Barack Obama On The Strength Of Negotiating

One of the clearest policy -- and personality -- contrasts in the debate came when Barack Obama and John McCain discussed the issue of negotiating with other nations.

After McCain attacked him (angrily) for being open to negotiations, Barack Obama explained why negotiating is actually puts the United States in a stronger position, and why McCain's view is actually weak.

As he wrapped up his answer, Obama also hit McCain's refusal to commit to meeting with Spain -- a NATO ally.

Comments

[RickRaff]

Obama the counter puncher!

[keepacoolhead]

The Spain commentary came as a surprise to McCain and was a good direct hit since he was so arrogant about his position.

[sak]

Don't you think it was telling that McCain did not bother to defend his statement? He could have said he misspoke or misunderstood the question. Instead, he just let it hang there. Would he really refuse to meet with the president of Spain? Apparently so!

[athenasword]

I swear to gawd that he thought it got buried in the media that week.... so much other stuff had come up, he was banking on that "slip" being forgotten. Ha!

[desert dog]

Can someone tell me what McCain was taking about --As far as North Korea is concerned, our secretary of state, Madeleine Albright, went to North Korea. By the way, North Korea, most repressive and brutal regime probably on Earth. The average South Korean is three inches taller than the average North Korean, a huge gulag.

That was taken from the transcript of the debate. What does the South Koreans being 3" tall than North Koreans. I re-read the trancript because I wasn't getting it.

McCain is old--And the talk of war, war,war,. I don't trust McCain. Obama was great. I felt safe I felt he really understood.

[JackND]

Sometimes oppression can be so pervasive and long lasting that the weight of it actually impacts your height.

[respectingothers]

actually it's chronic stress and malnutrition which stunts growth. I'd be willing to bet that an average of three inches is a big stretch. plus there may well be an inherent genetic difference between the two populations

[athenasword]

It is mostly a nutritional deficiency at work here. Wartime Europe (Netherlands) showed the same thing. After the war height increased and was related to diet.

[DamageControl]

i think it has to do with food and resource scarcity.

[mdweaver7485]

Senator McCain

Your postitions are diplomatically, and economically irresponsible, problems are not resolved by treating the symptoms, they are resolved by identifying and then treating the root cause. Your fundamental lack of understanding is detrimental to our country and to the world, it makes you unqualified to be President of the United States of America.

For more on my position and to digg it if you agree
http://digg.com/2008_us_elections/McCain_your_fundamental_lack_of_understanding_is_dangerous

PS I hate to post this to so many articles, but it is to pertinent to them to not post.

[mmmd]

Obama's response to an accusation that has been leveled at him for a long time (meeting enemies without preconditions) was very solid, very logical. And the last shot about Spain was simply brilliant.

[iPolitics]

John McHonorless won't meet with Spain. Hahahaha

Palin can see Spain from an Internet map

[dengal]

or from the blackberry mccain created, lol

[limcy76]

Okay, let me play a devil advocate here.

1. Where is the mention about the Keaton 5 scandals?

2. Why didn't Obama mention about Rick Davis?

[elementixx]

KEATING five.   As in Charles Keating/Lincoln S&L, which cost us billion$.   Maybe he's saving it for the next debate (hopefully)

[DamageControl]

there's a time and a place for these things to be brought up, this wasn't it.

[sak]

I am glad Obama did not bring this up. It will come up eventually. Keith Olberman has talked about it on his show. Over 20,000 people lost their life savings in that scandal where McCain protected his criminal pals in the savings and loan industry and intervened on their behalf. Honor anybody?

[XME]

1. Going THAT negative in a debate fails...undecideds don't like that.

2. Mentions of Rick Davis open up counter mentions of folks on his side who have similar (albiet to a lesser degree) connections.

[athenasword]

Two words: Domestic debate. (coming soon!)

[BAVirago]

After Barack landed that punch about Spain, you could see McCain trying to hold his temper. He didn't know what to do. Brilliant!

[jcahill]

brilliant

[sak]

I can' t stand to listen to McCain very long, so I admit I muted him once in awhile. At one point I muted his answer and watched just his body language. He looked like he was yelling at someone. The anger just shot out of his eyes. Then, I unmuted him and he was speaking in a normal tone. The man is primed to blow. You just watch.

[UtahLady]

Read his lips on the video, and listen close. McCain said horses**t. He truly has temper problems, doesn't he??!!

[TheRebel82]

This was a great highlight for Obama! Completely humiliated Mccain with the spain gaffe!

[ArcEnCiel]

O8ama disagreed without being disagreeable.McPalin is so yesterday... not presidential...and just insulted north coreans(Civilians) for being short,the average;poor peasant people...Gosh!

[MWChris]

Pow!

[colormebrn]

i dont want to look too far into this, but mccain acts like obama disgust him. he acts very disrespectful to him and i think it was cowardly and rude to try and snub obama and michelle. obama above all things is a gentle man. he graciously greeted mccain and his wife, along with michelle. im excited at the possibility of having this man represent the united staes of america!

[UtahLady]

Obama is classy. McCain isn't, and never has been.

[jasper]

Obama will not be viewed as winning any debate. This is true even if he makes the most sense and articulates his points well. The GOP spin machine will find some spurious point to show their candidate was the better and the gullible American public will eat it up.

Look at Bush against Kerry and think about how Palin comes across. In any other country in the world the debating and public speaking skills of the GOP candidates would not get them an interview with Walmart.

The whole process is a farce.

[PepperzMom]

Not so fast...read the poll results coming up all over the web..

Obama's 'win' % is consistently in the 60's.

[Thomei]

So far the public is speaking and by a wide margin, Barack is the winner! Anyone notice what a great husband Barack is to Michelle? He treats her with respect, dignity and shows his tremendous affection. McCain and his wife seem detached from each other, each being in their own spaces on stage.

[UtahLady]

Cindy McCain's body language is very telling. She really doesn't want to be anywhere near him. I guess that's why she lives (alone) in Arizona most of the time, while John McCain hangs out in Washington DC.

He's really never "been there" for her during any of the real problem issues she's had in her life. That's so different from the very loving and supportive (39-year-long) marriage I've had with my husband. In a way I feel sorry for her.

http://www.newsweek.com/id/142650

[Krikkit]

I'm very happy to say you are completely wrong on this. CNN did a real time poll right after the debate and consensus is that Obama won the debate hands down.

:)

Oh happy day!

[sak]

You can only spin so much. Obama was so much more on target and organized in his responses, that even I, a cynic from way back, felt that the public would see him as a winner. And they did. After CNN did some fact checking, Obama came out way ahead. I especially enjoyed it when they played the tape of Henry Kissinger saying that the president should meet with the president of Iran "without preconditions" which put to rest McCain's insistance that he did not say that. McCain attacked Obama for suggesting such a thing and Obama said that Kissinger, McCain's foreign policy advisor, had said we should do that. McCain wouldn't have it and said he has been friends with Kissinger for 35 years, blah, blah... It was harsh to see it on tape, but Obama was right.

[Dr Scott]

This was one of the points on which Obama really gave McCain the smackdown. I know it is just not in Obama's personality, but he missed a lot of great opportunities to make McCain crazy. I almost yelled myself hoarse trying to coach Obama from my couch! McCain has a really obvious tel: everytime he gets nervous/angry, his left eye starts to flutter. Were I debating McCain, I would have pummeled him with one of his own flubs, flipflops or f-ups everytime that eye started quivering. McCain is so easy. I know it is just wishful thinking that a guy like Obama would exploit these weaknesses, but it's fun to think about. Everybody wants to see McCain blow a gasket in public. He's got a lot of buttons - Obama should start pushing them.

[respectingothers]

Obama showed himself to be the true gentleman that he is. He is just one very GOOD human being. To the core.

[sak]

That is the biggest difference between them. Obama is a gentleman, has a wonderful family and appears to be a truly decent human being. McCain has a history of being a goof off in school, a drunk, a womanizer and a gambler, by the way. His first wife, a swim suit model was in a horrible car accident while McCain was a POW. She ended up in a wheelchair with a catheter and had lost 5 inches in height. McCain walked away from her and jumped into bed with Cindy. Nice guy. He is a loose cannon. We do not need that in this troubled world. We need a calm, collected, intelligent, decent human being like Senator Obama.

[changeorbust]

yahoooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ArcEnCiel]

O8ama disagreed without being disagreeable.McPalin is so yesterday... not presidential...and just insulted north coreans(Civilians) for being short,the average;poor peasant people...Gosh!

[LaJaca]

And McCain's response was...what? I don't remember one.

[gobarackgo]

The rain in Spain falls mostly on McInane. Hasta la vista, JMac.