McCain’s Landstuhl attack on Obama is ‘literally is not true’

[Clyde]

I think it was a mistake for Obama to not make the visit. However, there is ZERO indication that McCain's ad and the other attacks saying it was because he couldn't being cameras is a flat out lie.

 

THAT's the issue. The proof is simply not there to support this claim. No one on here has done anything to prove the claim.

[halfback20]

A new McCain ad says Obama "made time to go to the gym, but canceled a visit with wounded troops. Seems the Pentagon wouldn't allow him to bring cameras."

 

McCain's facts are literally true, but his insinuation – that the visit was canceled because of the press ban or the desire for gym time – is false. In fact, Obama visited wounded troops earlier – without cameras or press – both in the U.S. and Iraq. And his gym workouts are a daily routine.

 

The Obama campaign canceled the visit with wounded troops at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, Obama says, when he learned that the Pentagon would not allow him to bring along a retired Air Force major general who is serving as a foreign policy adviser to the campaign. Obama says that "triggered then a concern that maybe our visit was going to be perceived as political."

 

We can't read minds and so are in no position to know Obama's motives, or McCain's for that matter. It's unlikely, however, that the absence of press coverage would have been a factor in Obama's decision, as the ad implies. Obama says he never planned to take reporters on the Landstuhl visit, and Department of Defense rules prohibited him from taking reporters on previous visits he made with wounded troops.

Reporters were not allowed to accompany him when he visited wounded troops at Walter Reed Medical Center on June 28. The small "protective pool" of reporters that routinely accompanies him was told by Obama's staff to remain outside, in the van, according to a reporter covering the campaign.

 

Similarly, Obama visited wounded troops in Baghdad earlier in his overseas trip, but he did so without reporters and "without a lot of fanfare, just to say 'Thanks'," according to Democratic Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, who accompanied Obama.

 

It's true Obama made time for at least one workout while he was in Germany. And he has been known to dedicate more than a few minutes to his exercise regimen. Two reporters who cover Obama, and who were on this trip, tell us that the candidate works out every day, and sometimes twice a day. However, the video of Obama playing basketball featured in McCain's ad is from his time in Kuwait, not Germany.

 

The military's stated policy is to avoid "[a]ny activity that may be reasonably viewed as directly or indirectly associating the [Department of Defense] with a partisan political activity." Members of Congress are allowed to be photographed with the troops and appear with them while serving as public officials, but not as political candidates. When Obama was in Kuwait and Iraq, he was traveling without reporters or campaign staff and visited military installations as part of a congressional delegation that included Sen. Reed and Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel of Nebraska. Hagel said afterward, on CBS' "Face the Nation" July 27: "We saw troops everywhere we went on the congressional delegation. We went out of our way to see those troops."

 

But Hagel and Reed dropped off after the delegation visited the Middle East, and the European leg of Obama's trip was a campaign trip, not an official one. Even so, Obama planned to leave reporters behind for a visit to Landstuhl, according to a press briefing by campaign spokesman Robert Gibbs. Gibbs said reporters would have been left behind, though there "may have been" a pool report afterward. Since reporters would not be allowed inside the hospital, any pool reports would have noted only the fact of Obama's coming and going, with no photographs, as was the case with Obama's June 28 visit to Walter Reed. Here's part of the transcript of Gibbs' briefing:

 

More here...

[Hearsay]

I think it was a mistake for Obama to not make the visit. However, there is ZERO indication that McCain's ad and the other attacks saying it was because he couldn't being cameras is a flat out lie.

 

THAT's the issue. The proof is simply not there to support this claim. No one on here has done anything to prove the claim.

 

So let me understand: if you say something and you don't prove it, you're a "liar." A lot of liars on BGP then, Clyde.:lol:

[AcesFull]

More here...

That was a lot of verbage to simply state that Obama canceled his trip because he would not be allowed to bring along campaign advisors. The Pentagon did not cancel the trip. Obama did. All the Pentagon did was to remind Obama of its longstanding rules. The decision was Obama's and Obama's alone and the decision was a political blunder.

[True blue (and gold)]

That was a lot of verbage to simply state that Obama canceled his trip because he would not be allowed to bring along campaign advisors. The Pentagon did not cancel the trip. Obama did. All the Pentagon did was to remind Obama of its longstanding rules. The decision was Obama's and Obama's alone and the decision was a political blunder.

 

Again...why did he bother to visit wounded soldiers on a multitude of other occasions, if all it is about is a photo op or campaign stop?

[AcesFull]

Again...why did he bother to visit wounded soldiers on a multitude of other occasions, if all it is about is a photo op or campaign stop?

Why ask me? We have Obama's explanation and the Pentagon's response. Obama's staff blamed the Pentagon for the cancellation and I do not believe them. Obviously, Obama supporters believe his explanation. Nobody except the parties directly involved, and that includes Andrea Mitchell, knows exactly what transpired.

 

McCain believes that the Pentagon's response was truthful and I agree. There was nothing wrong with the ad and the Obama camp has once again displayed its thin skin and demonstrated just how biased the mainstream media is in Obama's favor.

[True blue (and gold)]

Why ask me? We have Obama's explanation and the Pentagon's response. Obama's staff blamed the Pentagon for the cancellation and I do not believe them. Obviously, Obama supporters believe his explanation. Nobody except the parties directly involved, and that includes Andrea Mitchell, knows exactly what transpired.

 

McCain believes that the Pentagon's response was truthful and I agree. There was nothing wrong with the ad and the Obama camp has once again displayed its thin skin and demonstrated just how biased the mainstream media is in Obama's favor.

 

I ask you because you ask similar questions all the time, but seem not to like it when the tables are turned. You don't have an answer for that one. It's okay.

 

Reason suggests that if Obama was willing to visit all those other facilities for wounded military without his campaign staff and photographers, then the reason he did not visit this one is NOT because he is disappointed in not being able to make this one into a campaign stop. That is just rational thinking.

[Habib]

The McCain campaign had created two ads prior to Obama's visit. One for if he had visited that would accuse him of using troops as props, and the other, which we've seen, accusing him of blowing off wounded troops.

[AcesFull]

I ask you because you ask similar questions all the time, but seem not to like it when the tables are turned. You don't have an answer for that one. It's okay.

 

Reason suggests that if Obama was willing to visit all those other facilities for wounded military without his campaign staff and photographers, then the reason he did not visit this one is NOT because he is disappointed in not being able to make this one into a campaign stop. That is just rational thinking.

What part of the following statement is not true?

The Obama campaign canceled the visit with wounded troops at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, Obama says, when he learned that the Pentagon would not allow him to bring along a retired Air Force major general who is serving as a foreign policy adviser to the campaign.

Nothing in McCain's ad is demonstrably false and if Obama wants to respond with an ad of his own, then that is what he should do. Personally, I believe that his thin-skinned, whiny responses will only encourage similar ads and re-enforce the image that he is too inexperienced for the job.

[True blue (and gold)]

What part of the following statement is not true?

Nothing in McCain's ad is demonstrably false and if Obama wants to respond with an ad of his own, then that is what he should do. Personally, I believe that his thin-skinned, whiny responses will only encourage similar ads and re-enforce the image that he is too inexperienced for the job.

 

You won't answer my questions, but you want me to answer yours? :lol:

[True blue (and gold)]

The McCain campaign had created two ads prior to Obama's visit. One for if he had visited that would accuse him of using troops as props, and the other, which we've seen, accusing him of blowing off wounded troops.

 

I think we see a lot of that on here, too.

 

"He should denounce Jeremiah Wright!!!"

 

"Why did he denounce him after 20 years?"

 

"He should be in favor of off-shore drilling!!!"

 

"Now he has flip-flopped in his stance on off-shore drilling!!!"

 

It's fine to not like the guy, but when you have to slant every single thing that man does...I mean come on, guys! You make yourself look extremely biased and then the good arguments you have will have less merit.

[AcesFull]

You won't answer my questions, but you want me to answer yours? :lol:

I have answered your questions to the best of my ability. I am not a mind reader, so I do not see how you expect me to explain Obama's motivation for canceling his visit. He planned to visit. The Pentagon reminded him of the rules and told him that he could not bring a campaign advisor on the visit. He canceled the visit. Those are the facts and you have the Obama version of events and the Pentagon's version of the events.

 

Now, if you still believe that I have failed to answer a question that you have posed, then please point me to it.

[True blue (and gold)]

I have answered your questions to the best of my ability. I am not a mind reader, so I do not see how you expect me to explain Obama's motivation for canceling his visit. He planned to visit. The Pentagon reminded him of the rules and told him that he could not bring a campaign advisor on the visit. He canceled the visit. Those are the facts and you have the Obama version of events and the Pentagon's version of the events.

 

Now, if you still believe that I have failed to answer a question that you have posed, then please point me to it.

 

You have answered the question about like how you say that Obama has answered the issue of reparations. :lol:

 

Maybe I didn't word it correctly, though. Let me try again. I'll even ask a few new ones.

 

1. Does it seem logical that Obama's motivation for visiting wounded troops stems from the opportunity for photo ops and campaigning, when he has made many such trips to other facilities in the past?

 

2. Having made such trips in the past, do you think that he was unaware of the stipulations involving campaigning in those areas?

 

3. Do you think it is possible that his campaign forgein policy advisor wanted to visit the troops because being a retired Air Force major general that he has a great deal of respect and admiration for them, as opposed to just wanting to campaign?

[AcesFull]

You have answered the question about like how you say that Obama has answered the issue of reparations. :lol:

 

Maybe I didn't word it correctly, though. Let me try again. I'll even ask a few new ones.

 

1. Does it seem logical that Obama's motivation for visiting wounded troops stems from the opportunity for photo ops and campaigning, when he has made many such trips to other facilities in the past?

 

2. Having made such trips in the past, do you think that he was unaware of the stipulations involving campaigning in those areas?

 

3. Do you think it is possible that his campaign forgein policy advisor wanted to visit the troops because being a retired Air Force major general that he has a great deal of respect and admiration for them, as opposed to just wanting to campaign?

1. Many of Obama's positions and decisions seem illogical to me, so IMO, expecting his decisions to be logically consistent is not realistic.

 

2. Just because Obama's staff was aware of the stipulations does not mean that they did not hope to circumvent them in this case.

 

3. Don't know and don't care. If Obama canceled the visit for this reason as he said, then IMO, McCain's criticism was warranted.

[True blue (and gold)]

1. Many of Obama's positions and decisions seem illogical to me, so IMO, expecting his decisions to be logically consistent is not realistic.

 

2. Just because Obama's staff was aware of the stipulations does not mean that they did not hope to circumvent them in this case.

 

3. Don't know and don't care. If Obama canceled the visit for this reason as he said, then IMO, McCain's criticism was warranted.

 

Again, all of these avoid the question. I'll stop asking them, though. I won't make you squirm in your seat anymore.