McCain Campaign Press Call 6.11.08 AUDIO: Defense of McCain's Iraq Timetable "Not Too Important" Comment

WHO: Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Senator John Thune (R-SD), and McCain campaign Senior Policy Advisor Randy Scheunemann
WHAT: Press conference call on "John McCain and Iraq"
WHEN: Wednesday, June 11, 2008 at 1:00 P.M. EDT

SUMMARY
Early this morning, McCain made an early morning appearance on NBC's "The Today Show." In response to host Matt Lauer's question for an estimate of when U.S. troops might leave Iraq, McCain answered, "no, but that's not too important." In a subsequent press conference call, representatives of the Obama campaign chastised McCain for that statement. In this call, McCain respresentatives Lieberman and Thune defended McCain's statements, saying that McCain wants U.S. troops to leave Iraq soon and accusing the Obama camp of a "partisan attempt to distort John McCain's words to distract the American people" and of playing a "partisan political game."

This conference is also referenced in a OffTheBus piece by M.S. Bellows: Dueling Campaigns: Iraq Is Isn't Is Like South Korea. We Won't Will Won't Be Home For 100 Years. We Are Aren't Ragging On McCain's Age.

The above audio was recorded as part of the OffTheBus Listening Post project.

Comments

[janvoght]

although it's amazing to me that it took three people to explain one mis-spoken comment of sen mc cain, and the question posed about the senator choosing his words carefully was dismissed as mc cain's "straight talk"...? my question is, what were those troops thinking about those words, and what were their families feeling as well...str­aight talk or not....tho­se troops want to be home with their families, let's try and show compassion, since mc cain was in fact subject to the perils of war, he should know how to empathize in his interviews, no?

obama '08

[janvoght]

loved listening to this commentary, the audio allows for direct response..­.thanks!

obama '08 & 2012