Political Punch
Power, pop, and probings from ABC News Senior White House Correspondent Jake Tapper
RECENT POSTS
- Will It Get Ugly? Both Sides Prepared for Start of Sotomayor Hearings Monday
- Obama in Africa
- Out of Africa
- Kenyan President should be “squirming”, says country’s political analyst
- An Emotional President Obama Tours Former Slave Port with Family
- O Baby! The Obamas Visit Maternity Clinic in Ghana
- In Ghana, President Obama Gives Tough Love
- 2 Prez Obama: Questions Sent in Via Text, Email from Africa & the World
- Obama Campaign Plane Emergency: Report Shows it Could Have Been Catastrophic
- Give it Some Time, Obama Says in Defending the Recovery Act
MONTHLY ARCHIVES
« Previous | Main | Next »
And Why Isn't Obama Wearing Body Armor In Those Photos?
July 21, 2008 5:29 PM
We were wondering why those shots, below, seem to show Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, in a war zone without body armor on.
ABC News' Luis Martinez asked Gen. Petraeus' spokesman Col. Steve Boylan. Boylan's response: "It is not a requirement for them to wear it and it is situation dependant. If you notice, General Petraeus is not wearing his body armor as well. There have been few if any attacks of late on our aircraft and the situation did not require them to be wearing body armor. If they felt that they did not need too, it is personal choice. Many times while out in various places in Iraq, I myself have not wear my IBA since the situation did not require it. It is interesting to note that the media in most cases wears their body armor when many of us are not."
(Above you can see an image of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown opting for the armor.)
Look for Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and his allies to make the argument that the only reason Obama could be so stylish in Baghdad was because of McCain's advocacy for the surge.
-- jpt
UPDATE: Martinez notes for some added context that Col. Boylan points out that the photos of Obama were taken at Baghdad International Airport shortly after his arrival. Obama and Senators Hagel and Reed were greeted by Gen. Petraeus who then escorted them to a waiting helicopter that took them on an aerial tour of Baghdad before proceeding to the Green Zone. Boylan says he knows of "very few" visitors at the airport who arrive wearing body armor. When traveling through the city of Baghdad, Boylan says the wearing of body armor by visitors depends on the situation and where one's going. It should also be noted that other photos of British PM Brown's recent visit to Iraq show him also not wearing body armor.
July 21, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (137)
You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.
Barry Obama is a clever idiot - he'll say whatever he needs to say (a.k.a., lie) to win the Presidency. Unfit and naive.
Posted by: BP | Jul 22, 2008 11:21:28 PM
I see McCain has not wasted any time campaigning negative
Posted by: InMyTummy | Jul 22, 2008 8:00:11 PM
McCain graduated from the US Naval Academy 894th in a class of 899. He wrecked five jets before they finally got rid of him. Obviously he is not the brightest bulb on the tree. He was shot down by an out-of-date Soviet missile by men with no experience in anti-aircraft warfare because he did not follow the rules of evasion taught at the Academy. Let's just say the man has only one oar in the water.
He disses two in five people on the face of the earth by referring to all Asians as “Gooks.” He may be viewed as a “hero,” but I don’t think being shot down qualifies him for the job of president.
Posted by: rhbate | Jul 22, 2008 1:07:06 PM
In justifying his position in Iraq, McCain said on the Today show yesterday that there is a very dangerous situation on the Iraq-Pakistan border. Someone should have told him the Iraq border is 750 miles from the Pakistan border. Brain farrt, I guess. Or maybe just old age.
Posted by: rhbate | Jul 22, 2008 1:06:41 PM
Dumb Americans voted for George Bush. Dumb Americans will vote for McCain in 2008. "WhatABunchOfDumbAmericans" the world doesnt want a weak U.S. president.They want to him replaced by Barack Obama.
Posted by: TV | Jul 22, 2008 1:06:20 PM
Come on they are not going to attack Obama he is one of the Terrorists best friends, with his anti-American speeches and his terrorist friends here at home!!
Posted by: spock | Jul 22, 2008 12:15:16 PM
Next up: what did Obama have for lunch in Iraq, and what does it mean about his character?
Seriously, this is some pretty vapid analysis. Who cares if he's wearing body armor or not? LOL, we're pouring taxpayer money into Iraq at an alarming rate, Americans and Iraqis are dying on two war fronts, a banking crises looms ominously, and ABCnews.com blithers about Obama's wardrobe choices as he visits a war zone.
Pathetic.
Posted by: Subterra | Jul 22, 2008 11:36:15 AM
Oh come on. The answer is obvious. You can't look "cool" in body armor.
Posted by: geevill | Jul 22, 2008 10:45:23 AM
Obama attended an anti-war rally in 2002 and gave an anti-war speech to a bunch of anti-war protestors. No sticking his neck out there; this is textbook Obama just telling the crowd what they want to hear. When he began running for Senate, he was no longer talking anti-war and in fact, did nothing to try to end the war during his short time in the Senate. Judgment? No. Just catering to the crowd. Only someone with Obama's arrogance would hang his entire campaign on a single speech of convenience.
Posted by: HoosierSue | Jul 22, 2008 8:57:40 AM
Oh dear, McCain, it is time to give up the repetitive childlike, childish mantra. NOBODY IS LISTENING TO YOU ANYMORE!!!!! You are now stealing Hillary's words about on-the-job training. McCain, didn't you see wher it got her?
Right now McCain is trying his best to show up himself as a good Commander-in-Chief, but he just doesn't have what it takes. John McCain is too much blustering, too much same old, same old wave of the hand, brushing off that will not advance his cause.
Why not talk about the 3.0 a.m. phone call. Would you be alert and ready for action if the phone rang at 3.00 a.m in the White House? Ahm - you know, truly, I don't think so! Give it up! Obama is the right man for the job. This is the right time for Obama. He's got what it takes to be Commander-in-Chief and America wants him. Oh, no! AMERICA NEEDS HIM, as does the rest of the world
I have my own conspiracy theory about what is going on right now regarding the apparent shift in the Bush Administration towards Obama's international policy recommendations, but for now, I'd like to say, it is working and that's OK! Is President Bush trying to increase his approval rating on Obama's coat tail before leaving office? Is the Scretary of State using her powerful position? You go girl! John mcCain should realise that the current White Hose Staff from Top to Bottom does not want him to replace Pres. Bush, because it would be another four years of pure chaos for the country.
The world, and apparently, even the White House - can see that Obama is the right President for America at this time in its unfolding history. Perhaps there is a measure of myopia in some pockets of the country - GET OVER IT!
John McCain is already history He is an old man, a warrior, a war monger who talks tough, shakes his gun and drops off to sleep. Yet he wants to commit America to 100 years in Iraq. Who is listening and believing and liking what he touts like an old LP record stuck in a groove.
Posted by: exatlantic | Jul 22, 2008 1:53:40 AM
As one Republican said on FoxNews last week: It's the approximately $500,000 each Captian hands out in his designated area that concerns me. If we leave and these Iraqis are not paid, they will instantly go back to the fighting we've had since we went into Iraq !"
He was talking about the money that has all but stopped being on reconstruction is now being handed out by thousands of Captains who are in charge of a few blocks or small parts of various Sectors in Iraq. They paid the local Cleric/StongMan/Bandit to not fight or in many cases actually help us maintain control.
Posted by: BretC | Jul 22, 2008 1:40:17 AM
The world loves a weak U.S. President.
The world loves a know-nothing, all talk and no action President in the Oval Office ... because that would mean more power to them.
The world loves to see an inept President in the White House.
So, if Obama is getting a warm welcome over there, does it say something?
The world would love to see Obama as President because they KNOW he is the weakest of the candidates for the job.
The world is a WHOLE LOT SMARTER than we, the dumb Americans.
We dont even know how to pick the best candidate we have as our President ... Hillary was the best of the 3 candidates ...
Posted by: WhatABunchOfDumbAmericans | Jul 22, 2008 1:14:23 AM
The audacity of no armor....
Posted by: John Callis | Jul 22, 2008 1:13:40 AM
rhbate | Jul 22, 2008 1:03:50 AM
____-
not necessarily a Republican.... but I'm glad it wasn't the "real" you.
Posted by: eyes wide open | Jul 22, 2008 1:09:09 AM
___________________
Thanks, that makes two of us.
Posted by: rhbate | Jul 22, 2008 1:13:08 AM
McCain ain't able.
Posted by: rhbate | Jul 22, 2008 1:11:34 AM
You people are either willfully ignorant or just racist. You should be ashamed of yourselves.
Posted by: Gelada | Jul 22, 2008 1:09:52 AM
rhbate | Jul 22, 2008 1:03:50 AM
____-
not necessarily a Republican.... but I'm glad it wasn't the "real" you.
Posted by: eyes wide open | Jul 22, 2008 1:09:09 AM
Why is he not wearing a body armor?
Cause he knows they won't harm him. He is one of them?
Posted by: OneOfThem | Jul 22, 2008 1:08:03 AM
I really can't wait to hear how McCain responds to these photographs. BTW - Is Yogi Berra writing McCain's speeches now?
A-ha-ha-ha.
Posted by: Gelada | Jul 22, 2008 1:04:11 AM
Obama was wrong that the surge would make things worse.
Posted by: youii | Jul 22, 2008 12:36:33 AM
___________________
McCain was wrong, it was the invasion of Iraq that made things worse.
Posted by: rhbate | Jul 22, 2008 12:52:47 AM
Post a comment

