The Note: Obama Trip Has McCain on Defensive
EmailABC News’ Rick Klein Reports in Wednesday’s Note: Some lessons at the approximate midpoint of Sen. Barack Obama’s week overseas:
The success of a surge is something Obama can’t really account for comfortably.
But that probably won’t matter — since for purposes of the national debate, he’s essentially ended the war.
Sen. John McCain has found a voice in criticizing Obama over the surge (not to mention one in ribbing the media).
But that probably won’t matter, either (and the reason is only tangentially related to the media coverage Obama is getting).
Obama has moved on — and he’s taken the campaign debate with him.
Read the rest of The Note — and get all the latest on the 2008 election, Congress, the White House and the wide world of politics every day — from Rick Klein by bookmarking this link.
He has grown in stature through his foreign trip — and only partly because he’s been received like a world leader by his hosts (how many people ride shotgun with the king of Jordan?), been cast as a president by the news coverage, and has acted like a president by remaking the discussion over the issue that continues to pose the biggest single threat to his candidacy.
Obama jokes with ABC’s Charlie Gibson Wednesday that he’s “cropping a lot of gray hair over the last year and a half” to deal with worries that he’s too young and inexperienced.
“There is no doubt that as somebody who has not been in the national political scene as long as John McCain, that people are going to have more questions, and I think that’s perfectly appropriate,” Obama said, in a portion of the interview broadcast on “Good Morning America” Wednesday.
On a nuclear Iran (a huge issue in Israel): “I’m going to do everything in my power not to have to make that choice. If Iran gets a nuclear weapon, it triggers a potential arms race, nuclear arms race in the Middle East, that is not only life threatening to Israel but it is a profound, a game-changing shift when it comes to our national security. We have to do everything we can to prevent it.”
(More of that interview later Wednesday, on the “World News” broadcast and Webcast. And ABC’s David Wright sits down with McCain for an interview in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., on Tuesday.)
Continue reading today’s Note by clicking HERE.
ABC News’ John Santucci, Alexa Ainsworth and Rachel Humphries contributed to this report.
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I remember Rick Klein writing in 2004 that he couldn’t find on “voter” who had voted for Al Gore in 2000 who would now vote for Bush in 2004. In DC, NY, LA mindthink, they don’t know anyone who wouldn’t vote for the democrat candidate. They are so in love with Obama, reporting the coverage as if they weren’t the reason why the coverage is bias. The media is the story. They have injected themselves into this. They have declare you are racist if you don’t vote for Obama, but that ageism is okay – they have declared McCain’s verbal gaffe serious and indicative of a medical condition, but Obama’s gaffes (57 states, arabic translators needed in Afghanistan, Israel is a friend to Israel, etc) are because he is working soooooooo hard.
I predict the vote in November will be a referendum on the left-wing media. The voters of this country may go to the ballot box and state their disgust for a corrupt, bias media, and vote against censorship and propaganda that they have used to get their candidate elected.
Beware the voter who sees bashing someone who is older and white just as bad as bashing someone who is younger and black. Alot of “older” voters, who have had to bailout their adult 40 something kids, who have had to raise to children of dysfunctional 20 and 30 somethings, who built this country, who paved the way for spoiled brats, are tired of being told old people are stupid.
Remember, older voters are just that — voters.
Posted by: Karen | July 23, 2008, 9:10 am 9:10 am
Let’s get this right: McCain says we should reward those who made the bad choice of invading Iraq by electing them president because they now claim they fixed the problem. They have not fixed the problem they created because there are more terrorists in the world because of the war they supported in Iraq, our economy is in shambles because of the war in Iraq, we have over 4,000 dead because of the war in Iraq, and we are in trouble in Afghanistan because of the war in Iraq. That doesn’t sound like they have succeeded to me.
Obama is acting like a President and McCain is acting like a spoiled kid trying to get more attention.
Posted by: The Unshrub | July 23, 2008, 9:17 am 9:17 am
Obama spent a few hours in each country, gave speeches, ate meals, even played basket ball and after a few days in all the different countries HE HAS HIS CREDENTIALS. The Bottom Line on the surge in Iraq according to OBAMA is our military is WEAK for as he said to the world, we would never have made any different UNLESS the Sunni awoke. Yet this is the same military that he now wants to send into Afghanistan and Pakistan to CONTINUE the fight on terrorism. OBAMA does not intend to end the war he has BIGGER PLANS and plans to accelerate the war, alone. What about all the important communication between nations to work together? Just hot wind to get votes? According to OBAMA everything in America is broken and I guess if he tells everyone this LONG ENOUGH you will have believers. You give the public images to recall not substance. You tell them that nothing is working and you can fix it. Well given all of this in Chicago, Illinois a relatively small place has the biggest CRIME in the US, over 30 murders in just one weekend this past summer. What efforts has the Senator from ILLINOIS “OBAMA” made to improve conditions in ILLINOIS before taking on the NATION and the WORLD?
Posted by: Ann | July 23, 2008, 9:25 am 9:25 am
Isn’t it somewhat unusual for a CANDIDATE to be negotiating with foreign leaders and setting America’s foreign policy when he is not authorized to conduct such negotiations?
This Traveling Medicine Show has gotten so out-of-control… Obama may very well be America’s next President, but he should wait until January before ACTING like our Commander-in-Chief.
“The star that burns the brightest also burns the shortest.” BHO would do well to remember this old adage.
Posted by: Rhys | July 23, 2008, 10:02 am 10:02 am
Karen – your post makes me sad. You put media over policy and probably don’t realize McCain’s MidEast trip didn’t receive the coverage he wanted because he did not invite or make arrangements for the networks. Some of his other events, he has tried to make “exclusive” to one media outlet or another. The part of your post that makes me sad is I am of the “bail out age” according to your post, but thanks to Phil Gramm, McCain’s Chief Economic Advisor, many of us children have had to help our parents who devoted their lives and pensions to Enron, WorldCom or have lost their homes. You are correct – we are voters and it appears we tried it your way for 7 years and that is not working for us. I’ll investigate policy over emotion and it’s a sad day when taking care of family is labeled a “bail out’.
Posted by: Paige | July 23, 2008, 10:14 am 10:14 am
If the media is so liberal, why did CBS totally cover up and edit out McCain’s massive mistake on the surge in Iraq during his interview with Couric?
Posted by: Paige | July 23, 2008, 10:20 am 10:20 am
Barack Obama is making comments on Afganisthan and Iraq based on the tea and snack that he had with the leaders. What a great way to make a judgement? and intresting part is Obama followers buy that.
Posted by: Humm | July 23, 2008, 12:46 pm 12:46 pm
Karen, thank you for your post! You express what a lot of people feel about the media and the negativity on age. Those, like Paige, who misconstrue your valid statements make the assumption that you are responsible for the last seven years. Well, I did not vote for Bush either, and John McCain is a better man that Bush. John McCain is the most experienced and knowledgeable candidate in this race. He will get my vote because of his experience, knowledge, and wisdom. We know that he makes his own studied decisions, regardless of party. He has worked across the aisle to get things done. Policy matters only if it is right and will achieve progress for the people and this country. No thank you to the woefully inexperienced backpedaler and double-talker. This election is about major media hype. Some think we have a new Kennedy on our hands. Obama repeatedly has tried to wear Kennedy’s mantle. What a joke! Kennedy was a war heroe, studied and knew world history, was a great debater, and get this–he had a great deal of experience. The media hype of Obama is a joke, and we are not going to follow their “Pied Piper”.
Posted by: georgia | July 25, 2008, 12:07 am 12:07 am