Obama Passes Commander in Chief Test
So what came out of this debate that John McCain tried to evade? The pressure was on McCain to win and win big. But he didn't do that. Not at all. Obama won on key issues demonstrating that our foreign policy is more than just about the surge. McCain frequently reverted back to clichés calling his opponent naïve and lacking judgment. But those accusations weren't actually substantiated by what happened. Obama actually looked more presidential while McCain often sounded condescending or angry.
Moreover, McCain also failed to show how he would be any different than George Bush on any of the key issues: Iraq, Afghanistan, and Iran. It was just more of the same.
1. On Iran McCain continues to try and change the fact that his own advisor Henry Kissinger came out in favor of the Obama approach.
2. On spending McCain promised to cut earmarks of $18 billion and cure our budgetary woes through cutting spending. Unfortunately, his policies including $120 billion a year in Iraq and $175 billion on growing the military dwarf that.
3. On Iraq. McCain continues to obsess about the surge but misses the broader point of strategy over tactics and the need to focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan where the greatest threat is from.
4. McCain called Pakistan a failed state prior to 1998. That would have been pretty disturbing if it were true considering Pakistan has nuclear weapons.
5. On Afghanistan and Pakistan it is clear that John McCain has a long record of completely ignoring the war in Afghanistan and the Al Qaeda safehaven in Pakistan that our intelligence community and military leaders believe presents the greatest direct danger to the United States.
6. On Russia McCain touted the wisdom of his own reckless response - a response criticized by five secretaries of state including Henry Kissinger, Jim Baker and Colin Powell.
7. McCain repeatedly claimed that he could work effectively with our allies. But has a long history of alienating them and won't even talk with Spain
8. McCain had issues with a number of foreign leaders names stumbling over Ahmadinejad's name and calling the Pakistani President Asif Ali Zadari by the wrong name
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I'm only one voter, but I felt relaxed when Mac talked, nervous when O talked.
He's still unprepared to me.
" I'm only one voter, but I felt relaxed when Mac talked, nervous when O talked."
That's something we have in common, but I figured out what my problem is. I am 59 years old and for my entire voting life I have seen mostly candidates with Mac's skin color talk and only one viable candidate with O's skin color talk. Sometimes, it is a matter of what we are used too that gets in our way of seeing something better.
Just to clarify things, the President is Commander in Chief of the active duty military (and the National Guard if federally activated). That's it.
Since the Bush administration came into office I've heard Republicans and Fox News commentators use the term as if it meant "Supreme Leader". Which I find more than a little creepy.
Obama supporters:
Please ignore the hypocritical McCain supporters. They cannot be reached. They cannot reason. Because they live on their hate. Instead, please do the following because we don't have much time:
-donate to the campaign
-volunteer for the campaign
-register voters
-phone bank
-canvass
Remember, the only way we're going to prevail is if we turn out our new voters. The polling is so close because half of "likely voters" cannot get past Barack's skin color in order to make an even and fair judgment between him and McCain.
Only his supporters thin ke passed the test. And don't quote that post-debate CNN poll because even CNN admits they polled more Democrats than repups or independents. See below.
"O" has not closed the sale. I think it's because in all his previous (local) elections he never had to try very hard. I vetted this guy. Every time he ran he either eliminated opponents with dirty tricks or he ran against someone unpopular. He didn't really close the primary sale either. He just won red caucus states because Hillary dropped the ball in the caucus states in terms of a ground team. "O" does not know how to close the deal in a GE. Prepare yourself for a loss.
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The CNN/Opinion Research Corp. survey is not a measurement of the views of all Americans, since only people who watched the debate were questioned and the audience included more Democrats than Republicans.
http://www
I'm voting for Mac, but I will give O credit. I thought he presented a much more mature perspective. I still think he's wrong about Bin Laden. I think Mac is absolutely the dove in this area. We don't need to start another war right now, until we work the innards of Pakistan.
I say this because I can see the headlines if we rush in. We'll be killing women and children, and Mac is right.....
Let's step back and think.
We know the President is the Commander in Chief of the Military Forces. However, this is saying that Obama has shown himself to be that and a more than capable and qualified Leader of the country, thus Commander and Chief.
McCain may qualify as Commander in Chief, but he fails miserable when you consider him to be qualfied to be the Chief Leader of the Country, he is ignorant, combative, unethical, divisive, and emotionally unstabled. Actually, when I think about it he is not qualified to be Command IN Chief either.
He continued to say Obama did not understand, but I seriously disagree and believe it is the one who thinks he already knows everything, is the one who is most dangerous and truly "don't" understand most often the gravity of a situation, and the best method to respond to it. McCain has demonstrated he does NOT have that ability.
I also would like to hear or read some evidence of how his military career and POW status has equipped him for winning wars. It's one thing to say it, but another to prove it.
In fact, it appears that he attaches titles, i.e. Maverick to himself, believes his own PR, and think it is so, and there are those who believe his myths!
Now, look where we stand in Iraq, and he is still blithering.
Is there something we are not being told to justify the insanity of McCain?
Mr Goldenberg, and others, you might be interested in knowing that the title is actually "Commander
As someone who spent 12 years proudly serving in the U.S. military, there is no doubt in my mind that the only candidate qualilfied to be Commander-in-chief is Sen. McCain.
I knew it was Commander-in chief, and I still think Obama mopped the floor with McCain. By the way, with the poll results of this debate and your wonderful Sarah Palin, good luck winning this.
And, as someone who did not serve in the military but has many relatives who did, three who were career military (navy flight surgeon, command sergeant major, top Army Ranger trainer), I remind you: Commander-in-Chief is a CIVILIAN job, the purpose of which is to translate the objectives and interests of the U.S. body politic into well-considered decisions on whether OR NOT to use military force intelligently, all the while upholding and defending the constitution of the United States. A constitutional law professor who has spent his life studying international relations and traveling and reading widely while developing a deep knowledge of how politics works at the local and state level and now at the national level, sounds just about ideal.
Mr Goldenberg
Well stated
I would add that the surge was a TACTIC to accomplish the STRATEGY of turning the political reins over to the Iraq's themselves
Obama was presidential in every aspect. And here is my take on foreign policy between these two.
Since when did MCCain have the EXCLUSIVE abiltiy to protect the US? Because he was a solider?
Because he has been around 30 more yrs/
You know- if the US cant see by now- none of that gives MCCain the exclusive right as the only candidate on erht- he would have held it up to Hillary or ANY CANDIDATE running against him for that matter- and it just does NOT cut it any longer.
Barack Obama was clear, concise, serious, intelligent and intent -he had what it takes in foreign policy and the distict ability to protect America like id want to be protected at any level
IT IS REALLY TIME THAT WE GET THIS AND DUMP THIS IDEA THAT MCCAIN HOLDS ALL THE POWER, ALL THE KNOWLEDGE AND ABILITY IN FOREIGN POLICY.
I am with you. I don't know where these pundits come off talking about McCain doing well. He was his nasty and condescending self. He wants to cut spending on everything except he can't control how his wife spends money as if it is water. $300,000 outfit?
Control his wife? It's her damn money, not his. John McCain is a kept man. She files her own taxes and has seperate finances. He probably didn't know how many houses he owns because he doesn't own any. She does, and the pre-nup makess that clear.
Well, you're probably very pro-O. Anyone truly pro-O is going to "hear" non-objectively.
That's OK. He didn't flub it.
He er-uhed-er
I can see why he got credit.
But.......
Obama wiped the floor with him, and Biden gave him the shine on Keith Olberman tonight!
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