Another proud Obama supporter talks to the press:

Eli Gertler, 17, student body president at Summit High School, gave a warm-up speech at Obama’s Bend rally, and explained that this year’s race has warmed young people to politics. “He (Obama) speaks to people, not down to people,” Gertler said. “I do think we have three really good candidates for president, and that’s a lot more than in the past few elections. “At least for my generation, politics hasn’t produced a lot to be proud of. A lot of what America has been involved in, I am not proud of. With Obama, the interest is coming back.”

“Politics hasn’t produced a lot to be proud of?” Sure. But politicians have always disappointed, and rarely been the first place to look for behavior one can take pride in. Boss Tweed, Aaron Burr, Benedict Arnold, James Buchanan, Huey Long, the power hungry and devious figures detailed in Jonah’s book, etc. …

More disturbing is the second comment, expressing no pride in “a lot of what America has been involved in.” I’ll presume that means the Iraq War. What else? Is an unpopular war something that defines America as a whole? Is that enough to spur some to decide that they ought not be proud of their country? When the U.S. intervened in an ethnic civil war the Balkans under a Democratic president without United Nations approval, did skeptics decide that they no longer had pride in America?

And really… a guy with four years in the Senate is bringing back “the interest”? The interest in America? The interest in pride in America? Come on.

To this student’s credit, if the views sound like something a high school student would say, well, that’s who’s saying it. It’s more disturbing when we hear similar comments from Michelle Obama.