"This is a phony issue. . . . I've been saying the pledge since I was, what, 4?" he said to applause. "So I make this comment and suddenly a bunch of these TV commentators and bloggers say, 'Obama is disrespecting people who wear flag pins.' Well, that's just not true. Another way of saying it is: It's a lie. So . . . don't listen to them. Look at what I do and what I say and my commitment to making this a stronger country. I get pretty fed up with people questioning my patriotism, especially a bunch of folks who have instituted policies that have made America weaker. I am happy to have that debate with them, any place, any time. All right?"

At Mr. Obama's first stop in the state on Friday, a rally in Charlotte, most seats in the Cricket Arena were filled with black supporters. Yet many of the seats directly behind Mr. Obama - in the view of news cameras - were filled by white supporters.