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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: i-node who wrote (401807)	7/26/2008 3:13:23 AM
From: tejek	Respond to of 1577883

McCain Seems To Be Forgetting Some Pretty Important Stuff Posted July 25th, 2008 at 10:15 am Earlier this week, when CBS was revealed as having edited an interview in a manner that omitted a pretty serious foreign policy error on McCain’s part, I assumed the problem was ignorance, rather than a deliberate effort to hide what had happened. It’s one of the major shortcomings of the evening news format that stories are often condensed in ways that leave out important information. It seemed likely to me that whoever edited or produced the piece simply wasn’t aware that McCain had reversed the chronology on the Anbar Awakening and the Surge, and thought McCain’s attack on Obama’s patriotism made the segment more dramatic. Given that the entire interview was posted online, it’s hard to imagine CBS thinking they would have gotten away with anything by leaving something that significant on the cutting room floor. But it’s really hard to imagine that anyone could be this ignorant. On the July 22 broadcast of the CBS Evening News, while airing portions of an interview anchor Katie Couric conducted that day with Sen. John McCain, CBS News did not air McCain’s response to a question in which he characterized the Iraq war as “the first major conflict since 9/11,” apparently disregarding the war in Afghanistan, which Couric addressed in her question and which began in October 2001. It’s not like McCain doesn’t know there’s a war in Afghanistan, he simply forgot. But he’s also running on his expertise on foreign policy, meaning journalists should be giving more scrutiny to his claims, not less. Instead, it seems like even egregious foreign policy mistakes by McCain are overlooked, simply because he is believed to be expert, which is the opposite of how things are supposed to work. But McCain seems to be having some trouble remembering other things as well. Yesterday, McCain went after Obama for “speaking at a rally or political gathering any place outside the country”: “I would rather speak at a rally or a political gathering any place outside of the country after I am president of the United States,” McCain told O’Donnell. “But that’s a judgment that Sen. Obama and the American people will make.” John Cole links to several posts indicating that McCain actually has spoken at political gatherings outside the United States, like this one from MSNBC’s Mark Murray. However, on June 20, McCain himself gave a speech in Canada — to the Economic Club of Canada — in which he applauded NAFTA’s successes. An implicit message behind that speech was that Obama had been critical of the trade accord. Also, McCain’s trip to Canada was paid for by the campaign. Not only that, but as Atrios points out, McCain also took trips to Colombia and Mexico in order to favorably contrast his foreign policy experience with Obama’s. It just wasn’t as high profile as Obama’s trip to the Middle East and Europe, and that’s partially because the McCain campaign acted as Obama’s hypeman in making the trips such a big deal in the first place. Trade, drugs and immigration will top the agenda of U.S. Republican presidential candidate John McCain during a visit to Colombia and Mexico this week designed to showcase his foreign policy experience over that of Democratic rival Barack Obama. McCain, an Arizona senator who has wrapped up his party’s White House nomination, was to meet with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe and other officials in Cartagena on Tuesday and Wednesday in the first leg of a three-day journey to South and Central America. That was earlier this month. I suppose it’s also worth mentioning that McCain may have forgotten to run a “respectful campaign” after basically accusing Obama of wanting the United States to lose a war earlier this week. Just for the record, I don’t think this has to do with age. I think it has everything to do with a candidate who has gotten good press for so long that he hasn’t had to think much about making mistakes or being consistent. But McCain, who has referred to the political press as “his base,” seems to have forgotten about all that too, complaining that the press now favors Obama. “You have billed this event as a Presidential Town Hall, and I sincerely hope that the next president is here today,” McCain said. “My opponent, of course, is traveling in Europe, and tomorrow his tour takes him to France. In a scene Lance would recognize, a throng of adoring fans awaits Sen. Obama in Paris – and that’s just the American press.” Maybe they just stopped bringing him donuts. thecarpetbaggerreport.com

To: i-node who wrote (401807)	7/26/2008 3:18:17 AM
From: tejek	Respond to of 1577883

For Targeted GOP Senate Candidates, St. Paul Is Not A Choice Destination Fri. Jul 25, 2008 Nine of 12 targeted Republicans running in the most competitive Senate races this fall are either skipping the Republican convention in St. Paul, Minn., or have not decided whether to attend. Among those who will not attend are Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska, who is not close to presumptive presidential nominee Sen. John McCain of Arizona, and Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who is a McCain loyalist. Stevens and Collins will use the convention week to focus on their campaigns. Also sending regrets is former Rep. Bob Schaffer of Colorado, running for the seat being vacated by retiring GOP Sen. Wayne Allard. Six others -- Sens. Roger Wicker of Mississippi, John Sununu of New Hampshire, Elizabeth Dole of North Carolina and Gordon Smith of Oregon and challengers John Kennedy of Louisiana and Rep. Steve Pearce of New Mexico are still on the fence. Their spokesman offered responses ranging from "there are no plans yet" to "no decisions have been made." By contrast, most Democrats in those races are either planning to attend the party's late August convention in Denver or are leaning toward attending the event that will formally make Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois the party's nominee for president. The Republican convention will be bookended by speeches from President Bush, whose low approval ratings have caused many candidates to keep him at arm's length, and McCain, who is still trying to mend fences with conservatives. But none of the absentees or potential no-shows is publicly citing Bush or McCain as the reason for their decisions. Instead, they and their campaign aides point to the difficult campaign landscape and limited opportunities to campaign. Stevens, for example, is focusing on Alaska's Aug. 26 primary, which will take place during the Democratic convention, and will stay at home to campaign the following week when Republicans gather to anoint McCain. Because of the timing of the primary, Democratic candidate Mark Begich, the mayor of Anchorage, will also miss his party's convention. Collins will spend the week campaigning, said spokesman Kevin Kelley. Her opponent, Rep. Tom Allen, will be in Denver. Asked if Allen would attend, speak or raise funds at the Democratic gathering, spokeswoman Carol Andrews replied, "Yes, yes and yes." And while Schaffer eschews Minnesota to campaign in Colorado, his Democratic foe for the Senate seat, Rep. Mark Udall, can keep campaigning while attending his party's convention, since it is in his home state. Kennedy's opponent in Louisiana, Sen. Mary Landrieu, is bound for Denver, as are Oregon House Speaker Jeff Merkley; Sununu's challenger, former New Hampshire Gov. Jeanne Shaheen; and Pearce's foe, Rep. Tom Udall. While Wicker, the newest senator, has not officially sent regrets, his opponent, former Mississippi Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, is definitely staying away from Denver. "He's not a delegate or an alternate delegate, and it's more important for him to spend the time in the state campaigning," a spokesman said. Dole's Democratic challenger, Kay Hagan, has not committed to attending the Denver convention, but an aide said the campaign has discussed the possibility of a brief stay. So who among the top targeted Republicans is going to St. Paul? For starters, Senate Minority Leader McConnell will be there, as will Sen. Norm Coleman, who pushed to bring the GOP bash to his home state. His campaign is already promoting a fundraiser at nearby bar for 40 convention attendees under the age of 40. Coleman's likely Democratic opponent, Al Franken, does not know whether he'll head to Denver. Spokeswoman Jess McIntosh noted that the convention comes right in the middle of the Minnesota State Fair - a key opportunity to campaign. But, she said, "We're thrilled to stand with Sen. Obama, and we're trying to work out a time when Al can come out to Denver and be a part of history. But plans are not finalized yet." There is at least one state that will send both Senate candidates to their respective conventions -- Virginia. Both former Govs. Jim Gilmore, a Republican, and Mark Warner, a Democrat, plan to spend at least some time at the conventions. by Erin McPike nationaljournal.com