From The Road
February 20, 2008 1:55 PM

McCain Rails Against Obama "Double-Speak"

(CBS)

From CBS News' Andante Higgins:

COLUMBUS, OHIO -- John McCain continued to hammer Barack Obama over public financing and what he calls Obama’s empty rhetoric.

“Facts are facts,” McCain said, contending that he and Obama committed to take public funds to finance their general election campaigns a year ago. “Now I noticed in a column in USA Today today, he is talking about other outside money…that’s Washington double speak.”

McCain said he planned on keeping his promise. “I think the American people would expect him to hold to that commitment, especially if you want to bring about change,” he said, admitting that he would have to reevaluate his commitment to public funds if Obama chose not to accept public financing.

McCain brought up the issue last week, after speculation that Obama might be looking at another course for financing the general election. Today, McCain said his camp still hasn’t spoken directly with Obama’s campaign. “There’s nothing to talk about. What’s there to talk about? We both made a commitment to take public financing. There’s nothing to talk about. We either keep our word or we don’t keep our word,” he explained.

The presumptive GOP nominee was also asked about his speech last night and its focus on Obama. “I try to be even handed in my responses,” he said. “I especially think that in some cases that rhetoric has to be substantiated by specific recommendations and I think that Senator Obama not been specific in his recipe as to how we address these challenges.”

McCain also alluded to Obama’s inexperience on national security today, clarifying his remarks from last night when he said, “Will we risk the confused leadership of an inexperienced candidate who once suggested invading our ally, Pakistan?”

“My statement that I made at my speech was that he suggested bombing Pakistan without their permission,” McCain said. “The best idea is to not broadcast what you are going to do. That’s naïve… it’s just fundamentals of the conduct of national security policy.”
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by hhkeller February 21, 2008 11:38 AM EST
McCain has decades of service ti the country and Obama has 2 years of service to himself.
Get real!

A pretty smile and stolens speech doesnt make for much.

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by marinepatriot February 21, 2008 3:46 AM EST
JOHN MCCAIN HAS TIES WITH LOBBYISTS! AND THE TIES ALSO INVOLVE A ROMANTIC AFFAIR.

WAKE UP AMERICA!

HUCKABEE HAS MORALS, AND IS THE BEST SPEAKER, AND WAS NAMED IN THE TOP 5 GOVERNORS IN AMERICA!!

CAN WE NOT SEE WHAT IS RIGHT IN FRONT OF OUR EYES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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by godley711 February 21, 2008 12:38 AM EST
Senator Obama is winning more votes in traditionally ''Red'' states than all 3-Rebublican candidates combined (i.e, VA, AL, KS, CO). In some cases Obama has won more votes than both Sen-Clinton and Sen-McCain combined. With this in mind, Senator McCain couldn''t possibly win the general election, this holds true even if he gains a good portion of Clinton''s voters.

So you Clinton-Democrats that would vote for McCain in the general election will loose twice. Do the math!

America has grown leaps and bounds over the past 10-years, and I cannot remember (within my entire adult life) being more proud of my country than I am now! Only the greatest of nations are capable of producing superstars like Barack Obama, Tiger Woods and Oprah Winfrey.
Reply to this comment
by godley711 February 21, 2008 12:34 AM EST
Senator Obama is winning more votes in traditionally ''Red'' states than all 3-Rebublican candidates combined (i.e, VA, AL, KS, CO). In some cases Obama has won more votes than both Sen-Clinton and Sen-McCain combined. With this in mind, Senator McCain couldn''t possibly win the general election, this holds true even if he gains a good portion of Clinton''s voters.

So you Clinton-Democrats that would vote for McCain in the general election will loose twice.

America has grown leaps and bounds over the past 10-years, and I cannot remember (within my entire adult life) being more proud of my country than I am now! Only the greatest of nations are capable of producing superstars like Barack Obama, Tiger Woods and Oprah Winfrey.
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by memekiller February 20, 2008 11:43 PM EST
Is double-speak anything like not voting for your own campaign law, or voting against a ban on torture you support, or promising to pursue Osama to the gates of hell but not Pakistan?

One might see inconsistencies in having the people who smeared him in SC on the payroll, or the SBVs forming another "unaffiliated" group to run commercials on his behalf, or in wanting to dump a multi-million ton payload to start another 100 year war in Iran, but not being willing to spare one smart bomb to take out Bin Laden''s tent.

But of the thousand faces of John McCain, perhaps the most insincere is the one that signed up for public financing when he thought his campaign was finished so the taxpayers could bail him out of debt.
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by rrcampbell11 February 20, 2008 10:40 PM EST
Gee, Mr. McCain, wasn''t it you who announced your Hundred Years'' War?
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by truthandfair February 20, 2008 7:59 PM EST
Obama will make that change for sure - change into another typical Washington politician after he wins - from campaign finance policy to war policy. Next is his Africa policy - you just wait.
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by wtratna February 20, 2008 6:51 PM EST
Mr straight talk himself. This is the man who rails against torture and waterboarding, but when he has a chance to vote to ban waterboarding in a Senate Bill, he votes against it. The list could go on ... and as far as his sleaze ball comment last night about Obama bombing Pakistan, what a pathetic disgrace. Obama said he''d do so IF he had actionable intelligence to go after terrorists there in the mountains. McCain should not lower himself to such pathetic junk, since he''s supposedly against such behavior. I guess only when others use it is he against it. Oh, this is also the guy who says he was against the execution of the war in Iraq since day one. Yeah, if you forget the first 6 months or so after we went in. But besides that, and as a vet and Arizona resident I''ve pushed for answers on this yet no response, I would like to know what exactly he did, other than speak to cameras, to change the execution, what hearings he held, what oversight he recommended. Anything. The answer is NOTHING. Period. Great showmanship for cameras and now for votes, but for 3+ yrs he did NOTHING!
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by sioux4life1 February 20, 2008 5:49 PM EST
This is comming from a man that cannot straight talk his way out of a argument. He flips from one agenda to the next. As for stating that Obama would bomb Pakastan well Mr. Bagadad McCain your the one who wants to bomb, bomb bomb Iran. Get a life, you jerk!
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