Obama, McCain Spar on Iraq, Economy as DNC Takes Aim at McCain
April 27: Barack Obama center, attends a church service at St. Luke's United Methodist Church in Indianapolis.
Barack Obama and John McCain clashed Sunday over Iraq war policy and the economy as the Democratic party aimed a new attack against McCain with an advertisement questioning a remark he made over keeping troops in Iraq for up to 100 years.
In an interview that aired Sunday, Obama praised the top U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, for the progress he has made in taming sectarian violence there, but said he would set the goal of removing troops in Iraq even if Petraeus — who was nominated this week to take charge of U.S. Central Command — recommended against it.
“I think Petraeus has done a good tactical job in Iraq. I think as a practical matter, obviously, that’s where most of the attention has been devoted from this administration over the last several years,” Obama said on “FOX News Sunday.”
Asked what he would do if Petraeus recommended against withdrawing troops from Iraq — an Obama campaign pledge — Obama said “it would be stupid” not to listen, but in the end, he would keep the goal of withdrawing troops.
“I will listen to General Petraeus given the experience that he has accumulated over the last several years. It would be stupid of me to ignore what he has to say. But it is my job as president, it would be my job as commander in chief, to set the mission, to make the strategic decisions in light of the problems that we’re having in Afghanistan, in light of the problems that we are having in Pakistan, the fact that Al Qaeda is strengthening, as our national intelligence estimates have indicated, since 2001,” Obama said.
He added: “What I would do is I would say — what I will do is say, ‘We have a new mission. It is my strategic assessment that we have to provide a time table to the Iraqi government. I want you to tell me how best to execute this new assignment, and I am happy to listen to the tactical considerations and any ideas you have, but what I will not do is to continue to let the Iraqi government off the hook and allow them to put our foreign policy on ice while they dither about making decisions about how they’re going to cooperate with each other.’ ”
McCain’s campaign fired back a statement over the exchange, saying Obama’s statements were “a complete contradiction of his record.”
“Are we to believe Senator Obama has the strength to take recommendations from General Patraeus, who has advised against immediate withdrawal, when Obama has repeatedly shown that he can’t stand up to the left-wing interests in his party?
“Again, Senator Obama said he would raise taxes on hardworking families during an economic downturn, which makes it clear that he doesn’t understand the American economy. His inconsistencies raised many more questions about Barack Obama’s strength than they answered, and American families cannot afford leadership that can’t deliver,” McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds said, according to a campaign statement.
Later in the day, McCain took Obama to task over comments he made regarding taxes.
During the FOX interview, Obama criticized McCain, saying McCain switching his position from opposing President Bush’s tax cuts to later supporting them.
“Somewhere along the line, you know, his conscience took flight because he was looking to get nominated for the Republican — as the Republican nominee,” Obama said.
McCain fired back: “I think that my record is very clear of having had a vigorous proposal for tax cuts, for spending restraint. My efforts at bringing about a restraint in growth of spending are very clear while Senator Obama has supported the spending increases and sought pork barrell projects … causing spending to be completely out of control.”
Focusing on Obama’s support of raising taxes, including the capital gains tax, McCain said Obama “has no understanding of the economy and that he is totally insensitive to the hopes and dreams and ambitions of 100 million Americans who would be effected by his almost doubling of the capital gains tax, not to mention his desire to increase the cap on social security, which again would have a devastating tax increase effect on Americna families. He is out of touch with the economy.”
Meanwhile, the Democratic National Committee’s new ad leveled against McCain is part of a half-million-dollar, three-week national cable television campaign aimed at linking the Arizona senator to the policies of President Bush.
The ad set to begin airing Monday accuses McCain of wanting to remain in Iraq for “maybe 100″ years, a link to a remark McCain made in January while campaigning in New Hampshire. The ad concludes, “If all he offers is more of the same is John McCain the right choice for America’s future?”
Since then, McCain has repeatedly said he has no intention of extending the war into the next century, but would keep a U.S. military presence in Iraq much as the United States has in Germany, Japan and South Korea.
Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean said Sunday that McCain is “wrong” and “out of step” with public sentiment on the war.
“We’re not arguing that he’s going to be in war for a hundred years. We don’t think we ought to be in Iraq for a hundred years under any circumstances,” Dean said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
“Think of the hundreds of billions of dollars that are being spent in Iraq which we need right here at home to preserve American jobs. … Secondly, if Senator McCain believes that you can occupy a country like Iraq for a hundred years without having a long war and violence and troops being hurt and killed, I think Senator McCain is wrong,” Dean said.
Citing a poll, Dean said 70 percent of Americans do not want troops to stay in IRaq under any circumstances, adding, “He is out of step with the American people.”
The Democratic candidates have also acknowledged they would keep non-combat troops in Iraq to ensure its stability. But they have said they would begin withdrawing combat troops promptly upon becoming president, a step McCain has said would be precipitous.
McCain first uttered the comments about the 100 years in Iraq in response to a question during a January town hall meeting in New Hampshire, saying he’d be “fine” with a long-term U.S. commitment in Iraq.
“President Bush has talked about our staying for 50 years, maybe 100. We’ve been in Japan for 60 years, in South Korea for 50 years or so. That would be fine with me as long as Americans are not being injured or harmed or killed,” McCain said at the time.
As recently as March, Obama linked the troop presence to ongoing war, but has since tailored the message to ongoing troop presence, versus continued fighting.
The DNC has been organizing a drumbeat against McCain at the state party level to coincide with McCain’s travels across the country.
Meanwhile, Obama has become a Republican target. The North Carolina Republican Party aired an ad, over McCain’s objections, that uses remarks by Obama’s former pastor to portray Obama as too extreme. The ad points out that the two Democrats running for state governor have endorsed the Illinois senator.
Freedom’s Watch, a conservative group, and the National Republican Congressional Committee are running ads in Louisiana criticizing Obama’s health care proposal and linking him to a Louisiana congressional candidate.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
What part of Iran saying they will destroy Israel, and America, and they now have 9000 Centrifuges, doesn’t Obama understand. Leave Iraq, watch the genocide of the IRAQI people and prepare for bombings in America. THAT IS WHAT RUNNING FROM OUR ENEMIES WILL BRING.
Oh yea, he along will Clinton will tax us to death.
Chuck, name one thing that you’ve done for America and one thing that makes you qualified to make the comments you’ve made, other than the 1st Amendment.
Mr Obama needs to get a grip on reality. Some people just about have a few dollars after bills and food expenences. Im sure it doesnt matter to him if taxs are raised, but to working familys
its a concern. A vote for Osama is a Vote for defeat
Patriotism should’t be judged as to whether you support the troops in Iraq or not. Patriotism is an understanding of pride for and an understand of what is best for your own country. I don’t think people who scream “USA, USA,USA”, or thouse who are the first to say “We should nuke ‘em” are patriots. Having our brave military running to 2-3-4 countries around the world to fight wars is not patriotism. It’s none of our concern about freedom for the Iraqi people, or the Afganistani people, or the Somalis, or the Darfur region etc. etc. Or even for Israel.
Patritiotism is a concern for the well-being and interests of our own people on our own soil, fixing our economy, helping our own poor and unemployed, and those without health insurance.
Patriotism isn’t grabbing the flag and running off to defent the people of “Outer Mongolia” etc. against tyranny and opression. Patriotism is taking care of our own country.
I am based in the United Kingdom and most of us in the UK are very intrigued by the American election process.
What really gets me is how race and gender decides who you vote for and this happens to be the country that tells the whole world how to have a democratic systems. You have the Jewish vote, the black vote, white middle class vote, the white highly educated vote, womens vote, hispanic vote, liberal vote and christian conservative vote.
Why is America afraid of change and all you are talking about is chosing somebody with great experience. When we choose Tony Blair our former Prime minister, we wanted change. He had no experience but he had a vision for us and we gave him a chance to bring the vision to reality. For the 10 years he ruled he was fantastic. So why don’t you give Obama a change with a new approach to politics or why don’t you consider Hilary Clinton as the first woman president. I am surprised that the greatest democracy in the world has never choosing a woman president. We in the UK did that 29 years ago when we chose Margret Tharcher.
70%? who did you poll? was it all left wing dems? not even 25% of the people i talked to said we should pull out of iraq before it is stable. and yes there were dems and ind. in my poll
Want to know who this man “Barack Obama” is! Go to this web site http://www.theobamafile.com Then you decide where he is comming from.
Just so you know… When they say it’s about getting our troops out of harms way, they obviously don’t know the troops. As a helicopter gunner, I can say that this is exactly what we are trained for. As far as the election…. it’s a no-brainer, Sen. McCain is the wisest choice you can make.
I for one am proud of our president and first lady, GWB is a man of decisiveness and a good Christian. As far as I can see he has always had the good of this country a top priority and has followed through with what he has set out to do, including what has been going on in Iraq, he went in looking for weapons of destruction, and because they where hidden and still are the dems have jumped all over him, he has done much good for that country freeing them from oppression from a horrible dictator allowing the women to walk the streets without fear and hold jobs and get an education and most important freed the country to have a democratic elections and government. Sure we have lost sons and daughters through all this but isn’t that what we have always done when we are trying to protect our country from people that are trying to hurt us. I have a grandson who served in Iraq and is still in the military and ready to go back if called upon and also I have a granddaughter who just enlisted in the army, I am proud to say we still have patriotism in our family, they salute the flag with their hand over their heart , they and our family proudly sing the national anthem, I know lives will still be lost and I am sad and I pray for them daily, but I also believe in the phrase IN GOD WE TRUST. We must never give up on our country, the young people that are putting their lives on the line to keep us safe or our president who is doing the job he set out to do to ensure we are protected and safe. As for this congress I am ashamed of them for their pettiness an inability to get anything accomplished but trash the current administration for everything they don’t like, but with no plans of their own to help make this country the best it can be, they are like a bunch of whining children and their two presidential candidates are the same, shame on them all. Vote for McCain to ensure we keep this country on the track GWB has so gallantly lead us to keep us safe, he has not always been perfect in his decisions, but that is a human frailty we all have. GOD BLESS AMERICA
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When we entered Irag, the terrorist were not prepared for us. If we leave prematurely and eventually have to return, like we all know that we will, then, the terrorist will be ready and then there’ll be hell to pay! We cannot allow this to happen.