Phoning it in: Obama calls wounded troops at Landstuhl after skipping visit

hotair.com ^ | July 25, 2008 | Allahpundit

[Free ThinkerNY]

Something’s better than nothing but the disappointment is palpable: “Everyone was excited about Obama’s visit. It’s a shame.” After googling around for details about what happened, precisely, I think John McCormack at the Standard has it right. It wasn’t the absence of media that led Obama to cancel the trip, it was the fact that two of his top military advisors, most notably Ret. Gen. Gration, couldn’t go with him because they’re technically campaign personnel and DoD regs prohibit political campaigning at military bases. Why Obama simply didn’t leave the two of them behind and make the trip anyway, your guess is as a good as mine.

On the media angle, see this exchange on the plane between one of the pool reporters and Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs:

Q: The schedule was for this plane, with us in it, to fly to Ramstein. By the way we were expected to pay for the flight, what were you suppose to do with the entourage then?

[Free ThinkerNY]

[VanDeKoik]

Did he call collect?

[doc1019]

I thought it would have been better, and less intrusive, to send them all a blanket Email.

[MES401067]

Yep with a little to donate click here link.The piece of crap.

[kristinn]

This story's got legs, as they say.

Allahpundit is hours behind Free Republic on this, though.

Obama's phone calls to the troops reported here this morning.

Gration angle reported here this afternoon.

[kenth]

Fax. He should have faxed them.

[Gondring]

Nice job, Kristinn!

Der Spiegel sometimes does some good work.

[Thrownatbirth]

2 TRPS,

THX 4 YER SRVIS

[Gondring]

Fixed link

[the anti-liberal]

“Everyone was excited about Obama’s visit. It’s a shame.”

I'm actually surprised about by that - were they genuinely excited to see him?

Why?

[Selmore]

(I’ve high level got access to the letter he sent.)

To:_______________(insert name here)

From: The Anointed One

Dear __________________, Insert name here

Hope______________blah blah blah_______________change__________________vote for me________

Allah Akbar,

Hussein

[MES401067]

Yep perfect.

[Candor7]

[kristinn]

D'oh!

Thanks!

[FrankR]

Chintzy bastard.

He always tries to do the "right thing", immediately AFTER the press calls him on screwing up.

Can't you hear his handlers...."Yo, Barry...hey dude, your dailies are like, dropping 'cause you didn't rap wid da troops...better do somthin' dude....."

Well, he can't be the "annointed one" that everyone says, as he can't be consistent on anything except making mistakes...also, the annointed one doesn't need a teleprompter to make the scripture clear.

He didn't visit the troops, but he didn't forget to kiss the ass of any foreign dignitaries he met, or to slam America on foreign soil any chance he got.

His new nickname is BARRY HUSSEIN DIXIECHICK OBLOOPER.

[TonyM]

If I were McCain I would be on a plane to visit the troops in Germany at this moment.

[Hattie]

Pathetic.

[stboz]

Won't somebody keep this infectious imbecilePOS away from our men?

[Intolerant in NJ]

He’s doing a great job of remobilizing all those vets who Swiftboated Kerry in 2004 - against himself this year.....

[montag813]

Stories like this give me hope that this vain megalomaniac will self-destruct and spare America a disaster.