Obama and the Vets: "Let me be clear - I will let no one question my love of this country."

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Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama Tuesday urged his Republican opponent, Senator John McCain, to stop questioning his character and patriotism. Obama spoke to the same veterans group in Florida that McCain addressed the day before when he accused Obama of putting his political ambitions ahead of U.S. national interests.

Senator Obama told the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in Orlando, Florida, that Afghanistan remains the central front in the war on terrorism, and that he was right to oppose the war in Iraq from the start.





Obama also challenged Senator McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, to refrain from further attacks on his patriotism.

"I have never suggested and never will that Senator McCain picks his positions on national security based on politics and personal ambition," Obama said. "I have not suggested it because I believe he genuinely wants to serve America's national interests. Now it is time for him to acknowledge that I want to do the same. Let me be clear-I will let no one question my love of this country. I love America, so do you, and so does John McCain."

more: http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-08-19-voa21.cfm





Sen. Obama said he remains convinced he was right to oppose the war in Iraq -- he believes it diverted the United States from the fight against al-Qaeda in Afghanistan. He argues the 30,000-strong surge of U.S. troops into Iraq last year brought security "gains," but Iraqi leaders have yet to take advantage of the improved conditions by making "hard compromises" that will foster national reconciliation.

"These are the judgments I've made and the policies that we have to debate, because we do have differences in this election," he said, pointing out Mr. McCain supported the surge.

"But one of the things that we have to change in this country is the idea that people can't disagree without challenging each other's character and patriotism."





He highlighted the military service of his white grandfather, Stanley Dunham, who grew up in a Kansas town "too small to warrant boldface on a road map" and who fought with an infantry division in the Second World War.

His grandmother worked "on a bomber assembly line" and his mother was born at Fort Leavenworth, Kan.

"They came from ordinary places, and went on to do extraordinary things," Mr. Obama said. "I am a part of that legacy. Without it, I would not be standing on this stage today."

more: http://www.nationalpost.com/todays_paper/story.html?id=737019





"The times are too serious for this kind of politics," Obama told a Veterans of Foreign Wars convention here a day after McCain told the group: "Behind all of these claims and positions by Senator Obama lies the ambition to be president."

"Senator McCain now argues that despite these costly strategic errors, his judgment has been vindicated due to the results of the surge," Obama responded Tuesday. Increasing U.S. troop levels did work, he conceded. "In Iraq, gains have been made in lowering the level of violence, thanks to the outstanding efforts of our military, the increasing capability of Iraq's security forces, the cease-fire of Shiite militias and the decision taken by Sunni tribes to take the fight to al-Qaeda," Obama told the veterans. "Those are the facts, and all Americans welcome them."

But he added: "Understand what the essential argument was about. Before the surge, I argued that the long-term solution in Iraq is political -- the Iraqi government must reconcile its differences and take responsibility for its future. That holds true today."





Obama prefaced his critique with a nod to McCain's war record, including the years that the presumptive GOP nominee spent in a North Vietnamese prison camp. "He is a man who has served this nation honorably, and he correctly stated that one of the chief criteria for the American people in this election is going to be who can exercise the best judgment as commander in chief," Obama told the VFW.

"But instead of just offering policy answers, he turned to a typical laundry list of political attacks. He said that I have changed my position on Iraq when I have not. He said that I am for a path of 'retreat and failure.'

Obama asserted that McCain was twisting his words for political purposes. "If we think that we can use the same partisan playbook where we just challenge our opponent's patriotism to win an election, then the American people will lose," he said. "The times are too serious for this kind of politics. The calamity left behind by the last eight years is too great."

more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/19/AR2008081903041.html?nav=rss_metro/va





After outlining his policy disagreements with McCain on Iraq and Afghanistan, Obama said, "one of the things that we have to change in this country is the idea that people can’t disagree without challenging each other’s character and patriotism. I have never suggested that Senator McCain picks his positions on national security based on politics or personal ambition. I have not suggested it because I believe that he genuinely wants to serve America’s national interest. Now, it’s time for him to acknowledge that I want to do the same."

When I look out at this audience, I see people of different political views. You are Democrats and Republicans and Independents. But you all served together, and fought together, and bled together under the same proud flag. You did not serve a Red America or a Blue America – you served the United States of America," Obama said, echoing his famous Democratic convention speech in 2004.

The Democrat pledged that "no matter how heated it gets or what kind of campaign he chooses to run, I will honor Senator McCain’s service, just like I honor the service of every veteran in this room, and every American who has worn the uniform of the United States of America."

more: http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/08/obama-to-vets-i.html





At a town hall meeting in Raleigh, NC, just now, Sen. Barack Obama, R-Illinois, repeated a new attack against Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., that calls out McCain's pledge to follow Osama bin Laden to the gates of Hell as bluster and bravado.

"Our troops have done everything that’s been asked of them," Obama said, per ABC News' Sunlen Miller. "But what they need now is civilian leadership and a commander-in-chief that is putting in place a strategy that is as excellent as the work being done by our troops, that we are going to make sure that the Iraqis are carrying their share, and paying their own way and dealing with their own political issues. So that we can focus on Afghanistan and taking out Osama bin Laden.





"John McCain says he'd 'follow him to the gates of Hell'?!" Obama said incredulously, recalling McCain's May 2007 pledge. "All he's got to do is go to Afghanistan and Pakistan! We shouldn’t have been distracted in the first place!"

It was a more folksy version of an attack that he first used before the Veterans of Foreign Wars convention this morning in Orlando, Florida, where Obama said, "A year ago, I said that we must take action against bin Laden and his lieutenants if we have them in our sights and Pakistan cannot or will not act. Senator McCain criticized me and claimed that I was for "bombing our ally." So for all of his talk about following Osama bin Laden to the Gates of Hell, Senator McCain refused to join my call to take out bin Laden across the Afghan border. Instead, he spent years backing a dictator in Pakistan who failed to serve the interests of his own people."

more: http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/08/obama-tries-to.html





The Illinois Democrat and the party's presumptive presidential nominee, vowed Tuesday to increase the number of veterans' centers providing mental health counseling to vets and their families; provide all vets with access to the VA health care system and to create a job training program for former service members who choose to work in the field of renewable energy.

He also pledged to ensure that military pay "does not lag behind the private sector."

"We need to cut through the red tape. . . . Every service member should get electronic copies of medical and service records upon discharge," Obama said in prepared remarks.

Throughout the speech, Obama underscored veterans' contributions to building a strong American economy throughout the 20th century -- an attempt perhaps to tie the twin campaign themes of national security and the struggling economy in the minds of voters.





"They became teachers and doctors, cops and firefighters who were the foundation of our communities. They became the innovators and small business owners who helped drive the American economy," he said. "Now, we must ensure that our brave troops serving abroad today become the backbone of our middle class at home tomorrow."

In his speech, Obama recommended eliminating VA's means-testing system for determining which veterans are eligible for health benefits. The system contains eight categories -- based on income, service-related disabilities and other criteria -- that determine who among all veterans can obtain health care benefits. Vets whose income exceeds the annual income threshold (and who do not have a service-related disability) are not eligible for to enroll for health care benefits. Under Obama's plan, they would be able to access those services.

Other proposals mentioned in Obama's speech included a military families advisory board to provide more support for the volunteer networks that help spouses of service members and expanding the Troops-to-Teachers initiative and national service programs.

more: http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0808/081908m1.htm





A combative Barack Obama said Tuesday that Republican John McCain "doesn't know what he's up against" in this election . . .

Obama, campaigning in a state where he hopes to become the first Democratic presidential candidate to win in more than three decades, implored his supporters to fight for the presidency.

"He can talk all he wants about Britney (Spears) and Paris (Hilton), but I don't have time for that mess," Obama said.

"Our job in this election is not just 'win,' although I'm a big believer in winning," Obama said during the rally. "I don't intend to lose this election. John McCain doesn't know what he's up against."

more: http://www.blackamericaweb.com/site.aspx/bawnews/movingamerica08/obamamate820






Transcript of Barack Obama's remarks to the VFW: http://vets4politics.blogspot.com/2008/08/transcript-of-barack-obamas-speech-to.html
http://www.vawatchdog.org/08/nf08/nfAUG08/nf082008-3.htm

[moondust]

1. McCain is an ultranationalist.

Promoting and exploiting ultranationalism at a time of economic distress. The Germans fell for that formula once and it didn't turn out well at all.

[Ashy Larry]

2. John McCain loves John McCain

and that's about it.

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3. we know this

a good number of folks polled don't seem to

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4. .