Obama disappointed in McCain language -- Excerpts from interview with NBC's Brian Williams

[jefferson_dem]

Obama disappointed in McCain language
Posted: Thursday, July 24, 2008 11:07 AM by Mark Murray
Filed Under: 2008, McCain, Obama

From NBC's Mark Murray

Below are some excerpts of Brian Williams' interview with Obama from Berlin, which will air later tonight on NBC Nightly News:

Williams: I have to begin by getting your reaction to a piece in this morning's International Herald Tribune. It's by Elizabeth Bumiller. And it reads, "Senator John McCain and his campaign have sharply stepped up criticism of Senator Barack Obama as a craven and naïve traveler to the Middle East, who, as McCain put it at a raucous town hall style meeting, quote, 'would rather lose a war in order to win a political campaign.'" That's -- that's tough language.

Obama: Yeah, I-- I was disappointed by that language. You know, John McCain and I disagree on policy. You know, we disagreed on going into the war in Iraq. We disagreed, until recently, about the need to get more troops into Afghanistan. But I've never questioned-- that he wants to make America safer. And for him to suggest that I don't-- for him to suggest that somehow -- I'm less concerned about the safety of my wife and daughter-- than he is I think -- was -- was unfortunate.

Williams: Forty-five minutes in Ramallah. No electoral votes in Berlin. Is the trip worth it?

Obama: It is because I have firmly believed -- since the beginning of this campaign and -- for the last several years that we can't solve the problems we face in the United States alone. We can't solve the problems of terrorism without support from the international community. We can -- go after al-Qaeda as we have and we must. We can hunt them down. But we are gonna be more effective if we've got an international coalition. If we wanna pressure Iran -- something that has to be at the highest priority to back down from nuclear weapons -- then we've gotta impose very tough sanctions.

Williams: NBC News poll we released just last night, 55 to 35, you against Senator John McCain. American respondents are telling us they view you as the riskier choice for President. Do you understand that? To what do you attribute that?

Obama: Well, I do understand it. I'm new to the scene. John McCain's been around 25, 30 years in public life. I have -- just recently emerged in terms of our national politics. And so it's not surprising that people would say that -- the guy we're more familiar with -- is the less riskier choice. That doesn't answer the broader question, though, which is what do Americans think we need right now?

And can we afford to have -- four more years or eight more years of the same types of policies that we've had for the past eight? And in some ways, I guess that would be safe. It's the devil you know versus the devil you don't. But -- but I think the American people understand that we're in a -- a -- a time of profound challenge and that we've got to make some significant changes -- in how our economy works, in how our tax policy is structured, in our energy policy and our foreign policy if we're gonna meet those challenges.

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/07/24/1219227.aspx

VIDEO -- http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/25831275#25831275

[ClassWarrior]

1. I love that framing. Disappointed. Who's the grown-up?

:rofl:

NGU.

[Richardo]

2. Do official transcripts usually say 'gonna' and 'wanna'?

I'm not a tinfoiler, usually, but that strikes me as biased.

[Cronus Protagonist]

4. ANd BUsh's stuttering and downright fucks-up don't get transcribed

Why are they detailing even the pauses in Obama's speaking? Bush pauses for five, ten seconds, stutters six or seven times and doesn't warrant a comma, never mind a dash or a repeated syllable.

[mediaman007]

5. Right on! I've never seen this in transcript:

"...the American people understand that we're in a -- a -- a time of profound challenge..."

But they don't seem to find that in McCain's comments. Look at how they saved Bush*.

[predfan]

6. Good point.

[Robyn66]

3. Obama is just incredible!

Just by addressing McCain's comment like this

"And for him to suggest that I don't-- for him to suggest that somehow -- I'm less concerned about the safety of my wife and daughter-- than he is I think -- was -- was unfortunate"

was beautiful!

It showed McCain as mean spirited, petty, desparate, factually incorrect and he did it without lowering himself and attacking back.

This man is going to be an AMAZING president!!!!

[President Decider]

7. Obama's response makes McCain sound desperate radical

I mean really ... look at this statesman-like response from Obama:

Obama: Yeah, I-- I was disappointed by that language. You know, John McCain and I disagree on policy. You know, we disagreed on going into the war in Iraq. We disagreed, until recently, about the need to get more troops into Afghanistan. But I've never questioned-- that he wants to make America safer. And for him to suggest that I don't-- for him to suggest that somehow -- I'm less concerned about the safety of my wife and daughter-- than he is I think -- was -- was unfortunate.

Obama brings it home when he mentions the safety of his own family IMO .... Makes McCain appear somewhat of an "ugly" and "bitter" American to suggest that ANYONE running for President wouldn't want the best for our country.

[robertpaulsen]

8. My wife and I LOL'd when he said, "devil you know".

Leave it to Obama to say in an eloquent and diplomatic manner what Chavez called Bush in a theatrical and inflammatory manner.

McCain: Same devil, just OLDER.

[bigwillq]

9. I thought Obama

handled himself very well in this interview. I didn't see the whole interview but from what I saw Obama did well.

And, from what I saw I don't think Williams did that bad of a job.