Unconventional opening at the Ron Paul rally in Des Moines on Wednesday night. The Pledge of Allegiance was fine, as was the solo Star Spangled Banner, and even the long plea by the co-founder of Rolling Thunder on behalf of PoWs allegedly still being held in Laos, China, North Korea and the former Soviet Union. But the 20-minute narrative about the nasty British attack on Fort McHenry made me wonder yet again whether the main act was worth waiting for.
A voice, against stirring but subdued martial music, described how Americans defied the British bombardment, body upon body piled up, their combined weight keeping the Stars and Stripes flying. It made John Wayne's Alamo look historically accurate. At one point, the narrator says: "What sets the American Christian apart is that he will die on his feet rather than his knees." And Paul wonders why the media think his campaign is nuts.
