Posted on 07/27/2008 11:10:43 PM PDT by Red Steel
On Sunday's This Week, ABC's George Stephanopoulos condemned John McCain for charging that “Senator Obama would rather lose a war in order to win a political campaign.” Stephanopoulos, who interviewed McCain on Saturday at his Arizona ranch, declared: “I can't believe you believe that.” McCain insisted “I'm not questioning his patriotism. I'm questioning his actions. I'm questioning his lack, total lack of understanding,” leading Stephanopoulos to counter: “But that is questioning his patriotism. When you say someone would rather lose a war, a candidate, that's questioning his honor, his decency, his character.”
As McCain continued to defend his assessment, Stephanopoulos kept rejecting his reasoning (“So putting lives at risk for a political campaign, you believe he's doing that?”) and excoriating his characterization of Obama: “But you're questioning his motives.”
Stephanopoulos matched a theme pushed on Wednesday's World News by ABC reporter David Wright. My July 23 NewsBusters item recounted:
Wright began his interview with McCain by scolding him for his “extraordinary statement” that “Obama would rather lose a war in order to win a political campaign.” Wright demanded: “Do you really think he's that craven?” Wright also lectured: “But what you seem to be saying there is that it's all about personal ambition for him and not about what he honestly thinks is right for the country.”
The exchange on the Sunday, July 27 This Week in the interview taped the day before in Arizona, with McCain's dogs walking around them at least once:
GEORGE STEPHANOPOULOS: You've taken heat this week with your comments saying that Senator Obama would rather lose a war than win a political campaign. I can't believe you believe that.
JOHN McCAIN: Well, I'm not questioning his patriotism. I'm questioning his actions. I'm questioning his lack, total lack of understanding.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But that is questioning his patriotism. When you say someone would rather lose a war, a candidate, that's questioning his honor, his decency, his character.
McCAIN: All I'm say something is, and I will repeat, he does not understand. I'm not questioning his patriotism. I am saying that he made the decision which was political in order to help him get the nomination.
STEPHANOPOULOS: So putting lives at risk for a political campaign, you believe he's doing that?
McCAIN: I believe that when he said that we had to leave Iraq and we had to be out by last March and we had to have a date certain, that was in contravention to and still is to the Chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, General David Petraeus. When he never asked to sit down for a briefing with General Petraeus, our commander on the ground, when he waited 900 days to go back again where young American lives are on the line, I think that's a fundamental lack of understanding and I think the American people will make the appropriate choices.
STEPHANOPOULOS: But you're questioning his motives.
McCAIN: I say that it was very clear that a decision had to be made, and I made it when it wasn't popular. He made a decision which was popular with his base, and that is a fundamental difference and he does not understand and did not understand and still doesn't understand that the surge was the vital strategy in us not having to lose a war, chaos, genocide, increased influence of Iranians in the region, the consequences of failure would have been severe. Now the benefits are enormous of a stable ally in the region, of a country that is a friend of ours, a break on Iranian influence, certainly a break on al Qaeda and other jihadist organizations. So he made the decision that that was the best way to go to get the nomination of his party.
Thank you for the Welcome! I thought this more than appropriate until November 4th and hopefully it goes in the hopper on November 5th after John McCain’s Victory and America’s Victory over Mediocrity, Anti-Americanism, Traitorous Behavior, Anti-Militarism, Socialism/Communism, and Muslim Govermental Takeover! :-)
McCain...always being way too charitable to liberal... would have been far better off not responding to the baiting of Stephanopolis at all.
Just stonewall him.
Force Stephanopolis to budge or just walk out.
“Do you work for the RNC?”
No, I donot at this time, but I did visit John McCain’s local headquarters today along with my local Congresssional Reps and I did volunteer to do whatever I could for the remaining few month to help and asist as much as possible to help with Victory for America on November 4th and that means the Defeat of the DEMORATS and their Traitorous of Late! :-)
Amen!
And, time to question Stephanopoulos’ motives in the exchange. Is he Obama’s love slave or what?
Remember, you have some people here who are not satisified with McCain because he will not renounce fascist methods of government written into American legislation, nor will he renounce the failed "McCain-Feingold" anti-freespeech legislation.
McCain will get our support only after he becomes an American!
” I wouldn’t expect you to agree with my assertion. You spent years shilling for a proven liar in order to feather your political and professional nest. And what did the liar do to reward you? He pleasured himself in your sink.”
I think you missed my point. I was saying that we have a “girlie man” attitude in this nation today; unlike the days when there were real men like Wayne and Bronson.
There are some people that are never satisfied with anything! Looks like you must be exstatic over Osama Obama Hussein, he wants to change everything! John McCain is 1000 Times the American you will ever be. before going Bananas, I am assuming you are one of the Greatest Americans to ever tread on Our Hallowed American Earth. After all, You tell us on your home page that you are one of few gifted Elites in the Postal Service that passed judgment on all others in the postal Service, if I interpreted your musings correctly.:-P
An Obama Presidency is not acceptable on the grounds the man is simply not Presidential Material, except he might be good as a cast member for The West Wing
And you are actually, real-time doing something to ensure Obama doesn't get to bring an overboring, leftwing, world of the lotus-eaters' "dramatic" make-believe TV serial from crossing over and into the lines of reality; the real world of real consequences.
Why can’t we question his patriotism? Is there some law that says that a person can’t have his patriotism questioned?
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