Not so straight talk from McCain

[WeaselInYerFoot]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioy90nF2anI

One of the many out there.

[WeaselInYerFoot]

More "not so straight talk" from the straight talker.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GEtZlR3zp4c

[Les_Is_More]

Thanks for the links. McCain is such a joke! :rolleyes:

I'm proudly voting for Dr. Paul in tomorrow's Oregon primary.

[Evanescence]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioy90nF2anI

One of the many out there.

LOL !!!!!!!!!!!!

What a sad sack !!!!!!!!

Just like Obama.... double talk and pandering !

[rossid]

I'll take him over Obama any day...

[WeaselInYerFoot]

I'll take him over Obama any day...

I'll take neither.

[Les_Is_More]

I'll take neither.

Is there any way Ron Paul would run as an independent? Otherwise I won't be voting for a president.

[WeaselInYerFoot]

Is there any way Ron Paul would run as an independent? Otherwise I won't be voting for a president.

I doubt it. He knows how ineffective third party runs are. I'll vote for him if he's on the ballot. If not, then I'm sitting this one out.

[Les_Is_More]

I actually think he would fair well in the election, if he ran. Many Clinton supporters would vote for him due to his stance on the war and their grudge against losing. Also, conservatives who aren't happy with McCain would vote for him. Isn't Nader running as well?

[Sam!]

Why not vote for him anyway? Surely that's better than not voting at all?

[WeaselInYerFoot]

Why not vote for him anyway? Surely that's better than not voting at all?

Surely. I've actually decided to go with Bob Barr. He has similar views (save the war in Iraq) and has an interesting history that has taught him much. Just as an example, he was in charge of the war on drugs and has then learned how ineffective it is. It may be a wasted vote, but like I said before, I rather vote for someone I want and not win than to vote for someone I don't want, and win.

[Sam!]

That's the problem in this country. People would rather "win" than actually cast their opinion.

[Debbie]

According to todays paper, Obama seems to be changing is tune about the war and having the troops out in 16 months. Ensuring our troops are safe is is noteable, however, I take his next statement' "and that Iraq is stable" as, this war could continue indefinitely. If elected, I can only pray he has a plan that will work to stablize the country. Somehow, I don't see that happening. If it does, and it happens quickly, I pray that some of our fears are not there to greet us concerning the ties this man may really have.

I just do not trust this man..

The Washington Post

Published: July 4, 2008

FARGO, N.D. - FARGO, N.D. - Sen. Barack Obama raised the possibility of slowing a promised gradual 16-month withdrawal from Iraq if he is elected president, saying Thursday that he will consult with military commanders on an upcoming trip to the region and "continue to refine" his proposals.

"My 16-month timeline, if you examine everything I've said, was always premised on making sure our troops were safe," Obama told reporters as his campaign plane landed in North Dakota.

"And my guiding approach continues to be that we've got to make sure that our troops are safe, and that Iraq is stable. And I'm going to continue to gather information to find out whether those conditions still hold."

At a news conference, Obama insisted his policies had not changed and that he has "not equivocated" or "searched for maneuvering room" on Iraq.

Consultations with commanders in the coming weeks will be focused more on the size of U.S. forces needed to train and equip Iraqi military and police units, as well as maintaining a "counterterrorism strike force" to prevent al-Qaida from making a comeback, Obama said.

"Let me be as clear as I can be. I intend to end this war," he said.

"My first day in office, I will bring the Joint Chiefs of Staff in, and I will give them a new mission. That is to end this war, responsibly, deliberately, but decisively."

Thus far, he added, he has seen nothing to contradict his belief that one to two combat brigades could be pulled out each month over 16 months.

Obama, the presumptive Democratic nominee, has long said the nation "must be as careful getting out of Iraq as it was reckless going in."

Thursday's comments were his most extensive on perhaps the most important foreign policy issue of the campaign, the future of U.S. military involvement in Iraq.

And it came during a swing through traditionally Republican states that Obama thinks he can put in play this fall.

He stressed he still thinks it would be "a strategic error for us to maintain a long-term occupation in Iraq" when conditions in Afghanistan have worsened, al-Qaida has been regrouping in Pakistan and U.S. resources have been strained as the nation spends $10 billion to $12 billion a month in Iraq "that we desperately need here at home."

A pledge to end the war elicited applause as he held a town hall meeting in Fargo under an umbrella of poplar trees at Yunker Farm.

However, he told reporters, "I have always said I would listen to the commanders on the ground. I have always said that the pace of withdrawal would be dictated by the safety and security of our troops and the need to maintain stability. That assessment has not changed. When I go to Iraq and have time to talk to the commanders on the ground, I'm sure I'll have more information and will continue to refine my policies."

Obama also suggested that McCain aides had been working to create the impression "we were changing our policy, when we haven't." And Republicans did not hesitate to pounce Thursday.

"There appears to be no issue that Barack Obama is not willing to reverse himself on for the sake of political expedience," said Republican National Committee spokesman Alex Conant.

[rossid]

Statements on war make sense to me.


Gay marriage statements are very waffly.


I doubt it. He knows how ineffective third party runs are. I'll vote for him if he's on the ballot. If not, then I'm sitting this one out.I was going to encourage you to vote.

Surely. I've actually decided to go with Bob Barr. He has similar views (save the war in Iraq) and has an interesting history that has taught him much. Just as an example, he was in charge of the war on drugs and has then learned how ineffective it is. It may be a wasted vote, but like I said before, I rather vote for someone I want and not win than to vote for someone I don't want, and win.It looks like hopefully you will vote.

*goes to start Obama straight talk thread*

[WeaselInYerFoot]

Flip Flops from McCain...

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, McCain reversed course on prohibiting waterboarding.

5. McCain favored 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.

8. McCain supported moving "toward normalization of relations" with Cuba. Now he believes the opposite.

9. McCain believed the United States should engage in diplomacy with Hamas. Now he believes the opposite.

10. McCain believed the United States 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 idea and a bad idea.

16. 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."

17. 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.

18. McCain was against expanding the GI Bill before he was for it.

Domestic Policy

19. McCain defended "privatizing" Social Security. Now he says he's against privatization (though he actually still supports it.)

20. McCain wanted to change the Republican Party platform to protect abortion rights in cases of rape and incest. Now he doesn't.

21. McCain supported storing spent nuclear fuel at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. Now he believes the opposite.

22. He argued that the NRA should not have a role in the Republican Party's policy making. Now he believes the opposite.

23. 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.

24. McCain is both for and against earmarks for Arizona.

25. 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.

26. McCain went from saying gay marriage should be allowed, to saying gay marriage shouldn't be allowed.

27. McCain opposed a holiday to honor Martin Luther King Jr. before he supported it.

28. McCain was anti-ethanol. Now he's pro-ethanol.

29. McCain was both for and against state promotion of the Confederate flag.

30. 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.

Economic Policy

31. McCain was against Bush's tax cuts for the very wealthy before he was for them.

32. 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.

33. 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.

34. 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.

35. McCain thought the estate tax was perfectly fair. Now he believes the opposite.

36. 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."

37. McCain has changed his entire economic worldview on multiple occasions.

38. McCain believes Americans are both better and worse off economically than they were before Bush took office.

Energy Policy

39. McCain supported the moratorium on coastal drilling; now he's against it.

40. McCain recently announced his strong opposition to a windfall tax on oil company profits. Three weeks earlier, he was perfectly comfortable with the idea.

41. McCain endorsed a cap-and-trade policy with a mandatory emissions cap. In mid-June, McCain announced he wants the caps to be voluntary.

42. 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.

43. McCain supported the Lieberman/Warner legislation to combat global warming. Now he doesn't.

Immigration Policy

44. McCain was a co-sponsor of the DREAM Act, which would grant legal status to illegal immigrants' kids who graduate from high school. Now he's against it.

45. On immigration policy in general, McCain announced in February 2008 that he would vote against his own bill.

46. 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

47. McCain said he would "not impose a litmus test on any nominee." He used to promise the opposite.

48. McCain believes 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.

49. McCain went from saying he would not support repeal of Roe v. Wade to saying the exact opposite.

Campaign, Ethics, and Lobbying Reform

50. McCain supported his own lobbying-reform legislation from 1997. Now he doesn't.

51. 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.

52. McCain supported a campaign-finance bill, which bore his name, on strengthening the public-financing system. In June 2007, he abandoned his own legislation.

Politics and Associations

53. McCain wanted political support from radical televangelist John Hagee. Now he doesn't.

54. McCain wanted political support from radical televangelist Rod Parsley. Now he doesn't.

55. McCain says he considered and did not consider joining John Kerry's Democratic ticket in 2004.

56. McCain is both for and against attacking Barack Obama over his former pastor at his former church.

57. 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.

58. 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.

59. McCain was against presidential candidates campaigning at Bob Jones University before he was for it.

60. 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.

61. 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.

Source (http://www.alternet.org/election08/90956/?page=1)

I think flip flops are common with any person. But if we're going to criticize Obama for flip flops, then perhaps we should look at who we choose with the same eyes.