Campaigns feud over bags of U.S. flags

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The McCain and Obama campaigns are feuding about the flag.

The spat began at an airport rally for McCain and running mate Sarah Palin. Before the Republican presidential ticket took the stage, radio personality Dan Caplis said veterans were going to give the crowd thousands of small U.S. flags that were discarded and rescued from Obama's Democratic National Convention rally in Denver.

McCain supporters said a vendor supposedly found trash bags full of flags in and around garbage bins after the convention, recovered them and gave them to the McCain campaign.

"We want to find good homes for these flags," Caplis said as veterans carrying plastic garbage bags full of neatly rolled flags distributed them.

A Democratic National Committee spokeswoman said the flags were snatched — not discarded — from Invesco Field.

"American flags were proudly waved by the 75,000 people who joined Barack Obama at the Democratic National Convention," said Karen Finney, a Democratic National Committee spokeswoman. McCain "supporters wrongfully took leftover bundles of our flags from the stadium to play out a cheap political stunt."

Clinton sidesteps questions on Palin

NEW YORK — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton marched for labor and stumped with Democrats on Saturday but sidestepped questions about Republican vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin.

"This election is about issues, and that's what's going to matter to people at the end of the day," she said after being asked about the Alaska governor.

She only mentioned Palin by name once, at a labor breakfast, when she uttered a modified version of a line from her speech at the Democratic National Convention: "No way, no how, no McCain, no Palin."

Seattle Times news services