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Obama Not Always Such a Believer in McCain's Bipartisan Ways
January 12, 2009 1:49 PM
It's without a doubt one of the more surprising moves of President-elect Barack Obama in recent days. It may even be unprecedented, certainly in the modern era: On the eve of Inauguration day, President-elect Obama will pay tribute in a special dinner to the bipartisan achievements of his former GOP rival, Arizona Sen. John McCain, a man who just a few weeks ago headed up a campaign that accused the president-elect of "palling around with terrorists."
The dinner –- in addition to separate ones for Vice President-elect Joe Biden and retired Army General Colin Powell will honor Americans "whose lifetime of public service has been enhanced by a dedication to bipartisan achievement," according to the Presidential Inaugural Committee. Inaugural aides say that the dinners were an idea of the president-elect.
This will not be the first time the president-elect has flattered his former Republican rival for reaching across the aisle. But examples are also plentiful of Obama being critical of the scope of McCain’s bipartisan efforts, painting McCain as one who mirrored President Bush’s policies under the guise of bipartisanship.
Last May, in Cape Girardeau, Mo., then-Sen. Obama spoke about how McCain does not practice bipartisanship in foreign policy.
"There's a bipartisan tradition in foreign policy that we should try to recapture," Obama said. "Unfortunately John McCain is not going to provide that. Because John McCain, he is so dug in when it comes to Iraq." At a speech in South Dakota Obama said that in foreign policy bipartisanship was a cause "not served with dishonest divisive attacks of the sort that we’ve seen from George Bush and John McCain."
The president-elect also once hailed his former rival as someone who said one thing on bipartisanship and civility and then executed the exact opposite.
McCain "gave a speech in the morning where he talked about the need for civility in our politics. He talked about elevating the tone of the debate in out country. He talked about reaching out in a bipartisan fashion to the other side. And then not one hour later, he turned around and embraced George Bush’s attacks on Democrats," Obama said in Watertown, South Dakota in May.
On off-shore drilling he painted McCain’s stance as working against the bipartisan efforts that had been already in place.
"Senator McCain’s decision to team up with George Bush on offshore drilling violates the bipartisan consensus that we’ve had in place for decades that has protected Florida's pristine coastline from drilling," Obama said.
On the night that he formally won the Democratic nomination Obama even suggested that McCain was attempting to "pass off" his policies as bipartisan while actually plotting to continue the Bush era.
"There are many words to describe John McCain’s attempt to pass off his embrace of George Bush’s policies as bipartisan and new," Obama said in St. Paul in June, "But change is not one of them."
Presidential Inaugural Committee aides would not address how Mr. Obama’s campaign rhetoric contradicts his Inaugural eve dinner plans.
"The president-elect has been very clear in what he’s said that he’s committed to breaking the paralysis of partisan gridlock," Linda Douglass, Chief Spokesman for the Presidential Inaugural Committee said. "These dinners are designed to honor people who are devote to public service for much of their life with the approach frequently being bipartisanship... and that is absolutely true for John McCain."
-- Sunlen Miller and Jake Tapper
January 12, 2009 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (16)
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Thank you Senator McCain, we could not have asked for a better loser than you.
Posted by: Rich | Jan 14, 2009 10:35:50 AM
Hat's off to Obama for trying to heal the wounds of a divided country after 8 years of Bush/Cheney. And another hat's off to John McCain for his heart felt concession speech to Obama. While there are those fringe groups on both sides of the political aisle that will always remain partisan I believe the majority of Americans are fed up with the partisan bickering. It's time for America to unite and put problem solving ahead of political ideology's.
Posted by: PhilBgood | Jan 14, 2009 8:44:42 AM
I have mixed feelings about McCain. I voted for him. But I am now having second thoughts about his true desire to win this election. Mitt Romney or Rudy Giuliani would have put up a stronger fight.
McCain treated Obama with kid gloves in comparison to what he could have done. So if McCain knew he was not going to run a campaign to win, he should have left the opportunity to other candidates.
Posted by: pete | Jan 13, 2009 5:17:06 PM
"Campaign rhetoric is just that--campaign rhetoric. The fact that PEBO is reaching out in this manner is admirable."
I've always thought that an interesting fact. And fact it is, that they say the nastiest things about each other, then buddy up later. So...if both were lying then, why would anyone think they're not full of it NOW?
Republican politician = democrat politician. Partisanship is a tool to control voters, that's all.
Posted by: Laughing Cynic | Jan 12, 2009 7:29:35 PM
One can "hope" for a furious thunder-and-lightning storm to cloud His coronation, but that's about it.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Sorry, Belle something similar was hoped and even prayed for last summer in Denver. Some zealouts sought to evoke a storm of "biblical proportions" for the Democratic Convention. It turned out to be a failure with mostly clear skies.
Posted by: kat | Jan 12, 2009 6:33:23 PM
Good Lord, Belle. Is there ANYBODY in politics whom you do not hate?
Posted by: William J. LePetomane | Jan 12, 2009 3:50:55 PM
"The fact that PEBO is reaching out in this manner is admirable."
About as "admirable" as George Bush's giving Medals of Freedom to every crook in his administration.
McCain was a non-candidate, and pals with Clinton, but STILL ... you'd think there'd be humiliations -- such as being taken up as a mascot by the mob -- a man at the end of his life, with plenty of money, would avoid on er principle. Guess NOT.
Posted by: Belle Starr | Jan 12, 2009 3:16:17 PM
Campaign rhetoric is just that--campaign rhetoric. The fact that PEBO is reaching out in this manner is admirable.
Posted by: William J. LePetomane | Jan 12, 2009 3:00:58 PM
And McCain has no more balls than to go along with this crappola?
That Blair appointment, perhaps ... ?
Posted by: Belle Starr | Jan 12, 2009 2:48:55 PM
jpt quotes the "Obama" machine:
"The president-elect has been very clear in what he’s said that he’s committed to breaking the paralysis of partisan gridlock,"
Yeah, breaking the paralysis by leaping to full-tilt fascism looks to be Brock's direction.
One can "hope" for a furious thunder-and-lightning storm to cloud His coronation, but that's about it.
Posted by: Belle Starr | Jan 12, 2009 2:44:14 PM
Between the liberal leanings of John McCain and the "fawning corporate media" soft balling Obama, all he had to do is breathe, and he was going to be given the election. Congratulations! Now, the hype is over, it's your turn to either fix this mess, or make it worse. Any guesses??? Oh and kudos to John for running the worst election bid since Bob Dole in '96. Now that you've given them the election, why not just join the Democrat party Johnny. I think all of the GOP can back me up when we say collectively: "Go Johnny Go, Go!" Why the only real way you can truly be a Kennedy, is to put that D next to your name. Never mind the R, hell you fought Republicans from day one, and there has never been one Democrat you never liked... Even Obama. Yeah, that kind of support of the opposition gets you "honored" in their name, just not in "your" parties name. But since when has John EVER cared about the party? Bye bye John, now do us all a favor and just fade away...
Posted by: hmn... | Jan 12, 2009 2:30:07 PM
Jake,
Rehashing old campaign rhetoric is so yesterday's news.
But saw you on the tube this morning quizzing the 44th president for the last time. Liked the "your job is probably better" comment, but liked Bush's "retirement" comeback even better.
Posted by: Stephen Gianelli | Jan 12, 2009 2:25:31 PM
I happen to agree with Obama in that tone is very important when it comes to bipartisanship and it is something that McCain did not seem to fully understand, especially when it came to teh war and offshore drilling. Nevertheless I do applaud McCain for the times that he did attempt bipartisanship, like immigration and environmental reforms. That is before he changed his mind on those things while running for POTUS. Now that the election is over maybe we can get the old McCain back.
Posted by: Independant Woman, Texas | Jan 12, 2009 2:20:08 PM
This dredging up of past campaign rhetoric against the opponent was also done in respect to Hillary Clinton when she threw her support behind Obama after the primaries and when she was more recently nominated as SoS. It's being flaunted journalistically as if politicians campaign politely and non competitively here in the USA, and that past differences should supplant whatever potential there is for progress. But then what can you expect from partisan slanted journalism?
Posted by: kat | Jan 12, 2009 2:18:06 PM
Very nice move, Mr. Obama. Best of luck to you and I respect your efforts in healing the breach.
Posted by: Paltick | Jan 12, 2009 2:13:21 PM
Obviously, Obama "said anything" to get elected. Now he wants to make up for it by throwing a dinner party for McCain. Some people call this behavior "pragmatic," but I call it "lying."
Posted by: tina | Jan 12, 2009 2:10:43 PM
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