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McCain and Romney Argue Over 'Experience'

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January 01, 2008 4:20 PM

ABC News’ Bret Hovell reports: The campaign of Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., released a graphic new video advertisement, Tuesday, showing scenes of chaos and violence overseas, in an attempt to draw a contrast between McCain’s credentials on national security, and the background of his rival for the Republican nomination, Mitt Romney.

The ad, titled 'Experience,' is slated to appear only on the Internet.

Video in the ad includes an explosion and its aftermath, the injured being carried through the streets, and the sound of two-toned sirens that characterize many foreign emergency vehicles. There are also clips of an al-Qaeda training video, in which men march through the desert, holding AK-47s over their heads.

The video then dissolves to a black and white photo of Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, and quotes him saying that the president does not need foreign policy experience.

“John McCain for president,” the voice-over concludes after an ominous tone.

“I think the American people have been seeing graphic images for the last several days, as to what happened to Benazir Bhutto, and the riots and the demonstrations in the streets,” McCain said, when asked about the images in the ad. “There’s nothing in that video that is more graphic or astonishing than what the American people have seen. And they have watched, unfortunately, for the last many years in Iraq.”

McCain, who was speaking to reporters in Concord, N.H., said the ad was a direct response to Romney’s comment on national security experience.

“Gov. Romney stated that he didn’t think you needed foreign policy or national security experience,” McCain said. “I beg to differ.”

Romney responded to the McCain ad by aligning his credentials with that of Ronald Reagan, and drawing a contrast to McCain’s leadership experience.

“Ronald Reagan did a marvelous job as the leader of our foreign policy at one of the most critical times in the last half of the last century, and what he brought to the White House was a vision and capacity to lead,” Romney told ABC News in Ankeny, Iowa. “Having been a leader, having run something, it made a real difference.”

“Governor Romney managed a large investment company,” McCain said in response. “I led the largest squadron in the United States Navy.

“Americans want leaders, they don’t want managers,” he said. “I can hire lots of good managers.”

January 1, 2008 | Permalink | User Comments (7)

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User Comments

McCain is a fearmonger and warmonger and is out touch with reality.

McCain thinks its safe for American's to travel in IRAQ, and that the general Patraus travels around without security. Is he senile?

McCain also voted for the Military Commission Act which allows the President to arrest Amercian citizens without the right of haebas corpus i.e. no right to a lawyer, etc., in violation of the Bill of Rights Amazing.

Also, McCain flip flops on Iraq and gay marriage, etc. His straight talk express reveals a man who speaks with a forked tongue.

Posted by: greg | Jan 1, 2008 4:28:28 PM

Mitt is also a warmonger and wants to double torture. What ever happened to liberty AND JUSTICE FOR ALL?" Fairness and morality are no longer virtues of the system but rather extinct terms, except to describe the obvious lack of it.

The notion that any human being could be detained for six years on an "assertion" by "the government" and not provided an adequate mechanism to challenge the assertion's merit in some sort of fact based way, is cruel and unusual, applying the simplest of America's standards espoused by our constitution's preamble ".... in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice....," and that all "people" regardless of sex, color, race, or creed are have equal protection under our law, period.

How can any trust someone who has flip floped on nearly every issue.


Posted by: greg | Jan 1, 2008 4:31:50 PM

McCain as in the McCain-Feingold, help Sen. Kennedy try to get amnesty for illegal immigrants, Keating 5, Gang of 14, oppose Bush's tax cuts, questionable mental stability McCain?

Posted by: Cory | Jan 1, 2008 5:39:50 PM

Mitt: You Couldn't tie Ronald Reagan's
Shoelaces! Stop invoking his name!
Reagan wasn't a flip-flopper like you and Hillary Clinton are!
President Reagan had good judgement and knew how to deligate authority!
Passing a law forcing people to buy
medical insurance they can't afford does not show good judgement!
In fact it is Hillary Clinton's national health insurance plan!
Mitt, you have much more in common with Hillary Clinton than you do with "The Gipper"! Ronald Reagan was a Republican and so are you! The similarities end
there!

Posted by: reaganfan | Jan 1, 2008 11:51:08 PM

McCain? Yes. McCain.

John McCain is right on the War against Radical Islam and right on the War against wasteful pork barrel spending.

We must restore some trust in government and McCain is the man to do that.

Perhaps it is not a bad idea to have a President that can work with Democrats given that the next President will most likely be handed a Democratic controlled Congress.

Keating Five? That was 20 years ago.

McCain Feingold? The only person complaining about the lack of money in poltics is McCain's Finance Chairman.

Illegal immigration? 1) He was supporting his President and 2) We are going to see CIR before we see mass deportation as we are NEVER going to see mass deportations.

Opposed the Bush Tax cuts? Well I don't agree with him on that one but you can't have everything you want in a candidate.

Brett. If you read this comment please send me an e-mail as I need some help. As you know I will be in the ABC Spin Room on Saturday and I am a little nervous that I am getting in over my head. Aside from doing some basic research on all the candidates I could use some advice on how to prepare for this thing.

Thanks and it was great seeing you in NH last Saturday.

Brad

Posted by: Brad Marston | Jan 2, 2008 2:10:41 AM

Cory--check your facts--Reagan signed into law the most liberal pro-abortion legislation in the country while governor of California.

While Gov. of Mass. Mitt signed pro-life legislation, restricting embryonic stem cell research.

Regarding experience, John, thank you for your service in the 1960s and 70s. No go retire to the desert with all of the illegal aliens you helped to come into and stay in this country.

Johnnie boy fought tooth and nail for amnesty (via z visas) for all illegal aliens. No penalties unless they sought citizenship. Permanent status for lawbreakers.

Johnnie boy doesn't understand that we are a nation of laws. Illegal aliens have broken our laws and need to go home and get in line behind everyone else. Yes, he has been in Congress for decades. Obviously, the only thing he learned was how to game the system, like all of the other corrupt politicians.

John, thank you for your service. Go to Scottsdale and play some golf.

As for McCain Feingold, did you notice the loophole for the native Americans?--John's top donors? --they can donate as much as they want. how? Foreign nations can not donate in federal elections?..mcCain would not cut his own hand, now would he?

John is past his prime and he is a very mean person. Do not cross Johnnie boy.
Anger management, john.

Posted by: Apollo | Jan 2, 2008 1:39:45 PM

Reagan brought his "vision" to reality in California long before the Presidency by closing the mental hospitals down to balance the budget. He literally threw people in the streets which is part of the seeds of the homeless in California. I know because I was going to San Jose State and the Agnew's State mental patients moved to downtown San Jose(now that's leadership). Choosing Bush Sr., former CIA Director as Reagan's running mate set in motion an heir apparent for the Bush Dynasty, and when Bill Clinton interfered with that a "Greek Chorus" of "Special Prosecutors" were unleashed to dog Clinton and set the wheels in motion for Bush Jr. to assume power through fraudulant election in his brother's state of Florida. With the complicity of the Supreme Court removing our voting rights and placing "George" in power things were looking up for the GOP. The theory being if we can't get power one way we'll do it through fraud, the flag, God, guns, and good ol' abortion.
Forget the Iran/Contra fiasco I'd say another fine jolly GOP Mess. I thought that was bad but now The Bush Jr. Administraion has eclipsed every President in U.S. History by being the "worst" although Carl "turd blossom" Rove will try to clean up that image in the Bush Jr. Presidential Liebrary. No more GOP; Nixon, Reagan, BUsh Sr., Bush Jr., enough already.

Posted by: Sandra Lea | Jan 2, 2008 3:26:03 PM

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