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Lessons from Berlin

History drives everything, including the disparity in reporting on McCain and Obama.

By Jonathan Alter | Newsweek Web Exclusive
Jul 25, 2008 | Updated: 8:01  p.m. ET Jul 25, 2008

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  • Posted By: HarleyisHere @ 08/11/2008 6:58:18 PM

    Comment: Are any of you chicken hearted chicken hawk repug mccainites/bra burning clintonites ever gonna step up and answer or just do the ROVE thing avoid and redirect?

    I ask a repug "why is the sky blue?" Repug says "well grass is green." I ask why is water wet?" repug says "dirt is brown and grass grows in dirt so Obama is a Muslim"...lol


    Here lets ask a question and see if a repug can answer with out saying the words Democrats, Obama or Clinton:

    Q: Which American President ignored intelligence that could have prevented the 9/11 attacks, then LEFT AFGHANISTAN for Iraq (a country that has never attacked the US) Says he NEVER even thinks about those who attacked us, "I don't even worry about bin laden"...he says
    Sub question: which American Senator has supported nearly ALL of said Presidents policies on the WAR as proven by his record of voting with the "President" 90% of the time?

    A: have at it

  • Posted By: Diogenes 08 @ 08/03/2008 3:32:23 PM

    Comment: So, am I to understand that Barack Hussein Obama is NOT a news magnet like Paris Hilton or Britany Spears? Give me a break, I'm not as stupid as the Obama team thinks Americans are. Just listening to him is very TAXING. Get to know the man, look at where he has been the past 20 years, and I mean nit just the racist church he supported, but ALL of the man; that is very . . . eye-opening.

    The only constant in the Democrat change is to increase taxes; proof: raise the gas tax 40% to 60% at a time that we are already suffering from the oil barrons at the pump.

  • Posted By: HarleyisHere @ 07/29/2008 4:26:12 PM

    Comment: AP DATELINE TUE JUL 29 2008: Senator and Presidential candidate John McCain plans to blame front runner Barack Obama for the earth quake in California today, McCain says it's because Obama had NOT visited California in months, McCain says he is there for California and lives right next door. More to come...

  • Posted By: Susan Bernofsky @ 07/29/2008 4:23:46 PM

    Comment: Dear Mr. Alter,

    Thank you for pointing out that Berlin is the "Ground Zero" of the twentieth century - I couldn't agree more. It was the seat of power in the National Socialist empire that destroyed so much of Europe, and then, with the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, an important symbol for the division of Europe into West and East. Your remarks only underscore the historical framework that made Senator Obama's choice of the city as a site for a major speech so resonant.

    Susan Bernofsky
    http://berlinfromwithin.blogspot.com/

  • Posted By: Retsub @ 07/28/2008 9:23:51 PM

    Comment: Mr. Alter:

    I heard your comments on CNN this evening that,"in general," people don't believe McCain's advertising as it relates to Obama being the cause of high oil/gas prices. This is one of many fallacies put forth by the "right."

    This is exactly the thinking that has hurt Democrats in past elections. Those who subscribe to right-wing philosophy or who are on the fence" politically, buy into these ideals.

    Don't think for a minute that the American people are savvy enough to come to a sensible conclusion, relative to political issues, on their own. They are used to being conned and continue to be!

  • Posted By: Retsub @ 07/28/2008 9:23:14 PM

    Comment: Mr. Alter:

    I heard your comments on CNN this evening that,"in general," people don't believe McCain's advertising as it relates to Obama being the cause of high oil/gas prices. This is one of many fallacies put forth by the "right."

    This is exactly the thinking that has hurt Democrats in past elections. Those who subscribe to right-wing philosophy or who are on the fence" politically, buy into these ideals.

    Don't think for a minute that the American people are savvy enough to come to a sensible conclusion, relative to political issues, on their own. They are used to being conned and continue to be!

  • Posted By: HarleyisHere @ 07/28/2008 8:00:01 PM

    Comment: Now don't be afraid to talk about this, it's ok, it's true, and it hurts a little, but lets talk ;)

    The problem for McCain is his "Judgment", if he really had superior military insight, he would have never agreed to go to Iraq until Afghanistan was "mission accopmlished". If mccain would have wanted to defeat Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, where they make base and train, if he would have wanted to actually bring BIN LADEN to justice, if MCCAIN has TRUE judgment, he would have stood on the floor of the Senate and said "WRONG WAR< WRONG TIME!" We would have "WON" in Afghanistan, instead of "cutting" our ablility to supply more troops and "running" to Iraq, for a "WAR FOR OIL" and for the bush ego.

    If McCain had done that, there would not have been a "SURGE" required, AT ALL. thousands of Iraqis and hundreds od Americans would have been saved...but NOPE! McCain and BUSH wanted to go to a country that NEVER ATTACKED THE US, and star another war, and now MCCAIN AND BUSH want to go "bomb Iran, bomb bomb Iran". before AFGANISTAn or Iraq are clear...and you call that a "military mentality", you call that "Judgment"?

  • Posted By: Demokrat @ 07/28/2008 4:52:27 PM

    Comment: I AM A DEMOCRAT WHO ADMIRES McCAIN. BUT NONE OF US HAS EVER PAUSED TO ANALYZE THAT WAR HERO THING. HE FLEW A JET THAT WAS SHOT DOWN, AND HE SPENT THE ENTIRE WAR IN JAIL, BRAVELY REFUSING EARLY RELEASE THRU HIS DAD'S CONNECTIONS. IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, ANY GRUNT WHO EVER FACED VIETNAM AT THE BUSINESS END OF A GUN HAD A GREATER HERO STORY.

    • Posted By: jarcher1 @ 07/29/2008 19:59:51

      Comment: I think that's somewhat unfair, lots of people die in POW situations, especially those as badly injured as McCain was at the beginning of his imprisonment. However the larger point that is inferred is well taken. That being that if 6 years as a POW is the high water mark of a military career, its a rather lackluster career. And the supposed strong point of a military career is that it denotes leadership. Yet McCain, an Anpolis grad and the son of an admiral, retired after 20 becfause it was abundantly clear he would never become a flag officer. That tells me leadership isn't a strong selling point in his favor.

  • Posted By: Demokrat @ 07/28/2008 4:48:48 PM

    Comment: I ACTUALLY VOTED FOR McCAIN OVER GORE IN 2000. BUT NO ONE HAS EVER ACTUALLY PAUSED, AND REALIZED THIS: WHAT McCAIN ACTUALLY DID---WAS HE FLEW OVER VIETNAM, WAS SHOT DOWN, AND PLAYED OUT THE WAR BEHIND BARS (BRAVELY REFUSING EARLY RELEASE BECAUSE DADDY WAS A BIG SHOT). BUT EVERY GRUNT THAT EVER SAW VIETNAM'S HORROR HAD A BIGGER STORY.

  • Posted By: HarleyisHere @ 07/28/2008 4:16:25 AM

    Comment: The problem for McCain is his "Judgment", if he really had superior military insight, he would have never agreed to go to Iraq until Afghanistan was "mission accopmlished". If mccain would have wanted to defeat Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, where they make base and train, if he would have wanted to actually bring BIN LADEN to justice, if MCCAIN has TRUE judgment, he would have stood on the floor of the Senate and said "WRONG WAR< WRONG TIME!" We would have "WON" in Afghanistan, instead of "cutting" our ablility to supply more troops and "running" to Iraq, for a "WAR FOR OIL" and for the bush ego.

    If McCain had done that, there would not have been a "SURGE" required, AT ALL. thousands of Iraqis and hundreds od Americans would have been saved...but NOPE! McCain and BUSH wanted to go to a country that NEVER ATTACKED THE US, and star another war, and now MCCAIN AND BUSH want to go "bomb Iran, bomb bomb Iran". before AFGANISTAn or Iraq are clear...and you call that a "military mentality", you call that "Judgment"?

  • Posted By: HarleyisHere @ 07/28/2008 12:18:32 AM

    Comment: HEY GUYS, I'VE GOT AN IDEA, WEEL I REALLY DIDNT GET IT FOX GAVE IT TO ME, LET'S KEEP WHINING AND MOANING CUASE OUR GUY IS GETTING DESTROYED NOT ONLY BY HUSSEIN, BUT BY HIM SELF EVEN MORE. SO I SAY WE CUT AND PASTE THE SAME TIRED OLD TALKING POINTS CAUSE IF WE DO THAT PEOPLE HAVE TO BELIEVE IT'S TRUE...LIKE WMDs AND IRAQ'S INVOLVMENT WITH 911...GOT OK

    DRILLIN and KILLIN 08 NOW......GO!

  • Posted By: josemarti @ 07/27/2008 10:18:21 PM

    Comment: Your lack of respect for our Great Leader is not going unnoticed. Stop referring to him as "Obama." From now on you must refer to him as : His Highness, and His Holiness, Sub-Comandante Barack Hussein Obama, Emperor of Hyde Park, Prince of Chicago, Citizen of the World, and Universal Spirit.

    • Posted By: soundiata @ 07/28/2008 13:16:19

      Comment: MLK used to be trounced the same way when he was fighting for civil right. He had a vision for the country not fully percieved by his contemporaries. Obama might end up the same way ! He has true vision for the country but unfortunatly, many poeple narrow down his candidacy to the historical implications.

  • Posted By: HolyRoller @ 07/27/2008 9:36:28 PM

    Comment: Well, well well...all the obamamohammeds have done their best, to discredit and trivialize Larry Sinclair. Well what's up with this...............................

    Joe Biden niece, Lynne DeBoth, death threats, Larry Sinclair, Pinnacle Properties, Arkansas real estate agent DeBoth, Larry Sinclair new post, ???PRO-OBAMA BLOG & SELF-PROCLAIMED NIECE OF JOSEPH R. BIDEN, D-DE, SOLICITS MURDER ON THE INTERNET???
    July 27, 2008 ·
    According to Larry Sinclair, Lynne Deboth, an Arkansas real estate agent, posted the following on a pro Obama blog:

    One question, isn' there anything we can do to get totally rid of Larry Sinclair? Perhaps put out a contract on him?

    Lynne D.on 26 Jul 2008 at 11:50 am

    If he is so inconsequential, why try to have him knocked off? Happened to Donald Young. He DID get whacked. Check it all out , in Sinclairs own words................ www.larrysinclair0926.com .............+2,000,000 hits .....................................

    Charges are being brought against Joe's neice. Stay tuned. Getting hot in the kitchen.

    NOBAMA!!!

    • Posted By: soundiata @ 07/28/2008 13:23:19

      Comment: Apparently you suffer from the same dillusinal desease as the poor Larry sinclair. Get yourself a doctor.

      • Posted By: Lynne00 @ 07/29/2008 10:46:35

        Comment: Larry Sinclair is a criminal and a Liar and charges are not being brought against me. Larry has swindled many people out of money and has been in jail for over 20 years with charges pending against him now.
        The whole comment I made was a joke and I said so and I am not the niece of Joe Biden. Sinclair was saying Biden was involved in him being arrested after his "so called D.C. Press conference" so I made a comment after he had posted ugly comments right before the press conference and said he would regret posting those comments about me and I said "Oh I forgot to tell you I am Joe Biden's niece" and yes a joke. Sinclair is a loon and HERE IS THE REALLY FUNNY TWIST TO THE STORY, I DO NOT SUPPORT BARACK OBAMA, I am a Clinton supporter and I will not vote for Obama.
        ALSO I GOT LARRY SINCLAIRS WEBSITE REMOVED YESTERDAY FOR POSTING MY PICTURE AND ALL OF THE LIES AND MONSTER.COM HAS SAID THEY WILL NEVER HOST HIM AGAIN.

  • Posted By: sirhc @ 07/27/2008 8:24:35 PM

    Comment: IT'S EXTREME JEALOUSY WHEN YOU HEAR "MESSIAH, 2ND COMING, HOLINESS.....ETC. ONLY THE EXTREME RIGHT IS THINKING THESE THINGS. IT'S JUST LIKE WHEN ONE SIBLING THINKS THE PARENTS FAVOR THE OTHER................WHAT DO THEY CALL THEM? THINGS LIKE THAT BECAUSE THEY ARE JEALOUS. JEALOUSY IS SUCH AN UGLY WEAR. YOU CAN HEAR IT ALL IN HANNITY AND RUSH LIMBAUGH'S VOICE WHEN THEY SPEAK ON HIM. AT LEAST BUSH SR. HAD THE COURAGE TO ADMT IT.

    • Posted By: HolyRoller @ 07/27/2008 21:42:40

      Comment: Only the "EXTREME RIGHT"??? Then what's this...and this is just a few.....................

      Many even see in Obama a messiah-like figure, a great soul, and some affectionately call him Mahatma Obama."
      -- Dinesh Sharma

      "We just like to say his name. We are considering taking it as a mantra."
      -- Chicago] Sun-Times

      "A Lightworker -- An Attuned Being with Powerful Luminosity and High-Vibration Integrity who will actually help usher in a New Way of Being"
      -- Mark Morford

      "What Barack Obama has accomplished is the single most extraordinary event that has occurred in the 232 years of the nation???s political history"
      -- Jesse Jackson, Jr.

      "This was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal."
      -- Barack Obama

      "Does it not feel as if some special hand is guiding Obama on his journey, I mean, as he has said, the utter improbability of it all?"
      -- Daily Kos

      "He communicates God-like energy..."
      -- Steve Davis (Charleston, SC)

      "Not just an ordinary human being but indeed an Advanced Soul"
      -- Commentator @ Chicago Sun Times

      "I'll do whatever he says to do. I'll collect paper cups off the ground to make his pathway clear."
      -- Halle Berry

      "A quantum leap in American consciousness"
      -- Deepak Chopra

      This is bigger than Kennedy. . . . This is the New Testament." | "I felt this thrill going up my leg. I mean, I don't have that too often. No, seriously. It's a dramatic event."
      -- Chris Matthews

      "We're here to evolve to a higher plane . . . he is an evolved leader . . . [he] has an ear for eloquence and a Tongue dipped in the Unvarnished Truth."
      -- Oprah Winfrey

      It's not jealousy...It's the truth.

      NOBAMA!!!





      • Posted By: sirhc @ 07/28/2008 21:04:02

        Comment: DUDE-DO YOU REALLY WANT ME TO POST ALL OF THEE RIDICULOUS RIGHT WING RELIGOUS ZEALOTS STATEMENTS DUING BUSH'S ELECTIONS?! BUT YOU DONT SEE OR HEAR US CALLING BUSH THOSE NAMES-NO JEALOUSY OF THAT GUY FOR REEEEAL.
        NEWSWEEK WOULD BAN ME FOR LIFE FOR POSTING THAT AMOUNT OF MATERIAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • Posted By: HarleyisHere @ 07/27/2008 7:24:46 PM

    Comment: Hey marty, just because bush and mccain are so an example of low life, lying, cheating, criminals, does not mean Obama is a "Higness" or a "Holiness"...or anything like that, he just acts like a man who would be president should act...with dignity, honesty, pride, character, intelligence, and respect. can you tell me any one of those words that apply to either bush or mccain...yeah, I know.

  • Posted By: josemarti @ 07/27/2008 5:23:48 PM

    Comment: His Highness, and His Holiness, Sub-Comandante Barack Hussein Obama, Prince of Chicago, Emperor of Hyde Park, Citizen of the World, and El Gran Sinverguenza of the Universe is GOING TO BE THE NEXT PRESIDENT AND YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. SO GET USED TO IT!!!

  • Posted By: AmericanPatriot92 @ 07/27/2008 1:51:48 PM

    Comment: One more comment countering Marc_sgp and how he is disparaging Obama's speech writing.

    By the way, Abraham's stirring speeches and debates against Stephen Douglas, during the Senate races, on the future of our country and the role of slavery drew so much attention, that despite the fact that he lost the Senate Race, his speaking ability and his facility with words drew him the nomination to the Republican President in the 1860 race!!! How did it end? well he won the presidency and is considered one of the greatest Presidents of our time!

    • Posted By: jarcher1 @ 07/29/2008 20:11:35

      Comment: Well I would go a little farther. Lincoln has a strong claim on being the greatest President of all our Presidents. He is part of a very small, select group. Those are the Presidents that stepped up and preserved our national existence when there was good reason to doubt it would continue.

  • Posted By: Marc_sgp @ 07/27/2008 1:08:37 PM

    Comment: Obama, a one term ( yet to complete ) federal senator, can't lead USA with all the best speech writing

    • Posted By: AmericanPatriot92 @ 07/27/2008 13:42:51

      Comment: At least Obama has the ability to write most of his speeches. Bush doesn't even know how to do that much, and McCain can't even use a computer to write a speech, much less read from a teleprompter with out sounding foolish.

      People are harping too much on experience. Experience counts ONLY in that it relates to skillsets that you can use for the future - skillsets such as leadership, judgement, and capability to handle the future. It's like education, it's not important that you know 2+2=4, only that understanding such basics allows you to understand and meet the challenges of learning tougher such as algebra or calculus.

      Most of the troops did NOT have combat experience prior to going to the war - but that combat experience is not necessary. Would it help - certainly - but what's more important is that they were trained on critical skill sets.

      Ronald Reagan, John F. Kennedy Jr., Abraham Lincoln, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, none of them had a huge extensive experience prior to becoming president

      Abraham Lincoln served ONLY 1 term in the House of Representative. Yet he had the greatness and vision of how to guide the nation through the Civil War conflict. This was a turning point for us in our history. While we fought for our independence in 1776, we were not truly one nation, but rather a loose confederation of states. During Lincoln's presidency and with the end of the Civil War, we truly became THE UNITED STATES of AMERCA.

      We are now at a turning point again in American history - how will we make our mark in history? How do we make a difference? From my point of view - our future is not served by someone who has a mindset of the cold war, with his view on the world order colored by our struggles in Vietnam, and who can't even understand technology. How can we make this man who can't even log on the internet the leader of our future??

  • Posted By: Jack999 @ 07/26/2008 11:56:32 PM

    Comment: OBama CANNOT make Visit to "US MILITARY BASE" under Public Finance as Presidential Candidate not allowed.

    Obama CANNOT Visit "US MILITARY BASE" on ground as US Senator "Government Employee" BUT using "PUBLIC CAMPAIGN FUND ON THIS TRIP".

    Both ways Obama cannot Visit the US Germany military base.

    Republican and Media NEVER ending Biases bullshit.

    • Posted By: howiefineman @ 07/27/2008 08:31:36

      Comment: Your sentences make no sense. Barry most definitely is allowed as a US Senator to visit our troops. He did so in Iraq. If you recall he went there on an official CODEL to assess the situation on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan. Remember the 3-pointer (eighth try) footage of Barry with the troops? The military provided the video. Barry was told he couldn't bring his official campaign staff with him to Landstuhl, because it included retired military men.. The Pentagon didn't want him to campaign there. Barry could have gone there with his Secret Service agents and a non-campaign military escort. Barry chose not to because he wouldn't be allowed to get a MSM photo op. Period. And if you think McCain was behind any of it - you are a disgrace to the American people. A war hero - especially a POW - would never keep an American from visiting our maimed and injured troops.

      'And you clearly have been on another planet if you think the MSM is biased in favor of the Republicans. It's been proven by independent studies that the MSM has given barry more press coverage and more positive press coverage. This the first time you read Newsweek? It's the pro-barry mancrush newsletter.and Alter is the staunchest barrybot in the MSM. Get a grip, educate yourself, and stop the whining.

      • Posted By: nowatthepl8 @ 07/27/2008 17:58:48

        Comment: Howie, you've bought into the baseless adds put out by the McCain campaign. According to the Pentagon, Obama was not allowed to visit this base with the generals he was traveling with because they were foreign policy advisors, and the visit together would be construed as violation of campaign regulation. An argument ensued between a general and the pentagon, and the trip was called off to avoid making it a political battle. I saw John McCain's ad. It is made up, and purposely misleading. The republicans are simply back to their Grand Old Political tricks.

      • Posted By: HarleyisHere @ 07/27/2008 13:52:12

        Comment: Awe did his big words confuse you? Maybe stick to the "white house fed" FOX news sean hannity will tell you all you need to know, it's ok....sean will make it ok for you.

        MCCAIN NO VOTED TH NEW GI BILL, MCCAINHATES OUR TROOPS, HE SAID THE BILL WAS TOO MUCH, THEY DO NOT DESERVE IT, when he said that he was talking about those "Maimed and injured":..
        What a war 'hero"...

  • Posted By: Spacer @ 07/26/2008 11:28:27 PM

    Comment: McCain taunted Obama into going overseas, and now he's whining because Obama's trip was a success. It must have really irked McCain that the troops cheered Obama rather than booing him as McCain no doubt hoped. So now McCain is back to the usual slimy tactic of attacking Obama's patriotism. It will be sad for the world if this hateful old man, John Sydney McCain steals the presidency.

    • Posted By: howiefineman @ 07/27/2008 08:37:40

      Comment: Yeah and how loud did our injured and maimed troops cheer when they saw him talking to a sea of Germans and then boarding his official campaign jet (with no American flag) without seeing them. Love how you barrybots always have to bring up the opponent to make barry look better. Reflects well on your candidate.

      • Posted By: HarleyisHere @ 07/27/2008 13:53:59

        Comment: MCCAIN NO VOTED TH NEW GI BILL, MCCAINHATES OUR TROOPS, HE SAID THE BILL WAS TOO MUCH, THEY DO NOT DESERVE IT, when he said that he was talking about those "Maimed and injured":..
        What a war 'hero"...

  • Posted By: LieDetector @ 07/26/2008 11:15:22 PM

    Comment: McCain sees the U.S. presidency as the gold watch he's earned
    for being onsite for a long time.

    Not good enough.

    In the 21st century, this nation has problems that cannot be
    solved with a big stick and a bad attitude.

    Sorry, Mr. McCain. This ain't your time.

  • Posted By: mistermcfrugal @ 07/26/2008 10:15:45 PM

    Comment: Berlin Airlift? Funny you should mention that! Obama uses this as some kind of example of the world "coming together." No, it wasn't! It was a decision by President Truman to confront Soviet aggression. We received almost no help from other countries. It is a lie to say that the world "came together." The reporter who wrote the story here knows this and still ends his story by kissing Obama's butt. This is what people do when they fall for a personality cult.

    • Posted By: tc125231 @ 07/26/2008 22:43:48

      Comment: Actually, per Wikipedia, about 1/4 of the Berlin airlift was delivered by the RAF --considerably more than was contributed by Bush's "Coalition of the Willing" in Iraq.

      Can't a right wing GOP type ever get their facts right? Probably, but they find slander and lying to be less work.

      "By July 24, 1949 a three-month surplus was built-up, ensuring that the airlift could be re-started with ease if needed. The Berlin Airlift officially ended on September 30, 1949, after fifteen months. In total, the U.S.A. delivered 1,783,573 tons, while 541,937 tons were delivered by the RAF, totaling 2,326,406 tons of food and supplies on 278,228 total flights to Berlin. The C-47s and C-54s together flew over 92 million miles in the process, nearly the same distance as the earth is from the sun.[10]"

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berlin_Blockade

  • Posted By: AmericanPatriot92 @ 07/26/2008 10:11:47 PM

    Comment:
    I wanted John McCain to talk about what he believes in and what he plans to do. All week all he could do was whine and complain "not fair" - this is the best he can do to show us how he will be our next President???? HOW DISAPPOINTING! John McCain and his supposed "Straight Talk" is nothing more than ashes now. This past week has opened my eyes to his lack of integrity. Obama spoke eloquently in Europe and displays intellect, ability to understand, and make thoughtful decisions. His innate strengths will serve him MUCH more than any experience. I am just sad for our country because anyone who is educated and has a intelligent opinion is labeled as "elitist". Since when is being an intellect a bad thing? The republicans said it about John Kerry, and now they do the same for Obama. But of course they are a bunch of good ole boys, who would prefer stupid leaders.

    Our economy is in a toilet, greed and the subprime mortage rates is going to cost the Tax payers a lot of money, McCain is naive if he thinks he can still fund expensive wars and not raise taxes given our HUGE deficits. The price of gas is high, and why - a big reason is due to the fact that the dollar is so weak, and oil is priced in dollars. It's not the only reason, but it is part of the reason! Ask yourselves this one simple question - are you better off now than when you were 8 years ago??? Where do you want America to be in the future? The fact is America is losing credibility in the world. You might think it might not matter, but the days of isolationism is over. We are living in a global economy, and if we don't do something about making America an economic and political leader again, then we need to take action and do something about it. We need CHANGE!! Not 4 more years of the same!

  • Posted By: AmericanPatriot92 @ 07/26/2008 10:10:48 PM

    Comment: I can't vote for someone like McCain who is clearly hawkish, who doesn't understand history, and totally messed up on the timing of the Anbar awakening and the surge. He is sounding like a broken record, and has not learned a thing from the past 8 years mistakes. I am very much concerned we will enter into another World War with Iran or North Korea.

    I am sure I will be labeled as a left wing liberal. But I am very much a fiscal conservative and social moderate. But I am also educated and am able to analyze various sources of information and make decisions on my own, and not just get mindlessly told what to believe by idiotic political ads.

    WAKE UP AMERICA - stop letting FEAR control us, where is our courage and strength to believe we can face any challenges that comes our way with American "can-do" and love for democracy? Instead since 9/11, the Neocons have used FEAR to chip away at our freedoms with overreaching wiretapping and privacy invasion. They have seriously threatened the integrity of our Constitution and we are in danger of turning into a police state. Why? all due to the FEAR message that the Neocons send to Americans. It is disgusting to me that this administration has created a "Torture" policy based on what they saw in a TV Show of "24". This was clearly referenced as an inspiration by John Yoo for his infamous Torture memo. As a TV junkie nation, everyone has seen the show, and it always looks "cool" with Jack Bauer saving the day from evil terrorists in the nick of time because of some torture he got out of someone. It is beneath us as a Nation that advocates Freedom and democracy, common decency to throw our principles out the window all because of a television show. If we say the ends justify the means, but we lose our soul and our principles, what good does it do us? How can we teach other countries about what it means to be a democratic nation, if we don't practice what we preach?

    Don't be quick to judge me as a liberal who hates America! I am not naive to believe that there are some terrorists out there who don't care about life or death. But it is because I love America and what she represents that I am so disappointed that our economy, our ability to lead in the world is compromised because of the past 8 years.

    There is a reason for the Geneva Convention - the way we treat others is a reflection of our country's integrity and principle. Our troops or any Americans who are captured will be treated worse because there will be terrorists out there spreading propaganda that Americans are evil. I am passionate about this, having a brother in the miltary. If he were captured, I would want him to be treated within accord of the Geneva Convention.

  • Posted By: busby @ 07/26/2008 6:47:05 PM

    Comment: Take the blinders off. The fact of the matter is that we have two miserable candidates (what else is new?) One is a cantankerous doddering old fool and one is an arrogant self-promoting conman. With the problems this country has we get either recycled bushisms or pie-in-the sky garbage. Does it ever bother anyone that the voters are viewed with such contempt by washington and what passes for media in this country? We choose the one whoever has the loudest mouth tells us to choose when what we should do is demand that these elections are run on the issues. Frankly, I'm going to write in none of the above until you give us someone decent. If you have children and grandchildren the worry about what kind of world they will face is enormous........especially with the cream of the crop they put up this time. God help us, we can't seem to do it ourselves.

    • Posted By: LieDetector @ 07/26/2008 23:56:09

      Comment: "One is a cantankerous doddering old fool and one is an arrogant self-promoting conman."
      Can you think of anyone in his/her right mind who would run for US president? One's whole life, including
      prenatally--illegitimacy, anyone?--is grist for the mill. Your kindergarten records are ransacked for evidence of incipient ambition, your friends are under surveillance, your mother disrespected, and your children ambushed. Few people can withstand the scrutiny that comes with running for office. Is it any wonder that the ones who do run are extremely self-confident, even--dare I say--cocky?

      • Posted By: howiefineman @ 07/27/2008 09:24:33

        Comment: haha. Hysterical. How much research have you done on barry? Tell me some of the facts and your words might be more than gushing love for the messiah. He is an egomaniac, as was his polygamous alcoholic father. (East African -Barry Sr's childhood friend.) Check it out. Haha as if. Read any of barry's books? haha Yeah right. Check out "Dreams of My Father" his mythology about a man he met once - a man who chose his education over his wife and son. And contrary to barry's account of his leaving due to a meager stipend is an absolute falsehood. Sr could have gone to NY and taken them with him but instead chose to go to Harvard Make sure you read how he hates his mother's race and how he "found a solace in nursing a pervasive sense of grievance and animosity against my mother's race." And how he laid out his campaign strategy of race baiting. "Black politicians less gifted than Harold discovered what white politicians had known for a very long time: that race-baiting could make up for a whole host of limitations...A steady attack on the white race, the constant recitation of black people's brutal experience in the country...Yes the whites are responsible for your sorry state, not any inherent flaws in you."

        And the topper, which was curiously taken out of the audioversion of his book: ""IN FACT, WHITES ARE SO HEARTLESS AND DEVIOUS THAT WE CAN NO LONGER EXPECT ANYTHING FROM THEM."

        His words, his beliefs stated outloud in his book. If you're interested to hear some truth ms liedetector check it out. Go to YouTube and listen to him read his own words. Listen closely how he says the word *white*.

        Check out past Alter articles - much of barry's (real life) history is there. Of course you will say provide links like the rest of the barrybots. Well hear you go: www.amazon.com & www.youtube.com. & http://www.nationmedia.com/eastafrican/01112004/Features/PA2-11.html Will you? Haha. Not.

        • Posted By: summer4077 @ 07/28/2008 13:44:40

          Comment: Yeah, I've read both of his books, TWICE. Those excerpts you have posted were completely taken out of context. Why don't you post the entire paragraph and situation in which the words were written? Obama states several times in his books that he had confusion over his identity while growing up--having trouble deciding whether he was black or white, wondering where he fit in. Anyone that thinks it wasn't hard for a mixed kid growing up in the 70s is naive, indeed. Obama is refreshingly honest about race problems, which are still extremely volatile in this country. He has addressed stereotypes on BOTH sides--that whites are entitled, greedy, and heartless, and that blacks are lazy, on welfare, and uneducated. Are those true? No, of course not, but the stereotypes exist nonetheless, which is what he addresses in his books and speeches.
          And also, why the obsession with his father? His father didn't raise him, his grandparents did. Don't hold a person accountable for their sperm donor with which they had almost no contact.

          • Posted By: jarcher1 @ 07/29/2008 20:33:13

            Comment: LOL, favorite tactic of the right's knuckledraggers, ripping things out of context, and thinking everyone else so stupid as swallow them whole. McCain has had a backroom operation going for a year now, with no body to concentrate on but Obama since June. If there was any truth in fineman's assertions, McCain's campaign would have them pasted all over the media. Oh, I forgot, they can't do that because of the liberal media conspiracy.

        • Posted By: HarleyisHere @ 07/27/2008 13:54:48

          Comment: MCCAIN NO VOTED TH NEW GI BILL, MCCAINHATES OUR TROOPS, HE SAID THE BILL WAS TOO MUCH, THEY DO NOT DESERVE IT, when he said that he was talking about those "Maimed and injured":..
          What a war 'hero"...

  • Posted By: HarleyisHere @ 07/26/2008 4:20:03 PM

    Comment: "When McCain spoke in Rochester about AIDS and poverty, it was to say that "the challenge of radical Islamic extremism is not just military, we must eliminate the breeding grounds of terrorism."

    Exactly my point, he is running that Guliani "nown, verb, 9/11" campaign, that worked back in 04 for bush, but the real FEAR facing people, the real treeorist threat to America is it's own economy. McCain/Bush fail to see that, "let her ride" the is McCain's economic lpan. That and "bomb Iran, bomb bomb Iran."

    Whe will he get a clue? WILL he get a clue? Maybe the fact that he has started adopting OBAMA's 16 month timetable, is a sign, he's comming arround, he had already adopted Obama's "surge" idea for Afghanistan.
    Maybe he's coming along.

  • Posted By: sirhc @ 07/26/2008 3:49:40 PM

    Comment: I BELIEVE MCCAIN SHOULD BE HAPPY HE'S NOT GETTING THIS LEVEL OF COVERAGE. IS IT ME OR IS HE GAFFING ALMOST DAILY?
    SIDE NOTE-ISN'T IT GREAT TO SEE SO MANY FOREIGNERS WEARING RED, WHITE AND BLUE, DYING THEIR HAIR RED, WHITE AND BLUE AND HOLDING UP OUR FLAG? AND WE HAVEN'T EVEN DONE ANYTHING FOR THEM LATELY......... THE ENTIRE WORLD WANTS US TO STAND UP TO WHERE WE WERE AND ONLY A FEW IGNORANTS FROM THIS COUNTRY ARE ACTUALLY AGAINST IT. SHAME.

  • Posted By: Carl Y. @ 07/26/2008 3:45:32 PM

    Comment: Obama's Berlin speech was supposed to be seen as part of an " Ich bin ein Kennedy " narrative.

  • Posted By: befair @ 07/26/2008 2:22:41 PM

    Comment: I found Sen. Obama to be dignified, confident and diplomatic on his trip this week. How can anyone find fault with that. He was well recieved and what was clearly revealed on this trip, was that people around the world are hopeful that America will once again be the Leader that we have been in the past. Sen. Obama showed that he has the skills and temperament to work with other leaders to repair some of the damage that has been done by this administration, that took us to war in Iraq under false-pretenses and continued to lie not only to the American people but people around the world. What Obama did this week for America is something that everyone should be proud of and those who are not, well I guess you need to check your American Values.

    • Posted By: Etta Mae @ 07/26/2008 21:58:24

      Comment: How many cases of Barack Obama Soda have you been drinking?

      • Posted By: summer4077 @ 07/28/2008 13:46:36

        Comment: Befair speaks the truth...give me something to refute that Obama wasn't hugely received in Europe AND Iraq. Please try. The leaders of pretty much every country have all put their support behind Obama, as have 75% of Europeans. Our international reputation has been destroyed, and we need someone to rebuild it. Obama's tour proved that he is just the person do that.

  • Posted By: EffYou @ 07/26/2008 1:39:26 PM

    Comment: you gotta love how Obamaweek says "Obama is news"; this is straight from the Ben Bradlee line that the "news is what we say it is". I for one could care less about Obama and am sick and tired of hearing about him.

    while I might've considered voting for him originally, one thing about all the biased coverage he gets is that it's now plain to see this guy is nothing but an old-school Chicago political operative; he either really believes he's the World Savior or is even more egotistical and power-mad than Hillary is/was.

    • Posted By: befair @ 07/26/2008 15:03:50

      Comment: Sen. Obama is news whether you like it or not. John McCain is not running un-opposed in case you hadn't noticed. I have followed this presidential campaign very closely and I have yet to see where the coverage of Obama has been to his advantage. When the media do say something about Obama, they try very hard to frame it in a negative way. With McCain on the other hand they go out of their way to cover-up his mistakes and when they do talk about them, they treat them as a joke while taking Obama out of context and treating it like it was the end of the world. If you ever really considered voting for Obama, then I would ask you to give him another look, he would make a wonderful president.

      • Posted By: Etta Mae @ 07/26/2008 22:54:10

        Comment: Well you haven't been watching close enough. Check out the multiple independent studies that have PROVEN BEYOND A SHADOW OF A DOUBT that barry has consistently gotten more coverage, more positive coverage and very little negative coverage as compared to Sen Clinton and the MSM has admitted to their bias as fas as McCain. Remember Crazy Old Uncle Wright? Barry got more positive coverage than Sen Clinton. Proof. Go look. I would supply a link buit by now I have learned that barry supporters prefer to praise the messiah rather than seek the truth. Please know your facts before you troll to extol the fine virtues of a candidate you know nothing about. He is a complete and utter fraud and you are just another uninformed barrybot. My guess is you're a white woman in her 50's-60's.

        • Posted By: summer4077 @ 07/28/2008 13:50:49

          Comment: Hey Etta Mae, I'm a 26 year old white woman, or Obamabot as you call us. I HAVE done my research...for over 2.5 years. I supported Obama and thought him a wonderful man before he even began running for President. If you would actually research him, you'd see that he has worked very hard in life to get where he is, and he's an honorable, intelligent man. Why is it that when people support him you think they haven't done their research? The opposite is true--if people haven't researched him, they'll be apt to believe all the mudslinging lies people like you throw--that he's Muslim, a terrorist, a racist, the Antichrist, unpatriotic, etc etc.

        • Posted By: Verdad @ 07/27/2008 02:37:05

          Comment: I guess i would prefer to identify biased media coverage as news networks that selectively edit out or swop erroneous answers to questions in order to coverup mistakes in the guise of editing to meet timelines. Then as overly excited news anchors and pundits gushing about speeches, or comparison of so called positive or negative coverage. Because: the latter type- i can see and judge for myself, the former - info that is lost to me as a viewer.

        • Posted By: tc125231 @ 07/27/2008 01:53:03

          Comment: If you are going to cite studies, please provide details. Otherwise you sound like Joe McCarthy saying, "I have in my hand a list of names..." --in other words, as the Irish would say, like you are full of shite.

          • Posted By: howiefineman @ 07/27/2008 08:41:05

            Comment: You too lazy to GOOGLE? It's a well-established fact - go look for yourself. It's been discussed on CNN and MSNBC.

        • Posted By: LieDetector @ 07/26/2008 23:25:35

          Comment: What a joyless life you must lead.

          Look inward. What do you see?

  • Posted By: HolyRoller @ 07/26/2008 1:15:37 PM

    Comment: Here is a great article from Germany....it show's not every German drinks Kool-Aide.............

    Once again it's Der Spiegel that manages to put Obama's Berlin speech in perspective..............

    The [estimated] 200,000 onlookers who thronged to listen to Obama's speech should not deceive us. Listening is not the same as agreeing. Obama divides people, and not along traditional party lines.
    It is, anyway, a great mistake to divide the voters in Western nations into left and right, aggressive and peace-loving, market orientated and critical of capitalism. In reality there are just two types of voters: the romantic democrats and the common-sense democrats.

    So far, Obama has been the candidate for the romantics. His skill lies in enchanting his supporters with words. Whatever is held against him, his supporters turn into his favor. The man is an unknown quantity, no mud sticks to him! The man is measured, no, he is visionary! He wants to save the entire world, but it does desperately need to be saved, doesn't it?

    It would have been interesting to find out how the reconciliation between Muslims and Christians will come about, when shortly before his departure he threatened the Islamic Republic of Pakistan with a military strike against its border region with Afghanistan. Pakistanis value their sovereignty as much as Americans.
    Is it not foolhardy to set a timeframe for the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq at 16 months, when American generals fear another civil war? In Vietnam, they point out, the killing did not end after the US withdrew its troops.

    And then there is the breathtaking list of domestic policy promises: affordable health insurance for the 47 million currently unregistered Americans, tax exemptions for all retirees on pensions under $50,000, higher minimum wages, multi-billion dollar infrastructure projects and finally tax credits for most Americans to boost the economy. How can that be paid for, if, as Obama has categorically ruled out, he isn't going to raise taxes on the middle class? Or is he planning for the US to go even more into debt (something he has equally vehemently ruled out)?

    Of course, Obama may have no option now than to continue to offer the sky. At first many election strategists thought voters wouldn't believe politicians??? promises anymore after their experience with Bush. Surprisingly, the opposite seems to be the case: Right now they'll believe everything.

    NOBAMA!!!

    • Posted By: FredGrady @ 07/26/2008 19:56:44

      Comment: The commenter failed to check basic facts. This is emphatically not an article from Germany. It's an English-language opinion from Washington, DC called "West Wing" that happens to appear on Spiegel Online. Go the original online location and read the blurb about the column and the author. http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,568121,00.html Real articles from Berlin, while sometimes cautious, were generally much more favorable. Look at the variety of reactions reported at
      http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,567926,00.html

    • Posted By: notroubleatall1963 @ 07/26/2008 16:32:40

      Comment: Well, I'd have to say that Der Speigel is a conservative-leaning publication.

  • Posted By: notroubleatall1963 @ 07/26/2008 12:48:44 PM

    Comment: Barack is so much more charming, disarming and intelligent that our current roster of GOP leadership that it will be a total breath of fresh air for the entire world if we can manage to elect him our President.

    If McCain wins, by some fluke (hah, more like by some hook or crook)... we will just go along the same old path and be marginal, mediocre and declining - the same path as today.

    Which would you choose? A chance to change direction or a chance to remain stagnant (at best)?

  • Posted By: aguasticas @ 07/26/2008 12:36:32 PM

    Comment: Obama's face alone will and has altered the face of the US in the world. Words always matter. JFK was a Berliner and it mattered. Bush was a compassionate conservative and it mattered. Nixon was a peace-maker he said, and it mattered. All politicians lie, but some do it for good and others for gain. Lincoln had only words also but they mattered then as they do now. All men are created equal. We all live on this small planet, breathe the same air, want the same things for our children and out posterity. Words let one see into the soul of politicians. If a guy talks about himself or some amorphous plan that seems to solve all the probems in the world, you can bet it's disingenuous. When he talks about the commonality of people, you can bet the other way.

  • Posted By: FredGrady @ 07/26/2008 12:27:38 PM

    Comment: How fitting to use the Berlin Airlift as a central discussion point. When I visited Berlin this spring, my second visit ever and 33 years after my first visit, I noted with surprise that the American who had the greatest esteem in Berlin was not JFK or Reagan but Lucius Clay, the architect of the Berlin Airlift. That bond has done more to create long-term affection with Berliners than any speech.
    So Senator Obama's critics tear into him for giving a speech. That is all he is authorized to do. He is not president. But he has indicated the issues and themes that will receive his greatest attention. Short on specifics??? Sen. Obama has also indicated clearly that he will listen to others and seek consensus. The most effective way to negotiate is to start by focusing the discussion on principles that can gain common assent, and then to work from agreed principles to discern specific points of practical application that both sides can achieve. Those who complain that he has not announced his shopping list either fail to understand negotiation, or want a hamfisted top-down president like our current one, or both.

    • Posted By: notroubleatall1963 @ 07/26/2008 12:34:34

      Comment: Great comments! I concur wholeheartedly.

  • Posted By: arbite @ 07/26/2008 12:03:12 PM

    Comment: Patriot2 says Obama's naive about how real politics works.

    I guess naive judgment trumps senile experience after all.

  • Posted By: Patriot2 @ 07/26/2008 11:57:27 AM

    Comment: I'm 53 and Obama is the biggest blowhard I've seen in my lifetime.
    He arouses huge crowd with eloquent platitudes and says nothing at all.
    He is beyond naive to the point of being ignorant of history and how real power politics works.
    The fact that the Europeans love him is only evidence that he would be a dangerous leader to have in our country
    country

    • Posted By: howiefineman @ 07/27/2008 09:41:40

      Comment: check it out. R. Brownstein discusses that exact question.

      His conclusion: "European cheers may strengthen Obama at Starbucks, but it remains to be seen whether they will sweeten his prospects at Dunkin' Donuts."

      Gotta love the elitism and dare I say racism? The Dunkin' Donuts crowd being those whining white uneducated gun totin' Bible-quotin' bitter bowling alley babes who are racists because as barry says they have "antipathy to people who aren't like them" .

      http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/politicalconnections.php

    • Posted By: LieDetector @ 07/26/2008 23:28:42

      Comment: Let me guess: Rush Limbaugh 101?

    • Posted By: befair @ 07/26/2008 14:41:20

      Comment: I am of your generation and I understand that we must keep moving forward as a society and as a nation. You say Obama is the biggest blowhard you have ever seen and you make fun of his ability to speak intelligently. Are you not aware that some of our greatest leaders have been eloquent speakers that were skilled at lifting the people up and giving them hope, especially in difficult times. Sen. Obama's speeches are far from empty rhetoric, but you have to have an open mind in order to receive the timely messages he is giving. The notion that he would be a dangerous leader because Europeans like him is one of the most paranoid and uneducated things I have heard anyone say.

    • Posted By: notroubleatall1963 @ 07/26/2008 12:27:35

      Comment: Oh yes, we must mistrust our friends and allies, our relatives across the Pond, they're very dangerous...

      Maybe you are still living during the WWII era, when Germany and Italy were not our friends but our enemies? I can't understand this observation - it seems really old and outdated, to say the least.

      Where have you been for the past five decades, sitting in your backyard bomb shelter waiting for the nuclear bomb from the USSR? Sheesh.... Get over it, we live in a whole new world. The real threat is terrorism from fundamentalists - and Fundamentalism might just be our real terror, no matter what religion. It seems to spawn a bunch of crazies in the far Right here in the USA too.

  • Posted By: Patriot2 @ 07/26/2008 11:56:51 AM

    Comment: I'm 53 and Obama is the biggest blowhard I've seen in my lifetime.
    He arouses huge crowd with eloquent platitudes and says nothing at all.
    He is beyond naive to the point of being ignorant of history and how real power politics works.
    The fact that the Europeans love him is only evidence that he would be a dangerous leader to have in our country

    • Posted By: tc125231 @ 07/27/2008 01:57:38

      Comment: People who post the same comment multiple times have no business calling anyone ELSE a blowhard.

  • Posted By: masonwl @ 07/26/2008 11:24:54 AM

    Comment: Even Fox News knows McCain's Mistakes will hurt him, latest From The Bourbon Room:

    The Obama's inner circle, they believe McCain set himself back not only with the general public but also with top-flight Republicans who will have to try to clean up McCain's national security debris.

    Here is what team Obama means.

    * On July 21st, McCain said on Good Morning America that the situation was tough in Afghanistan, particularly, he said, given the struggle on the Iraq-Pakistan border.

    * On July 22 in an interview Katie Couric of CBS, McCain said the troop surge President Bush ordered in January 2007 and which didn't reach maximum tactical deployment for months after led to the so-called Sunni awakening or uprising against Al Qaeda in Iraq terrorists. While the surge no doubt gave greater confidence to Sunnis over time, the awakening began in the fall of 2006 with the moves against AI Qaeda by a collection of high-profile tribal sheiks.

    * On July 23, McCain said the surge wasn't really about more troops, but counter-insurgency tactics. And yet the political credit McCain seeks for the turn-around in Iraq is based principally on his advocacy if the surge - meaning more troops to carry out counter-insurgency missions. To say the surge wasn't really about more troops undercuts much of McCain has tried to tell the public about what has changed in Iraq and why.

    * On July 24th, McCain called Iraq the first major conflict since 9/11. Tell that to Hamid Karzai, current President of Afghanistan and brought to power by the US-led defeat of the Taliban in the months immediately following 9/11.

    * And Friday on CNN, McCain said 16 months for a troop withdrawal from Iraq is a pretty good timetable. His campaign said McCain meant it was good so long as conditions on the ground warranted troop withdrawals. But the damage was done. Just check the profusion of blog posts in the hours immediately after the CNN interview with McCain.

    The Obama campaign and the DNC is preparing an easy-to-follow guide to these McCain fumbles to assist any and all Obama surrogates in the coming debate over national security, Iraq or Afghanistan. Contrasting one or more of these against McCain's contention that he alone knows how to win wars is likely to become a familiar TV jousting tactic.

  • Posted By: arbite @ 07/26/2008 11:13:24 AM

    Comment: McCain can whine all he wants, but only one candidate has been consistent, and consistently right. All McCain and the Republicans have proven is that they'll sacrifice the truth to win an election.

    • Posted By: howiefineman @ 07/27/2008 10:02:19

      Comment: Whose this candidate who "has been consistent and consistently right?"

      • Posted By: HarleyisHere @ 07/27/2008 13:59:26

        Comment: BARACK OBAMA...DUH, Bush adopted hia Iran policy, McCain has been FORCED to talk about Afghanistan and even endorce OBAMA's postions on more troops there. Iraq has endorced OBAMA's 16 month withdrawl, ANd as of Friday, on CNN, McCain indorced OBAMA's 16 month timetable.

        Careful asking questions like that as the answers will come ;)

  • Posted By: masonwl @ 07/26/2008 11:01:02 AM

    Comment: Even Fox News knows McCain's Mistakes will hurt him, latest From The Burbon Room:

    The Obama???s inner circle, they believe McCain set himself back not only with the general public but also with top-flight Republicans who will have to try to clean up McCain???s national security debris.

    Here is what team Obama means.

    * On July 21st, McCain said on Good Morning America that the situation was tough in Afghanistan, particularly, he said, ???given the struggle on the Iraq-Pakistan border.???

    * On July 22 in an interview Katie Couric of CBS, McCain said the troop surge President Bush ordered in January 2007 and which didn???t reach maximum tactical deployment for months after led to the so-called Sunni awakening or uprising against Al Qaeda in Iraq terrorists. While the surge no doubt gave greater confidence to Sunnis over time, the awakening began in the fall of 2006 with the moves against AI Qaeda by a collection of high-profile tribal sheiks.

    * On July 23, McCain said the surge wasn???t really about more troops, but counter-insurgency tactics. And yet the political credit McCain seeks for the turn-around in Iraq is based principally on his advocacy if the surge - meaning more troops to carry out counter-insurgency missions. To say the surge wasn???t really about more troops undercuts much of McCain has tried to tell the public about what has changed in Iraq and why.

    * On July 24th, McCain called Iraq ???the first major conflict since 9/11.??? Tell that to Hamid Karzai, current President of Afghanistan and brought to power by the US-led defeat of the Taliban in the months immediately following 9/11.

    * And Friday on CNN, McCain said 16 months for a troop withdrawal from Iraq is ???a pretty good timetable.??? His campaign said McCain meant it was good so long as conditions on the ground warranted troop withdrawals. But the damage was done. Just check the profusion of blog posts in the hours immediately after the CNN interview with McCain.

    The Obama campaign and the DNC is preparing an easy-to-follow guide to these McCain fumbles to assist any and all Obama surrogates in the coming debate over national security, Iraq or Afghanistan. Contrasting one or more of these against McCain???s contention that he alone ???knows how to win wars??? is likely to become a familiar TV jousting tactic.

    • Posted By: howiefineman @ 07/27/2008 10:06:09

      Comment: How many times and in how many places have you cut and pasted this?

  • Posted By: mitzi's oldest @ 07/26/2008 10:45:51 AM

    Comment: About experience,Carter,Clinton,W all governors with what foreign experience? They all have the best and the brightest working for them they only have to ask and they can have Mr.Knowitall in the Oval Office in hours so why do we pretend that a candidates experience is so important. These guys don't sign a memo w/o consulting with someone. By now it should be clear that no one is in charge that there is a figure head and a very complicated machine behind them. Furthermore I would suggest that we concern ourselves with what will become of the Supreme Court if one or the other candidate is elected. That is the only thing that either one of them will deal with that is not predetermined by history as it is today.The rest is a response to what the world is today.

  • Posted By: Fernadez @ 07/26/2008 10:33:12 AM

    Comment: John McCain doesn???t know Shiites and Sunnis are Bitter enemy since Saddam days, Also this spring, McCain twice appeared to mistake again twice between Sunnis and Shiites, two branches of Islam that split violently

    John McCain doesn???t know where is Pakistan? , McCain responded I'm afraid it's a very hard struggle, particularly given the situation on the Iraq/Pakistan border. The ABC posting added: Iraq and Pakistan do not share a border.

    Somalia for Sudan: As recounted in a reporters pool report from McCain Straight Talk Express bus on June 30, the senator said while discussing Darfur, a region of Sudan: How can we bring pressure on the government of Somalia?
    Senior adviser Mark Salter corrected him Sudan

    Germany for Russia memorializes McCain referring to President Vladimir Putin of Russia following a trip to Germany as President Putin of Germany by the way Germany Never have a President only Chancellor.

    This spring, McCain said troops in Iraq were down to pre-surge levels when in fact there were 20,000 more troops than when the surge policy began.

    In perhaps the most curious incident, McCain said earlier this month that as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, he had tried to confuse his captors by giving the names of Pittsburgh Steelers starting players when asked to identify his squadron mates. McCain has told the story many times over the years but always correctly referred to the names he gave as members of the Green Bay Packers

    In Phoenix earlier this month, McCain referred to Czechoslovakia, which has been divided since Jan. 1, 1993, into the Czech Republic and Slovakia. He also referred again to Czechoslovakia during a debate in November and a radio show in April.

    ""WAKAKAKAKA "" This Guy deserves to Be the President of United Fools ..........I laugh my Ass off.

    • Posted By: howiefineman @ 07/27/2008 10:09:36

      Comment: You're another cut & paste mindless troller. Where in your comments did you outline why barry should be president?

  • Posted By: wilsan @ 07/26/2008 10:19:08 AM

    Comment: Cliffrunge... you bet. You are spot on.

    That is why I am voting for McCain, he is by far away the best man. Our children need experience & wisdom, not pretty words and no background. Anybody can do that.

    • Posted By: notroubleatall1963 @ 07/26/2008 12:32:22

      Comment: Sorry, our children need a better example of a leader than anybody the GOP can run for Prez. They need someone with integrity, honor, dignity and INTELLIGENCE. They do NOT need another ex-playboy with a trophy wife who left his first wife for a richer, sexier gal with a huge fortune... Our children need someone who was an excellent student to give them a good example for their own performance.

      They do NOT need to see another leader from the party that cheats at the polls to overthrow a US election, a party that condones WAR for the sake of lining corporate and Bush pockets, or a part that promotes MEDIOCRITY as the best path forward for America.

      Our children need a leader who carefully measures his wods and his actions before he speaks, and who studies and plans to create a thoughtful, intelligent strategy for anything he does. They need a lweader who will secure their future rather than squander it. That would be Obama, not McSame.

  • Posted By: Cliffrunge @ 07/26/2008 10:15:45 AM

    Comment: TO THE GREATEST GENERATION AND THEIR CHILDREN

    McCain is a great man of your generation. He fought your wars, suffered your pain and shared your victories. He would have made a far better President than George W. Bush, and, had he been elected in 2000, our country would have been in a much better place than we find ourselves in today. But when you vote this November, think about the idea of voting for the future, not the past. Think about what your grandchildren need, not just what you are comfortable with in your current lives. Think about how small this planet has become in your lifetime. Maybe the good old days are not gone, but still lie in the future for your children and grandchildren. Vote for them. Do not destroy their hope for the future by electing a leader from the past.

  • Posted By: jimjim @ 07/26/2008 9:55:40 AM

    Comment: The author and Mr. Obama can afford to flirt with silly, "provocative"new paradigms because they can safely walk the neighborhood.. Obama and the other Germans near the gate were not being shot at only because men with a clearer vision of the true nature of history and the human condition stood against it until it was vanquished (Reagan, Bush I). McCain has this vision which is not "military" as the author/psychiatrist attempts to portray. Still, he may lose if he is the victim of success: of the successful prosecution of the global war against terrorists and the success in Iraq (Bush II). As usual, some in the American electorate are tempted to go European whenever better men have made the world safe for them play in(Clinton after Bush, Obama after Bush?).
    Jim Jimenez

    • Posted By: LieDetector @ 07/26/2008 23:44:46

      Comment: Your post sounds reminiscent of Jack Nicholson's remarks in the movie, "A Few Good Men," just before
      they led him away for ordering a Code Red. ("Whenever better men have made the world safe for them to play in....")

  • Posted By: wilsan @ 07/26/2008 9:28:30 AM

    Comment: What trash Mr. Alter is writing. He writes:

    'To the shock of political veterans, NBC News is the only network with on-air correspondents and NEWSWEEK the only news magazine with reporters assigned to cover both candidates full time."

    Let's face it, Newsweek is not reporting - they are advocating for Obama. This is NOT Journalism, it s Political Contribution going on. Obama should be paying Newsweek for services rendered.

    Mr. Alter is the 'Journalist' that once declared that there were no consequences to South Vietnam's fall; As if Boat People, Khmer rouge, and re-education camps were of 'no consequence'.

    Hopefully, the main stream media is collapsing; The world will be better off without their lies. Even more hopefully, we will see 'new forms' of reporting that are objective, accurate, and not self-focused.

  • Posted By: HolyRoller @ 07/26/2008 9:15:45 AM

    Comment: Here is a great article from Germany....it show's not every German drinks Kool-Aide.............

    Once again it???s Der Spiegel that manages to put Obama???s Berlin speech in perspective..............

    The [estimated] 200,000 onlookers who thronged to listen to Obama???s speech should not deceive us. Listening is not the same as agreeing. Obama divides people, and not along traditional party lines.
    It is, anyway, a great mistake to divide the voters in Western nations into left and right, aggressive and peace-loving, market orientated and critical of capitalism. In reality there are just two types of voters: the romantic democrats and the common-sense democrats.

    So far, Obama has been the candidate for the romantics. His skill lies in enchanting his supporters with words. Whatever is held against him, his supporters turn into his favor. The man is an unknown quantity ??? no mud sticks to him! The man is measured ??? no, he is visionary! He wants to save the entire world ??? but it does desperately need to be saved, doesn???t it?

    It would have been interesting to find out how the reconciliation between Muslims and Christians will come about, when shortly before his departure he threatened the Islamic Republic of Pakistan with a military strike against its border region with Afghanistan. Pakistanis value their sovereignty as much as Americans.
    Is it not foolhardy to set a timeframe for the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq at 16 months, when American generals fear another civil war? In Vietnam, they point out, the killing did not end after the US withdrew its troops.

    And then there is the breathtaking list of domestic policy promises: affordable health insurance for the 47 million currently unregistered Americans, tax exemptions for all retirees on pensions under $50,000, higher minimum wages, multi-billion dollar infrastructure projects and finally tax credits for most Americans to boost the economy. How can that be paid for, if ??? as Obama has categorically ruled out ??? he isn???t going to raise taxes on the middle class? Or is he planning for the US to go even more into debt (something he has equally vehemently ruled out)?

    Of course, Obama may have no option now than to continue to offer the sky. At first many election strategists thought voters wouldn???t believe politicians??? promises anymore after their experience with Bush. Surprisingly, the opposite seems to be the case: Right now they???ll believe everything.

    NOBAMA!!!

  • Posted By: delucias @ 07/26/2008 8:56:20 AM

    Comment: This article is a good example of media bias.

    As a military spouse I can assure you Barack Obama does NOT listen to the people, unless you are wealthy, nor does he CARE what people want.......He cares about what will get him elected!
    If he has his way in about 2 years my husband and many others will be pulled out to early from Iraq then will probably be put back into a more volatile war and we will end up loosing mor