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Obama: Public Thinks of McCain as POW -- I Need to Remind Them of his Policies

August 20, 2008 1:29 PM

At a Martinsville, Virginia, town hall meeting just now, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, said that the public thinks of his opponent's war record, but it's his responsibility to remind them of his policies.

"John McCain – let’s face it – he has a compelling biography," Obama said. "He is a POW and so that is what people kind of think about  instead of focusing on the fact that he wants to continue the same economic policies that George Bush has been doing for the last 8 years."

Concluded Obama, "so my job in this election is to say I honor his service, but I don't honor his policies and I don't honor his politics."

-- Jake Tapper and Sunlen Miller

August 20, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (172)

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mccain is a fake --his claim to fame and fortune is his wife and her money.

Posted by: rodney | Aug 20, 2008 6:52:35 PM

Sooooooo, Mr. Oranje, you are now saying that the polls are wrong, and we shouldn't rely on them, and that the outcome will be different, regardless of what the polls say? OoooooKkkkkkkk......I agree that poll results are not written in stone, but you can't tell me that the Obama campaign as well as the DNC are sweating right now looking at the polls. But, believe what you want.....a few months ago the Obama supporters were doing a jig because Obama was so far ahead, but now that it flip flopped (much like Obama!), polls dont' count?

Suuuuuuuure.......OK

Oh, and every knows it is fact, that Obama is a liar. No doubt about it.

President McCain....maverick, hero, patriot

Posted by: decentAmerican | Aug 20, 2008 6:50:38 PM

willem--
just the truth at the time.this guy is scary-and aprofessional lier.
the truth would put an end to his campaign

Posted by: rodney | Aug 20, 2008 6:47:58 PM

Awe, poor Cindy. Caught in several lies:
she was not an only child, she's got two half sisters ....

And that tearjerker that ‘Mother Theresa’ personally convinced her to to bring home two orphans from Bangladesh ?

She's never met Mother Theresa.

How Christian. What lovely family values.

Posted by: Willem van Oranje | Aug 20, 2008 6:30:27 PM

hihihi, decentAmerican, you are relying on a Zogby-poll?

hihihi.

Zogby's final poll in California showed Obama winning by 13%, but the actual results showed Hillary winning by 10%, a 23-point difference! Far beyond the margin of error. Zogby has had several spectacular misses (Kerry 311 electoral votes, versus 213 for Bush, with 14 too close to call ....)
As have a lot of other pollsters.

Posted by: Willem van Oranje | Aug 20, 2008 6:24:24 PM

It has een proven that Mccain is a LIAR....FACT FACT FACT

McCain is a LIAR

Posted by: McCain is a LIAR | Aug 20, 2008 6:22:05 PM

Badger1 -

I'm afraid that the race card did not expire forty years ago. The LA Times/Bloomberg most recent poll found that nearly one out of five Americans do not think that "America is ready for a black president." Unfortunately, racism is still with us.

Posted by: Brooklyn Democrat | Aug 20, 2008 6:19:22 PM

I thought Obama was always finding common ground with his opposition and was a uniter? Why is he being "so mean?" Heh heh.

Posted by: Wade | Aug 20, 2008 6:12:18 PM

Mr. Obama better focuses on himself and tells us more about his own biography. I do want to know more about his own "real" policies and his own "records"...unless he wants to hide behind McCain policies and records

Posted by: frieda | Aug 20, 2008 6:10:28 PM

Right wing Vet group

Shorter Bellavia: The problem with Hagel is that he does not love America, and would prefer we lose wars.

Somehow, I think that constitutes an attack on a Vietnam veteran!

Bellavia went on to add, "Now, again, with Sen. Hagel -- my problem with Sen. Hagel is, again, his experienced is based on what? The Mekong Delta. It's based on Vietnam, a totally different fight, a totally different enemy, and by the way, it was 30 years ago. That doesn't cheapen his service. That doesn't cheapen his expertise. But when it comes down to Iraq, I will take that specialist who's 20 years old from Decorah, Iowa, who served three tours in combat, over anything any member of the House or Senate has to say."

Unless I missed something, the current GOP contender for President is not a specialist from Decorah, Iowa but a man whose "experience is based on" the Mekong Delta. Flying above it, anyway. Sometimes violently colliding with it. In fact, one of the only differences between the service records of Hagel and McCain is that McCain was tortured in a POW camp. Of course, if you listen to the Bush White House, McCain wasn't tortured, either.

Posted by: McCain is a LIAR | Aug 20, 2008 6:06:08 PM

McCain's supporters often want to point out that he had been tortured when he was a POW.

They're wrong. According to their own interpretation of torture, McCain was merely ‘enhanced interrogated’. According to them, McCain merely endured some hazing

Posted by: Willem van Oranje | Aug 20, 2008 6:05:36 PM

Richard Clarke said it perfectly

"I'm sure he [McCain] loves his country. It's just that loving your country and lying to the American people are apparently not inconsistent in his view."

Posted by: McCain is a LIAR | Aug 20, 2008 6:05:03 PM

Joe -- you still haven't looked at RCP, have you? You will also see that their electoral vote tally, which they have been following diligently for months, now shows McCain AHEAD with no toss up states. This is miraculous considering Obama was ahead.....way ahead, up until now.

but go ahead and ignore the numbers, to your peril. Never mind that the campaigns follow them closely themselves. And never mind that Dukasis was 17 points ahead of Bush before he lost in a landslide. And now Obama starts out behind McCain, and you expect him to have a mouse's chance of winning?

hehehehehe......(me giggling in amusement).

And, voter in PA, i am sorry, but I had to gag on my coffee when you used "honest" and "sincere" in the same sentence as "Obama". He has been PROVEN to be a liar. How can you continue to trust a man who has lied to you countless times? What has he DONE (not told you, but DONE) to prove his honesty and integrity? And as for your attacks on Hillary for her campaign, have you seen Obama's campaign tactics? No, because they haven't been released, but if and when you do, I am sure you will find more vicious and cruel strategies that they have used. Things like calling the race card when there is no racism, or playing victim. And when Bernie Mac (RIP) called women vulgar names, Obama pretended to chastize him, and then said "I'm just messing wiht you man".

This is a man you want in the whitehouse? I wouldn't let this horrible man near my family, much less running my country. He is an utter disgrace to Americans.

President McCain.....maverick, hero, patriot.

Posted by: decentAmerican | Aug 20, 2008 5:59:51 PM

If McCain is so patriotic, why does he constantly vote against veterans benefits? Actions speak louder than words.

Posted by: Patriot | Aug 20, 2008 5:53:53 PM

So much for McCain's pledge to wage an honorable campaign. Just another broken promise.

Posted by: Patriot | Aug 20, 2008 5:52:04 PM

McCain was a hero among many in Vietnam. There were over 600 POWS. 8 Medals of Honor;42 Service Crosses; 590 Silver Stars; 958 Bronze Stars and 1,249 Purple Hearts were given. It's sad that the McCain hero in Vietnam has failed to be a hero for veterans and servicemen while in the Senate.

Posted by: Jennifer | Aug 20, 2008 5:52:03 PM

-This freaking woman, who cannot even deservingly be called a woman continually underestimated him-

Assume you are speaking about Senator Clinton. Why doesn't she deserve to be called a woman? Maybe we need to call Obama the 'woman' in the primaries.

You want rules broken: take a GOOD READ ON WHAT WENT DOWN WITH MICHIGAN AND FLORIDA, just for starters.

Posted by: pls go away | Aug 20, 2008 5:47:37 PM

Funny how Obama feels compelled to remind Americans that McCain is more than his past military and government service.

By the same token, someone should remind Americans that Obama is more than his past. He's...um, uh...well...can someone turn the teleprompter back on?

Posted by: FishMonger | Aug 20, 2008 5:36:34 PM

Well Obama was a community organizer and that was how many years ago, again?

He started in 1985 and if I recall did this for 3 years so ended in 1988 so that was 20 years ago.

And yet, he still refers to it in his speeches

(I still have yet to hear about the results he achieved. I know what he tried to do and the projects he worked on but what did he accomplish for the people he served?)

Maybe both clowns need to shut up about their past.

A little balance here.

Posted by: None of the Above 08 | Aug 20, 2008 5:29:05 PM

"A leader that God has blessed us with at this time". Pelosi reminding us how blessed we are to have Obama.

God help us if Dean, Pelosi, and Obama control this country.

I never ever thought I would see more arrogance than the Bush administration but Obama tops them all.

America please wake up!

Posted by: riley | Aug 20, 2008 5:24:33 PM

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