The flag-on-the-plane situation is like the folks who make a big deal of flag lapel pins as a symbol of patriotism or someone's political stance as the same thing. Politically it's a non-issue unless you're trying really hard to make it an issue, as many of you clearly are. You who, incidentally, seem scared to death of Obama. You wouldn't be flailing this hard or this loudly if you weren't.

Daihashi, if you want to look at political egos, take a look at the reports of McCain's ego by the VA psychiatrists who've evaluated him over the years. They've commented on the powerful overinflation of his ego every single time, as he enjoys joking about and pointing to when he points out what motivated him to run for president. You may want to create an issue over Obama's ego, but I think that may reflect more on your desire to make this an issue about him. You're still quite young, so you've not spent much time around politicians. It takes a huge ego for someone to want that job--no matter what side of the aisle they're on. Look at Ross Perot. Look at George W. Bush. Ron Paul. John McCain. Barack Obama. They've all got it, and no one can make a case that one of them's bigger than another. You very much want to, clearly. But if you tested the egos of presidential egos, you'd see they're equally big. They pretty much have to be. You have to be ego-nuts to want that job, frankly.