Reuters reports one-sided criticism of war funding votes
SUMMARY: A Reuters article included Sen. John McCain's charge that Sen. Barack Obama "tried to prevent funding for troops that carried out the surge." In fact, Obama, who has repeatedly voted for bills that include funds for the Iraq war, voted against a troop funding bill in May 2007, he said, because it did not include a timeline for withdrawal. Reuters reporter Alister Bull did not correct the falsehood, nor did he note that McCain himself has voted against war funding legislation.
A Reuters article about Sen. John McCain's August 9 speech to disabled veterans included his charge that Sen. Barack Obama "tried to prevent funding for troops that carried out the surge." In fact, Obama did not try "to prevent funding for troops that carried out the surge"; he voted against a troop funding bill in May 2007, he said, because it did not include a timeline for withdrawal. Moreover, Obama has repeatedly voted for bills that include funds for the Iraq war. The August 11 article by reporter Alister Bull did not correct the falsehood, nor did Bull note that McCain himself has voted against war funding legislation.
The article quoted McCain saying of Obama: "First he opposed the surge, and then he confidently predicted it would fail, and then he tried to prevent funding for the troops that carried out the surge." Bull then wrote that McCain has "used the same line attack for several weeks now," and went on to describe McCain as an "ardent supporter of the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq to topple Saddam Hussein," without noting that Obama has voted in favor of war funding in the past and that McCain himself has voted against war funding legislation.
According to a May 24, 2007, press release, Obama said he voted against an appropriations bill that included funding because it was "a choice between validating the same failed policy in Iraq that has cost us so many lives and demanding a new one." He continued: "We must fund our troops. But we owe them something more. We owe them a clear, prudent plan to relieve them of the burden of policing someone else's civil war. We need a plan to compel the Iraqi people to reach a political accommodation and to take responsibility for their own future. It's time to change course."
"I'm looking forward to the day when a politician can refine or adjust positioning on a complex issue without being accused of 'flip-flopping'."
Forward? You'll have to look in the past. Those days are long gone.
OK, I sure wish we could delete our own posts when they go wrong. Someone call Hills and have her talk to Mr. Brock about that...
National Security Policy
1. McCain thought Bush’s warrantless-wiretap program circumvented the law; now he believes the opposite.
2. McCain insisted that everyone, even “terrible killers,” “the worst kind of scum of humanity,” and detainees at Guantanamo Bay, “deserve to have some adjudication of their cases,” even if that means “releasing some of them.” McCain now believes the opposite.
3. He opposed indefinite detention of terrorist suspects. When the Supreme Court reached the same conclusion, he called it “one of the worst decisions in the history of this country.”
4. In February 2008, McCain reversed course on prohibiting waterboarding.
5. McCain was for closing the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay before he was against it.
6. When Barack Obama talked about going after terrorists in Pakistani mountains with predators, McCain criticized him for it. He’s since come to the opposite conclusion.
Foreign Policy
7. McCain was for kicking Russia out of the G8 before he was against it. Now, he’s for it again.
8. McCain supported moving “towards normalization of relations” with Cuba. Now he believes the opposite.
9. McCain believed the U.S. should engage in diplomacy with Hamas. Now he believes the opposite.
10. McCain believed the U.S. should engage in diplomacy with Syria. Now he believes the opposite.
11. McCain is both for and against a “rogue state rollback” as a focus of his foreign policy vision.
12. McCain used to champion the Law of the Sea convention, even volunteering to testify on the treaty’s behalf before a Senate committee. Now he opposes it.
13. McCain was against divestment from South Africa before he was for it.
Military Policy
14. McCain recently claimed that he was the “greatest critic” of Rumsfeld’s failed Iraq policy. In December 2003, McCain praised the same strategy as “a mission accomplished.” In March 2004, he said, “I’m confident we’re on the right course.” In December 2005, he said, “Overall, I think a year from now, we will have made a fair amount of progress if we stay the course.”
15. McCain has changed his mind about a long-term U.S. military presence in Iraq on multiple occasions, concluding, on multiple occasions, that a Korea-like presence is both a good and a bad idea.
16. McCain was against additional U.S. forces in Afghanistan before he was for it.
17. McCain said before the war in Iraq, “We will win this conflict. We will win it easily.” Four years later, McCain said he knew all along that the war in Iraq war was “probably going to be long and hard and tough.”
18. McCain has repeatedly said it’s a dangerous mistake to tell the “enemy” when U.S. troops would be out of Iraq. In May, McCain announced that most American troops would be home from Iraq by 2013.
19. McCain was against expanding the GI Bill before he was for it.
20. McCain staunchly opposed Obama’s Iraq withdrawal timetable, and even blasted Mitt Romney for having referenced the word during the GOP primaries. In July, after Iraqi officials endorsed Obama’s policy, McCain said a 16-month calendar sounds like “a pretty good timetable.”
Domestic Policy
21. McCain defended “privatizing” Social Security. Now he says he’s against privatization (though he actually still supports it.)
22. On Social Security, McCain said he would not, under any circumstances, raise taxes. Soon after, asked about a possible increase in the payroll tax, McCain said there’s “nothing that’s off the table.”
23. McCain wanted to change the Republican Party platform to protect abortion rights in cases of rape and incest. Now he doesn’t.
24. McCain supported storing spent nuclear fuel at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. Now he believes the opposite.
25. He argued the NRA should not have a role in the Republican Party’s policy making. Now he believes the opposite.
26. In 1998, he championed raising cigarette taxes to fund programs to cut underage smoking, insisting that it would prevent illnesses and provide resources for public health programs. Now, McCain opposes a $0.61-per-pack tax increase, won’t commit to supporting a regulation bill he’s co-sponsoring, and has hired Philip Morris’ former lobbyist as his senior campaign adviser.
27. McCain is both for and against earmarks for Arizona.
28. McCain’s first mortgage plan was premised on the notion that homeowners facing foreclosure shouldn’t be “rewarded” for acting “irresponsibly.” His second mortgage plan took largely the opposite position.
29. McCain went from saying gay marriage should be allowed, to saying gay marriage shouldn’t be allowed.
30. McCain opposed a holiday to honor Martin Luther King, Jr., before he supported it.
31. McCain was anti-ethanol. Now he’s pro-ethanol.
32. McCain was both for and against state promotion of the Confederate flag.
33. In 2005, McCain endorsed intelligent design creationism, a year later he said the opposite, and a few months after that, he was both for and against creationism at the same time.
34. And on gay adoption, McCain initially said he’d rather let orphans go without families, then his campaign reversed course, and soon after, McCain reversed back.
35. In the Senate, McCain opposed a variety of measures on equal pay for women, and endorsed the Supreme Court’s Ledbetter decision. In July, however, McCain said, “I’m committed to making sure that there’s equal pay for equal work. That … is my record and you can count on it.”
36. McCain was against fully funding the No Child Left Behind Act before he was for it.
37. McCain was for affirmative action before he was against it.
Economic Policy
38. McCain was against Bush’s tax cuts for the very wealthy before he was for them.
39. John McCain initially argued that economics is not an area of expertise for him, saying, “I’m going to be honest: I know a lot less about economics than I do about military and foreign policy issues; I still need to be educated,” and “The issue of economics is not something I’ve understood as well as I should.” He now falsely denies ever having made these remarks and insists that he has a “very strong” understanding of economics.
40. McCain vowed, if elected, to balance the federal budget by the end of his first term. Soon after, he decided he would no longer even try to reach that goal. And soon after that, McCain abandoned his second position and went back to his first.
41. McCain said in 2005 that he opposed the tax cuts because they were “too tilted to the wealthy.” By 2007, he denied ever having said this, and falsely argued that he opposed the cuts because of increased government spending.
42. McCain thought the estate tax was perfectly fair. Now he believes the opposite.
43. McCain pledged in February 2008 that he would not, under any circumstances, raise taxes. Specifically, McCain was asked if he is a “‘read my lips’ candidate, no new taxes, no matter what?” referring to George H.W. Bush’s 1988 pledge. “No new taxes,” McCain responded. Two weeks later, McCain said, “I’m not making a ‘read my lips’ statement, in that I will not raise taxes.”
44. McCain has changed his entire economic worldview on multiple occasions.
45. McCain believes Americans are both better and worse off economically than they were before Bush took office.
Energy Policy
46. McCain supported the moratorium on coastal drilling ; now he’s against it.
47. McCain recently announced his strong opposition to a windfall-tax on oil company profits. Three weeks earlier, he was perfectly comfortable with the idea.
48. McCain endorsed a cap-and-trade policy with a mandatory emissions cap. In mid-June, McCain announced he wants the caps to voluntary.
49. McCain explained his belief that a temporary suspension of the federal gas tax would provide an immediate economic stimulus. Shortly thereafter, he argued the exact opposite.
50. McCain supported the Lieberman/Warner legislation to combat global warming. Now he doesn’t.
51. McCain was for national auto emissions standards before he was against them.
Immigration Policy
52. McCain was a co-sponsor of the DREAM Act, which would grant legal status to illegal immigrants’ kids who graduate from high school. In 2007, he announced his opposition to the bill. In 2008, McCain switched back.
53. On immigration policy in general, McCain announced in February 2008 that he would vote against his own bill.
54. In April, McCain promised voters that he would secure the borders “before proceeding to other reform measures.” Two months later, he abandoned his public pledge, pretended that he’d never made the promise in the first place, and vowed that a comprehensive immigration reform policy has always been, and would always be, his “top priority.”
Judicial Policy and the Rule of Law
55. McCain said he would “not impose a litmus test on any nominee.” He used to promise the opposite.
56. McCain’s position was that the telecoms should be forced to explain their role in the administration’s warrantless surveillance program as a condition for retroactive immunity. He used to believe the opposite.
57. McCain went from saying he would not support repeal of Roe v. Wade to saying the exact opposite.
58 In June, McCain rejected the idea of a trial for Osama bin Laden, and thought Obama’s reference to Nuremberg was a misread of history. A month later, McCain argued the exact opposite position.
Campaign, Ethics, and Lobbying Reform
59. McCain supported his own lobbying-reform legislation from 1997. Now he doesn’t.
60. In 2006, McCain sponsored legislation to require grassroots lobbying coalitions to reveal their financial donors. In 2007, after receiving “feedback” on the proposal, McCain told far-right activist groups that he opposes his own measure.
61. McCain supported a campaign-finance bill, which bore his name, on strengthening the public-financing system. In June 2007, he abandoned his own legislation.
62. In May 2008, McCain approved a ban on lobbyists working for his campaign. In July 2008, his campaign reversed course and said lobbyists could work for his campaign.
Politics and Associations
63. McCain wanted political support from radical televangelist John Hagee. Now he doesn’t. (He also believes his endorsement from Hagee was both a good and bad idea.)
64. McCain wanted political support from radical televangelist Rod Parsley. Now he doesn’t.
65. McCain says he considered and did not consider joining John Kerry’s Democratic ticket in 2004.
66. McCain is both for and against attacking Barack Obama over his former pastor at his former church.
67. McCain criticized TV preacher Jerry Falwell as “an agent of intolerance” in 2002, but then decided to cozy up to the man who said Americans “deserved” the 9/11 attacks.
68. In 2000, McCain accused Texas businessmen Sam and Charles Wyly of being corrupt, spending “dirty money” to help finance Bush’s presidential campaign. McCain not only filed a complaint against the Wylys for allegedly violating campaign finance law, he also lashed out at them publicly. In April, McCain reached out to the Wylys for support.
69. McCain was against presidential candidates campaigning at Bob Jones University before he was for it.
70. McCain decided in 2000 that he didn’t want anything to do with former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, believing he “would taint the image of the ‘Straight Talk Express.’” Kissinger is now the Honorary Co-Chair for his presidential campaign in New York.
71. McCain believed powerful right-wing activist/lobbyist Grover Norquist was “corrupt, a shill for dictators, and (with just a dose of sarcasm) Jack Abramoff’s gay lover.” McCain now considers Norquist a key political ally.
72. McCain was for presidential candidates giving speeches in foreign countries before he was against it.
"They voted for the war, they voted against the war; they voted for a tax cut, they voted against a tax cut; they voted for gay marriage, they voted against gay marriage..."
Oh DAWUSS....... I would certainly hope that you have the decency to at least provide us with a legitimate link to all these alleged flip-flops of Obama??
I know that Snoopy provided at least 64 or so of Grampy McSame.... and since you have made the claim that Obama has flip-flopped as often as Grampy McSame.... the least you could do is provide a link to all these Obama flops? Even one to FoxNoise or a biased rightwing blog site would be better than not providing one at all!
DAWUSS?? Can you hear me? Hello? Are you there?
You give the media a @#$%ing break, not here. That is the reason MMFA exists, not just for your job.
McCain voted against war funding legislation. Please, re-read Snoopys" list of MCain flipflops and then find one on Obama and compare.
To keep you on point, the media does not get a break. They are the MEDIA.
Peeps,
Check out some of the many photos/cartoons posted here[on other threads every day]. Half the time they aren't on topic either. But no one makes an issue of it. Just because this one pokes fun at Obama instead of a Con, or something that has nothing to do with politics [that happens too], no need to get critical--everyone should just chill out.
Hey UK how ya been? I haven't seen you around in awhile. Nice to have you back posting.
The cartoon had an Olympic theme.
It pictured Obama doing a series of bad flip-flops over one of those gym horses & ending up in a bad landing. The judges in this case were the press...and two of these judges/press were holding up cards reading "10", while the 3rd judge [a female] was holding up a card that read "Call me".
It was funny. And I'm ABSOLUTELY positive that had it been McCain depicted in that cartoon instead of Obama, that Prince, Peeps, & Bill would have thought it was a riot. And it wouldn't have gotten flagged.
The cartoon had an Olympic theme.
No wonder I didn't get it. :-)
..Dawuss, put it back if care to but if you wish to always post first, it would be nice to stay on topic, at least ONCE. Sorry, did not a cartoon.
Jeter2, sorry if someones feeling are hurt. But you are right, that Snoopy is a bad doggie.
Please, what cartoon? Remember, the Dawuss appears early and his cartoon must have been after his nonsensical post.
Of course, the difference in flagging some items as off topic and not others is the intent of the poster and the overall quality of their posts and the way those posts derail the whole thread.
The Wuss has demonstrated that he's not interested in having a reasonable conversation about the issues. Others have developed a relationship with online friends and follow from one post to another to another.
There's a difference between starting off, off topic and allowing oneself to be led further and further off topic. There's also a difference between The Wuss, who denies his intent, and others who are willing to have their off topic stuff pulled at any time and readily admit that they're being off topic.
It sucks that the news media gives Republicans a break when they say "well, the other guy is going to do this bad thing" when it's provable that the Republican is going to do that same 'bad' thing!
John McCain will 'raise taxes' on electricity just like Obama will because they both support "cap and trade", but somehow McCain tried to pin raising taxes on Obama. That's hypocritical of McCain to do, yet he does, and that's the problem here with this media report. It's hypocritical to claim that Obama has 'misbehaved' WRT war funding votes when McCain has also voted against some funding bills.
I love this site!! I tell you your politics is far, far more interesting than ours. All l have to look forward to is another f'wit of a rich private school educated fop who has no idea about minorities or the poor, who will cut benefits for those who need them and make his friends in the city (who are his base) even richer while advocating another war against an enemy who has not attacked us.....
Hold on a moment!!!
Deja vue all over again?
Thought the House of Lords was slowly deflating/downsizing?
Consider what it took to get people concerned and involved in The U.S. and A. There must be a way thats easier on the nerves!