McCain Fights a Chill in Aspen
EmailABC News’ Ron Claiborne Reports: Campaigning in Colorado, Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, once again accused of Sen. Barack Obama D-Illinois of having taken positions against the Iraq war to advance his personal political ambitions.
"I think he used the issue of Iraq for political reasons to get the nomination of his party," McCain said.
McCain appeared at the Aspen Institute where he took a wide range of questions from Walter Isaacson, president of the institute and former CNN chairman for about an hour and then from members of the audience. A man who said he was from Tucson and had voted for McCain when he last ran for re-election said he was bothered by what he said were McCain’s "flip-flops" on some positions.
"I’m somewhat concerned that you flipped on some … maverick positions," he said. He went on to ask McCain to also clarify what he meant when he said last month that Obama "would rather lose a war in order to win a political campaign." "I heard that as you calling him a traitor," the man said. "Do you think Barack Obama is a traitor and do you still believe that he would rather lose a war to win an election? And, if you do, what makes you say that?"
McCain seemed asked him to specify on which issues he believed he had changed positions. The questioner mentioned taxes and McCain’s reconciliation with leaders of the Christian Right.
McCain defended his position on tax cuts — he voted twice against Bush tax cuts — saying he did not support them because they were not balanced by spending cuts. He said he met a few years ago with the late Rev. Jerry Falwell, who along with evangelist Pat Robertson he once called "agents of intolerance," in the spirit of reconciliation.
He finally turned to the question about Obama. "Sen. Obama said the surge wouldn’t work, that it would fail" McCain said. "He voted to cut off funding for the men and women who were serving in Iraq. He refused to acknowledge that the surge has succeeded. He announced after not being there (Iraq) for 900 days, he announced his policy on Iraq before he left (to visit Iraq in July). I think he’s wrong."
Obama campaign spokesman Tommy Vietor said this in response: "While Sen. Obama is focused on ending the war in Iraq responsibly in line with the wishes of the Iraqi government, Sen. McCain would rather repeat a disgraceful and tired political attack that represents exactly the kind of divisive Bush politics that has done nothing to secure America.”
Sen. DeMint: GOP Race Could Go Until Convention 
Obama Avoids Questions on Contraception Rule
McCain oviously needed Lieberman there to explain the question to him, he doesn’t do well without his keeper,
Posted by: JR | August 14, 2008, 9:24 pm 9:24 pm
What is this plant, I mean guy’s name?
Posted by: geevill | August 14, 2008, 9:35 pm 9:35 pm
LOL, JR.
Posted by: Sara B. | August 14, 2008, 9:37 pm 9:37 pm
In his old age I wonder if he knows what a chill is, the poor man is suffering from dementia , hard to remember what you say from one week to another
Posted by: Rose Szymanski | August 14, 2008, 9:38 pm 9:38 pm
Since McCain said that the surge has succeeded in Iraq, we should pull the troops out of Iraq, and put them in a place where they will be more useful, like Afghanistan. You know, the country where the original Al Qaeda responsible for 9/11 came from, and where they still are. We are now losing troops at a faster rate in Afghanistan than Iraq, because we don’t have enough troops in Afghanistan. We need to fight the people who had attacked us, not the Al Qaeda in Iraq who was not known to exist until after we invaded the country.
McCain likes to say that Obama will rather lose a war in order to win an election. Mr. McCain, are you willing to lose the war in Afghanistan against the people who had actually attacked us than win a war in a country that had no involvement with 9/11?
Posted by: tony | August 14, 2008, 9:57 pm 9:57 pm
Once again the McCain reveals what a hypocrite he is. He has spent the whole week trying to politicize the Georgian situation.
Best quotes from this lost his bearings man:
‘In the 21st century nations don’t invade other nations.
In Georgia..”hundreds of thousand of individual lives have been taken?
The situation in Georgia “is the most seriuos crisis since the Cold War”
Stuck in the past and a very confused, dangerous man to be commander in chief.
Posted by: lynn | August 14, 2008, 10:31 pm 10:31 pm
Does McCain even have any ideas for America?
He seems incapable of talking about anything but Obama.
While Obama is out talking about the economy, national security, social security, energy, etc, all McCain can do is talk about Obama.
Jealous much, cranky-pants-McCain?
.
Posted by: jds | August 14, 2008, 10:33 pm 10:33 pm
Has anyone seen this man’s medical records? I swear he’s had a lobodomy.
Posted by: linda n carolina | August 14, 2008, 10:45 pm 10:45 pm
hey, obama can’t “lose the war”–bush told us years ago that it was “mission accomplished”. i take that to mean that we already won, which begs the question, what the heck are we still doing there?
Posted by: antijake | August 14, 2008, 10:45 pm 10:45 pm
I was against the tax cuts before I was for them, I just wanted spending cuts alone with them and lots of borrowing money from China & Japan. McCain part of the tax cut and borrow Republican party that has borrowed us into 10 trillion dollars of debt.
Posted by: Ronaldraygun | August 14, 2008, 10:58 pm 10:58 pm
antijake well the U S Army & Marines destroyed the Iraq military forces in 2003, we acheived victory over their armed forces, just didn’t bring enough troops to keep the Arabs from all over from coming in. But they were warned about that from the start, Bush just thought he’d get the job done on the cheap.
Posted by: Monster man | August 14, 2008, 11:01 pm 11:01 pm
What, geevil, you mean repugnants won’t ask the tough questions? I’m shocked!!! LOL!
Obama 08
Posted by: jackt51 | August 14, 2008, 11:16 pm 11:16 pm
I think I am starting to get it…if you disagree with Obama, you are not just wrong, you are “divisive.” What does that even mean?
Posted by: Wade | August 14, 2008, 11:39 pm 11:39 pm
Mike: “Both Colorado and California should be nuked.”
So you want to nuke our own country? Sounds like you and Sen. McCain would get along great! Obama want’s to free up our men and women from Iraq to fight the real threats in Afghanistan and Iran, while McCain wants to attack Russia over Georgia’s attack on S. Ossetia. Brilliant.
And we need him as President? Scary.
Posted by: Larry | August 15, 2008, 12:26 am 12:26 am
Does McCain even have any ideas for America?……….. Well they change everyday…. but as far ass Iraq is it
still 100 years 50 or what
and now I hear him talking about Russia
well if we go back to a real cold war taxes on the American People will
go to the Moon…
oh and his talk about Russia LOOKs like
Mcbush Has a Clone their Too…. The Bushes seem to pop up all over the world
Posted by: Anita Yova | August 15, 2008, 12:27 am 12:27 am
Better hope McCain doesn’t get confused next time he sings “bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb Iran” It may come out Bomb, Bomb Iowa…Confusion, a terrible thing to vote for.
Posted by: Larry | August 15, 2008, 12:34 am 12:34 am
John McCain did not answer the man’s “is Barack Obama a traitor?” question at all, if anyone else noticed that.
Posted by: Jack | August 15, 2008, 12:34 am 12:34 am
If McCain says Obama is a traitor, guess he must be saying the other 70+%
of Americans who want us out of Iraq must be traitors as well. Is that what you’re reallly saying, John? Way to go John!!!!!!!!
Posted by: aw | August 15, 2008, 12:57 am 12:57 am
No Pre- screening , that’s bold. I like it. Does Obama do the same?
Posted by: Dave | August 15, 2008, 1:05 am 1:05 am
McCain is open to answering questions in detail. Obama fears questions, he is lost and babbling like a baby without his speechwriter and teleprompter. McCain is right. Obama will say and do anything to get what he wants. Scary and dangerous.
Posted by: decentAmerican | August 15, 2008, 2:55 am 2:55 am
If you vote for Mccain , our country will be mired in war for the next decade. Mccain tough talk and attitude will only upset our enemies. We have far more important issues to tackle at home then to jump in another war.
Diplomacy is the stance we need to take. Im quite sure the Nato and the G8 are working towards a solution.
Mccain needs to stay out of it. Right now hes just a scared candidate ,who is digging deep to provide fear for those of you that are scared to see a new face and new thinking in Washington. Please be open minded. Lets not make the BUSH mistake again.
Posted by: Concerned AMerican | August 15, 2008, 5:48 am 5:48 am
If one listens to The Russian journalists, they as a country are afraid of the US. Their thinking is an exact mirror of how we feel. They think we’re encroaching and moving into position for the war advantage. (think Poland and star wars missile defense system) and they truly believe that if Georgia and the Ukraine ally themselves with the UN, we’ll be ready to attack them. They fear this big time!
I’m sure McNuke and his ilk are easing their concerns.
Perhaps a more lively intergration of our concerns with them as they do with us, might have saved alot of Georgian innocents.
I’m beginning to believe that Obama is right. “what can it hurt to talk.”
Posted by: DAVID NH | August 15, 2008, 7:43 am 7:43 am
“decent American” – does your moniker imply that only decent Americans will vote for McCain? What I find scary and dangerous is the prospect of another republican in the white house, especially a trigger-happy McCain. Now, THAT’s scary and dangerous.
Posted by: nomorerepublicans | August 15, 2008, 9:56 am 9:56 am
Maybe I am miss remembering something, but wasn’t the point of the surge that we would be in a position to start withdrawing troops if it worked? McCain says its working, but refuses to acknowledge the possibility of troops leaving. Also Obama said in 2002 that he was against the war. McCain can hardly claim that he was saying that so that he could fight for the Democratic nomination 6 years later (especially as almost every Democratic representative with presidential ambitions was voting for the war resolution). I think McCain should stop impugning Obama’s integrity and start to explain what he is going to do to get to a position when he can start to withdraw US troops, if he should become US president.
Posted by: markymark | August 15, 2008, 11:25 am 11:25 am
McCain’s got a problem with dates, geography, borders, and just about anything else that requires him to remember what he said yesterday. Electing him would be electing his handlers – no more “Maverick” but “Marionette”.
Posted by: Ni Hao | August 15, 2008, 12:54 pm 12:54 pm
The country learned not to listen to swift boat types of attacks so why do Obama supporters think it’s a good tactic to use now? Makes me think that same polluted core has moved over to the Democratic party this election cycle. Am I wrong?
Posted by: Dave | August 15, 2008, 1:38 pm 1:38 pm
Try this comparison on for size:
Senator McCain: Family Paid Prep Schools (poor grades) and Legacy admittance to Annapolis where he squandered the tax payer’s money graduating 5th from bottom of his class (894th out of 899).
Senator Obama: Catholic Grade School & Scholarship (academic) to Prep School; Columbia undergrad on scholarships and loans; Harvard Law (President of Law Review) also on loans (finally paid off less than 10 years ago).
Senator McCain: Advancement in Navy on Legacy of father & grandfather (both Admirals), crashed most planes he flew on the tax payer’s money, told he would never make Admiral so he quits, divorces wife #1 because she is severely disabled from an auto accident and no longer pretty enough, but not before he has begun dating wife # 2, whose father is millionaire beer guy, goes to work for daddy-in-law, then runs for office (financed by daddy-in-law) and once again skates on the tax payer’s money…and has done so with glee since (oh, yes, let’s not forget he’s a war hero–like many thousands of others, most of whom don’t spend every day reminding anyone who will listen).
Senator Obama: Works for faith-based community organizations in Chicago helping unemployed and disenfranchised; Civil Rights Attorney; Constitutional Law Professor; State Senator; US Senator (and he’s only 47 yrs old and married to his one and only wife, who is also accomplished).
Senator McCain: Known to be hot tempered and perpetually angry…ready to fight any war…”I know how to win a war”…really, and what war was that?
Senator Obama: Known to be even tempered and thoughtful. Prepared to fight if necessary; willing and able to use diplomacy; not “anxious” to throw away American lives because he has a temper tantrum (see McCain above).
Posted by: Older White Woman | August 17, 2008, 6:13 pm 6:13 pm
Who can believe anthing this man says?
When Rick Warren asked him about his Saddleback ‘cone of silence’ experience he said he was trying to listen through the wall. Liar, Liar, pants on fire!
He wasn’t even in the building!
Posted by: clarity | August 18, 2008, 2:55 am 2:55 am