Photo by AP
Posted on 10/16/2008 5:02:19 AM PDT by PajamaTruthMafia
Republican John McCain, looking to bounce back in the polls, stayed on the offensive against rival Barack Obama throughout last night’s presidential debate, keeping the Democratic candidate on the ropes in the final face-to-face encounter in their campaign for the White House.
During the 90-minute debate, McCain forced Obama to distance his association with 1960s radical William Ayers and liberal activist group ACORN which is now facing voter fraud charges, and defend himself against charges of being a tax-and-spend big-government liberal.
At one point in his intense grilling, McCain in an apparent slip referred to Obama as “Senator Government.” The Arizona senator even attacked Obama’s strength, his eloquence, when he blasted him for his seeming flip-flop on off-shore oil drilling.
“Well, you know, I admire so much Sen. Obama’s eloquence. And you really have to pay attention to words. He said, ‘We will look at offshore drilling.’ Did you get that? ‘Look at.’ We can offshore drill now. We’ve got to do it now. We will reduce the cost of a barrel of oil because we show the world that we have a supply of our own. It’s doable. The technology is there, and we have to drill now.”
Obama condemned Ayers and the Weather Underground’s violent attacks to end the Vietnam war, and said Ayers, with whom he said he was not close, would not advise him in the White House. He also said he was only marginally associated with ACORN, a left-leaning group that has run afoul of some states’ voter registration laws.
He criticized McCain making Ayers “a centerpiece” of his campaign and called it troubling.
“It says more about your campaign than mine,” the Illinois senator said.
McCain ripped Obama’s health care plan as big government, European-style, socialized medicine.
“If you like that,you’ll love Canada and England,” McCain said, at times glaring at Obama. The Democrat broadly smiled as the Republican leveled each charge.
Obama said the fine print in McCain’s plan made his proposal unaffordable to working families.
Obama continued to hit McCain as a political clone of President Bush, prompting McCain to shoot back: “I’m not President Bush. If you wanted to run against President Bush, you should have run against him four years ago.”
Obama responded that the comparison was fair because McCain’s proposals represent “eight more years of the same thing . . . and we need to move in a new direction. ”
McCain charged Obama wants to “engage in class warfare” by hiking taxes and redistribute wealth - referring to a highly publicized encounter the Democrat had with a plumber on the campaign trail.
Obama countered his tax plan would cut taxes for 95 percent of working families.
The final encounter, moderated by CBS News anchor Bob Schieffer at Hoftstra University in Hempstead, N.Y., came as McCain trails Obama in some polls by more than 10 points.
If Barack Obama is willing to “look at” offshore drilling, I wonder what position William Ayers has taken on it.
I caught that too, Obama is a good speaker. But we need to watch how he uses his words.
I wouldn’t call it ripping or grilling but if McCain had done this back at the beginning we wouldn’t be in this situation.
I'm rubber you're glue, your words bounce off me and stick to you.
Bambi simply LIED about his positions several times last night.
95% will get tax “cuts”
did not vote to allow born alive infants to die
I’m sure we can look forward to a MSM outlet pointing these out today.
Obama hung a piece of cheese over the plate with his comment about the “Kill him” shouts supposedly heard at McCain/Palin rallies and McCain didn’t even swing at it. In my opinion that was McCain’s biggest miss of the night.
Over all the debate was a success for McCain.
According to the Secret Service, it never even happened. Barry is such a liar, his spin about Ayers and ACORN during the debate made me sick. He is hiding the truth from the American people and trying to gin up sympathy with the phony “Kill him” thing that some reporter totally made up.
http://www.timesleader.com/news/breakingnews/Secret_Service_says_Kill_him_allegation_unfounded_.html
There were so many pieces of cheese hanging and softballs that could have been hit out of the park, that I was left thinking McCain was more like the Mighty Casey struck out.
We need a Hammerin’ Hank. I would settle for a leader
I also wish McCain had quantified the number of people who don't pay taxes. It's one thing to say 40% don't pay taxes. It's quite another to find out 20 million will suddenly receive a check for $1,000 under Zero's plan. But I did like the unintentional truism, Senator Government and the reference to Joe the Plumber.
I was really hoping that McCain would arrive with a baseball bat in hand, walk up to that commie weasel and take out at least two of his front teeth.
Oboredoms use it or lose it drilling plan is Pelosi’s No Drill plan. There is no oil under those leases and he knows it. Maverick shot down Obogie last night.
Pray for W, McCain/Palin and Our Troops
I am scratching my head over a few things: McCain wiped the floor with Obama and sounded far more presidential; despite this the Fox commentators last night were all for Obama; the MSM continues their love affair with the Messiah; and Obama continued his barrage of mistruths.
How many others will make the same observation?
“What? How can they say that 0bama won that? What else are they lying about.”
I know it won’t occur to many, but it won’t take many.
The Left has convinced a lot of people that Fox is a rightwing station. It's not. I consider Fox leftwing, and I don't watch it because their political slant irks me. But the Democrats get a lot of mileage out of saying things like "Even Fox News agrees with Obama's position! Imagine that! Fox News!! That just shows you how totally out of touch John McCain is!"
I think the whole thing is a sham.
During the exchange about Ayers, McCain mentioned that Obama certainly did know Ayers and kicked off his State Senate campaign in Ayres living room. Obama LIED and said that he did not kickoff his campaign at Ayers home. McCain should have said, "I guess that depends upon what the meaning of the word 'kickoff' is." The rest of this campaign would have been about that line.
ML/NJ
Did not watch the debate.
Reading the reviews - it appears Obambi kept up the lies - with his calm, smiling demeanor.
Obommunism’s vote to let babies born alive after botched abortions - even after that measure was modified - and he voted for the modification!!!! - tells us the most about the heart of darkness that is almost upon us.
That is the image that kept coming to me last night, yet it's the first time I've seen it in print.
McCain didn't just have Obama on the ropes, it was a knockout.
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