McCain to Obama: Welcome Home, Troop Hater

[Leslie]

John McCain is welcoming Barack Obama back to America with a hard right cross.

The message of the Republican's new attack ad that debuted Saturday both perfects and makes more harsh a theme that his campaign has been developing for weeks: specifically, that the Illinois Democrat does not care about American troops. Drawing from Obama's one tactical misstep during his week-long trip abroad -- a canceled visit with wounded troops in Germany, the cause of which was a debate with the Pentagon over political propriety -- the McCain campaign nevertheless believes they have a useful new plot point at their disposal.



Videos and More at:

Link: McCain to Obama (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/26/mccain-to-obama-welcome-h_n_115143.html)

[Legend]

Videos and More at:

Link: McCain to Obama (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/07/26/mccain-to-obama-welcome-h_n_115143.html)

No surprise. McCain needs to step up the pressure a few more degrees. I have doubts Obama can handle the pressure. Better to see how he reacts now. He does not strike me as very manly. Nice guy may be. But I think he may be weak.

[Osborn F. Enready]

Obama and McCain are equal troop haters, constitution haters, individual rights haters.

A vote for either is a vote for revolution.

[Truth_and_Power]

No surprise. McCain needs to step up the pressure a few more degrees. I have doubts Obama can handle the pressure. Better to see how he reacts now. He does not strike me as very manly. Nice guy may be. But I think he may be weak.


Yes, that's true. He hasn't had any controversy to deal with yet in his campaign, other than race, religion and war. This lapel pin patriotism issue will surely test his mettle the way those other issues have not. /sarc

[potter]

If Obama had gone to visit the wounded troops McCain would have charged Obama with exploiting the suffering of wounded troops to further his campaign.

It was a lose/lose either way. I think Obama was probably better off doing what he did. BTW...I could have sworn I saw a clip of Obama in a large auditorium full of troops that were cheering up a storm for him....:grrrr:

[AlanC]

If Obama had gone to visit the wounded troops McCain would have charged Obama with exploiting the suffering of wounded troops to further his campaign.

It was a lose/lose either way. I think Obama was probably better off doing what he did. BTW...I could have sworn I saw a clip of Obama in a large auditorium full of troops that were cheering up a storm for him....:grrrr:

You are wrong. All Obama had to do was go without the cameras and the news people following, had some private time with the soldiers and then left. There would have been no accusations, because their would have been no photo ops. There would have been no violations of rules, since their would have been no campaigning.

There would have been no opportunity for criticism that would not hurt the one making the charge far more than it would Obama. He missed the chance of a lifetime to gain some respect and dispel any and all stories that he unable to relate to the military. Instead he has confirmed them.

But then that is not why Obama went there in the first place, is it?

[Wndrtch]

No surprise. McCain needs to step up the pressure a few more degrees. I have doubts Obama can handle the pressure. Better to see how he reacts now. He does not strike me as very manly. Nice guy may be. But I think he may be weak.

There are times for "Hawks", and there are times for "Doves".

For now, we need a Hawk.

[Elrathin]

There are times for "Hawks", and there are times for "Doves".

For now, we need a Hawk.

Yeah a hawk, not some aged up pigeon like McCain.

[ilikegw]

Obama was very Sean Penn in his visit to the ME. Cameras tagging along to capture his every move... he is acting more like a snotty celeb than a person running for President.

[DamnYankee]

Obama was very Sean Penn in his visit to the ME. Cameras tagging along to capture his every move... he is acting more like a snotty celeb than a person running for President.

None of it matters to the left.

They look at Obama and see a savior, not a politician.

[Buck Laser]

No surprise. McCain needs to step up the pressure a few more degrees. I have doubts Obama can handle the pressure. Better to see how he reacts now. He does not strike me as very manly. Nice guy may be. But I think he may be weak.
Obama is anything but weak. That's why I've been supporting him since February of 2007. He doesn't lose his temper, either. McCain has a known history of temper rages. Manly, I don't give a shit about, but smart and tough I do care about.

[BoogyMan]

Obama is anything but weak. That's why I've been supporting him since February of 2007. He doesn't lose his temper, either. McCain has a known history of temper rages. Manly, I don't give a shit about, but smart and tough I do care about.

I keep hearing about McCain losing his temper and what a harsh person he is, but I have seen him get asked some pretty hairy questions and the wildest rebuttal I have seen is a bit of snickering.

[DamnYankee]

Obama is anything but weak.

What has he done to suggest he is tough?

[Wndrtch]

Obama is anything but weak. That's why I've been supporting him since February of 2007. He doesn't lose his temper, either. McCain has a known history of temper rages. Manly, I don't give a shit about, but smart and tough I do care about.

Where do you get "tough" from? They guy's caved on almost everything, accept his desire to end world poverty with our money. That on he's still hang'n tough on.

[Easy90]

It's inconceivable that someone like Barack Husein Obama could actually be voted in as president of the United States. But then, I said the same thing about Jimmy Carter. Of course, most of you kiddies were in diapers then. Politics in America is a mysterious thing.

[ilikegw]

I keep hearing about McCain losing his temper and what a harsh person he is, but I have seen him get asked some pretty hairy questions and the wildest rebuttal I have seen is a bit of snickering.


Me either. I've actually been waiting for him to blow his top at some of the idiot hecklers he's been encountering lately. The way they talk about his "rage" you'd think he was known for ripping people's hearts out through their throats.

[Buck Laser]

It's inconceivable that someone like Barack Husein Obama could actually be voted in as president of the United States. But then, I said the same thing about Jimmy Carter. Of course, most of you kiddies were in diapers then. Politics in America is a mysterious thing.

Well Easy, a whole lot of things have happened that were inconceivable to you, so I don't see that as any serious impediment to Senator Obama's election.

By the way, my ol' momma told me that if you mention someone's name, you should always take the trouble to spell it properly. It's H-u-s-s-e-in--two esses there in the middle.

[ilikegw]

What has he done to suggest he is tough?

I guess he thinks he's a bad ass when he talks down about this country and the "typical white person", doesn't hold his hand over his heart during The Pledge or refuses to wear an American flag pin.

[Legend]

Yes, that's true. He hasn't had any controversy to deal with yet in his campaign, other than race, religion and war. This lapel pin patriotism issue will surely test his mettle the way those other issues have not. /sarc

First of all I really don't care who gets elected, there is no difference from any of your candidates. I am just a outside observer.

You can't be serious about any of those charges to qualify any real pressure can you? Come on, Obama has had a pretty easy ride so far. McCain has the uphill battle. He is old, too Bush like, makes many speech mistakes.

I think Hillary gave Obama more pressure then McCain has so far! I swear I was expecting Obama to pee his pants during Hillary's attacks :lmao:

[suedanim]

:grrrr:

McCain's a fuckn liar, so is his campaign staff. They are exhibiting the same lowlife scum tactics typical of all Republican campaigns. Too bad most Republicans are too.... fill in the blank... and suck up everything they are fed by these despicable people.

The ad in question shows Obama playing basketball. The problem for McCain's lying dumbass is that Obama was playing basketball with US troops in Kuwait a week before....and the film was made by the DoD!! :lmao:

McCain and all the sycophants would still be bashing Obama right now... FOR visiting the troops in Germany. Nothing he does will be right in the estimation of those who oppose him. So... this like most everything else the McCain' vicious lying ass throws at Obama is yet another lie, another molehill.


IN ADDITION:

Andea Mitchell was there... and even she disputes McCain's ad and the accusations McCain is making.... so is Chuck Hagel...

This is an outrage that McCain is attacking Obama's patriotism and character. If ANYONE has a character problem its John McCain.

LifsuCdTnXo



Without even this illusory policy difference to flog, McCain had to find another line of attack. His chosen course, as Politico reports this morning (http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=679D4D79-3048-5C12-008AD444C373AA15), is "to employ the tack many strategists see as essential and which anonymous e-mailers and commenters with no apparent links to his campaign have been practicing since last summer: hitting Obama not on his record or his platform, but on his values and person."

McCain's new strategy is on full display in his latest ad, "Troops (video above), which slams Obama for, among other things (http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/stumper/archive/2008/07/18/ad-hawk-bon-voyage-barack.aspx), "ma[king] time to go to the gym, but cancel[ing] a visit with wounded troops" because "the Pentagon wouldn't allow him to bring cameras." McCain's goal here is clear: to paint Obama as an unpatriotic troop-hater. Unfortunately, the accusation is baseless.

It's true that in Germany last week Obama went to the gym and nixed a trip to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. But any resemblance to reality ends there. Late last week, the Pentagon informed Obama that it would regard the foreign policy adviser accompanying him to Landstuhl, Maj Gen. Scott Gration (Ret.), as a campaign staffer. Worried that the visit would be seen as a photo-op, his team called it off. "The last thing that I want to do is have injured soldiers and the staff at these wonderful institutions having to sort through whether this is political or not or get caught in the crossfire between campaigns," the candidate told reporters last week (http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/07/obama-explains.html). In other words, he was afraid that the political spotlight would shine too brightly on the event--not, as McCain alleges, that it wouldn't shine at all. (Landstuhl--like the Combat Support Hospital Obama visited in Iraq (http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/snubbing_wounded_troops.html)--was simply never on the traveling press corps' schedule.) This may expose an excess of caution and concern over appearances. But it doesn't make Obama a troop-snubber.

link (http://www.blog.newsweek.com/blogs/stumper/archive/2008/07/28/why-mccain-s-iraq-attacks-may-hurt-more-than-they-help.aspx)

[Trish]

Oh for pity's sake. This crap is getting tiresome!

First - Senator McCain did not say that Senator Obama was a "troop hater." That term originated with the authors of the OP and the article that sue just quoted. It's THEIR portrayal of what was said - not what was actually said. Agree or disagree with their assessment, we all need to be clear on just who said what about whom!

Second - as AlanC pointed out, this entire mess could have been avoided - with no political gain or loss on either side - if Senator Obama had decided to visit the troops without benefit of any cameras or press coverage. It simply would have been a non-story!

Third - there ARE political motivations behind this decision. Both sides are attempting to use this to their own advantage. Which side is in the "right" depends upon which side is viewing the matter. Senator Obama supporters view it from the perspective that he made his decision to avoid the appearance of his "using" the troop visit for political gain. Senator McCain supporters view this from the perspective that the decision was made because the visit posed no political advantage to Obama without press coverage. Whether one takes the Obama or McCain view, the fact remains this decision WAS politically motivated - period, paragraph, end of story.

This is a political campaign for the highest office in the country. It's going to get dirty - from both sides. Each side is going to use every possible word, deed and action to villianize the opponent and edify itself. From the subtle, tongue-in-cheek, poisonous barbs to the all out, hard-hitting bludgeoning - the "attacks" are going to become more numerous and ugly and they are going to come from both sides. This campaign is going to be no different in that regard to any that came before or any that come after.

[Invayne]

You are wrong. All Obama had to do was go without the cameras and the news people following, had some private time with the soldiers and then left. There would have been no accusations, because their would have been no photo ops. There would have been no violations of rules, since their would have been no campaigning.

There would have been no opportunity for criticism that would not hurt the one making the charge far more than it would Obama. He missed the chance of a lifetime to gain some respect and dispel any and all stories that he unable to relate to the military. Instead he has confirmed them.

But then that is not why Obama went there in the first place, is it?

I would certainly respect him more if he went ahead and visited them. But--OMG! The world wouldn't know about it! So let's not bother....:blah:

[Invayne]

Obama is anything but weak. That's why I've been supporting him since February of 2007. He doesn't lose his temper, either. McCain has a known history of temper rages. Manly, I don't give a shit about, but smart and tough I do care about.

He's anything BUT smart and tough. Disarming America during this day and age is neither smart nor tough.

[Wndrtch]

Well Easy, a whole lot of things have happened that were inconceivable to you, so I don't see that as any serious impediment to Senator Obama's election.

By the way, my ol' momma told me that if you mention someone's name, you should always take the trouble to spell it properly. It's H-u-s-s-e-in--two esses there in the middle.

You're in the sh1thouse now, BOY!

Where's my quote for your sig line! What'up, dog?!

[Wndrtch]

Oh for pity's sake. This crap is getting tiresome!

First - Senator McCain did not say that Senator Obama was a "troop hater." That term originated with the authors of the OP and the article that sue just quoted. It's THEIR portrayal of what was said - not what was actually said. Agree or disagree with their assessment, we all need to be clear on just who said what about whom!

Second - as AlanC pointed out, this entire mess could have been avoided - with no political gain or loss on either side - if Senator Obama had decided to visit the troops without benefit of any cameras or press coverage. It simply would have been a non-story!

Third - there ARE political motivations behind this decision. Both sides are attempting to use this to their own advantage. Which side is in the "right" depends upon which side is viewing the matter. Senator Obama supporters view it from the perspective that he made his decision to avoid the appearance of his "using" the troop visit for political gain. Senator McCain supporters view this from the perspective that the decision was made because the visit posed no political advantage to Obama without press coverage. Whether one takes the Obama or McCain view, the fact remains this decision WAS politically motivated - period, paragraph, end of story.

This is a political campaign for the highest office in the country. It's going to get dirty - from both sides. Each side is going to use every possible word, deed and action to villianize the opponent and edify itself. From the subtle, tongue-in-cheek, poisonous barbs to the all out, hard-hitting bludgeoning - the "attacks" are going to become more numerous and ugly and they are going to come from both sides. This campaign is going to be no different in that regard to any that came before or any that come after.

Conflict is good.

[lily]

I really have to laugh at all of this........McCain is using the troops to make political hay and all you yahoos are falling all over yourself defending him.:madlaugh:

[Defensor]

McCain and Obama both hate the troops; that's why they want them to suffer and die fighting illegal wars in desert hellholes around the world.

[ECW]

Score one for the newbie. Have you met Patrick Henry? He was our resident contrarian until you showed up.

[PatrickHenry]

Defensor, it depends on your definition of "hate."

If hate means a blind bloodthirst and a desire to annihilate, I guess we disagree.

But if hate is more like Hitler's bureaucratic henchmen who cared nothing for the victims of their program and only for their own advancement and little feathered nest, then yeah, those politicians are haters alright.

Hate comes in many flavors and one of the most distasteful is the unconcern for anything except one's "benefactors."