This is a high-profile “tour” from the Obama campaign that has sent the Dem nominee to several November hot spots to deliver various speeches touching on “patriotism” and service to America, trying to dually deflect criticism away from himself concerning questions of loyalty and whether he is “patriotic” enough (stemming from the Muslim rumors, the flag pin controversy, etc.) but also to shift his message again towards the coveted center. The chatter about patriotism is meant to blatantly copy with a Democratic twist what Republicans like Bush and other candidates and strategists have used against “out of touch” Dems like John Kerry for years now. It’s all about regaining the high ground - or at least angrily sharing it with the right - on matters of duty and service to country.

But is this really necessary? How much does Obama gain with moderates and swing state independents that he doesn’t lose by either appearing to be straining to cover all of his bases or using the “patriot” question against his opponent - as Wes Clark tried to smear McCain with recently. Doesn’t he then just become a bad imitation of what Democrats have been railing against since at least 2004, and even since Al Gore’s loss to a certain extent?

Looking at excerpts of today’s speech Obama delivered in the battleground state (and very red state) of Colorado, one will find  a startlingly bold move from Obama to tie in his own past and his own “service” to his country (community organizer, advocate for the underprivileged - all a bit of a stretch) with what he sees as the kind of patriotic feelings are stirred in the hearts of Middle Americans.

Barack Obama will call on Americans to serve their country and their communities in a speech scheduled here this afternoon.

“This will not be a call issued in one speech or one program – this will be a central cause of my presidency. We will ask Americans to serve. We will create new opportunities for Americans to serve. And we will direct that service to our most pressing national challenges,” Obama will say, according to his prepared remarks.

Obama plans to dedicate much of his Colorado Spring speech to talking about his own life and how he turned down more profitable jobs to be a community organizer on the South Side of Chicago. The Democrat has spent most of the week trying to relay his biography to skeptical voters in key swing states, first with a speech on Monday on patriotism and on Tuesday by proposing to boost funding for faith-based groups.

“I spent much of my childhood adrift. My father left my mother and me when I was two. My mother remarried, and we lived in Indonesia for a time. But I was mostly raised in Hawaii by my mom and my grandparents from Kansas. Growing up, I wasn’t always sure who I was, or where I was going,” he says, according to the prepared speech.

“But during my first two years of college, perhaps because the values my mother had taught me –hard work, honesty, empathy – had resurfaced after a long hibernation; or perhaps because of the example of wonderful teachers and lasting friends, I began to notice a world beyond myself. And by the time I graduated from college, I was possessed with a crazy idea – that I would work at a grassroots level to bring about change.”

No question that it’s a great story that needs to get out to the public so Obama is seen as less of a “threat” and n unknown figure. But did he have to tie his own bio in with a theme of patriotic service to America? No one is paying attention to the trail this early, but it would a speech that cuts to the root of why voters still don’t trust Obama. They see him as a harbinger of change and a new direction for the country, but they also get a hint of shadiness and that he isn’t being on the level with the common folk. Part of that is related to race - for sure. But there’s another facet that comes from speeches and campaign decisions like his “patriotism tour.”

As a final note, why does anyone need to do a sappy tour like this anyhow? Americans are fed up with government and reeling with rising prices on nearly everything coupled with looming job losses.  Does anyone feel very patriotic right about now?

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