Ad Hawk: Bon Voyage, Barack! (McCain Airs First Negative Ad While Obama Is Away) »

Posted By ybdogsct 11 months, 3 weeks ago in Arts & Entertainment

McCain aired the first real negative ad of the 2008 general-election. McCain accuses Obama of 3 offenses: he "never held Senate a hearing on Afghanistan"; he "hasn't been to Iraq in years"; and he "vot[ed] against troop funding." While the complaints sound damning when simplified, they crumble upon closer examination.

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    ybdogsct11 months, 3 weeks ago

    http://mediamatters.org/items/200807180013

    "In the new negative ad which will run in battleground states while Obama is abroad, McCain accuses Obama of 'voting against funding our troops,' but McCain himself 'voted against funding our troops' when he voted against legislation that would have provided funds for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and directed more than $1 billion to the Department of Veterans Affairs, as well as other legislation funding care for veterans." "Obama did vote against a 2007 war-funding bill because he registering an objection to legislation that 'lacked a timetable for troop withdrawal'--a position that arguably means he was more concerned about troop well-being, not less."

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    ybdogsct11 months, 3 weeks ago

    http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/07...

    McCain also accuses Obama of Sen. Barack Obama 'never holding a single Senate hearing on Afghanistan.'

    But "Sen. John McCain has attended even fewer Afghanistan-related Senate hearings over the past 2 years than Obama.

    Meanwhile, Obama attended the full Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Afghanistan in March 2007. But McCain was a no-show. Since 2006, the Senate Armed Services Committee has held 6 hearings to oversee U.S. troops in Afghanistan. McCain, the top Republican on the Armed Service Committee, missed them all.

    The findings are surprising given the fact that the McCain campaign loudly criticized Obama for failing to schedule any hearings on Afghanistan in the last year and a half.

    'It is time for us to hold a hearing on the

    Afghanistan mission,' Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) a McCain surrogate who most recently attacked Obama over Afghanistan, also didn't attend any hearings on Afghanistan."

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      ybdogsct11 months, 3 weeks ago

      http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/stumper/archive/...

      "Finally, McCain says Obama hasn't visited Iraq since 2006. He's right, but congressional travel doesn't always offer the most accurate (or revealing) view of a war zone. Take McCain's April 1, 2007 trip to Baghdad. At the time, McCain claimed that his stroll through an open-air market proved that people could now "walk freely" through the city. But it was later reported that the candidate wore a flak jacket and received protection from 100 soldiers, 3 Blackhawk helicopters and 4 Apache gunships; snipers returned the next day and murdered a few Shiite merchants. Second, Obama is already planning do this summer what McCain has said he should do--that is, visit Iraq.

      McCain is trying to frame Obama as a know-nothing foreign-policy novice maneuvering for maximum political gain. But by choosing to focus 'Troop Funding' on matters of symbolism rather than substance, he doesn't really make it."

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      quackpot11 months, 3 weeks ago

      Since the pro-McCain vote is vanishingly small, McCain's only hope is to rally the anti-Obama forces.

      I have a feeling that the election will not be about which candidate will make an excellent President, but rather which candidate is least associated with Bush's disaster.

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        inplacenews11 months, 3 weeks ago

        McCain is a joke. Literally. Why does he not release his military record?

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        CHAM11 months, 3 weeks ago

        Lets see they complain about Obama not visiting, they complain about Obama visiting, they complain about Obama not attending sessions they themselves don't attend.

        Ghee Whiz? I'll bet the thing they intend to complain about the most is that Obama is breathing ( their air of course).

        I know of the corruption of McCain

        I know McCain is the re-incarnation of Bush

        I know America doesn't need four more years of the last eight.

        Is there something else I need to know, to know who not to vote for?

        I will not vote for McCain.

        Promise!

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        LumFan11 months, 3 weeks ago

        And if Obama had taken as many trips to Iraq as McCain had? Then the ad would have berated Obama for wasting tax dollars for the extra security that would be necessary for someone of his stature. And if his subcommittee had held a number of hearings? Once again, wasting taxpayer dollars on nonsense.

        McCain is rolling in hypocrisy.

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          Radiofreeeuropa11 months, 3 weeks ago

          McCain has been running anti Obama ads in the Phila. market for over a month. And they are so numerous one night my wife and I counted them on one phla. station. They appeared 20 times in 4 hours of prime time.

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          Spadecaller11 months, 3 weeks ago

          I believe the negative ads are backfiring. Americans have seen enough of them and will react against McCain.

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          engineer11 months, 3 weeks ago

          Don't forget if McCain is like Bush and his followers, they will try to swift boat Obama just as they did Kerry

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          not2needy11 months, 3 weeks ago

          McCain aught to know how he is viewed by the majority of the baby boomers right now, at least the ones i know, and i don't think we're all that different.

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          Gransater11 months, 3 weeks ago

          Personaly I'm tired of this whole process. Not only has it been going on long enough, but it has reduced one of the most important decisions a citizen can make in this great country to the level of deciding what soap to buy.

          When a candidate finally reaches the W.H. his/hers reputation has been shot so full of holes that the due respect inherent for position is just about vanished. Its to a degree dividing the country domestically, and on the international arena, rather than showing us as the open and united society we really are, we are projecting an image of fragmentation and discord.

          This process also has a tendency of favoring individuals with a thick skin, good talkers and self centered qualities. Not that these are bad for the position, but other better qualified individuals with other attributes are falling by the wayside, or not even trying. Our presidency should not be for sale to the person with the most soundbites.

          Its time to find alternative means of selection.

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            ybdogsct11 months, 3 weeks ago

            http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/07...

            "'Obama is chairman of the Subcommittee on European Affairs. Under my chairmanship the Foreign Relations Committee has addressed most Afghanistan issues at the Full Committee level,' JosephBiden wrote. 'I believe that this is the best way of ensuring the most comprehensive examination of the complex issues involved, and of ensuring the highest-level Administration participation. We have held 3 Full Committee hearings in the last 22 months. At my request, Senator Obama chaired the confirmation hearing for our next ambassador to NATO, which he focused on NATO's mission in Afghanistan.'"

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              ybdogsct11 months, 3 weeks ago

              http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/07...

              "'Obama has displayed great leadership on this issue: he called nearly a year ago for the deployment of at least 2 additional combat brigades to Afghanistan - it has since become the accepted position of a wide range of U.S. military officials, including the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.'

              The issue of how many hearings have been held will become a prickly one if Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) a McCain surrogate, pursues it. Sen. McCain has skipped nearly every Armed Services Committee Hearing even though he is the ranking member. And Sen. DeMint skipped the one hearing Obama did chair to consider some executive nominations."

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                tchef11 months, 2 weeks ago

                You are the man ybdogsct!! Keep hitting them with the facts. The best thing we can do is to constantly remind the Republicans who put this country in the position it is in.

                The Republicans had total control for 6 years and look what they have done. Ruined just about everything that they have touched.

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                tiredofwhiners11 months, 2 weeks ago

                "---first real negative ad---"

                If you say they're negatives, then they must be things Obama is deficient in. If they're positives then Obama should be happy they are being aired.

                All's fair in love and politics.

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                doppich11 months, 2 weeks ago

                Conflating support of the war with support of the troops is a Bush favorite. Too bad McCain has already gone Rovian (or is it Axelrodian?)

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                tiredofwhiners11 months, 2 weeks ago

                This article is in itself a negative ad against McCain, I haven't a seen single positive thing mentioned about him nor a single negative thing about Obama. I know McCain's weaknesses. Does Obama have any weaknesses at all?

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