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Power, pop, and probings from ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Jake Tapper
Jake Tapper is ABC News' Senior White House Correspondent based in the network's Washington bureau. He writes about politics and popular culture and covers a range of national stories.
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McCain on Obama and Clinton
May 25, 2007 12:10 PM
"It's the height of irresponsibility," Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said of the votes cast by Sens. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, and Barack Obama, D-Illinois, against the US troop funding bill last night.
After all, he argued, US troops "are going to be there" in Iraq. "That was decided over the past several months in this stand-off with the president."
McCain told us he was surprised that Obama and Clinton voted the way they did.
"They understand the situation, they understand that men and women are over there serving and they have to be provided for with whatever's necessary."
"Everybody knows now after this long stand-off that the troops will remain there, they will not be withdrawn in a short period of time and to deny them the funding to defend themselves and to carry out the mission is unfathomable to me," McCain said. "I don't understand it and I think it's an abrogation of our responsibilities to the men and women who are serving our country in uniform."
After Obama told the Associated Press last month "that nobody wants to play chicken with our troops on the ground,'' seeming to imply that he would ultimately vote for a troop funding bill without timetables for US troop withdrawal if need be, McCain praised him, saying "Democrats in Congress will heed the advice of one of their leading candidates for president, Sen. Obama, and immediately pass a new bill to provide support to our troops in Iraq without substituting their partisan interests for those of our troops and our country."
McCain today wouldn't hazzard a guess as to what seemingly changed Obama's mind.
"I can't fathom the motives," he said. "It's obvious that there's influence by the extreme left wing of their party. But it is so irresponsible to tell these young men and women who are serving in uniform with the orders of their commander-in-chief that you're not going to give them the necessary abiliity to defend themselves, in my view it's terribly misplaced priorities."
He added that he doesn't "know their motives, but I know the effect. The effect is if they had gained the majority we would be telling the American men and women who are serving you're over there but we're not going to give you the necessary equipment to fight. And that's the height of irresponsibility."
-- jpt
May 25, 2007 | Permalink | User Comments (4)
ant - are you that Lib senator?
first both sides have to agree to end a war, by one side surrendering, so unless we go until victory is attained, which will happened, the only other option is to surrender, and they will follow us home.
As far as McCain he is not a Conservative, actually I think of him as a Democrat.
Posted by: spock | May 29, 2007 4:10:36 PM
I am appalled by McCain's new image and what he has to say on issues and his recent comment after visiting the market did not serve him well. I dont know why he did not remain the way he was. He should be running on his own merit instead of being the biggest bush supporter(it's too late now).
Maybe he is not trying to repeat Gores mistake of straying too far away from Clinton. He would have been the President had he asked Clinton's help. A sex scandal dont amount to bad leadership.
Posted by: Zhonni | May 27, 2007 10:12:40 PM
And Sen. McCain has absolutely no vested interest in passing judgment on others'--especially those of the opposition party--votes in this fiasco? McCain's "Doubletalk Express" is on the wrong track for sure!
Posted by: chuck | May 27, 2007 4:23:35 PM
McMain is a lost cause this war is over and the idiot Republicans lost it. Poor management, poor leadership and the list just goes on and on. They voted the right way because in a few months your 20 Senator buddies that are up for re-election will be singing a different tune and they will join the rest of America. I only hope that the rest of America remembers that they lock steped with you family value party of god religious right wing nuts.
Posted by: ant | May 25, 2007 2:39:55 PM
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