McCain Camp "Frustrated" With Obama's Trip: Reports

Is John McCain frustrated, or maybe a little of jealous, of Obama's headline grabbing trip? Looks like all signs point to yes as Iraq's Prime Minister gives new confidence to Obama's withdrawal plan, Bloomberg News says "Middle Eastern and European leaders are lining up to hear what Barack Obama has to say," and General Petraeus gave photographers fresh photo-ops with the Democratic leader.

ABC Anchor George Stephanopoulos told Good Morning America Tuesday, "They are frustrated in the McCain camp." McCain and former President Bush tried to laugh-off being jealous during a news conference yesterday at the Bush compound in Maine.

Sen. John McCain and former President George H.W. Bush laughed off questions about the size and scale of Sen. Barack Obama's anticipated events in Europe, after the Democratic contender concludes a tour of the Middle East including Iraq and Afghanistan, but the truth wasn't far from the surface.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., laughed off concerns that he is "jealous" of the attention Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., is getting on his world tour but the McCain camp is considering a "surprise" that may steal the spotlight from his rival.

"We're jealous is all," the former president told reporters on Monday outside the Bush family home in Maine.

CNN's Dana Bash details John McCain's plan to take take some of the spotlight off Obama while the nation's press corps follow him around half way across the world.

McCain is expected to slam Obama's position on Iraq ahead of a town hall in Rochester, New Hampshire, on Tuesday...

... Shrugging off the attention surrounding Obama's trip, the McCain campaign is doing what it can to keep their rival from using the trip to burnish his foreign policy credentials.

There are numerous reports that McCain might try to steal Obama's fire by announcing his VP pick this week.

McCain campaign sources confirm to CNN that there have been discussions high in the campaign about naming a running mate this week. They also say that, whether or not the announcement is made, the choices have been "narrowed" to the point where McCain could make a decision that soon.

HuffPost's Nico Pitney has more.

Comments

[BOBONDE]

ALL MC CAIN HAS IS A WAR AND A BUNCH OF RE-TREAD IDEAS.

[whatsthatsound]

Twenty pages of comments, and I'm only allowed to look at Page 1?
Puh-leeez, Huffpo, fix this glitch!

[AdLib]

It's not HuffPo, it's your computer. I had a similar problem, it had to do with Java script handling on my system. It could be something else on your computer but you could try reloading Sun's Java Virtual Machine and cleaning your registry (if you're on a PC).

[whatsthatsound]

I'm on a Mac; I wonder if this is a Mac thing more than a PC thing. Anyway, thanks for the info. I'll keep trying.

[StarkRavingNakedEmperor]

Thanks for the tip-I have the same problem and will try the Java update. I always dump it since I have so little bandwidth.

[who38]

No, it's HuffPo. When I haven't been posted within 30 minutes, I re-do the post and generally get a response that "your response has been posted". Now, I just wait longer.

[MourningDude]

The old system let far too many objective posts through. Be patient, and HuffPo will have a vice-like stranglehold on their forums once and for all, and it will all be worth it.

[Jessegirl]

This comment is pending approval and will not be displayed until we feel like it. Come back in in an hour or so sh@#head.

[StarkRavingNakedEmperor]

The presence of your stupid posts on this board put the lie to your assertion.

[CocteausTwin]

Sign out. Close your browser. Open your browser. Sign back in. Try that first.

[Okieborn]

Who would interview Mccain and really enjoy it ??? LOL !!
He has to be Bush's Brother !!!

[blurredtruth]

McCain may be disappointed the press isn't fawning over him any more just their choice Barry. If you get Barry off a teleprompter he's worse than Bush and really has nothing to state worthwhile to hear.

[Mercurial]

I was at an Obama town hall type rally during the primary and there was no teleprompter and he done a great job. He just spoke for a bit and then answered tons of questions.­...so I guess your truth is rather blurred. Good name you picked for yourself.

[AdLib]

"...really has nothing to state worthwhile to hear."

The voice of experience.

[tressie22]

Remember when grammar was used to actually communicate precise meaning and intent? ::sigh:: The good old days.

[Vergadoce]

Bush uses a telepromter and still can't speak straight. That's a special kind of stupid.

[CocteausTwin]

"special kind of stupid" very funny

[WatchIt]

Seems to me that "Barry" and "The Senator" are Republican ways of indicating that they can't even say HIS NAME without gagging or choking. That if they are caught on camera (hence in YourTubes) saying his name, they lose... Wow! That scared, repub'es, eh? THAT SCARED? MwaHAhaha!

[ZimboChick]

one of the three stooges has escaped!

[truth2008]

ANDREA MITCHELL. is spewing lies about O on NBC & MSNBC. She is twisting what he said and reporting a biased view of him to tarnish his trip. Something should be done about this, maybe we should email NBC/MSNBC. I'm sick of Andrea Mitchell and her opinionated news...

[Jessegirl]

Those talking heads ADMIT they like to watch a good fight.

[Clarabell]

What they don't admit is how they are trying to steer the election, and that's the REAL problem.

[Clarabell]

When I tried to post about this, the way McMitchell was reporting, and the way David Gregory was handling the "news," my posts didn't get past the censors. I predicted that she would be doing this earlier today.

[TiffanyHusseinBanned]

Mine too.

[GuyFawkes]

She seemed alright today on Hardball. What did she say?

[GeoLee]

For my ears it was not just what she said but the tone fo voice she used that exuded questioning and did not come off as supportive of O. Do I dare use the B word here?

[TiffanyHusseinBanned]

Yep. I am emailing them. I am sick of her and her vendetta against O for not allowing her full access. It is beyond unprofessional.

[MourningDude]

Barry has been stiffing journalists for months now without any consequences. It's actually refreshing to hear that someone is holding him accountable for once.

A large majority of the media has been in the tank for Barry for months now, and they allow his press abuse to slide, even though deep down they know it's rude and wouldn't be tolerated from any other candidate.

[GuyFawkes]

From Daily Kos:

Andrea's right when she says the military ought not to be in the business of journalism, and we should be skeptical of what we are seeing.

I'm sure this emphasis on skepticism is exactly what she said when reporters were embedded during the war. And when the statue of Saddam came down (the wide shot showing hardly anyone there, but the close-up making it seem like a spontaneous crowd had gathered.)

And this is what she said when McCain walked around the Iraqi market in a flak jacket without the shots of his guard, repeating the point day and night (like now) so that everyone understood it.

I'm almost certain that Andrea warned us to be skeptical when George Bush maneuvered the aircraft carrier for a better backdrop for his Mission Accomplished stunt.

Andrea must have done an in-depth special report on the NY Times story about propaganda, where she did an exclusive expose on Col. Ken Allard and Gen. Mountgomery Meigs, MSNBC analysts implicated in the propaganda scandal. I just can't seem to locate the transcript, but I'm sure she did.

And this is what she said about the fake turkey, the staged Bush visits, and the Photoshopped cloning of the crowd at a speech at a military base, and...

Oh, wait... it's a different standard now. It's Obama.

[CocteausTwin]

She and the overwhelming majority of her ilk ought not to be in the business of journalism

[NABNYC]

Here's an idea about what sneaky John might have been up to. All the McCain surrogates including Fox and the Fat Guy on the radio keep saying Obama is terrible because he did not say he would follow whatever General Petreaus told him must happen. They are pressuring Obama to say okay, whatever General Petreaus says must be right.

And at the same time, the McCain VP search is almost over, ready to announce, imminent, very secret.

How about this: if Obama had said of course he would do what Petreaus said, then McCain could have announced "Well, Petreaus is going to be my VP," making Obama complete his overseas trip with egg on his face.

Too bad John: nobody fell for your sneaky trap. Guess you're stuck with MintMan. What an exciting ticket: two white men.

[MourningDude]

Barry didn't listen to Pet.raeus last year, so why would he start doing so now?

Today he's following the same modus operandi.

Step 1: Make up your mind about something before you know the facts.

Step 2: Hear the facts from an expert.

Step 3: Disregard all facts and continue spouting your opinion from step 1.

It's like the line Step.hen Colb.ert said about GW believing the same thing on Wednesday as he believes on Monday, and Barry is the expert.

January 10, 2007

"I am not persuaded that 20,000 additional troops in Iraq is going to solve the sectarian violence there. In fact, I think it will do the reverse." [Original mistaken belief]

July 18, 2007

"My assessment is that the surge has not worked and we will not see a different report eight weeks from now." [Sticks to his guns, and has already made his mind up before hearing from Pet.raeus.­..]

November 11, 2007 [Two months AFTER Pet.raeus testified before Congress that the surge was working...­]

Finally, in 2006-2007, we started to see that, even after an election, [GW] continued to want to pursue a course that didn't withdraw troops from Iraq but actually doubled them and initiated a surge and at that stage I said very clearly, not only have we not seen improvements, but we're actually worsening, potentially, a situation there.

Will Barry listen to Pet.raeus today? I SERIOUSLY doubt it.

[BWonka]

Since O will be the next Commander-in-Chief, The general will have to listen to and do what the next POTUS tells him

[JiminNC]

"Barry" doesn't work for Petreaus goober, its the other way around. You are really that simple aren't you?

[pacats]

Andrea Mitchell just announce on Verdict with Abrams, 'After their meeting ended, King Abdullah of Jordan drove Obama to the airport" Obama continues to show his leadership skills and looks very much like a CIC.

Obama 08.

[oscartucker]

King Abdullah flew back home from Colorado, met with Obama, and then drove him to the airport! Now that says something about Obama as well as the King! ! !

[who38]

Noticed that. Most people in the ME appear to have welcomed him. And people in Europe are definitely hoping that he is elected. Too bad they can't vote.

[abby4ever]

What's this world coming to when an Arab potentate so forgets himself that he drives a mere Senator to the airport, for crying out loud?

(I think it's great!!!)

[UtahLady]

Boo hoo. Songbird Johnny is frustrated. My heart bleeds.

Maybe if he'd do somethign newsowrthy, he might get a bit of attention. What a change THAT would be.

[NorthernCross]

Trying to figure out why Obama's high profile trip was anymore newsworthy than McCain's many, many foreign trips. I think conservatives have been right all along, that the MSNdoes have a leftward bias.

[livesimply]

Obama is news. McCain...n­ot so much.

[who38]

Except that the people Obama has been meeting with have been far more welcoming than when they meet McCain. This is the story. MSM has a corporate bias. They cannot manipulate the Syrian king, or the head of the Iraqi government­....at least not in the short term. But, remember, Rove thinks long term.

[elmysterio]

Are you kidding me??? The Main Stream Media (MSM) does NOT have a leftward bias... that's ridiculous. They have an EMPIRE bias... they will do and say anything to perpetuate the American Empire.

Obama is just the media darling because the CORPORATIONS that own the MSM want Obama as president. He is corporate friendly, and will do what they ask... but he's not crazy and old like McCain. Also, by helping Obama 'win' the presidency, the public will settle back down and await Obama's promise of 'change', which of course won't come.

[americanalien]

McCain dares Obama to visit Iraq and Afghanistan but is now crying uncle due to the great media coverage. Funny, very funny.

[whatsthatsound]

He's thinking of trying to steal some of O's thunder by announcing his VP choice during the trip, huh? Unless it's Will Smith or Angelina Jolie, I don't think it will work.

[remc]

LOL!

[FastMovingCloud]

Yuh huh! I don't think Mittens Romney is going to create much of a buzz.

Unless you count ZZzzzzzzzzzzzs. Wake me when he finishes his announcement.

[livesimply]

I know....su­ch exciting news. Mitt Romney. Can't wait to hear it. We're on the edge of our seats.....­.

[madron]

Who the Hell would want to be McNuts VP....Oh maybe another loser....

[JiminNC]

Thats what is taking so long. Rumor has it that Liebermoony is intrigued at possibly being the only VP choice to flame out on two tickets of opposite parties.

[AlexisAshley]

In May 2007 BHO voted against funding troops in Afghanistan, but now he believes that more trooops are needed in Afghanistan. Wonder how he's going address this most recent flip--probably the same way he has handled all the others, by refusing to admit he has changed his position at all.

[OnTheOtherBeach]

Policy stands, tactics change as facts change. That's what grown-ups do -- something you Bushies have no clue about.

[darthmaul]

Bush makes a "decision" because he is the "decider." And then no matter what happens, including new data or events that might make one adjust their tactics, he doesn't change.

Bush thinks that is because he is a tough and a "no nonsense" kind of guy. Most intelligent people thank that makes him arrogant and stupid,

[FastMovingCloud]

He voted to defund the Iraq war, not Afghanistan.

[Roses]

The half fact that you just declared is very dangerous and irresponsible to actually being informed. Check this out on Politifact not McCain's site. (I think you an be assured that the McSame site is a little slanted).
What actually happened was that Boosh vetoed the original bi-partisan bill calling for a timeline in Iraq tied to military funding. Obama voted for that. The ultimate wrong was with Boosh. The bill was then reintroduced to the House and Senate, without the timetable for Iraq. Since there is no line item veto,it would have been irresponsible to vote for limitless spending on the cost of the Iraqi War.

Obama voted against increasing the funding for the Iraqi War in an unlimited and irresponsible manner. Obama is consistent.
But speaking of flops....h­ow about asking McSame about why he changed his stance on the Boosh tax cuts......­...HMMMMMM­M.........­Votes? Expediency? Boosh support? Nah.

[who38]

He is gointg to address his flips the same way Dubya and Hillary do; is that a problem?

[AdLib]

On Yahoo's front page right now...mayb­e the media's tired of giving him passes?:

"McCaln gaffes pile up; critics pile on

Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen Tue Jul 22, 6:13 AM ET

Sen. J0hn McCaln (R-Ariz.) said "Iraq" on Monday when he apparently meant "Afghanistan", adding to a string of mixed-up word choices that is giving ammunition to the opposition.

Just in the past three weeks, McCaln has also mistaken "Somalia" for "Sudan," and even football"s Green Bay Packers for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Ironically, the errors have been concentrated in what should be his area of expertise: foreign affairs.

McCaln will turn 72 the day after Sen. Bar ack 0bama (D-Ill.) accepts his party"s nomination for president at the age of 47, calling new attention to the sensitive issue of McCaln"s advanced age three days before the start of his own convention­."

[BrettnCalgary]

You know, years ago it always seemed that totalitarian and dictatorial regimes were the only ones with ancient leaders. The soviet union and china seem to pop to mind...

[who38]

Remember Reagan?

[goldenshaman]

Perhaps in history this time will be known as the "July Putsch."

The oil bubble was one of the final straws.

A few people in one industry were acting to the detriment of every other part of the economy.

That is not tolerable for long.

Today's vote on oil speculation was pretty clear.

The real deal breaker was the threat of war with Iran.

No sane person on the planet thinks that is a good idea.

But two crazy guys in the White House do.

Perhaps they found out there is a limit to the "Unitary Executive" after all.

[gladys46]

MSM assisted in that farce ... Fannie Mae/Mac being at risk causing markets to damn near crash & oil speculators to get more greedy ... pleassse..­. it was most probably Iran and it's show of force demonstrating to Bu$h, Inc & Israel that they should approach with caution and a possible straits blockade.

[goldenshaman]

Yes, our own war games indicated that a conflict with Iran would end in disaster for us.

[FastMovingCloud]

"Perhaps they found out there is a limit to the "Unitary Executive" after all."

I certainly hope so! The limit should have come wwwaaaaaayyyyyy before this, however.

[AdLib]

On Yahoo's front page right now...mayb­e the media's tired of giving him passes?:

"McCain gaffes pile up; critics pile on

Jim VandeHei, Mike Allen Tue Jul 22, 6:13 AM ET

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said “Iraq” on Monday when he apparently meant “Afghanistan”, adding to a string of mixed-up word choices that is giving ammunition to the opposition.

Just in the past three weeks, McCain has also mistaken "Somalia" for "Sudan," and even football’s Green Bay Packers for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Ironically, the errors have been concentrated in what should be his area of expertise: foreign affairs.

McCain will turn 72 the day after Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) accepts his party’s nomination for president at the age of 47, calling new attention to the sensitive issue of McCain’s advanced age three days before the start of his own convention­."

[Vern58]

OOOOhhh. Too bad. So sad. The man is showing himself as the media prima donna and boo hoo baby he really is. How can any living breathing person with grey matter and a pulse want this whiner with his finger on the red button???

[macbabe]

Thanks for encouraging O to go McCain, best thing you have EVER done!!