Democratic convention flag flap still flyingFriday Sept 12, 2008
By Jeff Kass
Tom Kise, front, a McCain campaign worker, and Alan Nguyen carry flags
left behind after Barack Obama's speech at InvescoThe approximately 600 American flags handed to local Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion
chapters Friday were real.
The story behind them was either good politics or a political stunt.
The campaign of Republican presidential candidate John McCain claims
the flags were among 12,000
left at Invesco Field after the last night of the Democratic National Convention. That's when Barack
Obama accepted his nomination as the Democratic presidential contender before an estimated 80,000 people
who packed the football stadium Aug. 28.
"There's a proper way to dispose of flags," said McCain supporter Don Smith, past state commander of
the Colorado VFW who accepted the flags Friday. "They don't belong in the trash."
A spokesman for the Democratic National Convention Committee calls the Republican version of events
"absolutely false."
"There were never any flags intended to be thrown away from our convention," said Damon Jones. He
later added, "None of our staff or anyone with our authorization disposed of any flags."
The Republicans say this:
After Obama's speech, an Invesco Field contract worker noticed flags in and
around trash dumpsters, a trash compactor and elsewhere.The worker wishes to remain anonymous because he is not authorized by his company to speak to the media,
said Tom Kise, regional communications director for the McCain campaign.
The worker asked another worker to help him save the flags, and about 12,000 eventually were delivered to
two local McCain offices in dark trash bags. The flags were rolled up and do not appear to have been used, Kise said.
Up to 11,000 of the flags were handed out at a rally last Saturday in Colorado Springs for McCain and his vice
presidential candidate, Sarah Palin. The rest, delivered Friday, will be placed on the graves of veterans for
Veterans Day and Memorial Day, Smith said.
Jones said the Democrats did pass out 125,000 flags during the convention, which also took place at the Pepsi Center.
The Invesco flags were in trash bags and handed out at distribution points throughout the stadium.
Jones said an effort was made to gather the flags back up, and those from the Pepsi Center were donated to
veterans' organizations. Any flags from Invesco were taken "without permission and authorization," he added.
The flags have thin wooden handles, and Kise said the dimensions are about 16 inches long and a foot high.
Jones did not know the cost of the flags; Smith said they run about $2.75 apiece. At that price, 12,000 would
cost $33,000.
Rocky Mountain Newshttp://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/sep/12/flags-are-real-story-behind-them-grabs/
