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'Whatever Politics Demand' - New McCain Video
The Obama campaign has spent the week trying to beef up Barack Obama's image on issues related to national security. They are very aware that Obama's original position on Iraq - a quick surrender - is now unpopular given the success our troops have made.
This is an eye opening documentary.
Part of the immediate response from the Obama political team was this video - directly from the McCain campaign - was negative. A dull response given that Obama ran the first candidate negative ad against McCain. This video is simply a compilation of Obama in his words - pretty but not straight nor conistant.
Obama's position changes are not a shifting nuance in response to changing or evolving conditions. Viewed in the context of the Democrat Primary Election and the current events of the surge's success Obama appears as making near obscene political panders over the most serious and critical of subjects.
Again, these are not nuances...these are radical changes in policy to fit the politics of the day. Viewers of this video will certainly be left with a sense of Obama's lack of trustworthiness. And it adds to the growing mountain of evidence that Obama's only change is the smoothness of his rhetoric.
The video's (lengthy) script reads:
CHYRON: The Obama Iraq Documentary CHYRON: Where Does Barack Obama Stand On Iraq?
CHYRON: Said The Surge Would Make Things Worse
BARACK OBAMA (1/10/07): "I am not persuaded that 20,000 additional troops in Iraq is going to solve the sectarian violence there. In fact, I think it will do the reverse."
CHYRON: Said He Always Said The Surge Will Make Things Better
BARACK OBAMA (1/5/08): "And I said at the time, when I opposed the surge, that given how wonderfully our troops perform, if we place 30,000 more troops in there, then we would see an improvement in the security situation and we would see a reduction in the violence."
CHYRON: Translation: You're Never Wrong If You Pretend You Gave The Right Answer All Along
CHYRON: Predicted That The Surge Would Fail
BARACK OBAMA (10/22/06): "Given the deteriorating situation, it is clear at this point that we cannot, through putting in more troops or maintaining the presence that we have, expect that somehow the situation is going to improve."
BARACK OBAMA (7/18/07): "My assessment is that the surge has not worked and we will not see a different report eight weeks from now."
BARACK OBAMA (11/11/07): "Finally, in 2006-2007, we started to see that, even after an election, George Bush continued to want to pursue a course that didn't withdraw troops from Iraq but actually doubled them and initiated a surge and at that stage I said very clearly, not only have we not seen improvements, but we're actually worsening, potentially, a situation there."
CHYRON: Now Says It's Working
BARACK OBAMA (2/21/08): "I think it is indisputable that we've seen violence reduced in Iraq."
BARACK OBAMA (4/8/08): "I also think that the surge has reduced violence and provided breathing room."
BARACK OBAMA (7/2/08): "The extraordinary work that our troops have done. They have performed brilliantly throughout the process. And obviously, I am very pleased to see the reductions in violence that have occurred over the last several months. There's no doubt that because of their heroism and their outstanding work, we had the opportunity to salvage the situation in Iraq."
CHYRON: Translation: He Isn't Going To Let Facts Get In The Way Of His Position
CHYRON: For Immediate Withdrawal
BARACK OBAMA (9/12/07): "So let me be clear. There is no military solution in Iraq. There never was. The best way to protect our security and to pressure Iraq's leaders to resolve their civil war is to immediately begin to remove our combat troops. Not in six months or one year, but now."
BARACK OBAMA (3/19/08): "In order to end this war responsibly, I will immediately begin to remove our troops from Iraq. We can responsibly remove one to two combat brigades each month. If we start with the number of brigades we have in Iraq today, we can remove all of them in 16 months."
BARACK OBAMA (5/2/08): "When I promise that we are going to bring this war in Iraq to a close in 2009, I want the American people to understand that I opposed this war in 2002, 2003, '04, '05, '06 and '07, so you can have confidence that I will be serious about ending this war." CHYRON: Against Immediate Withdrawal
ANCHOR (4/5/04): "You've said you thought troops should be withdrawn."
BARACK OBAMA: "No. No, I've never said that troops should be withdrawn. What I've said is that we've got to make sure that we secure and execute the rebuilding and reconstruction process effectively and properly and I don't think we should have an artificial deadline when to do that."
BARACK OBAMA (6/21/06): "A hard and fast, arbitrary deadline for withdrawal offers our commanders in the field, and our diplomats in the region, insufficient flexibility to implement that strategy."
CHYRON: Translation: Changes His Position To Fit the Election
CHYRON: Against Funding The Troops
BARACK OBAMA (11/16/03): "Just this week, when I was asked, would I have voted for the $87 billion, I said no. And I said no unequivocally, because, at a certain point, we have to say no to George Bush."
CHYRON: For Funding The Troops
BARACK OBAMA (4/5/04): "What's important is what I don't want a situation in which we have 80 or 90,000 young American men and women who are over there in a situation where they do not have the resources sufficient to ensure their own protection. And what we have to do is make sure that we have enough troop strength. As long as we have troops there, we have to make sure we have enough troop strength to make sure we are safe and secure."
BARACK OBAMA (1/10/07): "We've got to make sure that they have all the resources necessary to come home safely and to execute the missions that have been laid out for them."
CNN'S WOLF BLITZER (3/28/07): "Some ardent opponents of the war, like Dennis Kucinich, for example, who is a Democratic presidential candidate"
BARACK OBAMA: "Right."
BLITZER: "He takes a principled stand. He's not going to vote to fund the troops going off to this war, because he believes that would help bring the troops home."
OBAMA: "Right. You know, the problem is, is that you have got an obstinate administration that has shown itself unwilling to change, in the face of circumstances on the ground. And, in that situation, what you don't want to do is to play chicken to -- with the president, and create a situation in which, potentially, you don't have body armor; you don't have reinforced humvees; you don't have night-vision goggles."
ABC'S GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS (5/13/07): "You said then that you have to say 'no' to George Bush because we can't get steamrolled. Yet you go in the Senate, your critics say, and vote for the funding every single time."
BARACK OBAMA: "Because at that point you've got hundreds of thousands of young men and women who have to carry out the mission on behalf of the American people."
CHYRON: Against Funding The Troops -- Again
BARACK OBAMA (6/19/07): "Now, I introduced a plan in January that would have already started bringing our troops home by now, with the goal of bringing all combat brigades home by March 31st, 2008. Now we know the president vetoed a bipartisan plan just like that one a few weeks ago. And I'm proud I voted against giving a blank check."
CHYRON: Translation: Only in Barack Obama's Mind Is Voting Against Troops A Virtue
CHYRON: Says He Will Put A Strike Force In Iraq
BARACK OBAMA (3/19/08): "After this redeployment, we will leave enough troops in Iraq to guard our embassy and our diplomats, and a counter-terrorism force to strike al Qaeda."
CHYRON: Says He Won't Put A Strike Force In Iraq
REPORTER (3/31/08): "You've said you'd leave a small force there to deal with terrorist attacks. How long would you leave them there? And what's your criteria for pulling them out?"
BARACK OBAMA: "Well, no, no, that's not what I've said. What I've said is that we will have troops looking after our embassy there, which we do everywhere. We do it in France. We do it in Great Britain. We have some military personnel that ensure that our diplomatic forces are taken care of."
CHYRON: Translation: How To Keep Troops In Iraq And Still Sound Like You Want A Withdrawal
CHYRON: So What Is Barack Obama's Position On Iraq?
BARACK OBAMA (6/5/08): "Well, you know, I never say there's nothing or never or no way in which I'd change my mind."
CHYRON: Translation: Barack Obama's Position: Whatever the Politics Demand
Recent Comments
(Page 1 of 1)RawleyCoop9:07AMJul 18th 2008
I'm sorry Greg. I read this over carefully, and I don't see any real flip-flopping here. I really don't see where you do (since you are smart enough not to fall for word tricks and out of context quotes).
I do see changes in strategy from 2003 & 2004 to 2008. I would hope there were basic changes in strategy over a 5-year period. Only a total incompetent like President Bush believes you should never change your strategy even as conditions change.
I also see some careful word tricks. For example: Senator Obama said in 2007 that the surge wouldn't work, but he never said it wouldn't reduce violence. Since reducing violence was NOT the goal of the surge, that is not a contradiction. Notice, he never says that the surge "worked" in his current quotes, just that it reduced violence and had good results. Clearly he believes now that it didn't make things worse (which he said would happen) so he was wrong on that prediction. Making a wrong prediction isn't a flip-flop however.
So Senator McCain has developed a very carefully constructed video that makes it look like Senator Obama is a flip-flopper on Iraq. And anyone who doesn't listen carefully to the wording, read the dates, and consider the context is likely going to get that impression.
Clearly a clever job by Senator McCain. But I suspect that the only people who would sit down to watch an 8 minute video on this topic would have either already made up their mind before they started or would be smart enough to listen carefully to the words and would consider the source. So we will see if it actually has any effect at all.
McCains Alzheimer’s moment10:06AMJul 18th 2008
McCain does not FLIP FLOP when voting for the American Military – He always votes against them:
John McCain claims that his military service is one of his qualifications to be commander in chief. I seriously doubt his dedication to the American military. His voting record shows his lack of concern for our bravest men and women.
John McCain missed 10 of the past 14 votes on Iraq.
John McCain in September 2007: voted against the Webb amendment calling for adequate troop rest between deployments.
John McCain in July 2007: voted against a plan to drawdown troop levels in Iraq.
John McCain in March 2007 was too busy to vote on a bill that would require the start of a drawdown in troop levels within 120 days with a goal of withdrawing nearly all-combat troops within one year.
John McCain in February 2007 didn’t even bother to show up to vote against a resolution condemning it. For such a strong supporter of the escalation, McCain didn’t even bother to show up and vote for it.
John McCain in June 2006, voted against a resolution that Bush start withdrawing troops but with no timeline to do so.
John McCain in May 2006, voted against an amendment that would provide $20 million to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for health care facilities.
John McCain in April 2006, was one of only 13 Senators to vote against $430,000,000 for the Department of Veteran Affairs for Medical Services for outpatient care and treatment for veterans.
John McCain in March 2006, voted against increasing Veterans medical services funding by $1.5 billion in FY 2007 to be paid for by closing corporate tax loopholes.
John McCain in March 2004, once again voted for abusive tax loopholes over veterans when he voted against creating a reserve fund to allow for an increase in Veterans' medical care by $1.8 billion by eliminating abusive tax loopholes. Jeez, McCain really loves those tax loopholes for corporations, since he voted for them over our veterans' needs.
John McCain in October 2003, voted to table an amendment by Senator Dodd that called for an additional $322,000,000 for safety equipment for United States forces in Iraq and to reduce the amount provided for reconstruction in Iraq by $322,000,000.
John McCain in April 2003, urged other Senate members to table a vote (which never passed) to provide more than $1 billion for National Guard and Reserve equipment in Iraq related to a shortage of helmets, tents, bullet-proof inserts, and tactical vests.
If he believes that we should stay the course for as long as possible he should be willing to support the people he puts in harms way.
John McCain is not a friend of the American Military.
JOHN MCCAIN’S NUCLEAR TEMPER10:39AMJul 18th 2008
Why is this Republican voting for Barack Obama?
Because I do not trust John McCain, he terrifies me!
Do you remember - when John McCain publicly called his wife a c*nt?
Do you remember - when he called a young person in NH a JERK and told him that he would send him to Iraq?
Do you remember - when he shouted F--- you! at Texas Sen. John Cornyn last year?
Do you remember - when he said Only an a------ would put together a budget like this, to the former Budget Committee chairman, Sen. Pete Domenici, in 1999?
Do you remember - him saying I'm calling you a f------jerk! to Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley?
I do.......
That is why I do not want this mans finger on the nuclear button.
Kwaayesnama10:42AMJul 18th 2008
McCain does not flip - flop where it concerns helping people. This is the man who voted against raising the minimum wage in, 1989, 1996, 1998, 2000, and 2006.
AZ Republican for Obama10:46AMJul 18th 2008
McCain should FLIP-FLOP on earmarks for his state.
Earmarks are not a dirty word. I'm a Republican from Arizona and will not be voting for McCain. McCain is lazy; he states that he never asks for earmarks for his state. Well, all funds that go to the other states are not frivolous. There are rural areas in AZ that desperately need funds for such things as road improvements, and projects to assist in providing employment in rural areas. I know of one disregarded request to build a call center in Indian Country instead of INDIA.
So in November Arizona will flip against McCain.
MJG221:11PMJul 18th 2008
News Flash! We can now say unequivocally, that Barack Obama and his wealthy campaign backers have been completely successful in their take over off the liberal Media in this country.
In a hitherto unprecedented move, the anchor persons from all three major networks and approximately 300 “papparazzi” news reporters have accompanied Barack Obama on his trip to Iraq, Afghanistan and Europe. With this much media covering the gaffe prone presumptive nominee, it just may be Barack Obama who will be caught in over-kill backfire. Could it be that what started out as a U.S. presidential campaign has turned into a Barnum and Bailey 3 Ring Circus tour?
Stay tuned America, if this filp-flopping clown Obama is elected president, this event may be the best laughs we will have in a long while.
MJG221:30PMJul 18th 2008
News Flash! We can now say unequivocally, that Barack Obama and his wealthy campaign backers have been completely successful in their take over of the liberal Media in this country.
In a hitherto unprecedented move, the anchor persons from all three major networks and approximately 300 “papparazzi” news reporters have accompanied Barack Obama on his trip to Iraq, Afghanistan and Europe. With this much media covering the gaffe prone presumptive nominee, it just may be Barack Obama who will be caught in over-kill backfire. Could it be that what started out as a U.S. presidential campaign has turned into a Barnum and Bailey 3 Ring Circus tour?
Stay tuned America, if this flip-flopping clown Obama is elected president, this event may be the best laughs we will have in a long while.
Charlies Angel1:33PMJul 18th 2008
In his July 18, 2008, WaPo column he asked the rhetorical question whether there has “ever been a presidential nominee with a wider gap between his estimation of himself and the sum total of his lifetime achievements?”
Obama is a three-year senator without a single important legislative achievement to his name, a former Illinois state senator who voted “present” nearly 130 times. As president of the Harvard Law Review, as law professor and as legislator, has he ever produced a single notable piece of scholarship? Written a single memorable article? His most memorable work is a biography of his favorite subject: himself.
“It is a subject upon which he can dilate effortlessly,” Krauthammer wrote.
For the first few months of the campaign, the question about Obama was: Who is he? The question now is: Who does he think he is?
We are getting to know. Redeemer of our uninvolved, uninformed lives. Lord of the seas. And more. As he said on victory night, his rise marks the moment when “our planet began to heal.” As I recall — I’m no expert on this — Jesus practiced his healing just on the sick. Obama operates on a larger canvas.
Bob2:08PMJul 18th 2008
Fits him yo ,, to a "T" ...how can yo believe what this guy say's ? And he a leader ? Get real folks..
Bob2:12PMJul 18th 2008
Yea , we all see how the news media ,,, they trying to push this phoney to the finish line like they did in the primary's . But there are no cacuses in the general.. All they can do is push and push...as we All Americans can see with our own eyes ...
willy2:27PMJul 18th 2008
Y'all don't need to parse for Obama - he learned that at the knee of Bill Clinton. Change, right! Barry changes minute by minute because he stands for nothing. "Changling" is more like it. Our enemies would line up for the opportunity to eat him alive...
oBama
and
oSama
It's all about BS
NO-OFFENSE-TO-RELIGIOUS-SENSITIVITIES!2:58PMJul 18th 2008
OBAMA'S BIBLICAL CAST:
In today’s play of the "Teachings Of The Obama" we will have the following cast:
Charles Gibson, Katie Couric and Brian Williams as the three "not so wise" people (Couric nor Brian allow us to use wise men).
The 12 disciples will be played by "star political reporters from the major newspapers and magazines" --- who will dutifully spread his message to those non-believers needing to be saved.
Of course the lead role will be played by the superstar Senator Obama himself --- as he walks from land to land curing the sick and feeding the hungry and generally bringing change.
And in a cameo appearance will be Michele Obama as Mary Magdalene --- However she will not be allowed to speak --- as to not upset the messiah's message.
VOTE FOR AMERICA --- VOTE FOR JOHN McCAIN.
THE AUDACITY OF OBAMA3:20PMJul 18th 2008
He can't do his Senate job --- but he can go on a world tour --- at taxpayers' expense!
Barack Hussein Obama and his radical, anti-American wife are a threat to our country. Read his books. Read her college thesis.
Obama is running for president. He needs to tell us where all these millions of dollars came from. How much came from his terrorist friends?
If McCain flew to the Czeck Republic he would be in the former communist nation. If McCain flew to Slovikia he would be in the former communist nation.
When Obama finds the two of the "fifty-seven" states he will have found Utopia. MAYBE HE'LL VISIT ALL "EIGHT" CONTINENTS ON THIS TOUR!? HA!
But after Obama wins the presidency he can figure out these facts with your help.
Obama is a danger to our country.
Vote for John McCain in 2008.
THE AUDACITY OF OBAMA3:26PMJul 18th 2008
HE CAN'T DO HIS SENATE JOB BUT HE TAKES A WORLD TOUR?
WHO IS THIS IDIOT? OBAMA SAYS HE’S VISITED 57 STATES! IF YOU ADD FLORIDA AND MICHIGAN — THAT MAKES 59!
WHERE ARE ALL THESE NEW STATES? WHAT COUNTRY IS HE RUNNING IN?
Watch closely — more superdelegates will be “BOUGHT AND PAID FOR” BY OBAMA. THEY WANT THE MONEY HE HAS COLLECTED FROM HIS ANTI-AMERICAN, TERRORIST FRIENDS AND CONTRIBUTORS!
WILL THIS GREAT WORLD TOUR INCLUDE ALL "EIGHT" CONTINENTS?????
OBAMA IS AN EMPTY SUIT WITH LOTS OF FINANCIAL BACKING --- NO PUBLIC FUNDING. HE IS SCARY.
VOTE FOR McCAIN IN 2008.
CONCERNEDAMERICAN9:59AMJul 20th 2008
OBAMA HAS BASED HIS ENTIRE CAMPAIGN ON "LIES"!
I AM SICK OF BEING CALLED RACIST JUST BECAUSE I DO NOT SUPPORT OBAMA... Not every American believes Obama is the best choice for a variety of reasons and we are all entitled to support whomever we wish, including his supporters.
Obama is a "UNITER" all right. He has certainly united the most hateful group of supporters I have ever seen.
Obama’s supporters would cover the world with smoke and mirrors to try and make Barack Hussein Obama look good, regardless of all his lies and ties to radical anti-Americans.
OBAMA COULD BUTCHER A KITTEN ON THE WHITE HOUSE LAWN AND HIS FOLLOWERS, ALONG WITH THE BIASED MEDIA, WOULD TRY TO MAKE IT LOOK LIKE A GOOD THING.
I imagine some of the people who voted for Obama IN JANUARY would like to change their votes!
Obama, along with Dean, Pelosi, Reid, Kennedy, Kerry, Carter and other members of the DNC are destroying the Democratic Party. THEY STABBED HILLARY IN THE BACK. They say we have 48 states … not 50 --- (Actually, Obama said he has visited 57 states).
THE PEOPLE OF FLORIDA AND MICHIGAN DID NOT BREAK THE RULES --- A FEW POLITICIANS DID.
McCAIN '08 = Experience DOES Matter!
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Davidg8:30AMJul 18th 2008
There's a good new slogan for Obama:
"He always said".