Updates: Drudge poll on debate
McCain 67% 174,595
Obama 31% 19,866
Neither 2% 5,967
Michelle Malkin’s poll on who won the debate.
I wish they’d taken all the clips where he presumed he was already president. They could have both been stronger on what to do about the economy, although i liked what McCain said - and my jaw just about hit the floor - when he said that we need to protect our borders (which is one of our economic problems!)
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Spending restraint has to be a vital part; spending got out of control. -McCain
Obama so far doesn’t know what he’s talking about. (me)
“I have to make this point, Jim…er uh…John” - Obama
McCain has opposed the president on torture of prisoners, on global warming, the American people know me very well. I have a partner who’s a maverick who’s with me now.
Much has been said about the lessons of Vietnam. What are the lessons of Iraq?
Mccain: You cannot have a failed strategy that causes you to lose a conflict. We went into Baghdad and everyone celebrated. And then it was mishandled. I went to Iraq in 2003 and came back and said we needed a change in strategy.
We came up with a great general and a strategy that succeeded. We are winning in Iraq.
Now that we will succeed - the consquences of defeat increased Iranian influence, increased sectarian violence…there was a lot at stake there. Thanks to General Patreaus -
Obama claims he opposed the war. He says the problem is we shouldn’t have gone there in the first place. We hadn’t finished the job in Afghanistan. We hadn’t caught bin Laden, we hadn’t put Al Q to rest, I thought it was going to be a distraction. We’ve spent over 600 billion, soon to be a trillion, we have lost over 4,000 lives, we have over 30,000 wounded, Al Q has resurged stronger than since 2001.
They have a 79 billion surplus at a time when we have a great deal of stress. We are borrowing money from overseas to support basic functions of our government.
I will not as president to keep people safe, to use the military but we didn’t.
McCain: The next president of the United States will not make the determination whether or not we should have gone to Iraq.
He still says he would oppose the surge. Incredibly, Obama didn’t go to Iraq for 900 days - he is the chairperson over Nato - Afghanistan.
Obama: McCain is right the violence has been reduced they have done a brilliant job; that was a tactic designed to contain the damage of four years of mismanagement of the war. The war started in 2003. At the time it started, you said we knew where the weapons of mass destruction were. You said there was no history of violence between the sunni and shia. Who is best equipped as the next president to use our military and be prepared for the next conflict?
McCain: I’m afraid he doesn’t undrstand the difference between a tactic and a strategy.
A strategy of going into an area, clearing and holding and the people of the country come alive with you, they inform on the bad guys, peace comes. That same strategy will be used in Afghanistan by this great general.
Obama: Let’s talk about the troop funding issue. McCain cut - opposed funding for troops in legislation that had a timetable. I opposed a mission that had no timetable and gave a blank check to George Bush. I understand the difference between tactics and strategy.
Was this wise? We have seen Afghanistan worsen; deteriorate. McCain, in the rush to go to Iraq, we have been successful in Afghanistan. They’ve reconstituted themselves. Gates acknowledges it needs to end there. We need to give Iraq back its country. We need to end this war responsibly, reduce our combat troops, and bolster our efforts in Afghanistan so we can capture and kill Bin Laden…
Commanders in Afghanistan acknowledge
McCain: Admiral Mullin suggests that Obama’s approach is dangerous. Bin laden and Patreaus have said Iraq is the central battleground. The successes are fragile. Obama’s original plan is we would have been out last spring without the surge giving them an opportunity to succeed.
Afghanistan: having resolved Iraq, we move to Afgahnistan. Do you think more troops should be sent to Afghanistan how many and when?
Obama: as quickly as possible. The commanders on the ground say it’s getting worse. Al Q and Taliban are feeling emboldened. We can’t separate Afghanistan from Iraq. I would send two or three additional brigades. Nobody had anything to do with 9/11 in Iraq before we went in - we have 4 times as many troops there as Afghanistan. That is a strategic mistake. Gates acknowledged the place we have to deal with these folks is…Pakistan, –we have to press the Afghan government to make sure they’re working for their people. We have to deal with a poppy trade, we have to deal with Pakistan. Al Q and Taliban have safe havens in Pakistan. Under George Bush, we’ve given them 10 billion in the last 7 years - they haven’t gotten rid of the safe havens.
McCain: I won’t repeat the mistake - after we washed our hands of the region. A lot of the difficulties we’re facing today go back to then. If you’re going to aim a gun at somebody, you better be prepared to pull the trigger on Pakistan, or withdraw funding from Pakistan, as Obama is prepared to do.
The new president of Pakistan has his hands full. This area on the border hasn’t been governed since Alexander the Great. Yes, Obama calls for new troops, but it has to be a new strategy. We’re going to have to help the Pakistanis and it’s going to be tough. We need the cooperation of the people in those areas.
That bombing in the hotel in Islamabad - Al Q doesn’t want the government in Pakistan to cooperate with us. We will employe a strategy - from 32k to 52k - it’s not the addition of troops that will succeed.
I know how to work with them. I would not going to publicly state that we’re going to attack them.
Obama: If pakistan is unable or unwilling to act, then we should take them out. I think it’s the right strategy; presidents have to be prudent. McCain is also right this is difficult. It’s not an easy situation. We have a choice: we allow our troops to absorb the blows if Pakistan is unwilling to cooperate, or we have to start making some decisions. The problem with the previous strategy, we alienated the population - a 20th century mindset - he’s a dictator but our dictator - in the meantime they weren’t going after Al Q. That’s going to change when I’m president of the United States.
McCain - everyone who was around then they knew it was a failed state - with Mussharaf. Back in 1983 when I was a new congressman - ronald Reagan wanted to send marines into Lebanon. I voted against that because I was afraid they couldn’t make peace - nearly 300 marines lost their lives. I supported us going into Bosnia when a number of my own party was against it. It was the right thing to do. I supported Kosovo. Ethnic cleansing and genocide was happening there.
I have a record being involved in these national security issues. I’ll tell you, I had a townhall meeting and a woman stood up and said “I want you to do me an honor of wearing my dead son’s bracelet”. I said I will wear his bracelet with honor. She said Senator McCain, do everything in your power to see that my son’s death was not in vain. We don’t want defeat. The war that I was in; we had an army - but they were defeated. I know how hard it is for an army to recover from that.
We won’t come home in defeat and dishonor.
Obama: “I have a bracelet, too.”
Obama’s bracelet belongs to Sgt. Ryan David Jopek who was killed in Iraq by a roadside bomb, Aug. 2, 2006. I see rumors on the internet that Obama doesn’t know the name or details about the bracelet; but I clearly heard him say the name, although he stuttered before spitting it out. He doesn’t do well without a teleprompter, we all have seen that.
But the key point is…he had to look at HIS NOTES for the name of the soldier!!!
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You know I’m noticing that Obama keeps acting like he’s already president…and McCain isn’t jumping to that conclusion in his rhetoric. “I as president”, blah blah blah, says Obama.
Well he isn’t president YET, and he should stop presuming that he will be.
hhahahaha McCain mentioned Obama’s presidential seal! bwahahaha
I think McCain wins this round, LOL
I can’t watch much more of this. Obama looks like he’s wearing makeup and he makes me want to puke with his pompous ass.
Also…Pokiston and Toleeebon…the pronunciation of the terms Obama is using is quite interesting.
Said Cao @ 11:33 am | Permalink
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obama…obama….obama
Comment by ken a — 9/29/2008 @ 11:48 am
I’m pretty sure the whole “I have a bracelet too” comment was my favorite. That and the “I don’t have a Presidential seal yet”, from McCain.
Comment by Jenn — 10/1/2008 @ 4:43 pm
SAID CAO: Only pompous ass is you posting your bullshit! McCain doesn’t know which end is up. His alzheimers is really catching up to him. He called the american people “prisoners???” Guess he forgot they were his “friends.” What a loser!
Comment by NcumBent — 10/12/2008 @ 11:39 am
Riight. Isn’t it past the time for your medication?
Comment by Cao — 10/12/2008 @ 3:22 pm