The Hannity Challenge: "Can you name any prominent Republican ... that has said that [Obama] is not patriotic?"

Summary: Sean Hannity asked Democratic strategist Michael Brown: "Can you name any prominent Republican that has brought up -- that has said that [Sen. Barack Obama] is not patriotic, or that he's got a funny name, or that he doesn't look like those presidents on dollar bills? Do you know any prominent Republican that has said any of these things?" Indeed, there have been numerous instances of Republicans -- as well as Hannity himself -- who have questioned Obama's patriotism or brought up his "funny name."

On the July 31 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes, co-host Sean Hannity asked Democratic strategist Michael Brown "a very specific question": "Can you name any prominent Republican that has brought up -- that has said that [Sen. Barack Obama] is not patriotic, or that he's got a funny name, or that he doesn't look like those presidents on dollar bills? Do you know any prominent Republican that has said any of these things?" Brown responded, "No, but many Republicans have," later adding, "Republican and conservative websites for more than a year and a half now have been doing that." As Media Matters for America has documented, there have been numerous instances of Republicans, including Republican congressmen -- as well as Hannity himself -- who have questioned Obama's patriotism or brought up his "funny name."

Among the examples:

• As Media Matters documented, TPM Media editor and publisher Josh Marshall noted that on the February 22 edition of HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher, Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) raised the issue of Obama's patriotism, saying that Obama "won't put an American flag lapel pin on his coat" and falsely claiming that Obama "would not say the Pledge of Allegiance." Kingston went on to ask where Obama "stand[s] on America."

• Media Matters also documented comments made by Rep. Steve King (R-IA) to a Spencer, Iowa, radio station and published in a March 8 Spencer Daily Reporter article, stating: "I will tell you that, if [Obama] is elected president, then the radical Islamists, the al-Qaida, the radical Islamists and their supporters, will be dancing in the streets in greater numbers than they did on September 11 because they will declare victory in this War on Terror." The article continued:

King thinks radical Islamists will say the United States has capitulated because the Obama administration would be pulling troops out of any conflict associated with al-Qaida.

"Additionally, his middle name (Hussein) does matter," King said. "It matters because they read a meaning into that in the rest of the world. That has a special meaning to them. They will be dancing in the streets because of his middle name. They will be dancing in the streets because of who his father was and because of his posture that says: Pull out of the Middle East and pull out of this conflict."

Further, Hannity himself has raised questions about Obama's patriotism:

• As Media Matters documented, on his October 4, 2007, radio show, Hannity referred to an interview in which Obama said that he had stopped wearing an American flag pin on his lapel during the lead-up to the Iraq war. Hannity said: "[W]hy do we wear pins? Because our country was under attack. And to politicize once again the war to this extent. Well, who cares about the war? Are you proud of your country? Do you believe in America?" Media Matters noted that Hannity himself has not worn an American flag lapel pin on a number of recent occasions.

• As Media Matters also noted, on the October 23, 2007, edition of Hannity & Colmes, during a discussion of Obama's purported failure to place his hand over his heart during the national anthem at an Iowa campaign event, co-host Alan Colmes responded to the attacks on Obama by showing a photo of President Bush resting his hand on his midsection as the national anthem is reportedly being played. Later, Hannity said: "[F]irst of all, at least the president wasn't making a statement, and he did have his hand over his heart in the right place, Alan," adding: "That was a cheap shot." After Colmes responded, "Obama is a cheap shot," Hannity replied: "No. Obama -- but the difference here is Barack Obama made a statement about the Iraq war with the flag pin. And to not do it here, people are raising questions about why. Is this another statement?"

From the July 31 edition of Fox News' Hannity & Colmes:

OBAMA [video clip]: They know they've got no new ideas. They know they're dredging up all this stale old stuff they've been peddling for the last eight, 10 years. But since they don't have any new ideas, the only strategy they've got in this election is to try to scare you about me. They're gonna try to say that I'm a risky guy. They're gonna try to say, "Well, you know, he's got a funny name, and he doesn't look like all the presidents on the dollar bills and the five dollar bills."

HANNITY: With more of Obama's controversial comments, we are joined by former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, Obama supporter Michael Brown, and the editor of CitizenJanePolitics.com, Patricia Murphy.

Michael Brown, I have a very specific question -- we'll get back to your analysis later: Can you name any prominent Republican that has brought up -- that has said that he is not patriotic, or that he's got a funny name, or that he doesn't look like those presidents on dollar bills? Do you know any prominent Republican that has said any of these things?

BROWN: No, but many Republicans have.

HANNITY: Who?

BROWN: I mean -- and that's the point. I mean, it may not be the prominent -- how you would define "prominent," Sean --

HANNITY: Who? Well, who?

BROWN: -- but the bottom line is --

HANNITY: Can you name me the names? Who?

BROWN: -- Republican and conservative websites for more than a year and a half now have been doing that. I can't put --

HANNITY: Republican and conservative websites -- like what websites?

BROWN: I can't give you exactly a name of a person --

HANNITY: You can't give me a name, a website --

BROWN: -- nor a name of a prominent Republican, that was your question.

HANNITY: Yeah. OK.

BROWN: And I can't give you -- I don't listen to the -- or watch the websites of your friends, so I don't know the names of them.

HANNITY: Oh, by the way, you should hear what --

BROWN: I can't name a prominent Republican.

HANNITY: -- you should hear and read what left-wing websites say about little old me. So they got extremists on both sides.

—M.B.B.