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Vote Vets Come Down On McCain Iraq Policy
The ad features Brandon Woods, an Iraq War veteran from New York .
In the ad, Brandon says, "What did we fight for in Iraq ? I have some idea. I fought in Operation Iraqi Freedom. And "freedom" means when the Iraqi people and their Prime Minister ask us to make a plan to leave, we do. But, Senator McCain would occupy Iraq indefinitely, against their wishes. That's not what freedom means. That's not what we fought for. Senator, I thought you would know better." The ad features Brandon Woods, an Iraq War veteran from New York . ... more -
The People Get What They Deserve
I have an axiom I often apply to companies, but that seems to fit the presidential race pretty well too - "You only have to suck marginally less than your competitor to be a success." I have an axiom I often apply to companies, but that seems to fit the presidential race pretty well too - "You only have to suck margi... more
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McCain Denies He Misstated Timing of Iraq Surge
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Republican John McCain pushed back on Wednesday against Democratic criticism that he misstated when the troop buildup ordered by President Bush began, saying elements were put in place before Bush announced the strategy in early 2007.
He told reporters during an unscheduled stop in a super market that, what the Bush administration calls "the surge" was actually "made up of a number of components," some of which began before the president's order for more troops.
It's all a matter of semantics, he suggested.
McCain said Army Col. Sean MacFarland started carrying out elements of a new counterinsurgency strategy as early as December 2006.
At issue are McCain's comments in a Tuesday interview with CBS. The Arizona senator disputed Democrat Barack Obama's contention that a Sunni revolt against al-Qaida combined with the dispatch of thousands more U.S. combat troops to Iraq to produce the improved security situation there. McCain called that a "false depiction."
Democrats jumped on his comments. They said McCain's remarks showed he was out of touch, because the rebellion of U.S.-backed Sunni sheiks against al-Qaida terrorists in Iraq's Anbar province was under way well before Bush announced in January 2007 his decision to send 30,000 additional U.S. troops to Iraq.
Continued story at the link. BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Republican John McCain pushed back on Wednesday against Democratic criticism that he misstated when the troop buildu... more -
Iraq Veteran Takes On McCain In New Ad
The independent group, VoteVets, will begin running a new television ad this week that features an Iraq war veteran who asserts that if elected, Senator John McCain “would occupy Iraq indefinitely,” against the wishes of the Iraqi people. The independent group, VoteVets, will begin running a new television ad this week that features an Iraq war veteran who asserts that i... more
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Obama's overseas success sends McCain scrambling
For months, McCain asked for it. On its website, the GOP set up a counter to track how long it had been since the last time it happened. McCain's supporters called for Barack Obama to halt all criticism of the War in Iraq until it took place. But now that Obama has begun his overseas tour, McCain is scrambling. For months, McCain asked for it. On its website, the GOP set up a counter to track how long it had been since the last time it happene... more
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A McCain Iraq Chronology in Question
In an interview Tuesday night with Katie Couric, Senator John McCain scolded Senator Barack Obama for getting his history wrong. But it appears that Mr. McCain might himself have inaccurately described the timing of a scene-changing development in Iraq.
Mr. McCain has been critical of Mr. Obama for refusing to acknowledge that the troop buildup had stabilized conditions in Iraq. Rather, Mr. Obama credited the “awakening,” a movement of Sunni Iraqis patrolling their own neighborhoods to root out extremists and members of Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia. The initiative, backed by the United States, began in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, and has since spread throughout the country, including Baghdad.
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Another Senior Moment from McCain? In an interview Tuesday night with Katie Couric, Senator John McCain scolded Senator Barack Obama for getting his history wrong. But ... more -
McCain credits Bush for drop in oil price
I would like to believe that Presidential spokeswoman Dana Perino was right in saying the diminishing demand for oil is the real reason behind this drop in crude oil prices. Maybe some time in the near future there will be so little demand for oil that, eventually, they won't be able to give it away. I would like to believe that Presidential spokeswoman Dana Perino was right in saying the diminishing demand for oil is the real reaso... more
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McCain attacks Obama's Holocaust statement
The McCain campaign implied on Wednesday that Barack Obama's commitment to preventing a future genocide was not sincere, attacking the Democratic candidate during his appearance at the Israeli Holocaust Memorial Yad Vashem.
In an early morning press release, entitled Obama on Genocide, McCain aide Tucker Bounds emailed reporters a quote from Obama's appearance in which the Illinois Democrat reiterated the cry "never again." He followed that quote with one taken a year ago from an interview that the Senator gave with the Associated Press in which he said that genocide or humanitarian crises were not a prerequisite for keeping U.S. troops in Iraq (a statement he has since walked back)
"Well, look, if that's the criteria by which we are making decisions on the deployment of U.S. forces," said Obama, "then by that argument you would have 300,000 troops in the Congo right now."
The message was fairly explicit: Obama's commitment to stopping future Holocausts is in doubt. Asked for clarification, McCain aide Michael Goldfarb responded:
"Today he says 'never again.' A year ago stopping genocide wasn't a good enough reason to keep U.S. forces in Iraq. Doesn't that strike you as inconsistent?"
It's a heavy charge to make, not least because Obama had just wrapped up his visit to the Holocaust memorial. In addition, there are, for better or worse, outstanding implications when discussing genocide when it comes to Jews -- and the insertion of the issue into the presidential campaign will border for some, on the taboo. Moreover, on the topic of Iraq, Obama has said he would leave a residual force to intervene in potential humanitarian crises and that he reserves the right to intervene militarily with international partners in order to "suppress potential genocidal violence within Iraq."
"I'd love to know more about Obama's residual force," said Goldfarb, when asked about it. "How big is it, where is it based, what is its mission, how long will it remain in Iraq? Nobody knows the answers to those questions, and I'd encourage the Huffington Post to inquire further with the Obama campaign."
Obama on Genocide
Obama today at Yad Vashem:
"Let our children come here and know this history so they can add their voices to proclaim 'never again.' And may we remember those who perished, not only as victims but also as individuals who hoped and loved and dreamed like us and who have become symbols of the human spirit."
Obama on July 20, 2007:
Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama said Thursday the United States cannot use its military to solve humanitarian problems and that preventing a potential genocide in Iraq isn't a good enough reason to keep U.S. forces there.
"Well, look, if that's the criteria by which we are making decisions on the deployment of U.S. forces, then by that argument you would have 300,000 troops in the Congo right now -- where millions have been slaughtered as a consequence of ethnic strife -- which we haven't done," Obama said in an interview with The Associated Press. The McCain campaign implied on Wednesday that Barack Obama's commitment to preventing a future genocide was not sincere, attacking the... more -
McCain lashes out at US media for Obama bias
Republican presidential candidate John McCain vented his bile at the US media yesterday, criticizing its vigorous coverage of Barack Obama's Middle East tour, which seems to have eclipsed his own campaign.
Earlier this week, an article McCain submitted to the New York Times was reported to have been rejected by the flagship newspaper.
Astoundingly, he has even launched a web video, 'Obama love', quoting television anchors and journalists which he regards as biased towards the Democrat hopeful. His campaign team has complained repeatedly that the US media is behaving as if the election is a foregone conclusion.
Much more at the link! Republican presidential candidate John McCain vented his bile at the US media yesterday, criticizing its vigorous coverage of Barack O... more -
Obama's star status frustrating McCain
John McCain has attempted to distract from Barack Obama's tour of the Middle East and Europe by attacking his foreign policy record. But he's failing to take the shine off the Democratic candidate in the US election. The Republican has a problem.
t was the ultimate humiliation for an author. The submitted essay didn't provide enough information, the newspaper wrote in its rejection. The article could not be accepted as written, the opinion page editor wrote.
The rejection came on Friday in an email and has only now come to light. The newspaper was the New York Times, and the luckless author was Republican presidential candidate John McCain.
These are hard times for him. Rival Barack Obama is scoring campaign points against him on his current international tour which has turned into the media event of the summer in the US thanks to good PR choreography, a backdrop of strong public support wherever he goes, and a favorable news environment.
Obama's brief visits to Afghanistan and Iraq, the backing of Iraqi premier Nuri al-Maliki (more...) for Obama's 16-month US troop withdrawal plan and the prospect of a rapturous welcome in Germany (more...) -- these are getting top media coverage in America and bestowing superstar status on the Democratic candidate.
Read more... John McCain has attempted to distract from Barack Obama's tour of the Middle East and Europe by attacking his foreign policy record. B... more -
CBS edits McCain gaffe on Iraq
In an interview with Katie Curic this evening Sen. McCain, in response to Sen. Obama's assertion that conditions may have improved in Iraq regardless of the surge, claimed the Sunni awakening that pitted them against the Al Qaeda insurrection happened as a result of the surge. Stating it was a simple matter of historic fact McCain feigned to not understand how Obama could make such a gaffe. The only problem, or rather the latest problem, is the surge hadn't happened when the Sunnis turned against Al Qaeda in Iraq. In an interview with Katie Curic this evening Sen. McCain, in response to Sen. Obama's assertion that conditions may have improved in ... more
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Vanity Fair satirizes McCain
When the New Yorker came out with a cartoon on its cover of the Obamas as fist-bumping militants (complete with a burning flag), the blogosphere wondered if the magazine or someone else would come up with a satirical cover of John McCain. Well, Vanity Fair did just now.
The magazine posted a cartoon on its website featuring John McCain holding a walker with one hand and giving the fist bump to a pill-popping (well pill-holding) Cindy McCain. The Constitution burns in the fireplace of the Oval Office while a painting of George W. Bush hangs on the wall.
In a short accompanying article, Vanity Fair speaks of it's "affectionate rivalry" with the New Yorker. (They share a building and play softball against eachother).
"We had our own presidential campaign cover in the works, which explored a different facet of the Politics of Fear, but we shelved it when The New Yorker's became the "It Girl" of the blogosphere," Vanity Fair writes. "Now, however, in a selfless act of solidarity with our downstairs neighbors here at the Condé Nast building, we'd like to share it with you. Confidentially, of course." When the New Yorker came out with a cartoon on its cover of the Obamas as fist-bumping militants (complete with a burning flag), the b... more -
It Only Matters Who Has the Best Line of Shite
Not long ago John McCain gloried in the reflected glow of the media. He gave them unprecedented access and in return, got good press. In new ads, McC carps about the O-Man getting all the props now. Not long ago John McCain gloried in the reflected glow of the media. He gave them unprecedented access and in return, got good press. ... more
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Is Barack Obama too young to be president?
Today's Chicago Tribune has an op-ed column by Seven Calabresi, who is a professor @ Northwestern University's Law School, a founding member of the Federalist Society, and a veteran of the Reagan and Bush Sr. administrations. He asserts that Sen.Obama is too young to be president. Minimum age is 35... I thought his column was so asinine that it called for a response. Today's Chicago Tribune has an op-ed column by Seven Calabresi, who is a professor @ Northwestern University's Law School, a founding ... more
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Breaking News CNN: Volunteer tells McCain to get new staff
It was a statement that a McCain town-hall participant said would land her on the campaign's "s**t list." A woman identified herself as a volunteer for his campaign, and said she had come to believe it was time McCain hires a new staff in the state. It was a statement that a McCain town-hall participant said would land her on the campaign's "s**t list." A woman identified herself ... more
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Cindy McCain’s License Plate Promotes Drug Use.
Many grumblers are peeved that she’s promoting Budweiser and that it’s more addictive than pot. But Bud
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Tending the Back 40 vs Democracy
Ever wonder why we hold major elections onTuesdays? It's pretty much the same reason we have summer vacation from school and day light savings time in some areas. It was all designed to help farmers tend to their crops. Given the vast majority of us don't even mow our lawns these days a change in format that would make it easier for the majority to vote would seem in order. Of course lesser turn out tends to benefit weaker politicians (fewer people to fool possibly) so the movement has had trouble gaining traction. Ever wonder why we hold major elections onTuesdays? It's pretty much the same reason we have summer vacation from school and day light... more
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New York Times rejects McCain essay
The New York Times has rejected an essay that Sen. John McCain wrote defending his Iraq war policy.
Sen. John McCain wrote an op-ed for The New York Times, but the paper said it could not publish it as written.
The piece was in response to an op-ed from Sen. Barack Obama that was published in the paper last week.
In an e-mail to the McCain campaign, Opinion Page Editor David Shipley said he could not accept the piece as written, but would be "pleased, though, to look at another draft."
"Let me suggest an approach," he wrote Friday. "The Obama piece worked for me because it offered new information (it appeared before his speech); while Senator Obama discussed Senator McCain, he also went into detail about his own plans. It would be terrific to have an article from Senator McCain that mirrors Senator Obama's piece." Read McCain's rejected piece
In a statement released Monday, The New York Times said it is "standard procedure on our Op-Ed page, and that of other newspapers, to go back and forth with an author on his or her submission."
"We look forward to publishing Senator McCain's views in our paper just as we have in the past. We have published at least seven Op-Ed pieces by Senator McCain since 1996. The New York Times endorsed Senator McCain as the Republican candidate in the presidential primaries. We take his views very seriously," the statement said.
McCain's rejected op-ed was a lengthy critique of Obama's positions on Iraq policy, particularly his view of the surge.
Obama's July 14 essay had taken shots at McCain for not further encouraging the Iraqi government to take control of the country.
"Instead of seizing the moment and encouraging Iraqis to step up, the Bush administration and Senator McCain are refusing to embrace this transition -- despite their previous commitments to respect the will of Iraq's sovereign government," Obama wrote in his op-ed.
"They call any timetable for the removal of American troops 'surrender,' even though we would be turning Iraq over to a sovereign Iraqi government." Read Obama's essay
Shipley, who was President Bill Clinton's senior speechwriter from 1995 to 1997, had advised the McCain campaign that "the article would have to articulate, in concrete terms, how Senator McCain defines victory in Iraq.
"It would also have to lay out a clear plan for achieving victory -- with troops levels, timetables and measures for compelling the Iraqis to cooperate. And it would need to describe the senator's Afghanistan strategy, spelling out how it meshes with his Iraq plan."
He added that he hoped the parties could "find a way to bring this to a happy resolution."
McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds said Monday the Arizona senator's position will not change based on the "demands of the New York Times."
"John McCain believes that victory in Iraq must be based on conditions on the ground, not arbitrary timetables," he said. "Unlike Barack Obama, that position will not change based on politics or the demands of the New York Times."
The newspaper endorsed McCain for the Republican presidential nomination in January, shortly before the New York primary.
The New York Times has rejected an essay that Sen. John McCain wrote defending his Iraq war policy. ... more -
Obama leads MCain by 46 points among LGBT adults
According to Harris Interactive, in a four-way race, Barack Obama leads John McCain among registered voters 44% to 35%, while Bob Barr, the Libertarian candidate, and Ralph Nader each receive 2%. Sixteen percent of registered voters are not sure whom they will vote for yet.
Among gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender adults, 60% favor Obama, while 14% favor McCain. Three percent of GLBT adults favor Barr, while 1% choose Nader. Six percent choose “other,” while 17% of all GLBT voters are not yet sure which candidate to support -- comparable to the percentage of undecided voters in the general population.
Among independents, Obama has a 12-point lead (38% to 26%), but one quarter of independents (25%) are not sure; 4% would vote for Bob Barr, and 3% for Ralph Nader.
The findings also show that 90% of African-Americans are voting for Obama, as are six in ten Hispanics. Whites, however, are leaning toward McCain over Senator Obama (40% versus 34%).
The results of this Harris Poll were compiled from 2,690 U.S. adults surveyed online by Harris Interactive July 3–11.
(The Advocate) According to Harris Interactive, in a four-way race, Barack Obama leads John McCain among registered voters 44% to 35%, while Bob Barr... more -
Crystal Ball or Common Sense
Sen. Barack Obama touted setting a timetable for leaving Iraq and beefing up forces in Afghanistan a full year ahead of anyone else. While others were beating the faux patriotic drum wrapped in the flag Obama was breaking it down with actual straight talk.
The humorous aspect is watching the current administration and the presumptive Republican nominee try to spin the affirmation of Sen. Obama's foreign policy credentials by the President of the country we're occupying. It's hard to drive the "Straight Talk Express" straight with all the wheels spinning in different directions. Sen. Barack Obama touted setting a timetable for leaving Iraq and beefing up forces in Afghanistan a full year ahead of anyone else. W... more
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