Jim Geraghty’s item on Governor Walker and his lapel pin — the American and Chinese flags intertwined — reminds me of a favorite story. I’m going to tell the story from memory. But the gist is true, I promise.

Years ago, there was a Cold War summit, or lesser meeting. And the White House press office handed out lapel pins to journalists — pins that had the U.S. and Soviet flags intertwined. Bob Novak refused to put one on. He thought it was an abomination.

That’s something I loved about Bob: irascibility and independence. (Here’s where you’re supposed to say what you didn’t love about the guy, but I can’t stand that convention, most of the time.)

By the way, when the CCP boss — the boss of the Chinese Communist Party, and therefore the boss of this great nation of more than a billion people — comes to the White House, American and Chinese flags are intertwined along Pennsylvania Avenue.

This has been a sore point to some Chinese democrats I know — and a sore point to me (an American democrat).

(What a difference capitalization makes.)