Giant Gaffe: McCain Confuses National Guard and Army -- and Palin's Son
If you don't already do it, you really should be checking out the Anchorage Daily News site regularly, for local Palin news, editorials and op-eds, and its excellent Alaska Politics blog (special bonus Ted Stevens coverage there). Today, for example, the paper hits Palin hard in an editorial for abdicating to the McCain campaign on Troopergate.
And here's a brand-new gem on a stunning, overlooked McCain gaffe from David Hulen at the Alaska Politics blog:
Candidates spend a lot of time talking, and they all misspeak sometimes. But did anyone else notice this, from Wednesday's much-covered McCain-Palin Town Hall event in Grand Rapids, Mich., where Palin answered questions from people in the audience? McCain said this near the end of the clip below, as he's talking up Palin's foreign policy/national security credentials:
"I also know, if I might remind you, that she is commander of the Alaska National Guard. In fact, you may know that on Sept. 11 a large contingent of the Alaska Guard deployed to Iraq and her son happened to be one of them. So I think she understands our national security challenges..."
The ceremony Palin attended at Fort Wainwright last week didn't involve the Alaska National Guard. Palin's son is in the Army, and his unit - 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division - deployed to Iraq.
More coverage on the media and the campaign here.
Greg Mitchell is editor of Editor & Publisher and author of the new book on Iraq and the media, "So Wrong for So Long."
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Does anyone know what this guy is talking about........................................................................
Steeler- You think that is scary? Look at how many intelligent people are willing to overlook Obama's background, associations, and extreme socialist views. Should he be elected the left leaning socialist movement will have 4 years and then they will be out! It is frightening to think that Obama may pull this off and I consider it to be the biggest con in American election history. I thought Bush scared me but this is getting scary.
The United States cannot survive four more years of Republican mismanagement, and that's exactly what McCain and Palin will do - mismanage the country into utter destruction.
Why are you hear? Take your balderdash elsewhere. You are the crazy one, with all your poppycock diatribes.
Don't repeat a troll's post - it just regurgitates their lies and makes you look as if you are posting lies as well. Reply to the original post with a rebuttal instead.
so you would rather support a woman who charges rape victims for the rape kit. Why do you and your candidate hate women??
Nice attempt at sticking in those talking points... but Sen. Obama is not a socialist and never was, and any socialist could tell you that since you seem unable to discern that from his policies (which has the liberal left more than a little agitated), has nothing but a clean background and his "associations" are no better or worse than the majority of American politicians from the city level on up.
we all are going to LOSE if mccain wins this election. I just wish MORE republicans could understand this. Don't they see a sinking ship?
Well, he also confuses lies with "straight talk," a free pass on the Keating Five scandal with "exoneration," deserting a disabled wife with "honor," and Sarah Palin with a person who is intellectually or ethically prepared to be a heartbeat away . . .
You would assume that a candidate would know a few personal things about their running mate. In this case, given that McCain's a military guy who claims strength in military issues and since Palin's been touted with so much foreign policy experience that he'd be milking the military deployment and would at least get the facts straight. If nothing else, given that probably the biggest thing that would be on a parent's mind would be the deployment of their kid to a war zone, it seems that McCain would be in tune on that just for the personal aspect even if it had nothing to do with the campaign.
The problem when you just have a cursory understanding of facts is that you often chain together things that don't go together. He's been so used to telling that story about Palin leading the Alaska National Guard, as "evidence" of her "foreign policy" experience, that he just assumed that her son was in the Guard and that the Guard was deploying. Means that he probably hasn't had too many personal conversations with her since that phone call before he made the pick.
I worked for 6 years as a seasonal park ranger for NPS, does that mean I have more Federal Govt' experience than she does?
Yep.
Did I understand correctly that Palin's hometown newspaper is not supporting her?
Palin left Wasilla 22 million in debt, she authorized a sports complex to be built on land the city didn't even own..they are still racking up lawyer bills trying to sort it all out....she lowered some taxes but raised others....she speaketh with a forked tongue
LOL. She has already prooven that her level of financial abilities mirrors those of George Bush Jr. How do you say corrupt and incompatent?
Hey, not only did she authorize the sports complex, which I hear is a money pit, not a money maker, but she didn't even bother to put in a water treatment plant that the town really needs.........oh, and Wassila also attempted a recall on her. This isn't made-up, unless people writing articles in the Anchorage Daily News are liars. Many other good articles in the ADN, more people should check it out.
Mcain = Bush = Cheny = Republican= Liars= Lack of integrity = lack of understanding= OLD SCHOOL
"Palin has never ordered Alaska National Guard to do anything", see:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20080903/pl_mcclatchy/3035478
I doubt that McSame or Moose-a-lini could even command "F Troop"
And this guy, who doesn't know the difference between the National Guard and the regular Army, boast to be THE guy? To be THE one, the Great Warrior, the Professional soldier, the Supreme Commander in Chief??? May God have mercy on us....
How can women trust the Palin/McCain ticket. I now know why he selected her. He knew that she would lie without blinking. Why would you want to run for such a demanding position when you know that a least 2 of your children desperately needed you? I suspect there will be another surprise soon and I wonder if the republican party will drop them both.
Day by day McCain is looking and sounding more and more like Bob Dole. At least Bob Dole probably would have known the difference between the National Guard and the Army. I'm wondering how can we even take John McCain seriously anymore? He plays the POW card likes it is going out of style but refuses to support major legislation concerning the GI Bill and any support that goes towards our military men and women. McCain is only a veteran when it is convenient for him.
good catch!
I ran out of room in my previous post and wanted to add this:
Please, if you like speaking to people and can explain issues well, volunteer your time. I spent two hours today walking around in the sunshine on a beautiful day, and in that time, got two more people to volunteer for Obama's campaign. The snowball effect is going to be HUGE and Americans are going to take their country back from the Neo-Cons and the corporations and lobbyists.
Even more encouraging is the fact that something like 450 people from California have come to Nevada to volunteer for Obama this weekend.
If you're serious about change, and as terrified of the disastrous effect on our country that a McCain / Palin ticket will surely bring, then please volunteer a few hours a week. Go to Obama's website or even MoveOn.org and find ways to volunteer, or if you are able to, donate.
In case anyone is wondering, I'm not an official representative of the Obama campaign, I'm just a regular American citizen that is participating as fully as I can in this country's democracy.
Thank you Daniel for all that you are doing. Talking with people and getting their input and finding out what matters to them usually means that they have little to nothing in common with McCain/Palin. Once they understand their policies vs. Obama and Biden's, their minds are clear. Again, thanks for all that you do.
Peace.
The scary thing is that all these republican voters (many who are probably very bright people) are willing to overlook McCain's dwindling brain function and Palin's laughable lack of world stage experience (I wish I knew what her last 10 books that she read - I bet none had to do with world anything) JUST TO WIN THE WHITEHOUSE. What do these voters think is going to happen when these bozos get into the oval office and close the door?? EVERYBODY gets screwed - Republicans and Democrats.
If they loose they would have to admit they were reponsible for the downfall of America and I think they would rather die then do that...
Good news folks. I went and canvassed for Obama today in a very affluent neighborhood in Northern Nevada. I had about 35 homes to go to and speak with the residents about their voting intentions. Of those 35 homes, only about 10 families were home. Of those 10, there were 3 registered Republicans that said they were DEFINITELY voting FOR Obama, and about 3 registered Republican homes were either definitely McCain or leaning McCain. The others that were home were registered Democrats and one registered Independent, all of whom said they are definitely voting for Obama.
This is of course, just a very small sample of voters, but the important thing to consider is that it was in a very affluent neighborhood (home values $750,000 up to $1,000,000), in a conservative-leaning state and these people are mostly not concerned with falling in the $250,000/year income tax bracket - they are concerned about the Neo-Con's failed economic policies. Of the Republicans that said they were voting for McCain, one was strongly "pro-life" and the others were concerned about taxes. If we can convince these people of the truth that the current administration has undermined the economic foundations of this country and that, in fact, McCain is no different than Bush, we can convince more registered Republicans to at the very least, take the time to step out of partisan ideology and look at Obama.
How do they do the polls anyway. From what I've heard they call landlines. Cell phones tend to be protected from unwarranted calls. That would make the polls skewed. Young people tend to have cell phones. I know 4 young 20 something guys who room in a house together -- everyone has a cell phone and there is no landline. Young people favor Obama. This would almost guarantee that Obama is doing better than the polls suggest.
It's not just 20 somethings. My son is 35 and hasn't had a landline for 10 years. My husband & I are near 60 and we haven't had a landline for nearly 5 years. Why would we, I can take my cell phone anywhere, have answering service and it takes pictures. The pictures aren't that bad either. Though I hunger for my sons iphone - wow that is so cooolllllllllll
Great news! I'm heading out tomorrow for canvassing. We have a few of these Pez dispensing re-duex-cans in the neighborhood. This is a heavily IT based group of folks who I was pleasantly surprised in '04 to find predominantly liberal. i was precinct leader for Hillary but will do whatever to reverse this freak-show gauntlet that was the last eight years!!!!
THANKS DANIEL8 168.
There are increasing signs that McCain is suffering from the beginnings of dementia. This must become a major issue of the campaign. Some organization needs to make an ad showing some of the major examples of McCain's mental decline and warn that this is only going to get worse during the next 4 years.
You're spot on CV. Although I am not wishing it, let's say McCain dies within his first term. Even if he lives out his first term, he'll be 76 years old and may be unfit to continue. Either way Palin becomes the first female POTUS, rallys the ultra-conservative and right wing-nut ReTHUG base and the ReTHUGs are forever denying Hillary that historical first female POTUS claim to fame. I think the ReTHUGs have this all planned out.
We're pretty much OVER MCCAIN and his LIES. That really did it for us.
McCain also gets TOO MIXED up; how can this guy lead America??
Republican corruption & war-profiteering, deregulation of all industry, deregulation of banks and financial markets ARE DESTROYING AMERICA and STEALING the MIDDLE CLASS AMERICANS tax money.
NO MORE YEARS for Republican CORRUPTION!
Vote Obama-Biden.
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