McCain Pulls Out the Heartstrings: Pity He Didn't Use a Violin Instead of a Kazoo
John McCain shamefully resorted to emotional buzzwords when he didn't have a proper response to Barack Obama's keen ripostes. Whether it was a reference to the mothers or widows of our recent war dead or pledging to defend Israel against all costs. In all instances McCain acted as if he was the only one running who felt sorry for those who'd lost loved ones. He was apparently the only one in the presidential race in support of Israel's protection against Arab Terrorists, such as those funded by Iran.
When he didn't have a legitimate rebuttal to Obama's charge that McCain's $18 billion earmark obsession paled compared to McCain's intended tax cuts for the wealthy amounting to $300 billion, the Republican nominee kept repeating Obama's support for $900 million in earmarks for his home state. However, even in this naked attempt to deflect attention from the big picture that clearly cast aspersion on whether he supported a cost-effective national policy, McCain never took the trouble to itemize any of the Obama earmarks that he thought weren't deserving.
I felt bad for Barack Obama, who treated McCain with a level of respect, even as McCain often had a frozen condescending grin while the Democrat spoke. I was outraged when McCain kept repeating false or misleading charges about Obama or tried to put him down as to who truly knew the difference between military tactics and strategy. However, McCain's smile soon faded when Obama handily retorted McCain's misrepresentations, particularly when he reminded him and, more importantly, the viewing audience about the lies that led us to attack Iraq while essentially dropping the ball on Afghanistan, from whose borders came the 2001 attacks on New York and the Pentagon.
McCain then veered again, talking about a bracelet he wore given to him by a loved one of an American who fell in Iraq. He related how he'd been asked to promise that the deceased military man had not died for naught. Obama quickly came back with a bracelet of his own, given to him by a mother who'd lost her son in the same conflict, who made him promise that he wouldn't send more men and women to die for an ill-advised cause.
That's the difference between the two. The Republican philosophy, if a military policy is set forth -- however wrong and misguided in the first place -- is that we continue it at all costs simply because unfortunate folks have died or been seriously maimed.
The smart position would be to cut your losses as you would if your stocks kept falling, not let our military continue to go over a cliff like lemmings just because others had done likewise. That's the creative and sound wisdom we need in our nation's leadership, not one that continues to repeat the same old refrain, as if the very repetition itself would solve the enormous problems we've endured in Iraq.
And regarding this continuing talk about how well the surge is working, I have one question that might seem relevant. How has the surge worked so well when I continue to read almost daily about suicide bombings occurring in Iraq? It appears that you can't go anywhere in Baghdad or most Iraqi areas without some sort of fear that a nut case with a bunch of bombs strapped to his or her waist will set off an explosion that will sadly end a lot of innocent folks lives.
Why doesn't anyone talk about this? Why is there persistent applause for General Petraeus and the added military? How many of us would want to take a very well paying job in Iraq now, helping in hospitals and schools and the so-called free elections that have been touted? Is it really safe to do so? That's the only thing I wish Obama had said, even though discussing the armed forces on any level is like walking on eggshells, and so I understand why he might be reluctant to talk about our military personnel in any manner other than total success.
Otherwise, I was very pleased with Obama's performance in the debate, the subject matter of which convinced many that he would fare poorly in comparison to the supposedly worldly and experienced foreign affairs expert, John McCain. But McCain showed himself to be a stick-in-the-mud, more concerned with pulling our heartstrings with emotional and mostly irrelevant statements such as his determination to "take care" of veterans and reminding everyone that he had been one after Obama pledged to support their funding. Perhaps McCain forgot the dismal display that recently came to light under a Republican administration concerning miserable medical treatment and conditions for those same veterans at Walter Reed Hospital.
And this led to his old stand-by, a reminder of his having been a prisoner of war. I'd actually thought, hey, for once he didn't mention it, but at the closing moments he pulled it out as he has done on so many occasions. Most people are reluctant to say anything other than hosannas about his wartime service, because he did go through a harrowing ordeal. But it was no more so than many others in that war and in previous ones, with the singular difference that most of those veterans had the dignity and selflessness to let others do the talking instead of blowing their own horn to cash in as McCain has done regarding an extremely distressing life experience.
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I was watching the debate on CNN, with the three graph lines on the bottom indicating audience response (red-reb.; blue-dem, white- ind.) when McCain mentioned his POW history, yet again, all three lines plunged.
Obama needs to stop agreeing with McCain--he obviously was not a trial attorney. If you're gonna agree with the other side, you have immediately show why they are stil wrong about the issues, or turn it to your advantage.
Americans get a decider for 8 years for what Americans end up today, a big mess.. Americans may get a Prison of war for another 4 years at less. We hope it will not be that, American get a Political Outraged Wacko, POW, will be a disaster.
I watch McCain on TV only when necessary, hoping he won't implode. That would be so sad. He should have stuck with being a national hero. Now he's joining Duhbya as a national embarrasment.
I haven't heard anybody pronounce it "Warshington" in about 50 years. God save this man. Maybe he'll have a noninjurious no-harm medical episode to give himself cover to bail out. I was hoping he would not show for the debate and say "I'd rather lose an election than fail to act when our country is in crisis."
For the life of me, I don't understand why Obama didn't call him out on the vererans and torture issue. McCain voted against his own torture amendment and his support for vets amounts to a an extra aspirin after an amputation.
Obama may be too kindhearted. Maybe he didn't want to kick the old man as he was reeling on the floor from a metaphorical kick in the head.
I think we should all encourage Obama to go ahead with the punch and get it over with. I remember at some point last night he had a perfect opportunity to mention Charles Keating and he just let it go.
Maybe the "you're wrong" stuff is a prelude to that.
We have seen the White House of the future,and McCain/Palin's not in it
McCain thinks "El Surgo" worked because AMERICAN casualties have dropped precipitou
Why do taxes get such a bad rap? As long as they're actually going to pay for something,why would we mind? I would pay an extra $100 a year if it meant that I could walk (or crawl) to any hospital at any time and get free care and pay very little for medicine.
I also groaned when McCain pulling out his dog-eared POW card,and I loved when,after McCain talked about the bracelet he got, Obama had one, too...he should have walked over to McCain and put it about three inches away from his nose and said, "See?" and kept it there for five seconds,looking him square in the eye,with one of his own smirks.McC
Obama sunk McCain's battleship!
Disgusting performance by McCain.
So he was a POW. I didn't know that!
He should get a tattoo on his forehead "Ex-POW" and then he wouldn't have to bring it up all the time.
And then he lies about his support for vets.
"McCain acted as if he was the only one running who felt sorry for those who'd lost loved ones."
And only McCain said that poor Ted Kennedy was back in the hospital.
After it was discovered that Kennedy was already home from his visit which occured as a result of a medication snafu. By the way, what do you care about Kennedy if you are a Palin supporter?
McCain forgot his lapel pin.
McCain doesn't wear a flag pin anymore, and he doesn't have to because HIS patriotism is not being questioned.
Are you questioning Obama's patriotism? S T I L L ?!?
Your last name wouldn't be Manson, would it?
It strikes me that mcSmirk could only say that he was "protecting and caring for our veterans", when, in fact, he voted against the GI bill and veteran's health care, saying it was unneeded and frivolous.
O should have called him out, right there... but then mcSmirk fell into the "poor me" refrain of having been a prisoner (POWtm). O couldn't take the shot then without coming off as crass.
mcSmirk couldn't ONCE look him in the eye... how disdainful
I like the CNN tracking of independent reaction..
GO O!!!
McCain reminded me of a slow plodding great white shark, but Obama reminded me of a superpowered fast moving and swimming bionic plastic man, who when the great white tries to take a bite, has to spit superpowered fast moving plastic bionic man out and can't get a grip on his "prey". When the great white tries once again to swallow the superpowered fast moving and bionic swimming plastic man, this time whole, he chokes on him, spits him out, and dies a slow death as superhuman plastic man swims around him at record speed and watches the great white's slow death respectfully and in slight awe of the dying creature. That was my metaphoric view of the debate, in a nutshell, for me.
Obama clearly won, and it was great to see! Obama Biden 08
The worst was his claim to have resolved matters for the POW MIA relatives, when anyone with access to You Tube can see for themselves his shameful and venomous treatment of the relatives.
"The worst was his claim to have resolved matters for the POW MIA relatives"
Yes, McCain does have something to hide, the fact that hundreds of American POWs were LEFT BEHIND in Vietnam. McCain and John Kerry have worked together to hide this fact from the American people.
http://www
McCain's war policy reminds me of a painting by the outsider artist Von Dutch. It's titled "Goodbye, Cruel World" and depicts a man who has committed suicide by feeding himself to a meat grinder. All that's left of him is one arm, hand still on the crank handle of the meat grinder.
McCain's debate performance reminded me of "The Scream".
when he started using the "hushed and whispered tones" voice to describe the dangers of the world, i nearly retched.
Barack won the debate on style and substance. The issue of "temperament" and "presidential" demeanor are important to voters. McCain, like Bush has been decidedly intemperate and not presidential. I believe many Americans are embarrassed by Bush and part of the change they want is someone who has the ability to communicate in a way that elevates people. McCain is like Bush with his petulant and combative style. This is not what we want in a time of National Crisis. We want someone who will pull people together in a time of crisis.
The worst moment was when McCain exploited the death of a soldier to defend his Iraq policy.It was a cynical and blatant attempt to exploit a family tragedy to defend an elective war against a country that played no role in the 9/11 attack. So is Iraq worth more than 4, 000 dead and 40,000 wounded? My twin sons and I have served in Iraq. One was wounded and the other is there on a 15 month tour. McCain like Bush is just another politician who really does not give a sh**t about the troops or the vets. He opposed the new GI Bill and supports 15 month tours which exact a horrific emotional and mental toll on the troops and their families. When will he acknowledge it was a mistake to enter the war?. Now that is what a real "Maverick" would do. What ever that means?
Obama 08
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