Sept. 26, 2008

Debate Still In Limbo

Democrats Blame McCain For Interrupting Process Of Reaching Bailout Plan Compromise

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(Washingtonpost.com)  This story was written by Michael D. Shear and Jonathan Weisman.


The first debate between John McCain and Barack Obama, scheduled for tonight, remained in limbo last night after the presidential candidates left a White House meeting without a deal on a $700 billion economic rescue plan.

Democrats immediately blamed McCain for disrupting the effort at compromise, saying his decision to suspend his campaign and return to Washington shifted the klieg lights of the White House contest to the tense and delicate congressional negotiations.

Those discussions, which had appeared promising early in the day, culminated in the late-afternoon meeting held by President Bush. But instead of producing a joint statement of success, McCain and Obama slipped out of a gathering that those present described as contentious and unproductive.

"What this looked like to me was a rescue plan for John McCain for two hours," said an angry Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.), who had all but declared the deal done earlier in the day. "To be distracted for two to three hours for political theater doesn't help."

In interviews after the meeting, Obama pointed a finger at his rival for the faltering talks, saying on CNN that "when you start injecting presidential politics into delicate negotiations, you can actually inject more problems, rather than less."

His spokesman Bill Burton was more blunt, accusing McCain of turning "a national crisis into an occasion to promote his campaign. It's become just another political stunt, aimed more at shoring up the senator's political fortunes than the nation's economy."

In response, senior McCain adviser Steve Schmidt accused Obama of playing politics, saying the negotiations had been far from resolved and challenging the Democratic nominee to "publish the list of members of Congress who were going to vote for this. Because in reality, there is not a list of a majority of Democrats and Republicans who are willing to vote for it."

McCain said he is "hopeful" that a deal can be reached soon, despite opposition from many House Republicans who have consistently balked at the bailout cost and produced a far different proposal in the 11th hour yesterday.

"There are a variety of concerns, I think a lot of them have been satisfied," McCain said on ABC's "World News Tonight" after the meeting. "And I believe and I'm hopeful that we can satisfy all of them and move forward very quickly. They are aware of the urgency."

Obama and McCain both held out hope that they could still meet in Oxford, Miss., tonight for their long-scheduled first debate as they settled in to overnight in Washington. "I think he knows that I'm going to be there," Obama said in his own appearance on ABC. But McCain's campaign said that no travel decisions had been made as of last night.

"I understand how important this debate is and I am hopeful," McCain said on ABC News.

The independent Commission on Presidential Debates said yesterday that it is "moving forward" with its plans for the face-off.

Continued



By Michael D. Shear and Jonathan Weisman
© 2008 The Washington Post Company

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by kansas1946 September 30, 2008 9:54 PM EDT
You can put lipstick on Obama and he is still a Muslim!

Please see Rev. Manning discuss Obama at the You Tube link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T
eujrFbh5LU

Libs,
Take a break and go color for a while!
http://www.putlipstickonapig.com/



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Posted by CBSCensorsU at 06:47 PM : Sep 30, 2008
********************************************

Gosh, we are so scared. A "constitutional crisis." I remember all of the wailing and gnashing of teeth in 2000 about a "constitutional crisis." The constitution will stand. There will be no crisis. You are safe.
Reply to this comment
by sjsjas2 September 30, 2008 9:50 PM EDT
I''m a Vietnam era Marine vet. I don''t put my short length of fairly easy service in the same league as Sen. McCain''s. However, the fact that he is a vet is not enough for me to support him. And I deeply resent his emotional speeches on how he will take care of vets when his legislative record does not seem to support that appeal. No American President, including Sen. Obama, will be soft on terrorists.
Reply to this comment
by ioweign September 30, 2008 9:07 PM EDT
I am a Navy veteran 68-72 and I will not vote for McCain. His behavior should scare the hell out of everyone...
Reply to this comment
by liberalme September 30, 2008 6:32 PM EDT
Just quickly from what I have partially read:

McCain voted against the GI Bill

9/27/07 Voted twice against support for injured servicemen

9/20/07 Voted against strong support for the US armed forces.

10/3/07 Safe redeployment for troops from Iraq--did not vote
10/3/07 Improve US Security--Did not vote.

In 2007 he voted 32 out of 109 times.

4/24/08--Increase benefits for disabled vets--did not vote

Am working on the 2008 voting record, but McCain is NO friend to our troops or veterans.
Reply to this comment
by barrylies September 30, 2008 4:42 PM EDT
(Lafayette Hill, Pennsylvania %u2013 09/29/08) - Philip J. Berg, Esquire, the Attorney who filed suit against Barack H. Obama challenging Senator Obama%u2019s lack of %u201Cqualifications%u201D to serve as President of the United States, announced today that he filed his Opposition and Brief to Obama and Democratic National Committee [DNC] Joint Motion to Dismiss in the case of Berg v. Obama, No. 08-cv-04083.

Berg feels confident that he has %u201CStanding%u201D and the Court will allow the case to go forward. Our response was due in 14 days, but the Court requested our answer by Monday, September 29, 2008 and we complied.
In our response we set forth sufficient reasons that I have %u201CStanding%u201D to bring this lawsuit. Furthermore, I set forth additional reasons that indicate Obama does not meet the qualifications for President of the United States and Obama should be removed from the ballot and held accountable.

Our website obamacrimes.com has received 17.1 + million hits. We are urging all to spread the word of our website %u2013 and forward to your local newspapers and radio and TV stations.
Berg again stressed his position regarding the urgency of this case as, %u201Cwe%u201D the people, are heading to a %u201CConstitutional Crisis%u201D if this case is not resolved forthwith.

For copies of all court pleadings, go to obamacrimes.com.

Philip J. Berg, Esquire
555 Andorra Glen Court, Suite 12
Lafayette Hill, PA 19444-2531


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by misha128-2009 September 30, 2008 4:25 PM EDT
With McCain''s record of (lack of) support for the troops they better make this a very small venue unless he brings his running mate.
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by September 30, 2008 3:24 PM EDT
I don''t want a president who was called Senator Hothead by fellow Republican senators.
I don''t want a president who can''t look his debate opponents in the eye, apparently for fear of losing control.
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by leftyintexas September 30, 2008 3:16 PM EDT
The headline is misleading. It should read ''SOME'' veterans rally support for McCain.
Reply to this comment
by G H M September 30, 2008 3:04 PM EDT
I don''t think so.
vote for Obama
end the war!
Reply to this comment
by armydog2 September 30, 2008 10:29 AM EDT
I work at a VA hospital in Pennsylvania, and all the Vets I know and meet have no use for Mccain because he votes against everything for them. Palin scares them. Majority say they will vote for Obama.
Reply to this comment
by grammawhamma September 30, 2008 5:00 AM EDT
Posted by kansas1946 at 12:04 AM : Sep 30, 2008

Believe it....it''s true! Yes, I am from a military family. Two of my kids live on base right now. The majority of the military and their families support John McCain.
Reply to this comment
by kansas1946 September 30, 2008 3:04 AM EDT
I think McCain just voted not to long ago against the bill that would have increased educational benefits for veterans. In fact, he votes most of the time against vets. I can''t believe a lot of veterans are supporting him.
Reply to this comment
by janetlynn12 September 30, 2008 2:41 AM EDT
veterans answer to "Swiftboating".

http://vietnamveteransagainstjohnmccain.com/
Reply to this comment
by janetlynn12 September 30, 2008 2:40 AM EDT
veterans answer to "Swiftboating".

http://vietnamveteransagainstjohnmccain.com/
Reply to this comment
by starleo146 September 30, 2008 1:41 AM EDT
so after all that Tell me again How John "I neversaw a vet beill I like or supported " McCain is fior vets I got more reasons for vets to not ,not like him but to HATE John McCain

Posted by dennisam01 at 03:36 PM : Sep 29, 2008

He stops his campaign to go to Washington to get it fixed, where was he when the boys and girls fighting to save his butt, where was he when they needed equipment, and Walter Reed was in a mess, oh yes, he was walking down Baghdad''s main street saying it was safe. I ''M WITH YOU THE MAN IS NOT RIGHT IN THE HEAD
Reply to this comment
by tibu987 September 30, 2008 12:23 AM EDT

I am a veteran, McCain''s age, and I certainly do NOT support him.

I''m sorry, but being a lousy pilot, a prisoner of war, serving 35 years in the senate as a yes man to the Bushes, and being 72 years old, does not a president make.

I could, under different circumstances; a stronger economy, a better feeling of where we are with the war in Iraq and in the Middle-East, the low standing of the U.S. in the world and earning us the enmity of 2.3 billion Muslims, vote for a Republican president. This is not one of those times. The last eight years speaks plenty to me.

As for Obama, I do agree with his view that the U.S. should speak with our enemies before we may quarantine them or attack them, no matter who they are. Look, the U.S. carries a very big and powerful stick and talking does not diminish that strength but may, however, prevent the many deaths and costs of war.
Hell, talk to them, say, "look, this is how it is, would you like to agree or face the consequences"?
Perhaps some good could come from talking with our enemies and if not, we are back to square one, nothing lost..

Reply to this comment
by dboyer7-2009 September 29, 2008 11:37 PM EDT
I am a Vietnam Vet, received combat infantry badge, air combat medal, bronze star, purple hear and am disabled. I do not support McCain because he does not support Vets and his record shows that he is not putting country first. He continues to support Bush policies and hurt us Americans and veterans.
Reply to this comment
by hugochavez9 September 29, 2008 10:10 PM EDT
MCCAIN IS A LOSER JUST LIKE HIS SUPPORTERS!



Reply to this comment
by woodjd42 September 29, 2008 9:21 PM EDT
I am a Vietnam vet and I have great respect for McCain, however that does not give him a free pass. Although I respect him I disagree with many of his policies. I also keep up with the different bills for vets and am upset with his voting record on bills that support us vets. In addition one of the biggest disappointments is his judgement in picking Palin. She truley does scare me. She reminds me of bush/chaney, unable to tell the truth about anything.
Reply to this comment
by noloyalisti September 29, 2008 9:16 PM EDT
Only a really demented and brainwashed vet would support that pasty war-mongering man man puppet. Only someone suffering from PTSD could want 4 more years of the McSame.
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