WASHINGTON, August 10, 2008
McCain, Obama Spar Over Iraq Policy
McCain Casts Obama As Focused More On Personal Ambition Than Victory As Obama Says Rival Following Flawed Bush Policies
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Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., addresses the 87th Annual Convention of the Disabled American Veterans, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2008, in Las Vegas, Nev. (CBS)
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McCain mocked what he called Obama's varying positions on the so-called "surge" that sent an additional 30,000 troops to Iraq last year but that was unpopular with the American public. Obama opposed the strategy at the time and has suggested that he would pull U.S. combat troops out of Iraq within 16 months of taking office.
McCain has increasingly tried to portray the Illinois senator as an ambitious but empty celebrity, a man with a way with words but not the expertise or experience to back his rhetoric. The 71-year-old military veteran's Saturday comments echoed an earlier statement that raised eyebrows when he appeared to question Obama's patriotism, charging that he "would rather lose a war in order to win a political campaign."
In his speech to the Disabled American Veterans convention Saturday, McCain said Obama had not only predicted the troop increase would not succeed but had taken steps to ensure its failure, saying Obama had tried to prevent needed funding for it.
"Not content to merely predict failure in Iraq, my opponent tried to legislate failure," McCain said.
Obama voted against one major military appropriations bill in May 2007, but otherwise has voted consistently for funding to support the war, even though he opposed the initial invasion.
The surge has been credited with helping stabilize Iraq and reduce violence there. Obama has argued that it has not brought about the political reconciliation between rival Sunni and Shia factions needed to create lasting peace in the country.
Obama has consistently criticized McCain for supporting the original Iraq invasion, which polls show many voters now consider a mistake. Obama, who has made Afghanistan a centerpiece of his anti-terrorism strategy, has said the protracted Iraq conflict has drawn needed resources away from Afghanistan where al-Qaeda and Taliban forces have shown a resurgence.
He also said Saturday while beginning a weeklong vacation in Hawaii that McCain's embrace of President George W. Bush's policies shortchanged Americans by favoring an extended war in Iraq at the expense of fixing underfunded schools and crumbling roads and bridges.
Obama used a national radio address to trumpet his campaign proposals to end U.S. dependence on foreign oil by investing in alternative energy and to conclude the war in Iraq responsibly "by asking the Iraqis to take responsibility for their future and to invest in their own country."
He pointed to a recent Government Accountability Office report that found the Iraqi government could end the year with a $79 billion budget surplus while spending only a fraction on reconstruction costs that are largely borne by the U.S.
"Sen. McCain talks about putting our country first, but he is running for a third term of the very same policies that have set our country back," he said.
Money spent in Iraq could have been used to help develop alternative energy and create jobs, he argued, "and begun to end the tyranny of oil in our time."
The two also weighed in on the fighting in the breakaway South Ossetia region, contested by Russia and Georgia. McCain said he had spoken with Georgia President Mikhail Saakashvili late Saturday and called Russia's military actions in the conflcit "totally, absolutely unacceptable."
"I would be very direct with (Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin that these actions will have consequences long term, in terms of our relationship with Russia, and it is in violation of the norms of international conduct," he said in an interview with The Associated Press in Las Vegas.
Obama said he had talked with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Saakashvili to condemn Russia's recent actions. He said top diplomats from the U.S., the European Union and the United Nations should become directly involved in mediating the military conflict.
"A genuinely neutral mediator - not the Russian government - must begin a process of negotiations immediately," Obama said in a statement.
Also Saturday, Democrats met in Pittsburgh to debate the party's platform. On Iraq, the draft states that Democrats "expect to complete redeployment within 16 months." That reflects Obama's time frame, but with less certainty than he has expressed.
Party platforms are a statement of principles that are not binding on the candidates or the next president and they are typically given little attention after they are adopted.
The Democrats' platform also includes a guarantee to health care for all Americans, support of women's rights, energy rebates to struggling families, a crackdown on predatory lenders, higher taxes for families earning over $250,000, tax breaks for others, billions for economic stimulus and "direct high-level diplomacy, without preconditions," in the case of Iran.
©MMVIII, The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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See all 273 CommentsPosted by coryellco at 09:01 AM : Aug 10, 2008
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Its that pasty stuff hanging off of McCain''s jowls, right?
Posted by coryellco at 09:05 AM : Aug 10, 2008
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oh, but I do. I just make fun of sanctimonious people. You fit that description.
Posted by mr2258 at 09:09 AM : Aug 10, 2008
You consider those making over $250,000 a year "the ones that work"?
Posted by coryellco at 09:17 AM : Aug 10, 2008
Laughable!!
Name ONE issue, that McCain DID NOT change his position on!
The comment of the week comes from Howard Dean: "John McCain of 2000, wouldn''t vote for John McCain of 2008."
I''''m sure eveyone living near the Canadian border isn''''t wathing NBC...They are watching the Olympics on Canadian TV.
Posted by mr2258 at 09:23 AM : Aug 10, 2008
He''s advocating that the WEALTHY (which he is one) pay the same tax rates, that those of us with "real jobs" pay. Currently, the VERY wealthy pay taxes at approx a 12% rate. Why should I pay 28%, and they pay 12%?
And when did Obama EVER say he was going to give it to the poor?
Your creating and spreading lies. Shouldn''t that tell you something about your position?
Posted by coryellco at 09:30 AM : Aug 10, 2008
If they are "bad", than they wouldn''''t become law when voted on. They would be rejected.
Posted by hungry1968
Not always true, look at Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention Consumer Protection Act (BAPCPA) of 2005 (bankruptcy reform). John McCain voted for it and then said "it was an an important step toward a fair and balanced approach to restoring personal responsibility to our federal banking system".
Posted by mr2258 at 09:38 AM : Aug 10, 2008
I have, and I have no real problem with them.
The wealthy should have to pay the SAME percentage of payroll taxes, and contribute the SAME percentage to social security, that you or I do.
If you have a problem with that, and think the wealthy should pay a MUCH lower rate than those of us in the real world, then voe for McCain.
Posted by mr2258 at
That great leader of yours started a war of choice and now you don''t believe you should be taxed to pay for the trillion dollar cost. You people are delusional.
Posted by coryellco at 09:40 AM : Aug 10, 2008
You mean "not paying attention to what is said LATELY".
He wanted to continue a long term occupation of Iraq, like bush did.
But he changed his position, (as usual), and now supports Obama''s 16 month withdrawal time line.
Posted by coryellco at 09:47 AM : Aug 10, 2008
The new regional super power, Iran, agrees with your assessment.
Removing Saddam Hussein was PERFECT for their agenda, and they couldn''t be happier about it.
Posted by mr2258 at 09:48 AM : Aug 10, 2008
Again - don''t just post blather, and expect everyone to believe it.
Post proof - PROVE your position to be correct.
Posted by mr2258 at 09:52 AM : Aug 10, 2008
AGAIN - more BS.
Obama''s GOAL is to have the majority of combat troops out of Iraq in 16 months. He never said that May 20, 2010 was an "ironclad deadline" for having ALL TROOPS out of Iraq.
He said 16 months is the goal.
BREAKING DOWN THE NUMBERS
Here''s how the average tax bill could change in 2009 if either John McCain''s or Barack Obama''s tax proposals were fully in place.
MCCAIN OBAMA
Income Avg. tax bill Avg. tax bill
Over $2.9M -$269,364 +$701,885
$603K and up -$45,361 $115,974
$227K-$603K -$7,871 $12
$161K-$227K -$4,380 -$2,789
$112K-$161K -$2,614 -$2,204
$66K-$112K -$1,009 -$1,290
$38K-$66K -$319 -$1,042
$19K-$38K -$113 -$892
Under $19K -$19 -$567
Posted by mr2258 at 10:00 AM : Aug 10, 2008
Uh huh. You make over $250,000 a year. Right.
I was incorrect though - it''s 17% - not 12%. Still, it''s a disproportionate amount.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/money/tax/article1996735.ece
"Mr Buffett said that he was taxed at 17.7 per cent on the $46 million he made last year, without trying to avoid paying higher taxes, while his secretary, who earned $60,000, was taxed at 30 per cent. Mr Buffett told his audience, which included John Mack, the chairman of Morgan Stanley, and Alan Patricof, the founder of the US branch of Apax Partners, that US government policy had accentuated a disparity of wealth that hurt the economy by stifling opportunity and motivation.
The comments are among the most signficant yet in a debate raging on both sides of the Atlantic about growing income inequality and how the super-wealthy are taxed."
I especially liked this part of the CNN story - The Tax Policy Center estimates that over 10 years, McCain''s tax proposals could increase the national debt by as much as $4.5 trillion with interest, while Obama''s could add as much as $3.3 trillion.
What a joke.
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Posted by mr2258 at 10:38 AM
And like we said, he never has. Point me to the qote where he takes credit. Oh, that''s right. You don;t like facts and proof. Time to change the subject again, right?
Posted by mr2258 at 10:38 AM : Aug 10, 2008
Al Sadr''s cease fire is responsible for the decrease in violence, the surge had NOTHING to do with it.
NO AMERICAN gets credit for anything working in Iraq - their religious ideology is the ONLY thing they care about.
Posted by mr2258 at 11:02 AM : Aug 10, 2008
Yes he did.
But what exactly does that have to do with YOUR UNRELATED claim, that Obama is declaring success in Iraq because of himself?
Posted by mr2258 at 11:02 AM : Aug 10, 2008
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Do you ever provide any proof to back up what you say or do you just screech it and think we should believe it because you said it?
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/07/31/EDL5122A2J.DTL&hw=victor+hanson&sn=004&sc=423
The War polls bad because of all the naysayers out there- like Obama. But history may very well approve of the whole thing. Saddam Hussein is gone, a democracy IS set up, the area is stabilized= good for America & Middle East. Hopefully. You never know unless you try. We have Pres. Bush, John McCain, everyone who voted for it (like Hillary) and a fantastic military- one that went to war with "what they had, not what they wished they had". Is it too early to offer congratulations?
John McCain wants to make the military strong and therefore, the country strong. I don''t have a problem with that.
''cons just arent good at providing sources. And most of the time, when they do, it proves they''re wrong.
Yea, now all there problems will just disappear, right? Iraq remains a cinderbox...just one outbreak could bring the country to chaos. The "surge" just postponed the inevitable.
"JOHN MCCAIN: No, but that''s not too important.
That''s Barack Hussein Obama''s solution to the high price of gasoline... that''s his energy policy -- in his own words! In other words, Obama''s plan is for you to eat less, drive a small death-trap of a car and let your family freeze in the winter.
Or to put it another way, it''s the same old elitist liberal gobbledygook. The problem is NOT that you are being forced to pay over $4.00 for a gallon of gasoline at the pump... the problem is NOT that your family is facing the prospect of a long cold winter because of rising energy costs... the problem is NOT that you''re paying insanely high prices for food at the grocery store because of rising energy costs.
If you don t believe it then check out the ad that we created that uses his own words. Click on the picture below, and watch and listen as he warms up a left-wing crowd to his message.
IRAQ -- (Senate - January 30, 2007)
GPO''s PDF
--- Mr. OBAMA: Mr. President, today in Iraq we sadly find ourselves at the very point I feared when I opposed giving the President the open-ended authority to wage this war in 2002, an occupation of undetermined length and undetermined cost, with undetermined consequences in the midst of a country torn by civil war.
The American people have waited. The American people have been patient. We have given chance after chance for a resolution that has not come and, more importantly, watched with horror and grief at the tragic loss of thousands of brave young American soldiers.
The time for waiting in Iraq is over. The days of our open-ended commitment must come to a close. The need to bring this war to an end is here.
That is why today I am introducing the Iraq War De-escalation Act of 2007. This plan would not only place a cap on the number of troops in Iraq and stop the escalation; more importantly, it would begin a phased redeployment of United States forces with the goal of removing all United States combat forces from Iraq by March 31, 2008, consistent with the expectations of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group that the President has so assiduously ignored
Posted by obama8years at 11:30 AM : Aug 10, 2008
You''re a liar.
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