's a minor thing, sure, but it's Friday, and the little things say so, so very much about the vile nature at the heart of the Bush/Cheney campaign.

When all those members of Congress and legislators of states from sea to shining sea get sand in their vaginas over the desecration of the flag, let's ask them what's a worse corruption of the flag and all it might signify: when one jerk with lighter fluid and matches flames that cloth or when a politician trying to pander for votes lets a company make profit on the flag in his name?