The Obama walkback doesn’t wash.

“What she meant was, this is the first time that she’s been proud of the politics of America,” [Obama] said. “Because she’s pretty cynical about the political process, and with good reason, and she’s not alone. But she has seen large numbers of people get involved in the process, and she’s encouraged.”

I’m sorry, I’ve got a pretty high tolerance for spin, but I’m calling BS on this. Mostly because she made the same remark twice at two separate campaign stops, and neither time did she say anything about referring only to the country’s politics:

Speaking in Milwaukee, Wisconsin today, would-be First Lady Michelle Obama said, “for the first time in my adult life I am proud of my country because it feels like hope is finally making a comeback.”
Then in Madison, she said, “For the first time in my adult lifetime, I’m really proud of my country, and not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change.”

It’s plausible that she could forget a word or misspeak or slip up. But when this statement is part of her campaign message at two successive stops, it seems much more plausible that the comments reflected her actual views. It was a gaffe of expressing her honest opinion.

Many of my friends on the left are looking at this and seeing no big deal; looking at American history for the past twenty-five years or so and feeling shame or indifference or both doesn’t seem shocking to them.

Many of my friends on the right hear this and are stunned. The left often thinks the right is blind to America’s faults, and that’s not accurate. Many righties do, however, think America’s flaws pale in comparison to its strengths and virtues, and wonder about someone who constantly goes on and on about everything that’s so bad about it. It’s been a school of thought since the “love it or leave it” days, and putting aside the “so what’s so great about America” debate, I think even Michelle Obama’s biggest fans would concede there is a limit to the political viability of a “this country stinks” message.

UPDATE: Stuttaford doesn’t buy into it, for completely different reasons.