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Candidate Who Voted with President Bush 9 out of 10 Times Assails Rival for Doing So a Whopping 4 out of 10 Times

August 13, 2008 1:54 PM

This is one of the weirder attacks yet.

In a new TV ad, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, makes the curious case that Sen. John McCain, R-Illinois, by supporting the war in Iraq, is helping the Iraqis and the oil companies fleece the middle class.

The script: "Economics by John McCain: Support George Bush 95 percent of the time. Keep spending ten billion dollars a month for the war in Iraq, while the Iraqis sell oil for record prices giving Iraq a $79 billion oil surplus and hurting our economy. Barack Obama's plan: End the war responsibly. Better schools. No more tax breaks for oil companies. Barack Obama -- the Middle Class first."

There's some pretty iffy stuff in there -- Obama has voted to send tens of billions to Iraq, too, though quite obviously he has also voted against funding the war as well. And oil moneys aside, that's a pretty remarkable suggestion, that the Iraqis are living high on the hog and screwing the very US taxpayers who are helping them.

The McCain campaign pushback, however, is even more bizarre.

Says McCain spox Tucker Bounds: "in the Senate, Barack Obama has voted in lockstep with President George W. Bush nearly half the time, including the Bush-Cheney Energy bill which gave close to 3 billion dollars in new giveaways to Big Oil – a terrible policy that John McCain opposed.  The truth is Barack Obama’s plan is a job killing machine that ignores the struggling economy and raises taxes on family savings, social security and small businesses.”

Okay, first of all, if you vote with the president less than 50% of the time, it can hardly be called "lockstep."

Second, the senator who voted with Preident Bush 9 out of 10 times is faulting an opponent for voting with him 4 out of 10 times?

Bounds has a point on the 2005 energy bill, as we've covered before.

Strange days, indeed.

- jpt

August 13, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (48)

User Comments

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I will tell you why people will vote for McCain- Child tax credit. It's absent from Obama's tax plan. too many holes from an unfamilar canidate.

Posted by: Demsinthe USA | Aug 15, 2008 1:21:37 PM

How about this,

If you want to vote for McCain, vote for McCain and list a reason about something he has done or will do to support it or no reason at all and don't even mention the other guy.

I will vote for Obama and let you vote for your guy. I will vote for Obama because I want LESS wars, more international cooperation, more help to the poor and working classes, more healthcare and education for a broader group of Americans (every American if possible) and YES, I WANT THE RICHEST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD TO PAY TAXES AND SHARE THEIR WEALTH WITH ALL AMERICANS.

We all worked to make the America that has made them so rich and they have a duty to support the country AND ITS PEOPLE.

Posted by: shelgirl | Aug 15, 2008 11:11:42 AM

Obama is in no position to mock McCain for supporting Bush. It is only natural that McCain would vote with his party on most issues. What explains Obama's vote for the Bush Cheney energy bill though?? Obama supported this legislation that McCain bucked his own party to vote against! The answer is simple--Obama is bought and paid for by his buddies in the energy industry. The New York Times and Chicago Tribune did pieces on his ties to Excelon energy and others a long time ago. Obama is a hypocrite.

Posted by: NJH | Aug 14, 2008 2:30:27 PM

Make that sending a delegation to Georgia, not Russia.

Posted by: SpaceCat | Aug 14, 2008 12:51:00 PM

McCain's campaign: The gang that couldn't shoot straight.
Also, isn't he being a little PRESUMPTUOUS, even UPPITY, sending his own delegation to Russia and taking a much more hawkish position than Bush? I mean, we only have one president at a time.

Posted by: SpaceCat | Aug 14, 2008 12:50:32 PM

How many UN resolutions did Georgia breach?

I forget.

I guess I also forgot that regime change in Georgia was the official US policy since 1998.

Posted by: drjohn | Aug 14, 2008 9:06:17 AM

The fact that your lead forieign advisor is a lobbyist for Georgia is from page news.

The fact that your overstep the administration and politicize this issue is a HUGE mistake.

The fact that you spend a whole day campaigning on the war in Georgia and when Obama says the the MCain camp is going over the top you say that Obama is trying to politicize the issue IS DOWN RIGHT BIZARRE.

How about the statement McBizarro made that in the 21st century countries dont invade other countries.

When did the 21 century start? Just after we invaded Iraq?

Go figure

OBAMA 08

Posted by: Omentum | Aug 14, 2008 8:47:26 AM

clueness is when you rattle sabers against russia and don't realize that you don't have a saber.

we have been in stone age iraq for nearly seven years now. imagine NOW. the US in iraq STILL afgainstan STILL and now McWar is rattling sabers with RUSSIA.

oh by the way mcCLUEless has stuck his foot in his mouth because his lead foriegn is a lobbyist for georgia (ding ding ding another lobbyinst in bed with mccain) and the leader of georgia has called his bluff (heyyyyyy I thought mcKooky said we should have only one president at a time..

Obama gave the appropriate measured response and stayed within the limits by giving respect to the present administation.

McCain does not have experience... HE HAS LONGEVITY. He does not have JUDGEMENT.

I personally think that he is once again getting a free ride. I Obama would have made such bold statements you best believe that McCain would have pounced on it as being inexperienced. No McCain you are the inexperienced one. You are writing a check that America cant cash. This has to be a UN effort.

This man is beyond loony. He is Scary.

Posted by: Omentum | Aug 14, 2008 8:37:48 AM

"No more tax breaks for oil companies. Barack Obama -- the Middle Class first."

Class warfare is pretty much Democrats ever offer. It's awful, but the problem is that works on the feeble minded.

Posted by: drjohn | Aug 14, 2008 8:06:06 AM

US taxpayers are not helping the
Iraqis. They have supported a
mindless invasion that has
destroyed everything that was
good in Iraq.

Posted by: anon | Aug 14, 2008 2:35:27 AM

Voting against funding the war
that is ongoing is no way to
show your opposition to it.

The war is on. The troops are
in Iraq. The war effort should
continue to be funded with the
utmost speed as needed.

Ending the war responsibly is
a separate issue. BO has already
put forth a 16-month withdrawal
plan. Until then he's duty bound
to keep funding the war.

There is no inconsistency in
remaining committed to ending
the war started by Bush while
recognizing your responsibility
to keep financing it in the
meantime.

Posted by: anon | Aug 14, 2008 2:17:14 AM

the far left Dems that sortof walked away with the Dem nomination dirt cheap!... are trying to force people with moderate views to like Obama when its not happening and there is a real chance that Obama sealed his on fate by jumping ahead in line dfor the presidency....what will make a difference is the VP pick and if he picks a Biden or a Bayh he will not be true to his proposed change agenda what says cahnge more than the first african american and first woman as pres/VP....the Obama people need to be more humble in order to win 100 percent of the dem party... ofcourse hes being cocky because Mccain hasnt won over 100 percent of repubs arent sure about mccain be careful it could be a wash... 2000 all over again... Lieberman as VP for Mccain would really stick it to Moveon.org cronies since they forced him out of the dem party.. this thing still isnt a lock for the obama-nation... hmm I think theres a book out by that title now!

Posted by: staniam | Aug 14, 2008 2:11:42 AM

McCain is Stupid: Thank you and keep it up. Somebody has to actually report on the news - and the PrepSchool Press sure isn't going to do it.

Posted by: mara | Aug 14, 2008 1:12:47 AM

Meanwhile, in the real world, outside of Disney, John McCain said today "In the 21st Century, nations don't invade other nations." I don't have to make this stuff up. This is a direct quote. As my husband, a marine brat and former Young Republican says: "The mind explodes." Did John-John forget Afghanistan and that little pre-emptive strike in Iraq?

And why isn't the Disney News channel reporting this?

Posted by: mara | Aug 14, 2008 1:11:09 AM

"And oil moneys aside, that's a pretty remarkable suggestion, that the Iraqis are living high on the hog and screwing the very US taxpayers who are helping them."

This is not what Obama is inferring. The US government is spending $10 billion a month in Iraq while Iraq is sitting on billions in oil revenue. It is the Bush administration that is screwing US taxpayers, not Iraq.

Posted by: cincyr | Aug 13, 2008 9:30:39 PM

"Because now the Georgian president is


>>> claiming the US is sending the military to his country. Is McCain confusing the situation? He should shut up and stop making the situation worse.

Posted by: Jim | Aug 13, 2008 4:22:47 PM

____________

Why blame McCain? On what basis?

Surely, if ANYONE sent forth such a grandious message it would have been the presumptuous Dem o candidate... what's his name?

Posted by: just thinking,... | Aug 13, 2008 7:29:52 PM

McSame just let go with another of his "gaffes." This one is even riper than the Shia/Sunni or the Iraq/Pakistan border "confusion."

Speaking on the Russian/Georgian situation, he said, "in the 21st Century, nation's don't invade other nations." 'Ya can't make this stuff up.

Posted by: Brooklyn Democrat | Aug 13, 2008 5:43:01 PM

I hate to say this but the fleece the middle class issue might have some traction.
The war seems never ending, we have a deficit, Iraq has tons of oil revenue, and I do not see any financial benefits coming from the Iraq surplus. We have invested 86 billion in reconstruction; soon George Bush needs to collect some money.

That said, anyone with half a brain can see through the disingenuous argument Obama is trying to make.

Posted by: smith | Aug 13, 2008 4:45:47 PM

Jake, next time, count the times McCain has voted in favor of renewable energy, will you?

I can tell you: Senator McCain did not show up *ONCE* for crucial votes on the renewable energy bill. It was defeated for the *eighth* time on July 30.

Has McCain ever voted in favor of renewable energy? Evah?

Posted by: Willem van Oranje | Aug 13, 2008 4:39:29 PM

Can someone ask what the presumptuous, arrogant McCain has been telling the Georgian president in his daily conversations? Because now the Georgian president is claiming the US is sending the military to his country. Is McCain confusing the situation? He should shut up and stop making the situation worse.

Posted by: Jim | Aug 13, 2008 4:22:47 PM

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