McCain Campaign on Obama and Iraq
This from McCain spokesman Brian Rogers, probably channeling new chief day-to-day strategist Steve Schmidt. Wait. Channeling Schmidt isn’t required. Remember, when Schmidt was a major force in the Bush re-election campaign his question of the day was “what are you doing to leave lead on the target.”
“Since announcing his campaign in 2007, the central premise of Barack Obama’s candidacy was his commitment to begin withdrawing American troops from Iraq immediately. He campaigned in Iowa, New Hampshire and across the country reaffirming this pledge to the American people.
Today, Barack Obama reversed that position proving once again that his words do not matter. He has now adopted John McCain’s position that we cannot risk the progress we have made in Iraq by beginning to withdraw our troops immediately without concern for conditions on the ground. There is nothing wrong with changing your mind when the facts on the ground dictate it. Indeed, the facts have changed because of the success of the surge that John McCain advocated for years and Barack Obama opposed in a position that put politics ahead of country.
Now that Barack Obama has changed course and proven his past positions to be just empty words, we would like to congratulate him for accepting John McCain’s principled stand on this critical national security issue. If he had visited Iraq sooner or actually had a one-on-one meeting with General Petraeus, he would have changed his position long ago.”
re-puke-licans are a complete joke. You should be apologizing for the complete mess you have caused our country. But, I know you all didn’t put the buffoon in the White House, the Supreme Court did.
Thanks for the international mess you made. Thanks for shredding the Constitution. Thanks for paying for the LIE in Iraq with our money.
Oh, and thanks for the real good laugh…Bill O’rielly isn’t rush limbaugh… that was the best so far.
Do our country a favor, shut up and stay home in November…we will fix the mess (as usual).
Major Garrett seems to have some confusion issues. Obama’s stance has long been to remove troops from Iraq as quickly in relation with troop safety. He has always said that the safety and well-being of the troops comes first. For the most part, that does mean removing the troops from conflict, but that requires some troops to stay behind and cover the retreats of others. Obama has never denied the fact that soldiers will remain in Iraq for a few years to come. Of course, anything Obama does has got to be better than McCain’s 100 year plan in Iraq.
Want more endless war, increasing national debt, more tax cuts for the wealthiest in our society, and more coziness to Saudi petro-dictators then vote for McLame who will further the corrupt legacy of the past eight years of Bush/Cheney Republican governance.
Barac Obama is a lier, a cheater, a traitor!
I am no fan of Obama, and even less of his America hating wife, but the McCain campain accusing Obama of inconsistent positions on the issues, is really too much. Hmm….let me see….what about “John boy” flipflopping on what comes first, border security or a path to citizenship for those who break immigration laws? What about drilling for oil offshore? Environmental protection. The list goes on and on where McCain has changed his positions on the issues. Spare us the rank hypocrisy, please. Both sides have changed positions on the issues several times.
Wow. How many lies can the McCain camp spew in one press release? Fact is, Barack said reaffirmed today what his position has always been – be as careful getting out as we were careless getting in.
In fact, he said virtually the same thing on FNS in April. 27. “I will listen to Gen Petraeus given the experience he has accumulated over the last several years. It would be stupid of me to ignore what he has to say. But it is my job as President, it would be my job as Commander in Chief to set the mission. To make the strategic decision in light of the problems we’re having in Afghanistan, in light of the problems we’re having in Pakistan, the fact that al-Qaeda is strengthening as our national intelligence estimates have indicated and I have a whole host of tasks and I have to worry about the military has no strategic reserve right now…”
Looks like the bozos are still at the helm of the McSameOldSameOld campaign operation.
As a bleeding heart liberal, I would have to say withdrawal from Iraq should not be based upon the success or failure of the surge. Our presence there should be based upon facts and our constitution. The facts do not have not ever supported Iraq as intruding enemy.
They have not attacked us and do not have plans to attack us. We should not have a military force in Iraq. Period.
Our constitution supports a militia for defense not offense. Period. We should not be in Iraq with a military force.
Right now we have our military in the black and white gold capitols of the world. Both of these white and black gold commodities are harming our country. Black gold is oil, and white gold is heroin.
What is the American “interests’ in these 2 places? Oil and heroin? We should bring the terrorist responsible for 9/11 to justice. If the Bin Ladden oil cartel is friendly with our Bush oil cartel, we should still bring the Bin Ladden child responsible for the 9/11 attack to justice.
For the last 2 years Obama has had the same policy on the Iraq war. How many times does he have to repeat his stance on this issue? He hasn’t changed one word in all this time and I’ve heard him reiterate his policy over and over again. Bush was an idiot for getting us into Iraq. McSame is a bigger idiot for wanting to keep us there indefinitely. How could any rational person consider allowing four more years of this idiocy?
Why don’t you reporters jack this guy up? I am talking about McSame.
All he does is critisize the other guy.
Why not tell all of us about you and your plans. Huh?
You reporters just help him by being his shill.
If he and his campaign workers and staff think this is going to resonate. They are wrong.
He has forced me and many others to leave the party. He has nothing to offer.
It is your job to do a ‘Russert’ on him and hold him accountable.
Obama goe’s to Iraq one time and know the difference between Sunni and Shia Muslins, McCain goes 8 Freakin times and dosen’t Know Jack. What a waste of Taxpayer Money.
Maybe this explains why Republicans like McCain ran this country into to the ground for the past 8 years without changing course. (Some) republicans are ignorant enough to believe that you cannot change your mind even if the situation changes or facts change. That would certainly explain why John McCain wants to stay in Iraq forever when the actual war on terror is taking place in Afghanistan.
McCain is even foolish enough to believe that Iraq can be occupied like Japan, Germany and South Korea. Maybe he can go back to iraq without an Army of body guards this time and show us that our servicemembers are safe by walking the streets and shaking hands (BY HIMSELF). If he wants to keep our troops over there the least he can do is put his own @ss on the line.
By the way…being a prisoner of war does not qualify McCain to be POTUS. I was in the military of 17 years and 4 combat actions with valor decorations and that does not make me POTUS material. Unlike the rest of us vets we did not turn our battle actions into a political gig and then dumped our wives for a beer fortune.
Thanks fox news for showing that you are a crap news operation incapable of balanced reporting.
Major Garrett is a dishonest windbag. Obama has always said that withdrawal would depend on facts on the ground.
McCain is a HUGE flipflopper and a war monger. He jokes about bomb bomb bombing Iran and has been a LIABILITY to the USA his entire career. He graduate 894 out of 899. Probably received “Affirmative Action” from his Admiral Father and Admiral Grandpa by getting to be a Navy pilot. He crashed 4 planes before being shot down, captured and manipulated by the Viet Cong and their Russian advisors. His anger management problems are well known but his military record remains closed. Gen. Welsley Clark was right-on.
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2008/05/26/does-mccain-have-a-youtube-problem/
Obama 08
There is nothing wrong with changing a position when circusmtances change. To his credit, Obama seems to be an individual who is able to know when “staying the course” will lead to a dead end. The man ought to be applauded!
I’d call this Obama’s “hopeful pragmataticism” …. you probably don’t understand that, being entirely polarizing and all.
“…Leave lead on the target?” !!!!! What, are you out of your mind? You’ve got a lot of nerve using that phrase about an American presidential candidate, Since you are a wordsmith, I have to assume you intended the implications.
That’s not what he said. He said REPEATEDLY that he would have all major combat troops out in 16 months. I don’t understand how you could have typed the transcript from the Q&A and then write something like this.
He had no chance of winning primary by taking McCain’s position. Now primary is over well time for making Iraq as another non-issue so that he can say there is no difference between McCain’s and his position.
Another dirty politician!
Great leaders must be willing to change their positions as and when circumstances change. This is one of the dictums of Sun Tsu, the first military strategist. Obama is smart enough to know that changing tactics when necessary is part of a winning strategy. “Stay the course” has led us into an iceberg!
1rst off, it’s just like fox news to spin things towards the republicans. 2nd, obama has always said his focus would be on withdrawing troops but doing it at a pace that doesnt disrupt the progress iraq is making. if it dictates we need a troop presence then we will have a presence in iraq, i do believe is what he said. fox just likes to spin crap like this so it looks like democrats like to make empty promises and that their words have no meaning, just like umm lets see kerry in 04′.
Why would Obama make the Republican mess worse by pulling troops from Iraq. Perhaps if we were never in Iraq, oil would not be $145.00. Perhaps if we were not in Iraq Bin Laden would be in custody or deceased. And young American lives would not be wasted on a bogus war..
Obama was right at the very first. Iraq was wrong war. Watch Aphganistan battles heat up.
McCain and Bush were wrong in 2003. They are wrong now. Go Obama.
For all the talk of success, we still have a situation where Baghdad neighborhoods are walled off, the ethnic cleansing is almost complete, millions of Iraqis are still refugees, Sadr and his forces are still very powerful, the Sunnis were bought off not defeated, the elected government has ties to Iran, Iraqi civilians are not getting services from the government, etc….
Your soap opera style of reporting this situation is not worthy of professional journalism.
We wouldn’t need a “surge” if we hadn’t invaded another country based on a pack of lies, which John McCain supported. let’s not focus on political pragmatism, when the real focus should be on failed policy from the current president and his supporters, inlcuding Mr McCain.
Oy.
I love the slant on this article. Obama, throughout the whole democratic campaign, has not taken the time to find out the real facts about progress in Iraq. What kind of president will he make? Yes, one can change one’s mind. However, this man deemed to be ready to take control of the country on the 1st day, better learn a whole lot very quickly in a short time. Doubtful! McCain knows what he’s talking about, and Obama finally had to admit it. McCain is the MAN!!!!!
IS THIS REPORTING??? you are a liar and about as unamerican as they come.
Leaving lead on the target? This press release seems more like “spray ‘n pray” to me.
The release tries to do too much. It tries to paint Obama as a “flip-flopper” and it tries to show that McCain was right all along (and therefore Obama’s new position is the right one.)
When someone flip-flops to your position, there is no need to call them a flip-flopper. Congratulate them on seeing the light and remind the country that you were right all along. Let the audience decide if they are really seeing the light or are flip-flopping.
McCain’s problem is that being right on Iraq is really all he has. He is not confident enough to run on any other issues other than national security. Which is a shame, because IMHO McCain has a much better energy plan and a surprisingly good healthcare plan that are both radically different that what Obama proposes.
Of course, it is still early.
More Fox News garbage.
yes, yes, you’re soooo right. I’d feel immaculately safe with McSame as the president.
Well written. As a military serviceman, I can state for a fact that many fellow servicemen will not be re-upping if Obama is elected president. He will put us in more danger by running out on our war early only to bring us back when the situation has worsened. I will not with good conscience be able to salute someone I believe to be a traitor to our country. My family needs me and the unecessary danger he will put all soldiers in is too great to risk my kids being raised without their father. McCain and I definitely do not see eye to eye on a lot of issues, but for the sake of the country and out of respect for the lives sacrificed by my fellow soldiers I wll not hesitate to give McCain my vote in the fall.
rubbish
Mr. Obama should fall under the category of Chameleons. He can easily change his color anytime he finds it convenient. The country will definitely be in grave danger should he ever be elected President of this country. He is at this point an untrustworthy person. A man with no experience in leading this country. A lawmaker who has no major piece of legislation to his credit. The only thing that he possess is being an articulate person. Other than this qualities he is nothing, nada!!!! He is certainly unqualified!!!
Wake America beware of this impostor (Barack Obama) Vote for the true Hero. The man with integrity, strenght of character, trustworthy, conviction. John McCain, the person who can answer the phone call anytime, anywhere and we can all feel secured and safe to make this country safe against terrorist, against threats from rogue nations like North Korea, Iran. John McCain is the man to be. The next President of this great nation.
Hmmm… “withdrawal over X amount” of time to “withdrawal over an amount of time after talking to military commanders” is a “reversal”?
Only on Fox. Unfair and unbalanced as usual. Photoshop any more pictures and present them as news lately?
Democrats work for heaven on earth by peaceful means. Republicans want to rule heaven and earth by force.
Could you, or Fox, be any dumber? Bush is on its way down, and thankfully, so are you.
Major Garrett is a crypt neocon who has little or no regard for accurate reporting.
Did you even listen to Obama’s speech?
He said that the timelines were flexible, and that he would discuss the situation with commanders in the area before changing any policy.
But we can’t expect you to read, can we? You should quit before you get even farther behind.
Yes-s-s-s! You go John. NoCorruptObama.
Yep, you are as stupid as you look!
This article is a lie. Obama has always maintained that withdrawal would be in line with facts on the ground. This latest attempt to smear Obama is more proof that the McCain campaign is desperate and will stoop to outright lies. We’ve had enough of this kind of rotten Republican politics and they cannot be allowed to lie their way into a continuation of power.
F*cK John McCain
Republicans put politics ahead of country when they ordered the military to shift focus from Afghanistan to Iraq before the job was done, and for stated reasons which have proven false. And now Afghanistan is in even worse shape than Iraq. Obama said months ago that we should be as careful about leaving Iraq as we were careless about invading and occupying it. This isn’t news. And you’re not a journalist.
Why dont you post the transcript of the question and answer session from where you derive your opinion? He clearly affirms and reaffirms his pledge to withdraw all troops within 16 months. He reaffirms this over and over.
You state “Now that Barack Obama has changed course and proven his past positions to be just empty words, we would like to congratulate him for accepting John McCain’s principled stand on this critical national security issue.” Did you read the transcript? You state he is changing his course, but Barack Obama only says will refine his policy of bringing home troops DURING the 16 month withdrawel and will rely on military commanders on how to do that safely., (i.e. if it is too dangerous on the ground to bring home 2 brigades during say July 09, he will bring home 1, then reallocate the other brigade during a better month) Regardless of interpretation, in the transcript he says this 4-5 times that he is not changing his plan to withdraw all troops within 16 months” I dont know how that appears to be a change of course in plan?
Again i repeat did you read the transcripts of the question and answer sessions or just read a sentence from another article and assume he is leaving the door open to stay 5-10 years if need be? Obviously if you read the transcript like a professional journalist you or even pull some quotes from the transcripts like a novice jounalist this article might seem professional and not the rant or propaganda article it is.
Finally! The McCain camp is hitting Obmama where they should. On his ridiculous “posiitons” that change more than a pregnant woman changes positions to sleep. This guy Obma is a joke! To see his list of flipflops just visit the No quarter USA site and see it – amazing!
By somehow taking a trip or two to the Middle East, Obama believes, as does his media, that this would “move to close the foreign policy gap”? Are you kidding me? Does anyone with a brain see why this is a problem? A trip to a foreign country does not an expert make or certainly not position an inexperienced typical politician to run the country! So, I went to Europe on a semester abroad program in college. I suppose that makes me well-positioned to be Obama’s EU advisor?
We former democrats & Independents of every race, ethnicity, age and gender who don’t support Obama are growing stronger and more numerous by the day. Whether it is articles like those that highlight what is terribly wrong with this candidate, or his flip-flopping, or lies (you will be appalled at what the MSM is not investigating in detail) or frankly appalling associations.
There is no way this country needs another inexperienced, “uniter” who does more to divide than unite. See the former Democratic party as case in point. Bush ran on a similar resume (at least that schmuck had executive experience) and claimed to be a “uniter not a divider”.
Obama beat Clinton with the help of the media, the pundits, the DNC and the party “elite” by systematically doing what the RNP did in 2000, screwing the voters, only the DNC did it to their own! Impressive! I never would have thought I had seen the day when the democratic party would say “hey, what do 2.3 million voters know? We’re going to meet in a back room for “lunch” in violation of the Sunshine laws on open meetings, decide to allocate delegates for Obama (4) that were actually won by Hillary. Then, in their infinite wisdom, take all uncommitted votes from MI and for the first time ever, allocate those to a candidate who wasn’t even on the ballot!
So, when anyone wonders why the PUMA (Part Unity My A@@) movement and the JustSayNoDeal coalition is growing in numbers daily, just take a second to swallow this delightful little pill: your vote, my vote and any ONE person’s vote means nothing. It means some party elites can decide who you “should” vote for, who you “meant” to vote for, and that a person in another state actually has twice the value that you do, as a voter (see the DNC’s ruling on weighted delegates for “loyal democrat areas”).
THAT, my friends, is why we are not getting behind the DNC’s Selected candidate. It is much much bigger than Hillary, or Barack, or John. it is about Democary, get it?!
McCain is the lesser of two evils and at least we can trust the man when he says something. Nobama, no way!
Thank you DNC for giving so many Democrat votes to McCain. I’m sure its what you wanted, by how you PUSHED Hillary Clinton out! My question to the DNC is: From who? and how much did you make off that deal?
I would have voted for Obama if he were stable on how he stands on the big issues, but he keeps Altering/Re-fining/Adjusting/changing his stance on most issues (so far). Nafta, Gun Control, Abortion, and now the Iraq War. He can word it any way he wants to to fool the young nieve Obama followers, but when it comes down to it, he has CHANGED his mind on all of these issues (and I’m sure I missed one or two not mentioned) to get votes. His stance on Issues that actually got him votes over Hillary Clinton. What do you expect. He is the KING OF CHANGE!
Why in the heck do we even need Deligates, and Super Deligates this day and age? Every American has the ability to place their own vote. We don’t need a hand full of easily bribable people to represent us any more. This is not the Horse and Buggy days!
It’s easy to bribe a hand full of People, but it is impossible to bribe every American!
These comments are definitely showing how divided we are on who would make the better president. I have more trust in Senator McCain – he has shown us with his bravery and courage when he was a POW – and none of us can say what we would have done unless we were in his “shoes”. Also, I agree with him on most of his policies and believe he will put our country first and do what is best for all of us.
I think Steve Schmidt is a little bit Yul Brenner, a little Telly Savalas, and a dash of Leonard “Gomer Pyle” Lawrence. Amiright? http://www.236.com/news/2008/07/03/mccain_campaign_taken_over_bys_7521.php
[...] and distressful that Obama is seeming to allow McCain to tell lies about what he’s saying. McCain Campaign on Obama and Iraq Major Garrett’s Bourbon Room FOXNews.com [...]
How is this news?
That McCain spokesman spews a load of forced garbage about Obama and
Fox News reports it slavishly. That’s not news at all.
Why don’t you people just disappear? Have you any idea how many billions
of dollars wastage and hundreds of thousands of deaths have been caused
by your mindless immoral propogandising for Republicans and Bush.
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DEATHS – INNOCENT PEOPLE, NOT TERRORISTS!!!
$1.3 TRILLION DOLLARS!!!
*************YOU ARE GUILTY**************
****************YES YOU!!!*****************
This July 4th We give a shout out to not only our Troops in Iraq, but also the 29,978 US wounded and Over 40,000 to 70,000 are with post traumatic stress, many who are marching by in a 4th of July parade all across America. I wanted to share this -
Obama says America’s veterans deserve better. Posted by Scott Helman, Political Reporter.
In a speech in Fargo, N.D., Obama touted his work in the Senate on veterans issues and pledged to do better by them if he becomes president. He reiterated earlier vows to improve the Veterans Affairs system with more funding, end homelessness among veterans, and pay appropriate attention to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.
Honoring American ideals, Obama said, “requires more than saluting our veterans as they march by in a 4th of July parade. It requires only sending them to war when we must, and giving them the equipment they need to complete their mission safely. It requires giving them the care and benefits they have earned. And it requires standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our veterans and their families after the guns fall silent and the cameras are turned off.”
Obama cited what he called “deplorable conditions” at military facilities such as Fort Bragg and Walter Reed, and the “broken bureaucracy of the VA.”
“It doesn’t have to be this way. Not in this country,” he said, according to prepared remarks. “There are many aspects of the war in Iraq that have gone inalterably wrong, but caring for our veterans is one thing we can still get right.”
McCain has what it takes to be resolute, steadfast & transparent, able to stand above self interest, party & do what is right, not what will get you elected. Yes, change is a constant but without experience or steel, you not only cannot differentiate between advices which all make sense, change the wrong things & destroy the valuable for the sake of change. If McCain is NOT elected, the American people will find themselves in the same Las Vegas marriage much like Britney Spears did, with more far reaching consequences.
McCain has what it takes to be resolute, steadfast & transparent, able to stand above self interest, party & do what is right, not what will get you elected. Yes, change is a constant but without experience or steel, you not only cannot differentiate between advices which all make sense, change the wrong things & destroy the valuable for the sake of change. If McCain is NOT elected, the American people will find themselves in the same Las Vegas marriage much like Britney Spears did, with more far reaching consequences.
No matter what position you have had in this war, Obama is lucky that the surge infact worked. I’ll take Obama for his word that he has always advocated a quick withdraw of troops from Iraq and will honor his promise if elected.
Remember that Obama was against the surge and his intentions in 2007 were to end the war by immediately withdrawing the troops. Can you imagine the chaos and disaster that would have created in Iraq not to mention the safety of our troops waiting for departure. Iran would have been licking their chops. You think the price of oil is high now! Look at the great sacrifices that would have been lost.
Obama is indeed lucky today. I don’t doubt that a peaceful withdrawl of troops in 2009 in a relatively stable Iraq is going to happen regardless of who is president. Obama should get no credit for his stance on the Iraq war. McCain must be pulling hair out.
Hi webmaster!
If Obama becomes president, this whole country will go curropt! and I’m a democrat…
Obama is a mess, a lie, and an idiot!
Katia…
The difference between school and life? In school, you’re taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you’re given a test that teaches you a lesson….