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McCain Fights a Chill in Aspen
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ShareAugust 14, 2008 9:12 PM
ABC News' Ron Claiborne Reports: Campaigning in Colorado, Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, once again accused of Sen. Barack Obama D-Illinois of having taken positions against the Iraq war to advance his personal political ambitions.
"I think he used the issue of Iraq for political reasons to get the nomination of his party," McCain said.
McCain appeared at the Aspen Institute where he took a wide range of questions from Walter Isaacson, president of the institute and former CNN chairman for about an hour and then from members of the audience. A man who said he was from Tucson and had voted for McCain when he last ran for re-election said he was bothered by what he said were McCain's "flip-flops" on some positions.
"I'm somewhat concerned that you flipped on some ... maverick positions," he said. He went on to ask McCain to also clarify what he meant when he said last month that Obama "would rather lose a war in order to win a political campaign." "I heard that as you calling him a traitor," the man said. "Do you think Barack Obama is a traitor and do you still believe that he would rather lose a war to win an election? And, if you do, what makes you say that?"
McCain seemed asked him to specify on which issues he believed he had changed positions. The questioner mentioned taxes and McCain's reconciliation with leaders of the Christian Right.
McCain defended his position on tax cuts -- he voted twice against Bush tax cuts -- saying he did not support them because they were not balanced by spending cuts. He said he met a few years ago with the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, who along with evangelist Pat Robertson he once called "agents of intolerance," in the spirit of reconciliation.
He finally turned to the question about Obama. "Sen. Obama said the surge wouldn't work, that it would fail" McCain said. "He voted to cut off funding for the men and women who were serving in Iraq. He refused to acknowledge that the surge has succeeded. He announced after not being there (Iraq) for 900 days, he announced his policy on Iraq before he left (to visit Iraq in July). I think he's wrong."
Obama campaign spokesman Tommy Vietor said this in response: "While Sen. Obama is focused on ending the war in Iraq responsibly in line with the wishes of the Iraqi government, Sen. McCain would rather repeat a disgraceful and tired political attack that represents exactly the kind of divisive Bush politics that has done nothing to secure America.”
August 14, 2008 in Hunter, Duncan | Permalink | User Comments (28)
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McCain oviously needed Lieberman there to explain the question to him, he doesn't do well without his keeper,
Posted by: JR | Aug 14, 2008 9:24:19 PM
What is this plant, I mean guy's name?
Posted by: geevill | Aug 14, 2008 9:35:47 PM
LOL, JR.
Posted by: Sara B. | Aug 14, 2008 9:37:35 PM
In his old age I wonder if he knows what a chill is, the poor man is suffering from dementia , hard to remember what you say from one week to another
Posted by: Rose Szymanski | Aug 14, 2008 9:38:55 PM
Since McCain said that the surge has succeeded in Iraq, we should pull the troops out of Iraq, and put them in a place where they will be more useful, like Afghanistan. You know, the country where the original Al Qaeda responsible for 9/11 came from, and where they still are. We are now losing troops at a faster rate in Afghanistan than Iraq, because we don't have enough troops in Afghanistan. We need to fight the people who had attacked us, not the Al Qaeda in Iraq who was not known to exist until after we invaded the country.
McCain likes to say that Obama will rather lose a war in order to win an election. Mr. McCain, are you willing to lose the war in Afghanistan against the people who had actually attacked us than win a war in a country that had no involvement with 9/11?
Posted by: tony | Aug 14, 2008 9:57:57 PM
Once again the McCain reveals what a hypocrite he is. He has spent the whole week trying to politicize the Georgian situation.
Best quotes from this lost his bearings man:
'In the 21st century nations don't invade other nations.
In Georgia.."hundreds of thousand of individual lives have been taken?
The situation in Georgia "is the most seriuos crisis since the Cold War"
Stuck in the past and a very confused, dangerous man to be commander in chief.
Posted by: lynn | Aug 14, 2008 10:31:49 PM
Does McCain even have any ideas for America?
He seems incapable of talking about anything but Obama.
While Obama is out talking about the economy, national security, social security, energy, etc, all McCain can do is talk about Obama.
Jealous much, cranky-pants-McCain?
.
Posted by: jds | Aug 14, 2008 10:33:50 PM
Has anyone seen this man's medical records? I swear he's had a lobodomy.
Posted by: linda n carolina | Aug 14, 2008 10:45:20 PM
hey, obama can't "lose the war"--bush told us years ago that it was "mission accomplished". i take that to mean that we already won, which begs the question, what the heck are we still doing there?
Posted by: antijake | Aug 14, 2008 10:45:32 PM
I was against the tax cuts before I was for them, I just wanted spending cuts alone with them and lots of borrowing money from China & Japan. McCain part of the tax cut and borrow Republican party that has borrowed us into 10 trillion dollars of debt.
Posted by: Ronaldraygun | Aug 14, 2008 10:58:02 PM
antijake well the U S Army & Marines destroyed the Iraq military forces in 2003, we acheived victory over their armed forces, just didn't bring enough troops to keep the Arabs from all over from coming in. But they were warned about that from the start, Bush just thought he'd get the job done on the cheap.
Posted by: Monster man | Aug 14, 2008 11:01:32 PM
What, geevil, you mean repugnants won't ask the tough questions? I'm shocked!!! LOL!
Obama 08
Posted by: jackt51 | Aug 14, 2008 11:16:03 PM
I think I am starting to get it...if you disagree with Obama, you are not just wrong, you are "divisive." What does that even mean?
Posted by: Wade | Aug 14, 2008 11:39:42 PM
Mike: "Both Colorado and California should be nuked."
So you want to nuke our own country? Sounds like you and Sen. McCain would get along great! Obama want's to free up our men and women from Iraq to fight the real threats in Afghanistan and Iran, while McCain wants to attack Russia over Georgia's attack on S. Ossetia. Brilliant.
And we need him as President? Scary.
Posted by: Larry | Aug 15, 2008 12:26:02 AM
Does McCain even have any ideas for America?........... Well they change everyday.... but as far ass Iraq is it
still 100 years 50 or what
and now I hear him talking about Russia
well if we go back to a real cold war taxes on the American People will
go to the Moon...
oh and his talk about Russia LOOKs like
Mcbush Has a Clone their Too.... The Bushes seem to pop up all over the world
Posted by: Anita Yova | Aug 15, 2008 12:27:12 AM
Better hope McCain doesn't get confused next time he sings "bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Iran" It may come out Bomb, Bomb Iowa...Confusion, a terrible thing to vote for.
Posted by: Larry | Aug 15, 2008 12:34:17 AM
John McCain did not answer the man's "is Barack Obama a traitor?" question at all, if anyone else noticed that.
Posted by: Jack | Aug 15, 2008 12:34:43 AM
If McCain says Obama is a traitor, guess he must be saying the other 70+%
of Americans who want us out of Iraq must be traitors as well. Is that what you're reallly saying, John? Way to go John!!!!!!!!
Posted by: aw | Aug 15, 2008 12:57:05 AM
No Pre- screening , that's bold. I like it. Does Obama do the same?
Posted by: Dave | Aug 15, 2008 1:05:57 AM
McCain is open to answering questions in detail. Obama fears questions, he is lost and babbling like a baby without his speechwriter and teleprompter. McCain is right. Obama will say and do anything to get what he wants. Scary and dangerous.
Posted by: decentAmerican | Aug 15, 2008 2:55:35 AM
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