As noted on the weblog Daily Kos, MSNBC Live anchor Amy Robach suggested that protesting President Bush's policies was unpatriotic. Following a live broadcast of President Bush's Independence Day address at West Virginia University, Robach told viewers, “There were a couple of protesters we heard with a few signs, but for the most part, looks like a very patriotic crowd.”
Robach apparently does not believe that one can love one's country while opposing the current president. As The New York Times reported, many of the protesters did, in fact, explicitly state their support for the troops:
Outside the presidential rally in Morgantown, one protester made reference to the [Valerie Plame] case, holding a sign that read: “Jail Karl Rove.”
Several dozen other protesters demonstrated against the war in Iraq, chanting, “Please support our troops, not the president!”
From the July 4, 10 a.m. ET edition of MSNBC Live:
The President there striking a patriotic chord in West Virginia at the West Virginia University. On this Fourth of July during his Independence Day address, he thanked those who have served and who are serving this country. He said that we are all praying for families who have lost loved ones during this time of war -- the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. This, by the way, was Bush's third Independence Day trip to the state of West Virginia, of course, a state that certainly helped him win the election with those five electoral votes, a swing state. Certainly, the key is paying tribute to and thanking clearly for their support of him during his presidential race. And he certainly spoke to those who came out, and many have said they came out to support him. There were a couple of protesters we heard with a few signs, but for the most part, looks like a very patriotic crowd there. Very thankful and excited to see the president of the United States.