The Debate

[las47032]

Originally Posted by leobold1

Obama, McCain clash over Iraq, Iran in first debate - Summary :

Obama, McCain clash over Iraq, Iran in first debate - Summary

Posted on : 2008-09-27 | Author : DPA
News Category :

Washington - Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain clashed in their first debate Friday night over the war in Iraq and whether the next person to occupy the White House should meet with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The two candidates disagreed sharply over the future course in Iraq, with Obama pitching his plan to set a timeframe for withdrawing most US combat forces from Iraq. McCain charged that any premature pullout would allow Iraq to slide into chaos and endanger US interests in the region.

"You were wrong," Obama told McCain, who supported President George W Bush's decision to invade Iraq in March 2003 to topple Saddam Hussein's regime.

McCain sought to emphasize Obama's lack of experience by saying that some of the foreign policies his opponent advocates are "naive" and "dangerous."

"I'm afraid Senator Obama doesn't understand the difference between a tactic and a strategy," McCain said of the success that has been achieved in Iraq since Bush launched the buildup of US troops there in January 2007.

Obama and McCain held the first of three planned presidential debates at the University of Mississippi ahead of the November 4 election.

It marked the first time voters saw the men on stage together to discuss mostly foreign policy issues, but not until after the candidates outlined their positions on the financial crisis plaguing the US economy and sending shockwaves through global markets.

McCain, 72, was seen as having an advantage over the 47-year-old Obama on foreign policy, while polls show voters favouring Obama on the economy, which has become the top amid this month's Wall Street failures.

Both appeared confident in addressing both topics, and there was no clear-cut winner after the 90-minute exchange.

Obama said it was necessary to engage in dialogue with US foes to find areas of compromise and steadfastly defended his position of being open to meeting with Ahmadinejad, who has called for Israel to be wiped off he map.

"Without preconditions you sit down across the table from someone who has called Israel a stinking corpse," McCain said. "This isn't just naive, it's dangerous."

Both candidates blamed Bush for mismanaging the war following the ousting of Saddam's regime, but McCain touted the success of Bush's troop surge last year in bringing down violence in Iraq and said he had supported the move long before the president endorsed it.

"This strategy has succeeded, and we are winning in Iraq," McCain said.

"John, you like to pretend that the war started in 2007," Obama said, noting that more than 4,000 US soldiers have died in the conflict on which the United States has spent nearly 1 trillion dollars.

The debate started with a discussion of the financial crisis and Bush's 700-billion-dollar plan to rescue the troubled financial sector.

"We have to move swiftly, but we have to move wisely," Obama said.

Both candidates said that they backed Bush's plan - which would be the costliest government intervention into the free market in US history - but revealed little about their differences on the plan that is now being negotiated in Congress.

McCain called for consolidation of regulatory agencies that failed to prevent the current crisis on Wall Street and said that it was vital to "get spending under control in Washington," touting his record of opposing wasteful use of tax money and suggesting that a freeze in new spending for most federal programmes would be a good idea.

Obama called the current crisis a "final verdict" on the eight- year Bush administration and accused McCain of supporting the economic policies of Bush, who has the worst approval ratings of any president in more than 30 years.

The two men also differed over tax policy and the role of the federal government in the economy.

McCain said he would ensure that the US military has the necessary resources to finish off the Taliban and al-Qaeda in Afghanistan, while Obama sought to tie the failure to capture terrorist leader Osama bin Laden to Bush's decision, with the support of McCain, to invade Iraq.

McCain criticized Obama for not taking a tougher stance last month after Russia invaded Georgia in the dispute over the Georgian breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

"He doesn't understand that Russia committed serious aggression against Georgia," McCain said.

Both candidates reaffirmed their support for allowing Georgia and another former Soviet state, Ukraine, to join the NATO alliance.

"Our entire Russian approach has to be evaluated because a resurgent and very aggressive Russia is a threat to the peace and stability of the region," Obama said. "Their actions in Georgia were unacceptable."

Obama still denying the Serge didn't work.

Question about lessons learned from Vietnam, our leaders mostly Democrats are losing Iraq like Vietnam. And a lot of Vietnam vets won't forget this picture. The day Saigon fell.

South Vietnames moving hurridly to board a CIA Air American helicopter during the evacuation.



Fall of Saigon began in 1975 when the Demcorats stopped providing finacial resources to South Vietnam. Later they were occupied by North Vietnames Communists. The Communists massacred scores of South Vietnames as well as putting them in reeducation camps. Likewise the Khmer Rogue is accountable for murdering myriads of Cambodians. Ted Kennedy and other liberal, anti war Democrats are responsible for the deaths and the blood of these people as well as the deaths of servicemen and women who died in the line of duty during the Vietnam War. Today Obama and the MoveOn.org Democrats wan't to do the samething in Iraq. Selling out the troops and the Iraqis, and our nation's security for despicable partisan politics.

Most of all a good deal of Americans declined to support the troops, as well as the politicians, most of them Democrats had no intention of winning the war. Most important, our military won the war, the politicans lost it.

Sen. McCain isn't going to bring the troops home in defeat, but he'll bring them home in victory. And he will not settle into a comfortable sitting position and watch Iraq be defeated the way America watched South Vietnam being conquered on tv.

[Shooterman]

I tuned in to see how each of the clowns stacked up against the other clown. I'm late coming to this party because yesterday about 0930 or so, RoadRunner decided to shut down the internet while it did work on the lines. It just came back.

Back to the fray between OsamaObama and Little Johnny.

Obama seemed to pretty much hold his own on the financial side of the coin, while McCain told us how much of a maverick he was. Neither wanted to or would touch Lehrer's question as to what each would forego in their plans to help soften the issue of the 700 Billion Bucks. Each basically said, well I know something will have to give, but not really, full speed ahead.

On the foreign policy matters, McCain had some edge, but not enough, in my opinion, to have salted Obama and cured him of his stupidity. Truthfully, Obama probably made no more mistakes that McCain, but McCain is so entrenched in most peoples minds as being the Guru of Warfare, he seemed more Presidential. McCain, again in my opinion, scored points on Iraq, but on Afghanistan, Obama scored quite a few.

One thing McCain scored on was Obama's constant droning of 'Senator McCain is right' or 'John is right'. I would think each time he made those comments, his handlers squeezed and pinched off some big ones.

The actual highlight of the evening; Michelle Obama looking frumpy in her combination leopard and zebra print ( or whatever it looked like ) with her goofy expression, and Cindy McCain, looking absolutely marvelous with her dyed blond hair ( covering the gray ) in that tight fitting firetruck red jump suit.

McCain won the debate on that alone.

Yeah, I'm a dirty old man and if my decision was based on that, Cindy, I mean Johnny, would win in a heartbeat.

[ruckhumper]

I didn't see the debates (until recording of it at home) but managed to catch it on ruckhumper's truck radio -- so have to ask other trackpadders if, BHO (Bark Hussein O'bama) seemed to be a little rattled in the first debate, like uncomfortable with not having scripted questions or a teleprompter/text guide to follow?

Listening, I wasn't sure if the dem candidate was BHO or Porky Pig, not with all the "..uh, uh, uh-hu-uh, uh.." stuttering he was doing before leading into one of his rehearsed talking points ..and.. tie his nervous ticks where he tried to butt-in on McCain's time over and over, as if only to try to get the last word in during every exchange.

When I did manage to see the debates, BHO appeared to be very nervous, and when the camera panned toward him, he was constantly fidgeting about like a rattled kid being denied the opportunity to be the center of attention.

As per McCain, he apparently didn't have as much time as BHO had taken to prepare for the debate but he seemed in control, wasn't goaded into showing his temper as some lib pundits claim he has ..tho.. John did blatantly miss opportunities to speak out on issues (other than reform) he expouses to believe in, which would certainly have put BHO on the defensive -- namely:

1. Energy independence (the need to punch more holes) in the ground and offshore, and the need to build more refineries in other regions to offset loss of refining capacity lost during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in '95 and more recently Ike (earlier this month) to forestall rising fuel prices on Atlantic & nor-Eastern states...
2. Border Enforcement to contain the flood of unknown border jumpers who might be coming into the U.S to harm the nation's citizens and centers of the economy (e.g commit jihidiast attacks on infrastructure, refineries, metropolis centers, and financial institutions, etc), including the building of barriers (fences) to channel illegal aliens into locations where apprehensions could occur -- Immigration is a soft spot in McCain's policy, the debate should have been the place for him to strengthen his stand of border enforcement first before tackling the issue of immigration reform.BHO is for open borders, tho he does not support the Free Trade Agreement. McCain missed to opportunity to put the Dem candidate on the spot that in his liberal philosophy, immigration reform is about increasing the rolls of Democrat voters (by legalizing illegal aliens) more than its about economics, free trade, and national security.

Thanks to Jim Lehrer, the moderator from the liberal-progressive-socialist Public Broadcasting System (supported in part by taxpayer money), even tho recent concern was about the failing financial industry, the debate was supposed to be about FOREIGN POLICY. Half of it was, unfortunately, Lehrer played right into BHO strong hand. When it comes to domestic policy, let's hope equal time by whoever moderates that debate will be permitted to lean toward John McCain's strengths - foreign policy.

Who every believes it will doesn't see the BHO spin machine of the liberal-progressive-socialist LPS MSM for what it is.

Beyond that, in my books, John McCain won the first debate, not on what he actually said but on the strength of how Obama reacted. Of course, I suspect the LPS MSM won't read it that way.

[Snowden]

The media, of course, saw Obama as the winner. I didn't see a winner, as Leobold says and I agree. I think it was a good beginning, but Obama's medical plan alone is enough to make me run for the hills.

Of course I see McCain as the better choice; but I don't think he spoke out strongly enough. Maybe he's just warming up -- I hope so. Obama? Well I think ruckhumper has him pretty well sussed out.

Listening, I wasn't sure if the dem candidate was BHO or Porky Pig, not with all the "..uh, uh, uh-hu-uh, uh.." stuttering he was doing before leading into one of his rehearsed talking points ..and.. tie his nervous ticks where he tried to butt-in on McCain's time over and over, as if only to try to get the last word in during every exchange.

[Shooterman]

Originally Posted by ruckhumper

I didn't see the debates (until recording of it at home) but managed to catch it on ruckhumper's truck radio -- so have to ask other trackpadders if, BHO (Bark Hussein O'bama) seemed to be a little rattled in the first debate, like uncomfortable with not having scripted questions or a teleprompter/text guide to follow?

Listening, I wasn't sure if the dem candidate was BHO or Porky Pig, not with all the "..uh, uh, uh-hu-uh, uh.." stuttering he was doing before leading into one of his rehearsed talking points ..and.. tie his nervous ticks where he tried to butt-in on McCain's time over and over, as if only to try to get the last word in during every exchange.

When I did manage to see the debates, BHO appeared to be very nervous, and when the camera panned toward him, he was constantly fidgeting about like a rattled kid being denied the opportunity to be the center of attention.

As per McCain, he apparently didn't have as much time as BHO had taken to prepare for the debate but he seemed in control, wasn't goaded into showing his temper as some lib pundits claim he has ..tho.. John did blatantly miss opportunities to speak out on issues (other than reform) he expouses to believe in, which would certainly have put BHO on the defensive -- namely:

1. Energy independence (the need to punch more holes) in the ground and offshore, and the need to build more refineries in other regions to offset loss of refining capacity lost during Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in '95 and more recently Ike (earlier this month) to forestall rising fuel prices on Atlantic & nor-Eastern states...
2. Border Enforcement to contain the flood of unknown border jumpers who might be coming into the U.S to harm the nation's citizens and centers of the economy (e.g commit jihidiast attacks on infrastructure, refineries, metropolis centers, and financial institutions, etc), including the building of barriers (fences) to channel illegal aliens into locations where apprehensions could occur -- Immigration is a soft spot in McCain's policy, the debate should have been the place for him to strengthen his stand of border enforcement first before tackling the issue of immigration reform.BHO is for open borders, tho he does not support the Free Trade Agreement. McCain missed to opportunity to put the Dem candidate on the spot that in his liberal philosophy, immigration reform is about increasing the rolls of Democrat voters (by legalizing illegal aliens) more than its about economics, free trade, and national security.

Thanks to Jim Lehrer, the moderator from the liberal-progressive-socialist Public Broadcasting System (supported in part by taxpayer money), even tho recent concern was about the failing financial industry, the debate was supposed to be about FOREIGN POLICY. Half of it was, unfortunately, Lehrer played right into BHO strong hand. When it comes to domestic policy, let's hope equal time by whoever moderates that debate will be permitted to lean toward John McCain's strengths - foreign policy.

Who every believes it will doesn't see the BHO spin machine of the liberal-progressive-socialist LPS MSM for what it is.

Beyond that, in my books, John McCain won the first debate, not on what he actually said but on the strength of how Obama reacted. Of course, I suspect the LPS MSM won't read it that way.

You will not see Johnny touch very much on the Illegal Alien Problem. When all is said and done, in spite of his pandering, he will crawfish on this issue and leave the Conservatives sucking hind teat with the milk drying up. I do not believe for one minute that Little Johnny can ever be trusted on Illegal Aliens, major gun control, or the financial saving of the Wallstreet Wonderful.

OsamaObama is no better, and in fact will be just as bad, if not worse.

As The Mogambo Guru says; "we are doomed!"

[Snowden]

Pundits Rate Near-Tie Debate

Posted in Politics, Opinion


(Newser) – One consensus is emerging about last night’s debate: It was close. Here’s how the pundits are calling the squeaker:

“Barack Obama was running for prime minister,” last night, while McCain was running for president, writes David Ignatius in the Washington Post. But neither was compelling, and neither responded well to the economic crisis.

• Fred Barnes of the Weekly Standard gives the win to McCain, “But the debate produced no knockout sound bites,” he writes, and so won’t change the race.

• In a debate about tactics and strategies, Obama acted strategically, sticking to big issues and “an overall vision for the country,” writes Joe Klein of Time, while McCain fought tactically, trying to pick fights over details and “personal obsessions” like earmarks.
• We’ll remember this debate alongside Kennedy-Nixon, Reagan-Carter, and Clinton-Bush, writes James Fallow of the Atlantic Monthly. In each case a fresh, inexperienced candidate didn’t exactly win, but proved himself a plausible president.

Sources Washington Post, The Weekly Standard, Time, Atlantic Monthly

[las47032]

Qustion? Did anybody notice Sen. McCain gave the name of the soldier on a bracelet he was wearing. He didn't have to look down lookd down to read the name of the soldier like Obama did.

Here's more.

Michelle Malkin Debate video: Obama can’t remember the soldier’s name on his bracelet