McCain Knocks Obama's Education Plans

Says His Ideas Are Not Always As Impressive As His Rhetoric

(AP)  John McCain, the father of private school students, criticized Democratic rival Barack Obama on Friday for choosing private over public school for his kids.

The difference, according to the Arizona Republican, is that he - not Obama - favors vouchers that give parents more school choices.

"Everybody should have the same choice Cindy and I and Sen. Obama did," McCain told the National Urban League, an influential black organization that Obama will address on Saturday.

McCain listed a variety of changes in education policies that he contended would improve a flawed system - from school choice to more local control and direct public support to parents for tutoring. In each case, he said Obama came up short.

"My opponent talks a great deal about hope and change, and education is as good a test as any of his seriousness," he said. "If Sen. Obama continues to defer to the teachers unions instead of committing to real reform, then he should start looking for new slogans."

McCain's criticism of Obama, the first serious black candidate for president, to the National Urban League echoed the Republican theme that the Democrat's words don't necessarily match his actions or his thin resume.

"If there's one thing he always delivers it's a great speech," McCain said. "But I hope you'll listen carefully, because his ideas are not always as impressive as his rhetoric."

During a feisty question-and-answer sesssion, McCain drew gasps and grumbles from the mostly black crowd when he praised former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. The one-time GOP presidential candidate was widely scorned by many civil rights leaders for permitting the city's police department to use overly aggressive tactics against black criminal suspects.

Giuliani, McCain told the group, transformed New York from "a city really none of us were comfortable walking in the streets to one that was basically safe."

In two high-profile cases during the Giuliani administration, police shot and killed unarmed West African immigrant Amadou Diallo and beat and sodomized Haitian immigrant Abner Louima in a Brooklyn station house.

McCain repeated his claim that "the best equal opportunity employer in the country is the U.S. military." However, an Associated Press study found that while blacks make up about 17 percent of the total force, just 9 percent of officers are black.

McCain, in response to a question, said affirmative action was "in the eye of the beholder." He did not mention that he supports an anti-affirmative action referendum on the ballot in Arizona.

Still, McCain made several comments that pleased the audience. Among other things, he vowed to step up Justice Department investigations of civil rights violations if elected and said he would appoint U.S attorneys based on qualifications, not politics.

Earlier this week, an internal investigation found that Justice Department officials had broken the law by letting Bush administration politics dictate the hiring of prosecutors and other government lawyers.

McCain also apologized anew for voting against the enactment of a federal holiday honoring the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1983. "I was wrong," he said to applause.

[liberty_1776]

Obama:

"God D@mn America!"

"MY kids is going to a private school, while all of your worthless kids can go to the failing public schools!"

[standlee5]

Someday we''ll look at the bloated top heavy inefficient public school system the way we look at the old soviet union.

[standlee5]

McCain''s education reform would be transformative to black education especially. Let the parents (or in the black community, mothers) decide what school is best for their kids. Let them pick a charter school that addresses the child and family''s needs. Parents know their kids better than anyone and to assume that black parents (mothers) are not qualified to make those decisions is racist to the core.

[mattblckmtn]

Of course he has gone negative, he has little else to offer. His policies are the failed policies of GW Bush that he voted to support over 85% of the time. He did everything he could to get bush elected, and now his campaign is being run by Karl Rove''s protege, so that his campaign won''t be interrupted by Roves arrest for contempt of congress. It is the same old politics. If you like W, if you like Rove, Schmidt and the politics of division, if you are happy where our country standing is in the world and the state of our economy, Obama not your candidate.

[sanfelz]

Vouchers are a way to prop up a failing and underperforming parochial school system while providing a way for the Walton family to destroy unions.
After 26 years in Congress, McCain''s greatest legislative accomplishment is a law that has been declared unconstitutional. Two decades in the Senate and he says he is the candidate of change when he is the establishment.

[seriously29]

What is he talking about? The ivy''s are offering full scholarships for minorities, that are scholarly, making less than 80,000 a year. Private elementary, middle and high schools schools are doing similar things. This is much better for it encourages kids to get the grades to attend these schools. I am offended stop telling black people that they have to be given things. They can achieve also and obama is a great example of that. My son had a 4.2 gpa as an athlete at graduation. It can be done. Seriously.

[seriously29]

What is he talking about? The ivy''s are offering full scholarships for minorities, that are scholarly, making less than 80,000 a year. Private elementary, middle and high schools schools are doing similar things. This is much better for it encourages kids to get the grades to attend these schools. I am offended stop telling black people that they have to be given things. They can achieve also and obama is a great example of that. My son had a 4.2 gpa as an athlete at graduation. It can be done. Seriously.

[minnick8-2009]

Vouchers drain money from public schools, that would doom public education in the long run.

Posted by pr_boxer

I agree, but basically, separation of the rich and poor regarding education has already happened. People who can afford it already send their children to private schools. The whole voucher system is just a way to get tax dollars back which would have gone to public schools.

The public schools certainly do have a problem in many areas with high crime, lack of teacher retention, lack of parental support, lack of funding for building maintenance and books, and supplies, and technology.

I have been interested to see if the Obama girls would be going to school in Washington DC public schools six blocks from the white house, or if they would be sent to private schools, or even tutored inside the White House.

If they don''t go to the public schools, I will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that HOBAMA is a hypocrite.

[pr_boxer]

Vouchers drain money from public schools, that would doom public education in the long run. Thats exactly what the wealthy Republicans want: a poor, un-educated, under class.

[six-six-seis]

SHRUB J.R + Juan MacSame =
Same S#.it different @s.s Hole....

[cognoscente8]

mccain is insane.he is a flipflopper and doesnt get anything done

[olderthnadam]

Why is it that neither candidate is talking seriously about the major issues that face this nation. McCain is just relying on negative campaign themes and Obama is espousing lofty ideals but neither is talking nuts and bolts about the solutions for what ails us. It seems that this "most important election in our lifetime" has descended into politics as usual.

[jld1959]

McCain and his campaign understands the voters are clearly upset with the state of the Nation and its affairs. When comparing the candidates on the issues challenging America, Sen Obama has commanding lead over Sen McCain. Given these facts McCain has decided to try and Smear Obama with lies & distortions. McCain fearing a loss has decided to throw Decency, Integrity & Issues under the bus. I guess McCain believes
" If you can''''t dazzle the voters with your Brilliance, Baffle them with B-ll S--t".

This is a very bad year to be a Republican Politician, It is so bad that the Republican leadership is telling their House & Senate candidates to campaign against the GOP if they hope to get elected and to avoid the GOP convention!

Let''''s face it, McCain has Buzzard Luck , Can''t kill nothing and nothing will die."

The Good Oil Party are devoid of ideas or Leadership!

I am contributing my money to the Candidate who is best for America.

Obama 08

[rph0714]

Yes it would be nice if all of us could go to the "best" school in the area Mr. McCain...but how about working on bettering all of our schools with better pay for our teachers and getting rid of No child let behind. It seems to me that Obama has put out over and over again the importancy of these items. I think there will always be private and public schools, this is America.

[american1000]

It seems that ONE MONTH AGO, it was John McCain who played the race card against Obama!

It was John McCain who put Obama''''s face on a dollar bill in one of the attack ads John McCain made called: SEAL

You can find the attack ad John McCain made ONE MONTH AGO, where it was John McCain who put Obama''''s face on a dollar bill. The campaign ad by John McCain is on YOUTUBE, it is called: SEAL

(Just go to YOUTUBE, and type in the two words: SEAL McCAIN)

[american1000]

umdat--- John McCain cannot be allowed to get away with his hypocrisy, and disgusting behaviour. I will be watching very closely to see which news station reports the facts first, rports the truth that: ONE MONTH AGO, it was John McCain who played the race card against Obama!

It was John McCain who put Obama''s face on a dollar bill in one of the attack ads John McCain made called: SEAL

You can find the attack ad John McCain made ONE MONTH AGO, where it was John McCain who put Obama''s face on a dollar bill. The campaign ad by John McCain is on YOUTUBE, it is called: SEAL

(Just go to YOUTUBE, and type in the two words: SEAL McCAIN)

[umdat_1]

I will agree that McCain played the race card first the problem for them was it had no effect so what did they do? They made an about face and went on the attack against the media for not giving equal air time which they were. So what do they do they give him a little extra prime time and the first opportunity he got he again crammed race down our throat thus giving the media nothing else to talk about than whose the bigger racist.

[american1000]

Well it seems that ONE MONTH AGO, it was John McCain who played the race card against Obama!

It was John McCain who put Obama''s face on a dollar bill in one of the attack ads John McCain made called: SEAL

You can find the attack ad John McCain made ONE MONTH AGO, where it was John McCain who put Obama''s face on a dollar bill. The campaign ad by John McCain is on YOUTUBE, it is called: SEAL

(Just go to YOUTUBE, and type in the two words: SEAL McCAIN)

[american1000]

umdat_1 -- I agree with you, but sadly John McCain is a very disgusting individual, who has revealed what a huge hypocrite he is:

It is John McCain who ONE MONTH AGO, played the race card against Obama!

It was John McCain who put Obama''''s face on a dollar bill in one of the attack ads John McCain made called: SEAL

You can find the attack ad John McCain made ONE MONTH AGO, where it was John McCain who put Obama''''s face on a dollar bill. The campaign ad by John McCain is on YOUTUBE, it is called: SEAL

(Just go to YOUTUBE, and type in the two words: SEAL McCAIN)

[umdat_1]

I''ve been on a few sites this morning and it appears to me that everywhere I go everyone is calling eachother a racist, well my wife is white and I am black and no one in either of our families is a racist so I would ask that those of you have like to say because the majority of people voted one way or another it makes them a racist to grow up shouldn''t we be talking about what Senator''s Obama and McCain plans are for this country?