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McCain: Americans Should Be Afraid -- Very Afraid -- Of President Obama

It needs to be restated that John McCain has settled on his message and is sticking with it. It's the essentially same message we've heard from the GOP for the last three elections now: If you elect my opponent, you will die.

The McCain campaign just sent out -- proudly -- these remarks that McCain made today:

"Earlier today, Senator Obama made a few remarks I would like to respond to. I welcome a debate about protecting America. No issue is more important. Senator Obama claimed all I had to offer was the 'naive and irresponsible belief' that tough talk would cause Iran to give up its nuclear program. He should know better. I have some news for Senator Obama: Talking, not even with soaring rhetoric, in unconditional meetings with the man who calls Israel a 'stinking corpse' and arms terrorist who kill Americans will not convince Iran to give up its nuclear program. It is reckless to suggest that unconditional meetings will advance our interests.

"It would be a wonderful thing if we lived in a world where we don't have enemies. But that is not the world we live in, and until Senator Obama understands that reality, the American people have every reason to doubt whether he has the strength, judgment, and determination to keep us safe."

Note the tweak of Obama's "soaring rhetoric," a sign (if you needed one) that Obama will be portrayed as little more than a smooth-talking slickster.

More to the point, note the last lines, which are identical to what his spokesperson said today. They are, again, a slightly watered down version of what he said yesterday on the blogger conference call.

This time, according to McCain, it isn't a fact that Obama is unfit to defend America. Rather, his ability to protect us is something we should have "every reason to doubt."

Obama did a pretty decent job of hitting back at this stuff today, though. The battle is joined.


Comments (211)

All right "bomb, bomb, bomb Iran" McCain, just go say it:

You will bomb Iran.

Just come out and say it. Then let's see your poll numbers.

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Iranian perspective on US presidential race. The only one afraid is Mc Cain who sees himself away from the power to start another war. As an Iranian, I feel the rural America is being scared of an unfamiliar entity called Iran. I have aspent a whole night of my work making this little clip. It is not so professional but has the message. Please see and promote:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuVYlGZmtYg

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Wow. The election is really heating up now. You won't believe the results from this poll, though.

http://www.votenic.com


=O

Stop spamming ya jackoff.

Dumb spammer. Cut the shit.

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Hard to beat THIS kind of experience!
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/story?id=4861699&page=1

It is hard to beat this much common sense:
Obama article in Foreign Affairs Magazine
http://www.foreignaffairs.org/20070701faessay86401/barack-obama/renewing-american-leadership.html

Teddy Roosevelt said, "Speak softly and carry a big stick."

McCain doesn't believe you can do both at the same time. When Obama suggests that the U.S. speak softly, McCain accuses him not being able to carry the big stick. Like the two are somehow mutually exclusive. This is the notion Obama needs to dispell.

McCain's neocon philosophy is, of course, "Yell like a crazy man and wave menacingly your big stick."

Do you really think McCain has a big stick?

Maybe he needs to see a doctor, he's becoming Bob Dole's replacement in poolitics, maybe he has plans to take over the Vi*gra ad gig...

That last paragraph sounds so good and it's such a stinking lie.

Obama never has said we don't have enemies. Never.

I think we can probably expect some more ridicule and bemusement over those remarks.

Someone better call Joe to check John's bearings again.

The big problem with McCain's bearings, they are very square...

Square bearings are virtually worthless...

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"Yes, and one of my biggest supporters thinks Jews have no souls!"

Umm....McCain, I think Israel is full of Jews!

No, no, no.. McSame's lovable preacher said jews DO have souls... just dead ones.

(sigh)

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Ohhhhh, my bad, my bad.

Oh yeah, and he said that god sent Hitler to force the Jews back to Israel. So McCain is attacking Obama was being willing to talk to some asshole who thinks the Holocaust didn't happen, while one of his biggest supporters believes the Holocaust was God's will.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/5/16/82049/5729/849/516798

Uh-huh...

he also said that jews "sowed the seeds of anti-semitism" that culminated in the holocaust. is that your position as well, senator mcWar?

Is he going to bomb his biggest supporters too?

On a bed of roses.

Well we certainly know where the biggest pricks are.

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Wright.


There is a difference between having some crumb endorse you and a twenty year relationship after which you claim to have no idea that the guy was like that.

This is probably a pointless question, and, it's probably the culmination of an afternoon reading student research reports (transl: my brain is toast!, but how is questioning the strength, judgment and wisdom of one's opponent "civil"?

I thought St. John Straight Talkin' Maverick McCain was going to run a "civil" campaign.

Where's Cindy when we need her? She said the same thing.

As for the actual content, keep bringing up how scared Americans should be. Keep doing it, you feeble old man. Allows Obama to draw such an advantageous contrast.

Sorry for "feeble old man". That was ad hominem.

Where's Cindy when we need her?
Probably stealing prescription drugs from a nonprofit medical charity.

Maybe she's sharing them with Rush...

yeah,yeah,yeah, faaaaain, so take the chellenge and debate,then!

Hey, he's right. We have to bomb, bomb, bomb until we get them to appease US. Hey, worked out so well in Vietnam.. no?

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Lestatdelc "Hey, he's right. We have to bomb, bomb, bomb until we get them to appease US. Hey, worked out so well in Vietnam.. no?" YES, it did work out well. While you were asleep, Vietnam was no problem, for thirty years. OK, that's your cue to squeal.

So basically, he's going to rerun Hillary's campaign. Given how well it worked for her in the open primary states, I can totally see why.

Sure, Hillary had Strengh and Experience (TM) and it didn't do her a lot of good with the indies, but it'll totally work for McCain because he's Strengthier and Experiencier (TM).

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That's basically what they will be doing, which is why I was so pissed with Hillary throwing every right-wing attack at Obama that she knew damn well would be used against Obama if he won the nomination. But she didn't care about Obama, or the future of the Party, it was all about her quest for glory.

Enough on Clinton. That's history. Focus on McBullshyte.

Ummmm, my point here is that past is prologue.

The founts of Beltway CW in the Axis of Imbecility are insisting that what didn't work for Clinton in the primaries will work for McCain in the general because the general is not the primary.

They are, as usual, wrong. Because McCain wrapped it up so much sooner than we did, the independents in many of the open primary states--and not a few Republicans--were voting in our primaries. For that matter, we got most of the independents voting in open primaries even before McCain clinched. McCain is, in effect, trying to woo voters who have already rejected precisely the same argument he's pitching to them.

I don't think they're doing it because they've got some secret polling data that shows voters will be more willing to except Strenthier and More Experiencyier from McCain even though they didn't buy it coming from Hillary. I think they're doing it because its all they got. Their policies have been a disaster, their record has been one of failure and they haven't anything that could pass for a new idea since the Reagan Administration.

Past is prologue. They're doing the same thing Hillary did on the exact same voters and expecting a different result.

I can hear the campaign message now: "My friends, I'm Strengthier and Experiencer, and gosh darn it, I'm worth it!"

Wait. How did Al Franken sneak in there?

Ugh, everytime I head this stuff I just feel icky... it's just so damn nasty. It's the fucking ad nauseum "messaging". Fuck sticking to a message...it's like that guy who didn't know what Chamberlain did, or the definition of appeasement, that was torn apart on Hardball. When will the McCain campaign be called out by anyone besides Obama?

Well, there is a possibility that Vicki is the one busy checking his bearings out.

Shit.. that was supposed to be in reply to CT Voter at the top of the thread.

The correct response is: Americans are not afraid of anyone, least of all Iran. What is McCain so afraid of?

The "Republican = fearful of shadows" meme needs to get out there. Because really, that's what the last few years have been all about. The right wingers keep talking about all the terrible, terrible dangers, when any thinking person can see that America is as safe from external enemies as ever. (It's just the domestic problems that are the killer.)

Exactly!

Presidents of both parties were not afraid to talk to our opponents when they had tens of thousands of nuclear tipped ballistic missiles points at us, so why is McCain so afraid to talk with non-nuclear head's of states?

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McCain Of The Panderosa.

More War Years! More War Years! More War Years!

A vote for The Maverick Of The Panderosa, is like a Vote for the Cowboy from Crawford that rounded him up and branded him.

More War Years! More War Years! More War Years!

I feel like Lewis Black all of the time now whenever someone speaks for the McCain campaign. What?! No?! Fffffuck! Why are you hurting America!? Fuuuck.

McCain has said this in every comment: (release) re: Obama talking with Iran.

"in unconditional meetings" (with Iran).

When has Sen. Obama EVER said he would meet in unconditional meetings? McCain keeps jabbing at this point, and it is bullshit.

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Obama has said that he would meet without preconditions, although with preparation.

Whatever that means.

I just read that too. Thanks.

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Constantinople - it means Obama won't do drive-by-shooting 'diplomacy' ala Rice. Pre-conditions boil down to the other party agreeing not to disagree with whatever America wants.

Republicans find it beyond the pale that an American president, think Obama, would deign to sit even at the same elevation as a pre-determined (by the president) terrorist. Foreinstance, Ahmadinejad must be seated below Bush if Bush were ever to even consider being in the same room.

Frankly, I would find it loathsome being in the same room as George Bush.

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It means that he's willing to pat himself on the back for playing semantic games.

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Lux,
I hear you. If it does turn out to be the case, though, that McCain follows Hillary's line of attack on Obama, we have some comfort in knowing that it probably won't work this time around, either. And if today's exchanges are harbingers of what's to come, Obama won't pull punches.

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Errrgh.

I was responding to this comment by Lux:

That's basically what they will be doing, which is why I was so pissed with Hillary throwing every right-wing attack at Obama that she knew damn well would be used against Obama if he won the nomination. But she didn't care about Obama, or the future of the Party, it was all about her quest for glory.

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It is reckless to suggest that unconditional meetings will advance our interests.

That's the key phrase and idea, repeated twice in the statement...that Obama favors unconditional meetings.

That's where Obama will focus when he guts McCain on this next time...either later today or tomorrow. And perhaps carrying into Monday, to make sure it gets into the news cycle.

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..... you know it's juss a shame that Obama can't hit back on what such an abomination the whole Iraq escapade turned out to be, it would cause Americans as a whole to become somewhat introspective and as a nation we don't reflect on things EVER. How is that war for Middle Eastern resources coming along? Thank goodness that surge McCain trumpeted may allow us to declare victory in 2013. Ah you know what juss give me my $600 and lemme vote for the white guy with a non-Muslim sounding name. Thinking is HARD.

McCain has adopted so many of Bush43's nastier habits . . .

Pointing towards the opposition and declaring his own greatest weakness belongs to the opposition and relying the corporate media to repeat the untruth until it paints the opposition indistinguishable from himself.

Hopefully, folk will finally catch on and examine speaker's flaws for what they are.

John McCain's problem, his flip flops are on video or have been direct quotes. He has a creditability problem and BO shined the light on one of them today, his flip flopped view on talking to Hamas.
BO has the potential of doing to JM what JM did to Mitt Romney, paint him as a flip flopper.

I would actually use the term "expose" rather than "paint".

Maybe McCain's not a simple flip-flopper, maybe he's actually a split personality, and one half never knows what the other has said...

Seriously, compare the "Johnny Songbird" McCain with the "Red blooded patriot" McCain, maybe his Hanoi tapes would reveal that underachieving, self-protecting, selfish little partyboy Prince who had every Real-Maverick mistake covered up by either his Daddy's money and henchmen, (sound familiar?) or his latest wife's hi-power Arizona pop...

Seriously, all snark aside, has anyone ponderd that there are TWO McCains? And that they don't know each other very well?

....or maybe he really is just getting senile.

Either way, we have a diminished capacity working in this psuedo-maverick who would be king.

Good Johnny Boy, mock Obama's speaking ability because that worked so well for your buddy, Hillary.

Oh, I just can't wait to see these two on a stage together! Obama will blow him away.

How pathetic. Obama slams McCain Friday morning, leaving McCain sputtering nonsense on a Friday evening when no one is even listening.

John Stewart would call this one of Obama's "dickish" moments.

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McCain of The Panderosa

Has been forced to ditch yet another Senior Campaign Weasel.


http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0508/10394.html

Excerpted from the report:

ohn McCain's campaign asked a prominent Republican consultant, Craig Shirley, to leave his official campaign role Thursday after a Politico inquiry about Shirley's dual role consulting for the campaign and for an independent 527 group opposing the Democratic presidential candidates. The campaign also released a new conflict-of-interest policy barring such arrangements.

Shirley, a conservative public relations veteran, doubled as a consultant to McCain and to Stop Her Now, a 527 group barred from coordinating its activities with presidential campaigns. He is not currently on the McCain campaign’s payroll but will also step down from his role on McCain’s Virginia Leadership Team said McCain spokesman Brian Rogers.

Obama can't carry McCain's jock strap!

He's a wimp and a poodle. Lord Help us if he's the nominee and president!!

Get my passport ready!!

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Then get the fuck out of the country. No one is stopping you. You do not have an Anchor on your Inbred Springer Reject Arse.


oh, yeah, i'm going to listen to the likes of you.

So you are a liar about leaving, or you are such a weak-willed puppet who's strings are pulled by anonymous online posters.

Either way, sucks to be you.

Doh... who's should be whose of course.

(eyes clock on office wall)

Yuk, just the thought of a McCain jock strap is disgusting. And go blog on some site that cares what you say.

Cool. One less racist fuck-head in the country.

You need any help with your papers, packing?

I can pitch in for cab-faire to the airport or a lift to the U-Haul place.

sexist bloodsucker !!

i'd rather be a racist (which i'm not) than a sexist (which you ARE)

Lestat was a blonde btw.... you creepy villain!

I'll be glad to get your passport ready, you yutz.

ugg... there's that mugg again....

ugly little fucker....

He is the nominee. Need a ride to the airport?

"Get my passport ready!!"

You don't need a passport to get where you belong, ReeK.

Just tread water till you hear the flush and the wads of paper will push you through the pipes.

Obama can't carry McCain's jock strap!

Sounds like you've been sniffin' it!

What will Cindy and Vicki Iseman say?!

They are running over Obama.

Who da thunk it?

Me, of course.

Lose three in a row on national security.

Should have run Clinton.

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Get to a detox center. You are addicted to FOOL-AID.

Who "DA" thunk it?

Gotalife! OF COURSE.

Gotalife - once again - might I spout out my undying love for you - er, your posts(I am #1 fan).

I vow to never leave your side on these posts - unless of course you get that job at PNAC - though I know you failed the essay a few times (play the odds!).

Truly - with each one of these posts you show to the entire web community how much of a life you have.

McSame getting his shit shoved back down his throat is a good thing. Only idiot LGF trolls like yourself don't see it.

go back to your cellar your creepy bloodsucker... dreamin of the day you and your obama can suck the blood out of good Americans!

gotaloofah - you couldn't deconstruct a "Family Circus" comic strip. Here's how this story's being viewed by the MSM:

WASHINGTON (AP) — In President Bush's hint that Barack Obama wants to appease terrorists, Democrats heard troubling echoes of 2004, when Republicans portrayed John Kerry as irresolute and weak on national security.

Determined to end the similarities there, Obama and his allies counterattacked Friday with a multi-pronged response that was as fast and fierce as Kerry's response to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth ads was slow and uncertain.

And while the Democrats' first-day responses focused on Bush's speech this week in Israel, Friday's reactions mainly targeted John McCain, the GOP presidential candidate who seemed largely on the sidelines at first.

Obama, appearing unusually feisty and at times sarcastic, led the countercharge himself. Campaigning in South Dakota, he departed from planned remarks to rebuke Bush and McCain, and then called a news conference for a second dose...

It's unclear whether the 2008 campaign will feature attacks comparable to the Swiftboat ads. But if it does, the response is almost certain to be quicker and angrier than anything seen four years ago.

Here's the link: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jhuSCSHf0_NnOvpd5kajS5SdNBdgD90N0V6O0

Exactly Gotalife - once again - you continue to dazzle the drowning victims of cool aid with your eloquent, hard hitting, fresh take on the issues. In short - the turth.

I think Gotalife would agree with me that we should continue to whine our way to November - constantly trying to destroy the U of SA's chances to heal itself by incessantly pounding out simple minded messages chock full of gramatical errors - we don't want anything that can fly over a 14 year old's head (18 in 2012 for HRC )Clinton)).

PS - Gotalife - you left your meds at Fogu's place last night after the party. What's Valtrex?

"What's Valtrex?"

ROFLMAO.

Annnnd Cut! Print it. That's a wrap folks.

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McCain obviously knows one verse of one song.

And we are doomed to hear it until November.

Kind of like having the melody of Terry Jacks' "Seasons in the Sun" stuck in your noggin'.

Wow.

Just wow.

-

Obama/Olbermann '08!

Obama needs to turn the fear card back on McCain, the same way Johnson did to Goldwater with the "daisy ad".

No, he needs to do a Toto pull the curtain back on the befuddled old man pretending he is Wizard and the fake theatrics of fire, smoke and thunder who lost his way back to Kansas.

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That Faux Christian, Mike Huckabee, making a sick joke about some one aiming to shoot Senator Obama.

A very brief ABC news video clip showing that bible thumping phony making his disgusting remarks in front of an NRA audience. Talk about taking pandering to the extreme.

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4873660

Instead of a "stinking corpse", Ahmadinejad should've called Israel "the Great Whore". Then McCain would've liked him a lot more.

Or said that jews in Israel have no living souls. Then McCain could have gotten their endorsement.

If Ahmadenijad were a lobbyist, McCain would give him a job on the campaign.

Come on, sweetie.

No one has done more for foreign policy than Barack Obama.

that just gets funnier and funnier. especially when obama has a sane foreign policy, and mcWar, not so much.

Compared to the entire GOP establishment, up to and including McBush and McSame... you are right. Obama is already doing more for helping foreign policy than anyone on the other-side of the aisle.

Thanks for playing.

Especially after today.

surprising how one-time "hillary supporters" so quickly adapt to fluffing mcCain. okay, not surprising. as DLC as hillary is, i still think they were GOP all along. real hillary supporters (and granted, there are a few) wouldn't flip like that.

He hit back, he hit hard and he hit a vein. They are going around in circles while he keeps getting in solid punches. He's going to be fine.

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Is Israel more secure today than they were before George W. Bush was sworn in.

Is the United States more secure today than before George W. Bush was sworn in.

Is the American Economy stronger today than before George W. Bush was sworn in.

Do all Americans and Israelis feel more secure today than before George W. Bush was sworn in.

War Monger McCain wants to continue with the very same disastrous misbegotten policies of George W. Bush.

If that is what you are craving for, Then McCain Of The Panderosa is your War Mongering Panderer In Chief.

More War Years! More War Years! More War Years!

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So now we know McCain's entire campaign strategy.

Convince people that instead of worrying about not being able to fill their gas tanks, pay their mortgages, buy their groceries, and heat their homes, they need to be afraid that someone with a remote controlled model plane might use it to spray their house with anthrax. Or something equally ridiculous.

Food, mortgage payments, heat and transportation to work are minor concerns compared to the 1 in 100 million chance that you might be killed in a terrorist attack.

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On the other hand, if you lose your job or your house or can't afford to heat it or put food on your family, that might tend to focus your concerns on more...er...immediate concerns, rather than some "what if giant radioactive lizards arose from the depths of the oceans to pillage our great country" scenario.

In which case, you know, McCain's campaign strategy probably sucks very large donkey balls.

You forgot about the fags. If you lose your job or your house or can't afford to heat it or put food on your family, that's because Bob and Michael down the street love each other and are committed to being there for each other for the rest of their lives.

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My bad...I completely forgot about teh Awesome Menace™ of the gay banditos!

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War Monger McCain has nothing to offer but Fear Itself!

The gop brought out the big guns at the NRA and just ran slap over Obama.

McCain is crushing Obama on national security in the polls.

This was predicted by the Clinton supporters but ignored.

The dems will be fools to run this guy and lose three in a row on the same freaking issue, national security.

you're stuck in the 80s. i'm surprised mcWar doesn't want you for secDef

The only thing getting reported from the NRA is Huckabee's fucked-up "joke."

The only thing being noticed in your posts is that you're a fucked-up joke.

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Goatshite is addicted to Fool-Aid!

Exactly Gotalife - I think I'm speaking for you when I saw that the big guns or the NRA are EXACTLY what the country needs to silence the whiners.

Btw - speaking of Guns - I just wikipedia'd that valtrex stuff - GL - you better keep your gun to yourself! I don't care how drunk Matthew Weaver was last night!

Please, don't feed the trolls.

(But I gotta admit, the Valtrex theme is golden!)