Patriotism becomes nasty campaign issue

WASHINGTON – Anne Sumers, the Democrat vying for retiring House Rep. Marge Roukema's seat in New Jersey, boasts a unique qualification: As a teenager, she spent several years living in Afghani-stan, where her father worked for the University of Kabul.
So in the days following Sept. 11, Ms. Sumers posted a message on a website for Americans in Afghanistan, expressing horror at the attacks but also decrying the dangers of "jingoistic 'patriotism'" in the US. That was all it took for her opponent, Republican Scott Garrett, to label her "radical" and "anti-American."

The charges may not stick – Sumers's campaign organizers say her comments were taken out of context, and the local media have largely ignored them – but she's hardly the only candidate whose love of country has been challenged in this election cycle.

Indeed, in the latest example of how the war on terror is insinuating itself into the political landscape, questions of patriotism are cropping up in a number of races. Challengers are pointedly scrutinizing incumbents' past votes on red-white-and-blue matters from defense spending to flag burning, accusing their opponents of being "antimilitary" or failing to protect their country.

While patriotism has always been a backdrop of political campaigns, analysts say that in the wake of Sept. 11 it has become a theme in its own right – and more potent grounds for attack.