Yeah, He’s A Liar
The Washington Post headline is not as strong as I might like, but it says what needs saying: McCain Charge Against Obama Lacks Evidence.
For four days, Sen. John McCain and his allies have accused Sen. Barack Obama of snubbing wounded soldiers by canceling a visit to a military hospital because he could not take reporters with him, despite no evidence that the charge is true.
And the WaPo is not alone — Time Magazine’s Karen Tumulty also notes that the McCain folks made up their accusation, as does (believe it or not) Andrea Mitchell, who on multiple MSNBC programs has pretty clearly stated that the McCain ad is utterly false:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LifsuCdTnXo[/youtube]
And Jake Tapperweighs in.
So the work that the McCain campaign has been doing for the past three days is to create this lie, try to pass it off as gospel, and (more importantly) use all of the free media they are getting with this thing to smear Obama’s patriotism and character. Based on a lie. John McCain gets his spokespeople and surrogates to endlessly repeat a lie that they apparently didn’t think the media would factcheck. Not exactly the honorable behavior that they constantly try to claim. Not exactly the civil campaign that they promised.
Today, though, McCain campaign blogger (?!) Michael Goldfarb tries to walk back that lie, substituting it for a charge that the Obama campaign is too calculating about its image. Which is likely true, but in comparison to the McCain campaign who is squandering every bit of McCain’s old reputation for some honesty and honor, you’d think that the candidate himself ought to be looking to trade in his staff for folks who have more up their sleeves than the politics of personal destruction.
Tags: 2008 Presidential, 3rd Term of BushCo, Republican Crazy
A liar? Maybe, but he and his proxies are worse. They’re bullshitters, and will say anything regardless if it’s the truth or not. They just don’t care either way.
Sounds like the M.O. over the past 8 years, huh?
‘The Obama campaign has denied that was the reason he called off the visit. In fact, there is no evidence that he planned to take anyone to the American hospital other than a military adviser, whose status as a campaign staff member sparked last-minute concern among Pentagon officials that the visit would be an improper political event.’
Umm…why didn’t he just go without him?
Because the Pentagon only told him about the problem two days before the visit – while he was in the midst of, you know, being very busy, and there was no time to prepare other plans. And since apparently the Pentagon had viewed the visit as political (hence the problem with the General) they figured there was a risk it would be spun that way by the same bastards who are spinning/lying about the cancellation now (same idiots going for the “arrogant” “presumptuous” meme) so they decided it would be better to cancel a private visit rather than work for hours on coming up with a plan that could be spun anyway.
Ah, Dominique, the McCain Apologist and Obama Smear Merchant.
The Pentagon told him not to go, quite simply
I am now convinced you will believe any lie about Obama so long as it fits your bitter view of him.
Despicable.
In related news, the McCain camp today announced that apples are really oranges and elm leaves are legal US currency.
Let’s not spin it, Deldem. I don’t remember reading that the pentagon told him not to go, quite simply. I think the article said that the person he was going with was unacceptable. I just want to know why he didn’t go alone. Is that such an outlandish question to ask? Of course not, but rather than face the truth that either the campaign fucked up or he didn’t prioritize the trip, go ahead and point the finger of blame at the Pentagon and attack the questioner. It’s not like it’s unexpected at this point.
‘I am now convinced you will believe any lie about Obama so long as it fits your bitter view of him.
Despicable.’
Hmm…If I replaced ‘Obama’ with ‘McCain’, would that same statement apply to you?
Never mind the fact that it’s not true (I never believed he was a Muslim or that the fist-bump meant anything sinister or that Michelle’s image needed any softening or that he didn’t say the pledge of allegiance), but don’t let truth or accuracy stop you from launching yet another personal attack at me. It’s so predictable on this site. If you don’t agree with someone’s opinion, just call her/him a name (usually it’s racist or bitter in my case). And here I thought you were somehow going to be different.
Tick, tock…it’s only a matter of time before Cassandra (the resident intellectual dilettante) and Jason (the resident six-year old) contribute their respective condescension and charges of racism. Blah, blah, yawn.
‘Because the Pentagon only told him about the problem two days before the visit – while he was in the midst of, you know, being very busy, and there was no time to prepare other plans.’
Gee, if he’s going to be president I would hope he could manage to clear up an issue as minor as who’s allowed to accompany him to a hospital visit with two days notice even if he is, you know, very busy.
*sarcastic clapping*
I hope you are proud. You dug up the fact that you didn’t believe Obama was a muslim as evidence of your objectivity.
The fact is you don’t have any legitimate arguments for McCain other than the fact that you simply don’t like Obama. It is great to have an opinion – but don’t try to pass of your angry musings about how much you dislike the Obamas as some kind of principled arguments.
It makes you look like a silly ass.
Obama visited military hospitals on his trip accompanied by Air Force Maj. Gen. J. Scott Gration, who was functioning as staff to Obama. It was only at Landstuhl that the DoD objected to the General’s presence.
Besides, the McCain charge is that Obama did not go because he could not take cameras with him, right? The ad was not that Obama could not go because he could not take his retired four-star with him. If McCain had said that, he would not have been a liar, right?
BTW, if you are unhappy with the condescension or charges of racism (which I have not made, but you constantly claim), you don’t need to let the door hit you.
Don’t try to reason with her. It is like trying to teach a parrot to play the guitar.
I hear you. But this is more about how fast we can induce the tantrum more than anything else at this point.
Very condescending. I love it.
And still without charges of racism!
dominique is a republican
Long standing prohibition of campaign staff at the German military hospital. If Obama wanted to visit and the patients were waiting since it was planned, and he did not realize that his campaign aid, who is a retired General, was prohibited, that is bad planning. Obama could have gone, but did not think it was worth it to go by himself. That does not show Obama in good light. It plays into the narrative that Obama only does what is good for his campaign.
“Obama could have gone, but did not think it was worth it to go by himself. That does not show Obama in good light. It plays into the narrative that Obama only does what is good for his campaign.”
Exactly, it shows that since he couldn’t use it as a media-covered publicity stunt he didn’t bother to go. He could have gone on his own (without media & campaign staff) even if it was just for an hour or so.
How difficult is it to swing by on short notice so you can visit wounded troops?