Posted on 07/29/2008 6:42:37 AM PDT by Cincinatus
Greg Craig, senior foreign policy adviser to the Obama campaign, went on MSNBC this afternoon to defend his candidate's decision to skip a visit with wounded U.S. troops in Germany. The key exchange:
Andrea Mitchell: You were facing the Pentagon saying this can't be political, you can't bring aides, you can't bring General Gration, who is a retired military officer, why not just have him go and make it clear you weren't bringing all the others?
Greg Craig: The Pentagon said they were treating it as a campaign event, that this was politically sponsored, and the Pentagon told us that that was the fact of the matter, that he was engaged in a political event. So, to avoid putting the troops in the middle of a political situation, Senator Obama said "I'd rather take them out of it, rather than be seen as exploiting them. Let's not politicize the troops." And what has happened is, that ad and what Senator McCain has said has done precisely that. They are using the troops in a political fashion. It's disgraceful.
Craig should know disgraceful when he sees it, having personally represented an assassin (John Hinckley), a dictator (Fidel Castro), and foreign officials accused of war crimes (former Bolivian Defense Minister Carlos Sánchez-Berzaín). When not advising Senator Obama on matters of foreign policy, Craig remains a partner at the D.C. law firm Williams & Connolly. There he currently represents, among others, Pedro Miguel González, the president of Panama's legislature and a fugitive from justice in the United States. González is under federal indictment for the murder of U.S. Army Sgt. Zak Hernández Laporte.
Of course, Obama deserves the best representation money can buy.
Crisis Quarterback: Gregory Craig Is Calling the Plays On Clinton's Team
It takes a really smart elitist to make up a statement like that. I wonder if it was a prepared statement or something he said extemporaneously? If it was then these guys are really off the edge. He needs to be in a debate with a monkey... He would win. another other organism would clean his crappie
It is a prepared statement. Senator Claire McCaskill (D-Mo) was spouting the same BS on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace.
Curiously, he also represented Senator Kennedy in the 1991 William Kennedy Smith rape trial.
Since 1972, Craig has quit Williams & Connolly three times — once to follow his wife (with whom he has five children and a rambling Cleveland Park house) back to Yale so she could get her master’s degree in art. The second time it was to work for Kennedy, and the third was to join the State Department. In his role as the department’s resident Tibet expert, Craig struck up a friendship with Lodi Gyari, the Dalai Lama’s personal representative in Washington. “Having a discussion with Greg is good practice for negotiating with the Chinese,” Gyari jokes.
Washington, D.C. does not represent the American public in any way, shape or form.
‘Fast Tracking’ in action. Always blame someone else for you ineptitude!
Even with all his faults, President George W Bush did NOT point fingers!!
In Nobama world, seeing the troops alone, without media or staffers, is exploiting them. Apparently, Nobama and I don’t use the same dictionary.
And as for McCain, he’s simply pointing out the obvious. You announced the visit, Nobama, and then you cancelled it. And you cancelled it because you weren’t going to get fabulous photo ops with wounded men. I’m not a huge McCain fan, but if they told him he would have to visit them by himself, he would have.
Days like this....you weep anew for the loss of Ronaldus Magnus.
From our friend who is serving in Afghanistan
Hello everyone,
As you know I am not a very political person. I just wanted to pass along that Senator Obama came to Bagram Afghanistan for about an hour on his visit to ‘The War Zone’. I wanted to share with you what happened. He got off the plane and got into a bullet proof vehicle, got to the area to meet with the Major General (2 Star) who is the commander here at Bagram.
As the Soldiers where lined up to shake his hand he blew them off and didn’t say a word as he went into the conference room to meet the General. As he finished, the vehicles took him to the ClamShell (pretty much a big top tent that military personnel can play basketball or work out in with weights) so he could take his publicity pictures playing basketball. He again shunned the opportunity to talk to Soldiers to thank them for their service.
So really he was just here to make a showing for the American’s back home that he is their candidate for President. I think that if you are going to make an effort to come all the way over here you would thank those that are providing the freedom that they are providing for you.
I swear we got more thanks from the NBA Basketball Players or the Dallas Cowboy Cheer leaders than from one of the Senators, who wants to be the President of the United States. I just don’t understand how anyone would want him to be our Commander-and-Chief. It was almost that he was scared to be around those that provide the freedom for him and our great country.
If this is blunt and to the point I am sorry but I wanted you all to know what kind of caliber of person he really is. What you see in the news is all fake.
In service,
CPT Jeffrey S. Porter
Battle Captain
TF Wasatch
American Soldier
Well, of course. The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders are real Americans!
You should have cut the Captains name out of that to avoid any potential problems for him. That email is going everywhere.
Gregory Craig is lying.
Obama wouldn’t go to a military facility without someone with military experience at his side to save him from making a fool of himself.
That’s why he cancelled.
I know that snopes.com isn’t well respected here but a search of CPT Jeffrey S. Porter shows that he is now reversing his stand. Snopes won’t let you copy/paste anymore but you can check it out yourself.
I’ve heard a lot of politicians speak, but I’ve never heard one run their mouth as often and fast as Claire. Jim Talent never had a chance against this female P T Barnum.
Keep talking!
I’m beginning to think that BO goes nowhere unless their is a camera to document his travels?
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