Hagel Assails McCain; Lieberman Assails Obama

I don't understand how ANYONE can be be looking to vote for anything republican. The pig-headed stubbornness of the republican party has been the main ingredient that has made our country hated worldwide. There was a time that people loved Americans, that people respected Americans...nowadays...its safer when traveling overseas to say your a Canadian...lol...How about how much were paying for gas right now?? Do you know why this is happening?? Its because the people in our government are getting huge campaign contributions from these oil companies too allow the oil companies to make record profits each year while the middle class is getting more and more where we can't afford the gasoline to get us to our workplace. Bottom line, George Bush is a silver spoon in his mouth rich man's son who has never had to work for a living and is completely ignorant to the plight and concerns of middle class America, and mccain is just more of the same...at this point, I'd like to see ANYONE in office who isn't a stubborn pigheaded republican resolved to keep our troops in a war that is the most useless in the last 100 years.

Oh, digita, your logic is loosely knit to say the least... comparing Obama's wife with Geraldine Ferraro because they're both someone's wife? Ferraro clearly is a national political figure by direct choice... further Obama has never attempted to mudsling her the way the Republicans were trying to do with Michelle. Obama only defended Wright's service to the good of the community; he very strongly denounced his offensive statements from the very beginning. The conflicting emotions with respect to his deep love for his grandmother and her, yes, "typical" fear of young black men (which you apparently share) is a real and courageous recognition. So he learned from about the gas tax. Most politicians would never admit it.

digita,
Yes, Obama voted for a gas tax holiday in Illinois, and learned that it didn't work at all. He said so, and he said he has learned his lesson.

Many in Indiana see the gas tax holiday for exactly what it is: a gimmick that allows the oil companies to hike the price of gas to match the amount decreased by the tax; and then, during those 3 months, thousands of road construction workers are out of work AND no road construction gets gone! That's what the gas tax is for -- road construction.

For those who want to point out that Obama voted with Clinton on all the funding of the war issues, it could also be said that Clinton voted with Obama. Hmmm... So lets face it, if we like our candidates votes we must like the opponent's votes. Of course they keep criticizing each other. That's what happens in campaigns. What did you expect? They each want to win. I wouldn't want a president who didn't fight for a victory. Obama or Clinton--both great choices...especially considering the alternatives.

Is there anyone on this planet who cares what Joementum thinks about anything? Probably even fewer people than Obama supporters who care what Clinton thinks about anything.

Senator Obama will say and do anything to get the nomination even when he has no idea what he is talking about. He dances and prances and brags and talks and talks and promises things he knows he can not do. He made promises to his senate district and did very little. See the proverty, gangs, drugs and crime. It is so sad this politician can lie so much and get by with it. SHAME SHAME

Does Hagel mention the word "unconditionally" somewhere? Or is this something you're reading into the statement:
"I never understand how anyone in any realm of civilized discourse could sort through the big issues and challenges and threats and figure out how to deal with those without engaging in some way," Hagel said. "You take some risks in talking about this, especially in the Congress, because you can immediately be branded as an appeaser."

Where does this President get off on calling Dems appeasers, what did he give to N.Korea for the promise they would not keep developing missles? Where does this party, that traded arms to Iran and armed and trained alqueada in afghanistan and supported Saddam Hussein to power in Iraq, get off with that?

Hagel went on to praise Obama and say, "John is a man who reads a lot, he's been around the world. I want him to get above that and maybe when he gets into the general election, and becomes the general election candidate he will have a higher-level discourse on these things."

You mean, "Hagel went on to praise McCain"

Freudian slip?

I have been watching Hagel's criticisms of McCain for a few months now. I imagine they split over the Iraqi war. I think McCain ran for president as himself in 2000. I think this year he is running as a red state, red meat Conservative.

I don't know whether to be encouraged by McCain's move to the right or be more disturbed that Hagel is the only public official willing to go on the record about the difference.

As for Lieberman, what good could he do for Democrats once they supported a different candidate in CT last election? He continues to demonstrate why the DLC is not a good idea for Democrats. Every speech makes a good argument for why the party needs to go in a different direction.

Good luck to him. I'm just glad he is making his statements outside of the DNC.

It is interesting that Sen. Obama wants to use President Kennedy as an example for direct talks. Worse yet, Sen. Obama is quoted as having stated the following: "When Kennedy met with Khrushchev, we were on the brink of nuclear War." Actually, the truth is that the meeting took place more than a year before the Cuban missile crisis. In fact, the Russians came away from that meeting believing that President Kennedy was a weak president. That emboldened Khrushchev to conceive his plan to place intermediate-range nuclear missiles in Cuba. At least President Kennedy was able to fall back on his military training and experience to eventually diffuse the situation -- a situation that could have been avoided had President Kennedy shown his strength from the beginning.

Jon, I am not scared! I am a realist, just stating the facts. Or have you forgotten the following attacks:
2002 Tunisia, Pakistan, Indonesia, Yemen and Kenya;
2003 Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Indonesia and Turkey;
2004 Spain, Saudi Arabia, and Jakarta;
2005 England, Indonesia and Jordan;
2006 Egypt and Pakistan (foiled);
2007 Algeria and England/Scotland (foiled).

I never said this was the end of Western Civilization, but rather we are in the fight for our survival. We can still win this jihad against us. But we must be determined to defeat the enemy wherever they are. Regardless of the original circumstances, we ARE fighting al Qaeda in Iraq right now. To pull out before al Qaeda has been defeated will be seen throughout the Islamic world as a tremendous victory by al Qaeda over the mighty American military.

the following comment from below typifies my biggest gripe in contemporary american politics, "Lieberman is a traitor to the Democratic party despite his generally progressive voting record over the years."

my fellow americans, can't we be something better than an entity divided among two absolute political parties? dare to be an individual and own your own personal opinions. common sense would suggest that the odds of these opinions aligning 100% with one particular party's rigid platform w/b extremely small.

i applaud the few politicians that still remain in our system that are courageous enough to go against the grain and exhibit views that go beyond our frustrating cookie-cutter politics. you don't necessarily have to agree with the views of mccain or lieberman, but i'd at least suggest that their individualism is deserving of respect. i for one, completely agree with lieberman's critical remarks of obama.

who is barak obama? i don't believe any of us really know bc all he's done is sell out to some strategically formulated platform designed for the sole purpose of winning an election.

"Hagel went on to praise Obama and say, "John is a man who reads a lot, he's been around the world. I want him to get above that and maybe when he gets into the general election, and becomes the general election candidate he will have a higher-level discourse on these things.""

What? Read that again.

I think the best thing Obama can do is to advertise heavily that Joe Lieberman is against him and backs McCain. That fact alone should get him elected. Joe "Israel is the 51st state" Lieberman will bankrupt the country and sacrifice thousands of American lives for his wars in Iraq and Iran (if he had his way).

someone needs to look at this "committee for Liberation of Iraq."
Organized in 2002

Chaired by George Schultz (of the Bechtel corporation... who was awarded the first contracts in Iraq after the fall of Saddam for an initial 680 million)
and honorarily co-chaired by Leiberman and McCain.

They have had many of their articles now pulled off the internet that they wrote pushing for us to remove Saddam with military action.

This was in 2002 and 2003! The management of this committee were the ones in bed with Chalibi.

McCain and Lieberman were the nonorary co-chairs and strong members.

Please please someone do a story on this.

The heads of which make up a substantial part of McCain's foreign policy team.

Obama is may not be the divider, he's the deceiver. Everything he said thus far has an opposite feel to them. "Layoff my wife"? But he's attacking Ferraro, who is somebody else's wife, for her views. He defended Wright mightily until Wright comes out and called Obama a typical politician. He wrote that his "typical white grandmother" feared for her safety when she comes upon a group of young men. But it feels like a fist punching into his utmost gut when he found out those young men are blacks. But what about his grandmother's safety? It seems everything and anything that can hurt him politically, he would state that it's dividing America, it's the wrong thing to do. But when it's the other way, he never states let's get beyond and play nice until it comes to his corner.

This may be because Lieberman and McCain chaired (honorary) the Committee to Liberate Iraq...

this is the committee of conservatives that pushed/lobbied for this situation we are in. The man who officially ran the committee with them is also McCain's lead foreign policy advisor.

They pushed for us to militarily overthrow Hussein and leave us with this crap...and now they are pushing to go further.

Digtia...No it had nothing to do with HIS state but OUR country. Everyone knows this is May and no one, I don't care how many people they have in their pocke, can get a gas relief bill through this year. So again Hillary is promising something that won't happen this summer. Giving everyone false hope.
Plus, this would only add up to about $60 a home. That is about 1 fill up.
I like Obama's suggestion. The Bush admin. should release some fuel reserves for the summer at least.

Lieberman is a traitor to the Democratic party despite his generally progressive voting record over the years. His support for the war, the administration's approach to combating terrorism, and his appearing to put Israeli interests over our own is, however, beyond the pale, as is his defection to the McCain camp.
Is is simply juvenile petulance to insist that deplomacy at the level of the head of state is capitulation or appeasment. And it is truly insane to have one tool - violence, in your options bag. The old saying that everything looks like a nail when the only tool you have is a hammer.