McCain Slams Hussein’s Lack Of Military Service
UNION CITY, Calif., May 22 (Reuters) - Republican U.S. presidential candidate John McCain opened a new line of attack against Democratic front-runner Barack Obama on Thursday, taking aim at Obama’s lack of military service.
McCain, a former Navy pilot and prisoner of war in Vietnam, struck back after Obama criticized McCain on the U.S. Senate floor in Washington for opposing legislation that would give expanded benefits to military veterans.
“It is typical, but no less offensive, that Senator Obama uses the Senate floor to take cheap shots at an opponent and easy advantage of an issue he has less than zero understanding of,” said McCain, who was not present for the Senate vote because he was campaigning in California.
The Senate easily approved legislation that the Bush administration and some Republicans, including McCain, say is so generous it could encourage people to leave the military to take advantage of the benefits to get a college education, at a time of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
In his Senate speech, Obama said he respected McCain’s military service.
“But I can’t understand why he would line up behind the president in opposition” to the legislation, Obama said.
McCain has clinched the Republican presidential nomination and has been stepping up his criticism in recent days of Obama in anticipation of a general election battle in November. But in this latest rash of attacks he had not mentioned until now Obama’s lack of service in the military.
McCain said he appreciated the role that a former Vietnam veteran, Virginia Democratic Sen. Jim Webb, had played in developing the legislation aimed at helping veterans gain a college education and said the approach he supports differed only slightly.
“And I take a backseat to no one in my affection, respect and devotion to veterans. And I will not accept from Senator Obama, who did not feel it was his responsibility to serve our country in uniform, any lectures on my regard for those who did,” McCain said.
McCain’s status as a war hero who spent 5 1/2 years in a Vietnam prisoner of war camp is a major selling point of his candidacy for the November election, and many veterans strongly back him.
McCain’s campaign issued the statement as the Arizona senator campaigned in California’s Silicon Valley, attending an economic discussion with California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and local business leaders.
At that event, McCain criticized both Obama and his Democratic rival, New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, for pledging to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, the U.S-Mexico-Canada pact that labor groups blame for outsourcing of U.S. jobs but which Republicans believe has been beneficial.
He has repeatedly accused Obama of inexperience and naivete on foreign policy, after Obama said he would hold direct talks without preconditions with leaders of hostile nations such as Iran and North Korea. (Additional reporting by Thomas Ferraro; editing by Vicki Allen and Jackie Frank) (To read more about the U.S. political campaign, visit Reuters “Tales from the Trail: 2008″ online at blogs.reuters.com/trail08/)
Be respectful of others and their opinions. Inflammatory remarks and inane leftist drivel will be deleted. It ain’t about free speech, remember you’re in a private domain. My website, my prerogative.
If you can't handle using your real email address, don't bother posting a comment.
Lack of military service? Hell he’s missed over 50% of the votes he is supposed to take part in as a Senator. Less than 41 months as a Illinois senator and he hasn’t been present at over 50% of the votes!!! That, my friend is a complete lack of initiative!
May 22nd, 2008 at 1:47 pmSome balls, huh.
May 22nd, 2008 at 1:53 pmOback Barama is lacking more than military service…
…He’s the perfect embodiment of the term “empty-suit”…we’d be fuk’n nuts to give him the keys to the White House.
May 22nd, 2008 at 1:54 pmis that an argument that counts for heading a country ?
I bet that some readers that come on board also lack of military service
May 22nd, 2008 at 2:01 pmif i only showed up to work 50% of the time i’d be fired!!!
May 22nd, 2008 at 2:16 pmGame on.
May 22nd, 2008 at 2:29 pmOh look the dumbass actually does ‘look down his nose’ at his useful idiot audience response units.
Serving or not serving shouldnt be an issue, except for these days and when you try to become CIC of our armed forces. Times are too damn dangerous for some pansy like Obama and the fact that he pretends to understand more about foreign policy than McCain makes it a very legitimate point to make
May 22nd, 2008 at 2:33 pm“is that an argument that counts for heading a country ?”
No. It IS an argument against Snobama preaching to a veteran implying that that veteran doesn’t care about veterans.
May 22nd, 2008 at 3:08 pmWhy not read the article before jumping into your moral equivalency suit? Oh wait… that’s how you live your life. Sorry, I forgot.
“jumping into your moral equivalency suit? Oh wait… that’s how you live your life. Sorry, I forgot ”
return to the suiter !
May 22nd, 2008 at 3:11 pmObama can’t even decide if he wants to meet with the Iranian Pres. How can anyone take this fool seriously?
He should be the laughing stock of America.
May 22nd, 2008 at 3:17 pmConstitutionally, the President of the United States is COMMANDER IN CHIEF of the Armed Forces. Traditionally, most Presidents have served in some capacity, or another. The more experience in uniform, the better. Granted military experience won’t guarantee the President has perfect judgment, but it does go a long way in making sound decisions.
Having risen to the rank of Captain, and having attended Annapolis, clearly McCain has the edge in national security. Obama didn’t even promote DOMESTIC security back in Chicago, based on his voting record, so why should he be trusted with the button?
May 22nd, 2008 at 3:47 pmA. S. Wise- VA
thanks for your clarification
that was also the case for our presidents till Sarkozy
I can tell you that before he came in the office, he didn’t know how many submarines we have
Now with his army of concilers, he would not make a mistake anymore, I expect it’s the same for any of your presidents
May 22nd, 2008 at 4:06 pmMcCain also holds the Silver Star, Bronce star, and the DFC amoung his decorations. Not exactly a chump…like Obama bam is.
And what are your quals there BHO? Oh that’s right, you can’t even show up on time to vote?
Obam bam is a wus. Naturally a Sal Alinsky type like BHO would never think of serving the US of KKK. Now would he?
So what makes him think he deserves anything less than a boot in his racist ass now?
May 22nd, 2008 at 5:14 pmHey Franchie.I I owe you an apology. I said the Foreign Legion and the Red Caps were combat status in the ME.
I was wrong. They are NOT allowed hostile activities at all. None of the french are,or the Germans. Can’t trust ‘em I guess.
But I understand your complaint of MacNasty. I mean not all of us qualify for service. My 4 in the corps & I never killed anyone.
Just bad luck
Lima Echo
May 22nd, 2008 at 5:44 pmIn an article by John Perazzo - Though Alinsky died in 1972, his legacy has lived on as a staple of leftist method, a veritable blueprint for revolution — to which both Democratic presidential candidates, who are his disciples and protégés, refer euphemistically as “change.”
From his “blueprint” for revolution:
Radical organizers must not only speak the language of the middle class, but that they also must dress their crusades in the vestments of morality.
Is it any wonder why Hillary and O are trying so hard to win the middle class? Notice the “antipathy” statement in gun #5? Right out of the playbook.
May 22nd, 2008 at 6:12 pm@Kim:
Both Hitlery and Obam-bam were devotees of Alinsky. Hitlery met him and wrote a thesis on him in college.
When Obam-bam talks of change he means the Sol Alinsky version of social change. So does the bitch from Hope (or is it really IL???)
I posted this before. I’ll do it again.
May 22nd, 2008 at 6:58 pmhttp://frontpagemag.com/articles/Read.aspx?GUID=D6E27ECE-9798-4F01-A378-3F1405F69704
@ Dan
That’s the same article I quoted from. It’s pretty scary to see a “methodology” being used and working. I know the Communist Party USA website is estatic about either one. They think Hillary is more left, but Obama has the charisma that can dupe people.
May 22nd, 2008 at 7:17 pm@Kim
Yep. Only that methodology has been flaid and fried in Dollatd Nation. There are too many rubes who buy the methodology, partly because they’ve been exposed to it for 12 - 16 years in our failed education system and partly because the rubes and the naive never bothered to study it in depth. Where there is no debate. there is no criticism or discussion. That’s why a clown like Obam-bam and the Hitkery bee-yatch get away with their “change mantras”.
Knowledge is power. Ignorance is servitude to carnival barkers like Obama Bin Lying and his clone that flies on her broom from NY.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:21 pm“But I understand your complaint of MacNasty. I mean not all of us qualify for service. My 4 in the corps & I never killed anyone.
Just bad luck”
Did I say something against any of your candidate ?
No, I am just a spectator of a great play, I just insert some snarky reflexions from time to time, I don’t care who will be your president, there will be the same relations with EU, may-be you’ll become more isolationists
your wrong with the legion and the berets rouges, they were not in Irak lately, but in Afghanistan, in Lebanon, in Yougoslavia, and more in Africa, where your government seems not to find interest, though counting on our soldiers to avoid more ethnic catastrophes, don’t tell me because these countries were also part of the french communauty, yeah, but none of the anglo-saxon’s wanted to get there…
May 23rd, 2008 at 1:21 amI like that McCain knows how to throw a punch, and throws them when he has to. So, when Obama starts mouthing off about a GI Bill insert to a pork barrel bill, McCain calls him on it. Not like Pres. Bush,who is afraid to throw punches at his political enemies, and his nice-nice doesn’t get him anything,either. It gets him vitriolic hate. Obama shows up for a showpiece vote, even though he doesn’t show up even half the time for any other votes. Can you imagine being absent from the main duty of your job over half the time?
May 23rd, 2008 at 10:22 am