WILKES BARRE, Pa. — I have a story in today's print edition about Sen. Barack Obama's method of criticizing Republican Sen. John McCain while praising him for his military service.
MANHEIM, Pa. — Sen. Barack Obama said yesterday that he would never question Sen. John McCain's patriotism even as he excoriated the presumptive Republican presidential nominee's position on Iraq.
"The guy is a war hero," Mr. Obama told reporters. He praised Mr. McCain for enduring "horrendous treatment" as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.
"I would never challenge him on his patriotism," Mr. Obama said. "He has earned the honor and respect of the American people."
The presidential campaigns are considering how to address Mr. McCain's military service, which is likely to be a major boon for the senator from Arizona in the November election.
The McCain campaign last week began airing the first commercial for the general election. The ad emphasizes his war service and includes footage of him as a prisoner of war in a North Vietnamese hospital bed.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean called Mr. McCain "a blatant opportunist" for changing positions to embrace President Bush.
The Republican National Committee demanded an apology from Mr. Dean and denouncement of the remarks from Mr. Obama and his Democratic rival, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York. Neither Democratic candidate has denounced Mr. Dean's comment.The Washington Times asked Mr. Obama whether he agreed with Mr. Dean's characterization, but the senator from Illinois said he had not seen the ad nor heard the DNC chairman's remark.
Read the rest of my story here, and here's some (low-quality) video I took last night in Lancaster with Obama's McCain stump line:
— Christina Bellantoni, national political reporter, The Washington Times
Comments (4)
Howard Dean is proxy to cover both Clinton and Obama's lack of Commander in Chief abilities. Neither has served in the military and Clinton has nothing but distain for it (read Buzz Patterson's book). If they were going to demand apologies, for such statements they would have already made their requests with Kennedy's, Murtha's and Durbin denegrations. McCain is just another one of Obama's uncle images, apathetic respect.
Posted by Larry Stone | April 1, 2008 3:31 PM
I am not sure being in the military and a prisoner of war necessarily are a automatic credentials to be commander in chief or even promotion in rank ... let alone run be chief economist, chief doctor, chief relationship point w the world as President. It's a fantastic story, but remember Rambo did the missions for Troutman ... McCain's a good Rambo.
Posted by Fred Thompson | April 1, 2008 3:55 PM
The fact is, our military budget is bigger than the next 168 countries COMBINED (this can be looked up anywhere, including Wikipedia). McCain wants to make it BIGGER (see his campaign website). Why? So we can attack *more* sovereign countries? I just don't get it.
Posted by bone | April 1, 2008 4:12 PM
Since World War II, U.S. national interests have been global. Early on, it was just political interests we were guarding, but in 1990's it evolved to a global economy. As Bill Clinton found out with the WTC, Khobar Towers, Embassies and USS Cole bombings, that global interests must have some type of enforcement capabilities or they offer vulnerabilities. He shifted the military budgets for training and logistics around to a point where several divisions were operationally incapable of meeting their missions by the end of his second term. This could only act to advertise those before mentioned vulnerabilities and as enticement to the terrorists who planned the bombings to move ahead with 911. Anyone who advocates precipitously pulling out of Iraq and destabilizing not just the region but the global economy (yes, OIL) to reduce the military budget is ignoring history. Energy is becoming an asymmetrical weapon of choice. Russia is using it to control the EU approval of Georgia and Ukraine joining NATO. China is making U.N. decisions on its interests in Africa. To reduce the military to a point of internationalized dysfunctionality would seem to be placing our interests dangerously under the control of the regional powers of Russia and China (consensus without compliance). I don�t know where Rambo came into the blog, but John McCain�s experience in the military and Vietnam is not Hollywood fiction.
Posted by Larry Stone | April 2, 2008 4:49 AM