Wash. Post uncritically repeats McCain's false suggestion that Obama didn't visit wounded troops on overseas trip
SUMMARY: The Washington Post reported that Sen. John McCain "accused" Sen. Barack Obama "of going to a gym rather than visiting wounded troops" during his recent overseas trip, but the Post did not note that the accusation is false.
After writing that Sen. John McCain had "launched a string of increasingly personal attacks on" Sen. Barack Obama, Washington Post writers Jonathan Weisman and Perry Bacon Jr. reported in an August 7 article that McCain "accused him [Obama] of going to a gym rather than visiting wounded troops" while overseas. But Weisman and Bacon did not note that McCain's accusation is false: Obama did in fact visit wounded troops during his recent trip, according to NBC chief foreign affairs correspondent Andrea Mitchell, who was covering the trip. Mitchell reported in a July 25 appearance on MSNBC's Morning Joe that Obama "visited a casualty unit in the Green Zone." On July 28, Mitchell again said that Obama had visited troops while overseas, reporting: "I can attest to the fact that he did visit troops in Iraq only four or five days earlier, that there was no notice of it, that I confirmed that it happened, but they had no video of any type and no reporters. And that he's been to Walter Reed. So let's at least get that off the table."
From Weisman and Bacon's August 7 Washington Post article:
The parries come more than a week after his Republican opponent launched a string of increasingly personal attacks on Obama. McCain has said that his rival would lose a war in order to win a campaign, accused him of going to a gym rather than visiting wounded troops, and, while aides asserted that he had "played the race card," hinted that Obama has a messiah complex and portrayed him as a celebrity comparable to Paris Hilton or Britney Spears. That final line of assault continued yesterday with a new McCain ad, again mocking Obama as "the biggest celebrity in the world."
I second that, Snoopy. The Washington Post is right wing conservative, they have been Bush lovers for the past 8 years.
As I posted earlier, the dis-likes of Richard Cohen and Dana Milbank, as well as both Bacon and Weisman, are staunch right wing conservative Republicans themselves.
The article in question says: "McCain has said that his rival would lose a war in order to win a campaign, accused him of going to a gym rather than visiting wounded troops,..."
Everyone, except MMFA, knows by now that McCain was referring to Obama's planned and then canceled visit to see wounded troops in Germany.
Since Obama couldn't use the visit as a political event, he changed his plans according to McCain.
To argue that Obama visited wounded troops earlier, does not take away from his change of itinerary while in Europe where Obama did cancel plans to visit the troops.
I don't see any misinformation in that.
Since Obama couldn't use the visit as a political event, he changed his plans according to McCain.
So McCain claims to know Obama's reason for not visiting, and you see no problem with that? How many times are we gonna have to tell you McCain will say anything to get elected?
Snoop,
You haven't been listening. I agree with you about McCain.
Since Obama couldn't use the visit as a political event, he changed his plans according to McCain.
I would say this makes McCain a liar.
"Since Obama couldn't use the visit as a political event, he changed his plans according to McCain."
"I would say this makes McCain a liar."
I would say that too, with one amending. This is the NEWEST lie that makes Liar McCain a liar.
He's a politician, (just like O'bama), it's their job to lie. Do you expect anything else from a politician?
That just doesn't take away from the fact that O'bama did in fact change his plans and avoided visiting wounded troops. Mmfa is simply twisting the truth to further it's own agenda. But, hey, that's ok for anyone who simply does what they are told and can't think for themselves. They need places like mmfa to tell them what to think. Let's check the rest of the mmfa headlines and see what you are told to think, since you can't think for yourselves!
"accused him of going to a gym rather than visiting wounded troops"
This statement is a lie.
"accused him of going to a gym rather than visiting wounded troops"
This statement is a lie.
Also true, Loonz. Here's an ADDITIONAL fact that's overlooked about that lie from McCain:
That footage was of Obama playing basketball in a gym at a U.S. Army Base! Yet Liar McCain repeats his lie about Obama being against the troops, and McCain's corporatist conservative Republican Party controlled news media allies aid and abet Liar McCain in this lie, like they have in all the other lies he's told.
"That footage was of Obama playing basketball in a gym at a U.S. Army Base!"
You mean at an Army base where there were wounded troops??!? So, explain WHY he chose not to visit these wounded troops again. What was his priority?
The article in question says: "McCain has said that his rival would lose a war in order to win a campaign, accused him of going to a gym rather than visiting wounded troops,..."
Everyone, except MMFA, knows by now that McCain was referring to Obama's planned and then canceled visit to see wounded troops in Germany.
Since Obama couldn't use the visit as a political event, he changed his plans according to McCain.
To argue that Obama visited wounded troops earlier, does not take away from his change of itinerary while in Europe where Obama did cancel plans to visit the troops.
I don't see any misinformation in that.
I see nothing but regurgitated conservative misinformation in your entire pathetic post, AA.
Wz,
Thanks for the bold and italicized quoting. Looks good!
"Thanks for the bold and italicized quoting. Looks good!"
It should! He's a professional writer. If there's one thing he can do...that's make a writing look professional. BTW, he's also good at correcting your spelling and grammar errors every time he loses an arguement. It is totally funny watching him sputter around with spelling corrections when he has nothing else to say. Like, how does the mmfa claim of O'bama not changing his 'wounded troops visit' become a lie by McCain?
"McCain has said that his rival would lose a war in order to win a campaign, accused him of going to a gym rather than visiting wounded troops,..."
McCain LIED!
Since Obama couldn't use the visit as a political event, he changed his plans according to McCain.
McCain LIED!
To argue that Obama visited wounded troops earlier, does not take away from his change of itinerary while in Europe where Obama did cancel plans to visit the troops.
Obama's change of plans had nothing to do with either McCain LIE!
AA, McCain lied about Obama's visiting the troops, period!
Pearlene,
If I may be so bold, you bolded the wrong part of your reply! Kindly refer to Wz's equally well thought out reply above.
Here AA, let me show you how the McCain camp works...
John McCain was widely ridiculed several weeks ago for fielding reporter's questions in the cheese aisle of a grocery store. But the location of the impromptu press conference was hardly random. The McCain camp, in a strategy memo, has pinpointed grocery stores as an important venue for the Senator to push his economic agenda.
In a McCain campaign "Economic Communications Plan" that was obtained by the Huffington Post, an aide to the Senator lays out several themes, tactics and objectives to shore up the Arizona Republican's standing on the economy and paint Barack Obama as a "job killing machine."
"Our polling tells us that Americans are still not tuned into what the candidates might do to fix the economy," reads the memo. "We have an opportunity to fill in that gap."
The strategy, which was authored by Taylor Griffin -- a veteran of the Bush White House and Treasury Department who serves McCain as a senior adviser -- seems built around traditional themes. The McCain campaign will paint Obama as being "aligned with trial lawyers" and "unions (card check, trade, education reform)," and push the frame that he "raises taxes" and "will kill jobs."
In contrast, McCain will be positioned as a bold leader on economic matters, someone who has a "record of taking on corporate interests" and will "fight speculation driving up prices of oil and food" as well as "the lawsuit culture."
"People are tired of big corporations, lobbyist and special interests who they feel prosper at their expense," the memo reads. "People must understand that John McCain is not only thinking of their future, but their children's futures as well."
To do this, McCain's camp plans to utilize a number of tactics, including "family budget roundtables, grocery store visits," and "roundtable events heavily tilted towards women to discuss the pressures the economy is placing on family finances and how McCain's plan would help." The campaign also will work the fourth estate. As detailed in Taylor's memo, McCain will "provide compelling set of programming and surrogate activity to drive media interest," and "mobilize economists in target states supporting the McCain plan to engage the media in support of our plan."
Snoop,
I'm touched that you thought so highly of me as to provide me with McCain's strategy.
So what's your point?
Since Obama couldn't use the visit as a political event, he changed his plans according to McCain.
He changed his plans BECAUSE it became a political event given that he had his campaign workers with him, and that is not allowed under the Senate rules.
He followed the rules. Gramps lied. Which do you prefer?
Fog,
Yeah, that's what he (Obama) said. Isn't he also the guy who said he could no more disown Rev. Wright than his own family?
Next.
"Since Obama couldn't use the visit as a political event, he changed his plans according to McCain."
McCain's LYING...AGAIN. Just because Liar McCain's allies in the corporatist conservative Republican Party controlled news media are refusing to press Liar McCain on what he claims to know what that alleged reasons is, and how he allegedly knows it, does NOT change the fact that Liar McCain is flat out LYING, just like McCain has LIED, and continuees to lie, throughout this campaign!
Hey if you think repeating the same word convinces people, why stop with the dozen or so you used earlier. I say go for it big time!
ps. Am I the only one who notices that many liberals here use the same type of argumentation my first graders' use? I'm surprised someone hasn't accused McCain's pants of being on fire. :-)
ps. I lied lied lied lied lied lied lied.
Actually my first graders have moved beyond that. :-)
Does anyone even understand causal versus correlational events anymore?
Barack did not cancel the trip to go to the gym instead. The trip was cancelled, what exactly should he have done with the time it had been scheduled for? It's as silly as saying "These children chose to frolic and build snow men all day instead of being educated" when a blizzard cancels school sessions.
The footage of Obama at the gym was filmed at an Army base gym! That fact only COMPOUNDS Liar McCain's outright lie!
Should we also note Liar McCain's votes against Veterans' Benefits since 9-11?
If reported honestly and fairly, McCain's statements would become a political problem for him.
That hasn't happened yet.
Since Obama couldn't use the visit as a political event, he changed his plans according to McCain. - AA
A new McCain ad says Obama "made time to go to the gym, but canceled a visit with wounded troops. Seems the Pentagon wouldn't allow him to bring cameras."
McCain's facts are literally true, but his insinuation – that the visit was canceled because of the press ban or the desire for gym time – is false. In fact, Obama visited wounded troops earlier – without cameras or press – both in the U.S. and Iraq. And his gym workouts are a daily routine.
[...]
It's a fact that Obama canceled a visit to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center at the last minute after planning it for weeks. And it's a fact that reporters and their cameras would not have been allowed to accompany him. Furthermore, Obama probably did go to the gym that day, as he does practically every day. So the bare facts stated in the ad are true, but they don't support McCain's insinuation.
We can't read minds and so are in no position to know Obama's motives, or McCain's for that matter. It's unlikely, however, that the absence of press coverage would have been a factor in Obama's decision, as the ad implies. Obama says he never planned to take reporters on the Landstuhl visit, and Department of Defense rules prohibited him from taking reporters on previous visits he made with wounded troops.
Source: Factcheck.org - Snubbing Wounded Troops
I guess McCain and AA both learned how to read minds by simply working hard and pulling themselves up by their bootstraps. :-)
You and the others, (who so repeatedly used the L word,) probably missed the following, which you included in your reply.
So the bare facts stated in the ad are true.
Yes, everyone. Read it and weep. it is there at Fact Check. Carn provided it.
ps. (I think I'm liking that bolding.)
but they don't support McCain's insinuation.
but they don't support McCain's insinuation.
Yeah, it is better in bold.
heh heh. Thanks, Moonbat. That's why I like checking in on these almost-dead threads. There's often some zombie troll like AA slithering in a day after things have died down , trying to post some uncontested BS.Always cracks me uo when somebody else has happened by to point it out.
And AA, if you come back, I offered you some helpful advice on another thread-- that "thanks for proving my point" line is a dead giveaway that you're cooked.
"but they don't support McCain's insinuation."
Perhaps you and sandman can fill us in on what McCain insinuated. Since mmfa convieniantly left that part out of their article. And, since mmfa doesn't argue the 'insinuation', they are argueing against the facts of the matter. Which cannot be argued since they ARE facts. But, that doesn't stop mmfa and all their minions from trying to pass off more misinformation. It simply shows how smart mmfa/co are. Since they can't argue the facts, they will change the facts so that they can make an arguement.
Oh, wow, AA. That is really desperate. Please read the article in full instead of cherry-picking statements. Factcheck.org's point is that just having the bare facts doesn't make McCain's conclusion--that Obama didn't go because there would be no cameras--a correct one. A valid argument is one in which the premises, the facts, actually support the conclusion.
Moonbat and Col have already beaten you up over it, but I'm going to do it again because you're being really ridiculous here.