2008 Presidental Election: Obama v McCain

Carnivore wrote: The Iraq-Pakistan border, huh?

eggcream wrote: Who was it that said he visited 57 states? Uh Uh UhUhbama that's who. The idiot said Wed: "cited a bill "we passed" just last week tightening sanctions against Iran in the Senate Banking Committee -- "my committee." He's not on this committee. Audacity of a fucking dope.

Why didn't he give his speech in German? He trashed Americans for not speaking a foreign language.

Without a teleprompter he's an empty suit.

queencallipygos wrote: [quote=eggcream]Who was it that said he visited 57 states? Uh Uh UhUhbama that's who. The idiot said Wed: "cited a bill "we passed" just last week tightening sanctions against Iran in the Senate Banking Committee -- "my committee." He's not on this committee. Audacity of a fucking dope.

18 wrote: McCain’s Votes against Funding for the Troops[/size]

Today, John McCain gave a speech where he tried to paint Barack Obama as opposed to funding for the troops. In response the Obama campaign released a list of McCain’s votes against funding for the troops. Let’s take a look at some of those votes.

In his speech at the American GI Forum, McCain said about Obama, “And as our troops took the fight to the enemy, Senator Obama tried to cut off funding for them. He was one of only 14 senators to vote against the emergency funding in May 2007 that supported our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. He would choose to lose in Iraq in hopes of winning in Afghanistan. But had his position been adopted, we would have lost both wars.”

From the Obama campaign here is a list of some of the things McCain voted against, “Obama Voted for and McCain Voted Against $360 Million for Armored Vehicles for Troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2005, Obama voted for and McCain voted against providing $360.8 million for armored tactical wheeled vehicles for units deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan and $5 million to establish ballistics engineering research centers at two major research institutions. The measure against which McCain voted also required such centers to advance knowledge and application of ballistics materials and procedures to improve the safety of land-based military vehicles. [HR 2863, Vote 248, 10/5/05, Passed 56-43: R 13-42 D 42-1 I 1-0]”

McCain voted twice against repealing the capital gains tax cut and applying the savings to replace equipment used by the Army and Marines in Iraq and Afghanistan, “A week later, prior to the issuance of a conference report regarding that measure, Obama voted for and McCain voted against a measure to “insist that conference report include funding to strengthen America’s military, as contained in Senate-passed amendment, instead of any extension of tax cuts for capital gains and dividends (which do not expire until 2009), as contained in House-passed bill.” [HR 4297, Vote 8, 2/2/06, Passed 44-53: R 1-52 D 42-1 I 1-0; HR 4297, Vote 18, 2/14/06, Failed 45-55: R 1-54 D 43-1 I 1-0]”

McCain voted against providing an additional $322 million for troop equipment and body armor. [S 1689, Vote 376, 10/2/03, Passed 49-37: R 46-0 D 2-37 I 1-0; National Journal’s CongressDaily, 10/3/03]. He also voted against $1 billion in new equipment for the National Guard. . [S 762, Vote 116, 4/2/03, Passed 52-47: R 51-0 D 1-46 I 0-1]

McCain also has numerous votes against increased funding for veterans’ health care. [HR 4297, Vote 7, Failed 44-53: R 1-52; D 42-1 (ND 38-1, SD 4-0); I 1-0; 2/2/06 HR 4939, Vote 98, 4/26/06, Passed 84-13, D 41-0; R 42-13; I 1-0; The Independent Budget, A Budget for Veterans by Veterans, 2/10/06; Newsweek, 1/19/06] McCain did vote for tripling veterans’ health care fees, while he opposed increased funding for veterans’ health care.

So, John McCain, this supposed friend of the troops and American patriot has voted against equipment, medical care, and the new GI Bill for the troops. It seems that in McCain’s eyes the troops are only good for fighting. He doesn’t care if they have the right equipment while they are in battle or the proper care when they come home. If this is the definition of a patriot, then I would rather do the right thing by the people in the military and be called a traitor. John McCain was a hero as a soldier, but he has betrayed a generation of those who serve, by putting his own ambitions ahead of his moral duty to those who serve.

Boygabriel wrote: Which candidate is the foreign policy expert? I get so confused sometimes!?

July 23, 2008
CBS covers-up humiliating McCain error, misleads national audience
Posted July 23rd, 2008 at 9:00 am

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Following up on the last post, John McCain, in response to a question from CBS anchor Katie Couric, demonstrated bizarre confusion about the basics of the U.S. surge policy in Iraq. McCain got the basic timeline and history of the surge backwards, insisting that the surge prompted the Anbar Awakening, which is the opposite of reality.

Given that McCain is betting his entire campaign on the surge and his expertise, I argued that this mistake is arguably the most serious by a presidential candidate in years.

Which is why it’s more than a little odd that CBS News not only edited McCain’s humiliating error out of its broadcast, but even shuffled the interview around to make McCain’s response less ridiculous.

For those of you who can’t watch clips online, the video shows a report — partially from MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann and partially from The Jed Report — that shows, side-by-side, the original CBS News interview, and what CBS News actually aired.

The network showed viewers Couric’s question in full, but instead of airing McCain’s actual response — the one that showed McCain getting the basics of the surge backwards — CBS took a different answer to a different question and pasted it into the broadcast, leaving viewers with the impression that it was McCain’s actual response to Couric’s inquiry.

Someone needs to lose their job over this.

It’s curious, to put it mildly, on multiple levels.

Why would CBS News cover-up arguably the biggest candidate error of the entire presidential campaign?

Why would CBS News mix-and-match McCain’s responses to make him appear less incompetent?

Why would CBS News broadcast a question but not the answer to the question?

Why would CBS News post the entire actual interview online, making it easy for us to see their mischief?

Why would CBS News deliberately take the most newsworthy element of the interview, and leave it on the editing room floor?

Why didn’t Katie Couric hear McCain’s ridiculous answer, and ask a follow-up question seeking clarification?

On balance, McCain’s striking ignorance is clearly more important than CBS News’ journalistic malpractice. But it’s nevertheless hard to know what the network was thinking.

I’d just add that around the same time that McCain was demonstrating scandalous ignorance about U.S. policy in Iraq, and CBS News was covering that ignorance up, McCain’s campaign was whining about the media going easy on Barack Obama. The irony is rich.

modsquad wrote: have you guys considered the fact the only question Obama has been asked in the last 48 hrs is "Since the serge is working how would you of voted if you could vote again?' That's going to dog him long after the pretty pictures from Berlin.
What is it about Obama that whips you guys into such a froth? He's a politician like anyone else running for office. Why is it necessary to paint McCain as the scumbag of the universe to justify Obama as the best choice.
I don't think Obama is a "closer". He had a hell of a time putting that carpetbagger slut in her place. Did I say that?