Kurtz reported that McCain's ad attacking Obama on Afghanistan hearings is "accurate" but did not note McCain's record
SUMMARY: The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz wrote that an ad by Sen. John McCain "is accurate in saying that [Sen. Barack] Obama, who has spent most of the past two years campaigning, has not held a hearing on Afghanistan in the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee he chairs." But Kurtz failed to note that McCain -- a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee -- reportedly has not attended a single hearing of that committee related to Afghanistan in 2007-08.
In a July 19 Washington Post article analyzing an ad by Sen. John McCain claiming that Sen. Barack Obama "never held a single Senate hearing on Afghanistan," media reporter Howard Kurtz wrote that the ad "is accurate in saying that Obama, who has spent most of the past two years campaigning, has not held a hearing on Afghanistan in the Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee he chairs." But Kurtz failed to note that McCain is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, but reportedly has not attended a single Armed Services Committee hearing related to Afghanistan in 2007-08.
In a July 17 post on ABC News' Political Radar blog, reporter Byron Wolf wrote:
The McCain campaign criticism of Sen. Barack Obama's hearing record on Capitol Hill led us to put the shoe on the other foot.
It turns out that presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain has attended even fewer Afghanistan-related Senate hearings over the past two years than Obama's one. Which is a nice way of saying, McCain, R-Ariz., the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, has attended zero of his committee's six hearings on Afghanistan over the last two years.
Meanwhile, Obama attended the full Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Afghanistan in March 2007, although he used the opportunity to ask Gen. James L. Jones, then the commander of NATO, about Pakistan.
Jones also came before the Senate Armed Services Committee that week. But McCain was a no-show.
The findings are surprising given the fact that the McCain campaign loudly criticized Obama this week for failing to schedule any hearings on Afghanistan in the last year and a half. Obama chairs the European Affairs Subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which has oversight of military operations in Afghanistan.
[...]
A review of the Senate Armed Services Committee hearings as listed on the committee Web site for the past two years reveals that McCain's committee has held six hearings that included the word "Afghanistan" in the title or Central Command -- which overseas U.S. troops in Afghanistan.
McCain missed them all.
[...]
Update: McCain campaign spokesman Brian Rogers, in a statement to ABC News, argued that McCain's years of previous foreign policy experience make up for his recent lack of attendance at hearings.
"The point is that Obama claims to be a leader on Afghanistan, but had the power to hold hearings on our NATO operations there and failed to do so," wrote Rogers in an e-mail, although he did not say why McCain missed his own Armed Services Committee hearings over the past two years.
While all of this is true, the first to arrack Obama for not attending meeting for the subcommittee he chairs was Hillary Clinton during the debates.
standard response, absolve the dems, blame the press and the republicans. Dont you ever get tired of singing the same sad song?
Project much? It's not even a good diversion. Yes, candidates attack each other on somewhat shaky ground all the time. The press, however, should strive to point out what both candidates are or are not doing.
McSame gets a free play of his attack, with no balancing viewpoint, which Media Matters provides here. I think you do get it, pointy view.
all the while the three big three letter networks send their anchors
Well, when McCain went to Iraq, he was surrounded by more than 100 troops and three attack helicopters, plus snipers, and then said he felt perfectly safe there. That buffoonish performance was noted by the anchors who didn't have to go with him (they weren't invited to go with McBush, by the way) to see that McGramps is a clown.
if I came to your door and said "Hand over your keys and move out", you'd laugh in my face. A RWer would shoot me in said face ...
But if I were to show up with the same amount of "protection" McSame had on his trip, either you'd hand over the keys or I wouldn't care to have the pile of ashes that was your house anyway ...
No wonder his companion was gushing over how he got 2 rugs for $5 ...
What relevance does Hillary's previous attack have in this context?
None.
In typical Republican fashion, McCain's ad attacks Obama for something McCain himself is guilty of. Even worse, actually, since Obama has in fact attended one hearing on Afghanistan and McCain has attended...none:
[McCain], the top Republican on the Senate Armed Service Committee, has attended zero of his committee’s six hearings on Afghanistan over the last two years.
Meanwhile Obama attended the full Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Afghanistan in March, 2007...
link
You must be out of your simple skull, boy. Don't come in here talkin' smack about liberals not tearing each other apart. Not when the 11th Commandment, as delivered from on high by St. Ronnie, is "Thou shalt not speak ill of another Republican."
I mean, I understand you want to peel back the scabs of the Democratic primary, but we are healing our Party. We are healing and I know the prospect of a unified left scares the shit out the authoritarian right. You are transparent to me.
But if you insist on talking about vile attack politics, why don't you own up to conservative leadership and conservative pundits equating Democrats to terrorists?
Why don't you acknowledge your own blind spot or just step off.
Nevertheless, all the arrack by Hillary is in the past
LOL
I know we all make typos but Mary THAT was funny. :-)
The media is not fine.
So when a reporter does an add check, he or she should should first see if it is accurate, and then do an investigation on the other party to see what they have done? Yea right. The liberal press has always done that. Dan Rather sure went the extra mile to check all the facts. Air America and the NY times go out of their way to fair to both sides. His piece was on the issue of the McCain add. Did the add tell the trurth? He said it did.
So I suppose if Obama ever says it is wrong to do drugs, we should tear his past apart and demand to know what drugs he did and when. Ok, I do get it now.
POV,
What would be similar is if Obama attacked Bush about drugs. If he did, you could call him on it because of the past of both men. How can the media call out one candidate, but not the other, for doing something BOTH have done?
I will agree with you on the NY Times. I really, really, really wish they would have fact-checked their Iraq WMD reporting. They certainly gave someone a free pass......
"So when a reporter does an add[sic] check, he or she should should first see if it is accurate, and then do an investigation on the other party to see what they have done?"
Yes. it's called journalism. Checking for accuracy and reporting facts is what those people called reporters are supposed to do.
Thanks for reinforcing this basic fact. I wonder what some people think the job of the press corp is, if not to report and investigate?
SKIP, it would be nice if they were honest like us liberals but how in the world do they know what is truth and what is a lie/fiction. It is the weekend. The talking points will reappear on Monday and Rush and the Leapin' Liars will inform all of the Cons what is the truth. Such a shame, as they once said, "A Conservative mind is a terrible thing..."...Did I get that right or have I become a Con and misquote something. I thought the word waste may have been used but I am not sure. Allow me to put on my leatherhelmet thinking cap. I'll get back to you right after Rush on Monday.
quote:it would be nice if they were honest like us liberals
How full of your hypocritical selves can you people ever get?
"I did NO have sex with that woman"..... it works as long as you can ask "what is "is"? "
MISSDEEPOINT, I forgot the sarcasm thingee people use but as far as truth is concerned, just look into your own family tree. WMDee's..now there IS something that trumps any IS you'll ever want to discuss.
And NO, liberals do not always tell the truth, except everyone here. Keep coming to MMFA...you'll see some ConLies.
Yes, Wathershed, it's a problem that comes up occasionally. My guess is some funky html got pasted into the comments. Curiously, it often happens in threads where Philib is posting.
I get around the problem by right clicking on the "Show" link and selecting "Open in New Window." To page through the comments, I do the same thing with the "Next" links. It's a little messy, but it works.