podesta-emails
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*Main Topics: *Obama's overseas trip, National Security*
Summary of Shift:* Obama's overseas trip received was covered to the
exclusion of almost all else today. While McCain praised the idea his
communications director was quick to call it a "photo opportunity" and
"overseas campaign rally." June was an exceptional fundraising month for
both candidates. McCain and Obama raised $22 and $52 million respectively.
Oil prices continued to go down as Al Gore made headlines today challenging
the United States to use only renewable energy sources by 2018. Direct
nuclear negotiations between top Iranian and U.S. officials are expected to
begin soon. The government has taken the salmonella warning off of tomatoes
but some types of green pepper may still be dangerous.
Highlights
1) Jill Hazelbaker interviewed
a. MSNBC: Hazelbaker calls Obama's trip "one giant photo opportunity,"
dismisses Planned Parenthood ad
b. FNC: Hazelbaker calls Obama's trip "the first of its kind campaign
rally overseas"
2) MSNBC: Shuster presses Pfotenhauer on Katrina oil spills
3) MSNBC: "Ape rape" joke an example of "McCain being McCain"
4) FNC: Carl Cameron investigates the McCain camp's hypocritical attacks
on Obama's trip
5) CNN: Paul Begala talks national security, calls out Carly Fiorina for
working with Ahmadinejad, Iran
6) CNN: Dana Bash investigates McCain's claim that "I know how to win
wars"
7) MSNBC: Planned Parenthood ad shows failings of McCain's team
8) FNC: Bill O'Reilly trashes new Planned Parenthood ad
9) Is the media treating both candidates equally?
a. FNC: What's happened to McCain's media darling status?
b. FNC: Who's really the media darling in this election?
c. MSNBC: Obama getting more airtime may be good for McCain [no clip]
10) Stephen Colbert devotes "Word" segment to McCain and psychology of
economy
11) President Bush
a. CNN: Bush continues to push that the economy is doing well
b. CNN: Bush talks government bailouts, gas prices, oil exploration,
Obama's trip to Iraq
c. CNN: Bush says we are already "surging" and have "surged" in
Afghanistan
d. CNN: Bush: "I'm not an economist . . . I'm an optimist . . . I am 62.
I'm having trouble remembering a lot of things."
12) CNN: McCain's "meal ticket" and impact of Busch deal on McCain's fortune
and campaign
13) CNN: Rep. John Boehner distances himself and Republicans from McCain's
energy policies
Clips
Highlight #1
*Hazelbaker Calls Obama's Trip "One Giant Photo Opportunity," Dismisses
Planned Parenthood Ad *(MSNBC 07/17/08 1:13pm)
MIKA BRZEZINSKI: John McCain is again telling supporters he is the underdog
in the race for the White House, a title Barack Obama is also claiming.
McCain . . . told supporters at last night's fundraiser, quote, "We are the
underdog. We are not taking the state of Nebraska for granted. I'm going to
campaign here, and compete here, and I need your help. We need to organize.
We need to get out the vote." Jill Hazelbaker is the communications director
for the McCain campaign . . .
[ . . . ]
BRZEZINSKI: Your candidate, McCain, made this claim . . . last weekend and
then again last night. What makes John McCain the underdog and is this
position one he really wants to be in at this point? I mean, what good can
he gain from calling himself the underdog?
JILL HAZELBAKER: Well, Mika, as you know, we took a very unusual path to the
nomination. John McCain always performs better when he's behind, when his
back's against the wall. He's a fighter . . .
BRZEZINSKI: . . . he did have a time there when his campaign seemed like it
was falling apart . . . he came back in a big way . . . Barack Obama, as you
know, gearing up for his trip to Europe and the Middle East. Normally when
presidents travel, critics back home lay off on the attacks but, in sort of
an unusual move, the McCain campaign has unveiled a new video about Obama
and Iraq . . . what is it going to say? And is it really going to focus on
Barack Obama and specifically his trip?
HAZELBAKER: . . . first of all, I want to say that Barack Obama set the
precedent for attacking your opponent when he was very critical of Sen.
McCain while he was in a meeting with President Uribe in Colombia . . .
we're simply following his lead. We think it's important that we set the
record straight. There is a lot of hypocrisy with Barack Obama shifting
position on Iraq and Afghanistan. On the surge Barack Obama . . . said it
would never work . . . and of course that position has been proving wrong .
. .
BRZEZINSKI: Your candidate, Sen. John McCain, mocked Obama's strategy just
moments ago, when speaking in Missouri. Let's take a listen to that:
JOHN MCCAIN: I know that Sen. Obama is going to Iraq. I was very interested
that he articulated and announced his policies on Iraq before he went. Not
after. Remarkable. I've been on a lot trips around the world, usually at
your expense, but I usually issue my policy statements when I get back.
BRZEZINSKI: . . . I've got to ask you though, is this a little bit of a low
blow? Because for Barack Obama and John McCain, the argument has a lot to do
with judgment about whether this war was the right thing to do in the first
place. *And Barack Obama, he falls in line with how a lot of people in the
country feel about that if you look at some of the public opinion polls. How
do, I don't know, how does your candidate at this point, counter the
judgment issue and is going after the fact that he's going on a trip after
he's written an editorial enough?*
HAZELBAKER: Well, the Sen. McCain, of course, had the judgment and had the
foresight to see that we needed a new strategy in Iraq so that question has
been settled. John McCain was right. Mika, it is interesting that Barack
Obama thought it was appropriate to lay out his strategy and his plan for
the way forward in Afghanistan prior to getting on the ground . . . *this
trip is a political trip for him, it's one giant photo opportunity, it is
not designed to inform his worldview.*
BRZEZINSKI: . . . we were running on *Morning Joe* this morning that Planned
Parenthood ad. I'm sure you've seen it. Talk to me about, where does John
McCain stand on the issue because a lot of women might of thought, "Why
didn't he have a quick answer for that?" You know?
HAZELBAKER: *Well, Mika, I'm sorry, in politics today, there are a lot of
gotcha games. Sen. McCain, he deals with it everyday on the campaign trail.
We afford a lot of access to the news media, sometimes that bites you but
it's at John McCain's core to be accessible to reporters like
yourself.*Let's hope that you can get on the bus with us . . . the
campaigns about the
big issues Mika, people are concerned about the economy, they're concerned
about their safety and as you said, John McCain's in Missouri today, talking
about how he can keep Americans working and how he can keep Americans safe.
BRZEZINSKI: You know, top McCain advisor, that would be Carly Fiorina . . .
she met again with undecided Clinton supporters this week, as you know,
describing these women as intensely uncomfortable about the notion of a
President Obama. About 17 million people voted for Clinton in the primaries.
How does your campaign plan to secure these votes?
HAZELBAKER: Well, Sen. Clinton should be congratulated . . . we have to
reach out to these voters the same way that we're reaching out to people
across the country. You know, Clinton voters are just like everyone else.
They want safety, they want quality education, they want affordable health
care . . . the good thing about a candidate like John McCain is he has a
25-year record of reaching across the aisle, of putting his country first,
of working on a bipartisan basis . . . that's part of the reason
independents are so attracted to his candidacy and we believe we can make
the case to some of those Clinton supporters.
*Hazelbaker Calls Obama's Trip "The First of its Kind Campaign Rally
Overseas" *(FNC, 07/17/08, 10:38am)
BILL HEMMER: What do you make of this coverage? What do you think of it?
JILL HAZELBAKER: Well in every campaign, time is a finite resource so it's
unproductive for us to spend our time worrying about how much the media
loves Barack Obama. John McCain's in Missouri today talking directly to
voters about how he's going to keep them safe and how he's going to keep
people working.
HEMMER: Do you think there is a bias towards Senator Obama?
HAZELBAKER: *Well, Senator Obama is visiting Iraq and Afghanistan, I found
it interesting that he released his plan for the way forward in Iraq and
Afghanistan prior to visiting the region or talking to any of the commanders
on the ground. Lets drop the pretense that this is a fact-finding trip and
let's call it what it is. The first of its kind campaign rally overseas.*
BILL HEMMER: What you think of all the attention this trip is getting so
far? Do you consider it fair? Do you consider it over the top?
JILL HAZELBAKER: It is not for me to decide. The American people choose
their president. The media can cover its any way they want. Lie I said, it's
unproductive for us to spend our day worrying about the media coverage that
Barack Obama is going to get. But it certainly didn't escape our notice that
the three networks are decamping for Europe to interview Barack Obama.
HEMMER: There are some who are saying that this is new guy treatment. Ronald
Reagan go it, Michael Dukakis got it. George Bush I got it. Is that valid?
HAZELBAKER: Again, it's not for me to decide. What I hope that people will
pay attention to is Barack Obama on the policy. He hasn't visited Iraq for
nearly 900 days. So he has quite a few questions to answer on his way
forward. On Afghanistan, I sure hope that one of these network anchors will
ask him why if he had direct oversight into hearings on Afghanistan in the
United States Senate, he neglected to hold even one hearing. I hope someone
will ask him why he voted against funding for the troops in both Afghanistan
and Iraq. Again, not for me to decide how the media covers, but there are
certainly some important questions to be asked of him.
HEMMER: I respect your opinion n that. How about this, the Washington Post
wrote about it yesterday. The Philadelphia Enquirer picked it up today.
Saying that his position on Iraq is too confining. Are his feet planted in
cement on this issue?
HAZELBAKER: I think he has some problems with the far left in his party.
Barack Obama was opposed to the surge from the beginning. John McCain stood
up when the situation was deteriorating in Iraq and said we need a new
strategy. He fought hard with members of his own party for the strategy that
is succeeding today. It is going to be difficult for Barack Obama to
continue to say that we need to leave Iraq when we see success on the
ground.
HEMMER: It appears come September more U.S. troops are going be pulled out
of Iraq. If you read all the tea leaves out there it appears that is the way
it is going to go. Does that take this issue, if not entirely off the table,
make it less of an issue come September and October, leading up to the
campaign?
HAZELBAKER: Of course not. Iraq and Afghanistan as well continue to be a
significant point of national security for the United States. It is an issue
of judgment. John McCain had the judgment to stand up and say we need a new
strategy in Iraq, we need a surge strategy that is working. The American
people are going to have to decide whether john McCain' s judgment on Iraq
which has proven to be right is better than Barack Obama' judgment on Iraq
which has been proven to be wrong.
HEMMER: Well, the knife can cut both ways on this too, and a gaffe on a trip
like this with this much coverage will amplified to the nth degree. So
there is risk in this as well. [�]
Highlight #2
*Shuster Presses Pfotenhauer on Katrina Oil Spills* (MSNBC 07/17/08 4:02pm)
DAVID SHUSTER: We begin with Barack Obama's high-profile trip to
Afghanistan, Iraq, the Middle East and Europe. This is a trip the McCain
campaign has been asking Obama to make for months. Nancy Pfotenhauer is a
senior policy adviser with the McCain campaign . . . Obama's going to talk
to commanders on the ground. Afterwards, if he says America needs to leave
Iraq by 2010, would you be willing to acknowledge that this is simply a
policy disagreement between the campaigns?
NANCY PFOTENHAUER: What's interesting, David . . . before he left on his
fact finding mission, he wrote an op-ed and gave a speech saying what his
conclusions will be. So, it will be a little difficult, I think, to pass the
last test when he comes back . . . you have Senator McCain who went to Iraq,
who listened to commanders, came back, advocated the surge and predicted it
would succeed. Then you have Obama who opposed the surge and still won't
admit it succeeded. Senator McCain's foresight was better than Barack
Obama's hindsight.
SHUSTER: Nancy, as you know, a key issue related to the Middle East is oil
and energy independence . . . McCain supports increased offshore drilling .
. . Barack Obama does not. Earlier this week on this program, though, you
defended off shore drilling and said, quote, "We with stood Hurricanes Rita
and Katrina and did not spill a drop." In fact, the U.S. Mineral Management
Service said that Katrina and Rita caused 124 offshore spills for a total of
more than 743,000 gallons of oil and refined products spilled. So, Nancy,
you want to take back what you said?
PFOTENHAUER: Well, I actually do. I was misinformed. And my embarrassment
aside, the point is still we had a remarkable performance, that you had
about 16,000 barrels that were lost during two of the worst storms that have
ever . . . hit our coastline in recent history, and keep in mind, David,
that 1700 barrels per day naturally seeped into the ocean floor. 365 days a
year you're at about 620 thousand barrels per day, pardon me, per year, that
naturally seep into the ocean floor. So this is a remarkable performance of
technology. And according to the Oceanic Industry Association, since 1985,
we've pulled 7 billion gallons of oil out of the federal offshore area, and
we have only filled about one one-thousandth of that oil. That's a 98.999%
success rate. That's why other developed nations don't tie their hands the
way we do.
[ . . . ]
SHUSTER: . . . as the McCain campaign is vetting potential running mates
we've been doing the same thing . . . here are a few things we've found in
our Mitt Romney archive. Watch.
MITT ROMNEY: He is the co-author of McCain-Feingold. Which I think took a
whack at the first amendment and I do believe, as well, hurt our party
significantly. I think it's made money have a greater influence in politics
today, not less influence.
[Romney Primary ad plays]
NARRATOR: John McCain, an honorable man, but is he the right republican for
the future? McCain opposes repeal of the death tax and voted against the
Bush tax cuts. Twice. McCain pushed to let every illegal immigrant to stay
here permanently. He even voted to allow illegal's to collect Social
Security.
SHUSTER: Nancy, how does the McCain campaign feel about those Romney
comments and that Romney ad from the primary?
PFOTENHAUER: *Well, I, I, you've heard senator McCain say, personally, how
much he appreciates all the work that Governor Romney's been doing for him.
He's just a fantastic spokesperson, and advocate of senator McCain, so I,
I-- Senator McCain speaks to how he feels about Mitt Romney and it's
positive, certainly at this juncture. But you do point out an interesting
thing that comes out of primary battles.* I mean, we had Senator Biden's
words quoted back at him, today, because he was criticizing Barack Obama
saying, you know, back when Barack Obama rolled out his supposed
counterterrorism strategy, Senator Biden shot off a press release saying,
well, welcome to the club, you didn't show up for the hearings, you didn't
vote for it. You're Johnny come lately I think is the term. It's interesting
because you will see a lot of comparisons made during primaries that people
later probably regret.
Highlight #3
*"Ape Rape" Joke An Example of "McCain Being McCain" *(MSNBC 07/17/08
8:38pm)
KEITH OLBERMANN: It is hard to know which is more astonishing, that John
McCain does not outright deny he told a joke in 1986 about a woman who
enjoyed being raped by a gorilla or the defense that McCain's campaign
offered today for that joke and others . . . quote, "Did you hear the one
about the woman who is attacked on the street by a gorilla, beaten
senseless, raped repeatedly and left to die? When she finally regains
consciousness and tries to speak, her doctor leans to hear her sigh
contently and to feebly ask, 'Where is that marvelous ape?'" That was 1986.
Here is today's non-apology from a spokesman who said, "McCain does not
recall telling the joke." Not that McCain didn't, couldn't, wouldn't tell
such a joke but, quote, *"He's long said that he's said and done things in
the past that he regrets. You just got to move on and be yourself�that's
what people want. They want somebody who's authentic, and this kind of stuff
is a good example of McCain being McCain." Apparently a rape joke is
authentic McCain.* Authentic also in his jokes about war with Iran, a war
that would kill Americans and, as McCain joked on camera, Iranians.
REPORTER: We've learned that exports to Iran increased tenfold during the
Bush administration. The biggest export was cigarettes . . .
JOHN MCCAIN: Maybe that's a way of killing them . . .
OLBERMANN: McCain is often praised for self-deprecation, he now has a record
of picking on those who are close to him, his own staff and those unable or
less able to defend themselves, the elderly, even before he began to join
their ranks and frequently, it seems, women, including not only his own
wife, with an I stopped beating my wife line earlier this year, with an
unrepeatable word years ago which he denies but also as we mentioned, rape
victims and even an 18-year old, Chelsea Clinton, McCain's target of choice
for a 1998 Republican audience for how ugly she was, a joke that also
attacked another woman, Janet Reno, a joke for which McCain later had the
decency, if not the authenticity to apologize . . . McCain's spokesman
writing this off as authenticity, but if you're telling hurtful jokes about
victims, isn't authentic the last thing you want to be? Who defends a rape
joke, saying, in effect, lighten up, I did mean it?
RACHAEL MADDOW: You know, I interviewed Ben Smith from Politico.com about
this today. I called him specifically to ask about that because I almost
couldn't believe that that would be a campaign's response to something like
this. That a campaign would respond to their candidate being accused of
having joked about how much women love being raped by saying, that just
shows how authentic he is. That's just McCain being McCain. And what Ben
says is that they really meant the McCain being McCain explanation as a
generic, general response to the sadistic and mean comments that McCain has
made like this over the years but it's not specific to the rape joke. Which
completely leaves the problem as it is. *Essentially they're still saying
this is authentic McCain, this is McCain being McCain and if you want him to
be president, you should know that he likes to pick on women and mock
18-year old girls for their looks. It implies that they think that his
sadistic streak is part of what we ought to like about him.*
OLBERMANN: Well, that's called appealing to the base. Yesterday McCain was
asked whether he would fill out the NAACP survey. He said he fills out
literally every survey. It was a quote, "literally." But not the AFL-CIO
survey on working family issues, not the American Association of People With
Disabilities survey . . . not even the survey from Project Vote Smart, which
was one of the groups; he sat on their board until he refused to answer
their survey. If you throw in the rest of that record and the pastors he
threw under the bus, where is he in terms of authenticity capital . . .?
MADDOW: If anybody's interested, there's a kind of fascinating presidential
campaign that could use some reporting right now. But is it involves a
candidate who changed his position on Bush's tax cuts, who changed his own
lauded position on immigration reform, who changed his position on whether
or not US troops should leave Iraq if the Iraqi government ever asked us to,
changed his position on whether Afghanistan needs more troops, who changed
his position on torture, who changed his position on which football team
linemen he named when telling his torturers something to put them off the
scent . . . if you're trying to catalogue John McCain's authenticity as a
candidate, there is a fabulous collapse happening right now in American
politics that is just waiting to be catalogued.
OLBERMANN: Let's say I'm not and I'm more interested in where he stands on
women's groups and women's issues . . .
MADDOW: *He's improved to the extent that sometimes the things that he is
saying and people in his campaign are saying that are not true about his
record sometimes those falsehoods about his record are better.* For example,
Carly Fiorina recently said that John McCain would support requiring
insurance companies to also cover contraception if they cover Viagra . . .
turns out he voted against that. John McCain suggest recently that he's all
in favor of equal pay for equal work . . . he suggested that he's been in
favor of that and his record reflects that. The problem is that he's voted
against that every time he's had the chance to do so. *So his falsehoods
about his records are getting better for women all the time.*
Highlight #4
*Carl Cameron Investigates the McCain Camp's Hypocritical Attacks on Obama's
Trip* (FNC, 07/17/08)
BRIT HUME: *John McCain likes to portray himself as a politician who will
tell you exactly what he thinks, like it or not. But some unwelcome candor
from one of McCain's aids today about Barack Obama's upcoming overseas trip
had the candidate promising a little straight talk with his chief of
communications.*
CARL CAMERON: As John McCain rolled through Missouri on his campaign bus, he
found himself seemingly at odds with his communications director who was at
headquarters bashing Barack Obama's upcoming foreign trip.
JILL HAZELBAKER: *So let's drop the pretense and call it what it is. This is
an overseas campaign rally for Barack Obama. This is not designed to inform
his worldview, it's to further his political ambitions.*
CAMERON: That was to be a big part of McCain's message, before and during
Obama's trip. But on the straight talk express the candidate disagreed and
said he'd straighten it out.
MCCAIN: I will talk to her, but the fact is I'm glad that he's going to Iraq
and I'm glad that he's going to Afghanistan, and it's long, long overdue if
you want to lead this nation and secure our national security.
REPORTER: So you disagree, you don't think it's a campaign trip?
MCCAIN: No.
CAMERON: McCain later clarified saying he does not think the Iraq and
Afghanistan legs of Obama's trip will be campaign rallies, but Obama's
European stops will be. Team Obama fired back. Quote, "The McCain campaign
should stop worrying about Barack Obama's travel plans and start focusing on
addressing the pressing challenges that the Bush-McCain foreign policy has
made worse." At a Kansas City town hall meeting, McCain blasted Obama's
opposition to the troop surge and 16 month withdrawal timetable, as based
not on facts but campaign considerations.
MCCAIN: Our strategy must be dictated by the situation on the ground, not
some artificially politically inspired schedule for withdrawal as Senator
Obama wants to do.
CAMERON: To contrast, his own political calculus supporting the surge,
McCain hauled out a line that he often used when his campaign was at its
lowest point last year.
MCCAIN: Well many political pundits said that my political ambitions were at
an end. And I understood that. But I also want to remind you that I said at
the time that I would much rather lose a political campaign than lose a war.
And I was willing to do whatever is necessary.
CAMERON: McCain aids say that Obama's chosen an opposite course, withdrawal
despite the surge's success. McCain they say knows Obama's visits to
Afghanistan and Iraq will not include rallies but since he's already
pre-determined his policies, it will be jammed with political theater, they
say. And once Obama's out of the war zone, McCain and his aids are in total
agreement, a string of Obama campaign rallies in other countries.
Highlight #5
*Dana Bash Investigates McCain's Claim That "I know how to win wars."* (CNN,
07/15/08, 8:06pm)
DANA BASH: John McCain was supposed to talk, once again today about the
economy. But aids scrabbled to move up a speech about Afghanistan in order
to offer a contrast to Obama's address today. They saw it as a chance to
play on what McCain aids believe is their turf, foreign policy.
Experience is his calling card, and on a day both candidates talked national
security, John McCain laid this down as a basic test.
JOHN MCCAIN: I know how to win wars.
BASH: He offered proof. A new proposal for Afghanistan, where violence has
spiked.
MCCAIN: And I'll turn around the war in Afghanistan just as we have turned
around the war in Iraq. With a comprehensive strategy for victory.
BASH: McCain was an earlier supporter of the military surge in Iraq, which
he repeatedly tells voters is working. He said he would apply those lessons
to Afghanistan. More troops and a better strategy for how to use them.
[McCain Clip Shown]
BASH: But this was as much about slamming Obama's war plans as praising his
own. Obama wants to take troops out of Iraq and send them to Afghanistan.
MCCAIN: Senator Obama will tell you that we can't win in Afghanistan without
losing in Iraq. In fact, he has it exactly backwards. It is precisely the
success of the surge in Iraq that shows us the way to succeed in Afghanistan
BASH: He mocked Obama for outlying his plan for Afghanistan before ever
visiting the country.
[McCain clip shown]
BASH: Later on his bus, McCain continued to hit Obama on his national
security credentials. McCain reminded reporters that Obama is chairman of
the Senate Committee that oversees NATO which has command in Afghanistan,
but Obama has never held a hearing.
Highlight #6
*Paul Begala Talks National Security, Calls Out Carly Fiorina for Working
With Ahmadinejad, Iran* (CNN, 07/15/08, 4:44pm)
WOLF BLITZER: This is the one area, as you know Paul, national security,
where John McCain polls really well against Barack Obama. And some suggest
whenever Obama has to deal with this, he sort of falling into a trap laid by
the McCain campaign. What do you think?
PAUL BEGALA: I think tactically McCain wins the day, because he's stronger
on national security in the eyes of the voters. But I think what Obama's
trying to do is be strategic. He can't allow that gap to continue. That
strength gap, that national security gap. So he, I think, is willing to
sacrifice the day. The news of the day should have been the economy, right?
[�]
KEVIN MADDEN: [�] This is exactly the type of terrain, the issue terrain,
that John McCain wants. Where he wins here, is that John McCain has a
certain degree of clarity here. And what Barack Obama is doing is
re-litigating his position on Iraq. He's changed it in the last couple of
days. He's using rather amorphous language. He's trying to win on nuance.
Where as John McCain can go and make a very black and white issue, and
that's where John McCain wins. He looks more like a commander in chief, and
the judgment of voters right now in a lot of these polls we're seeing, is
that John McCain wins that debate.
BLITZER: And the McCain campaign is really ridiculing this passage. This
excerpt from Senator Obama's speech today dealing with Iranian President
Ahmadinejad. [�] The McCain campaign is saying, why would you meet with this
guy who calls for Israel's destruction, says it's nothing more than a
stinking corpse?
BEGALA: *Right, that is the extension of the Bush policy. We only meet with
our friends. Well, guess what? We don't have any more friends, to speak of,
around the world. I think, Barack Obama has the better of the argument here.
But here's the thing we should look for. When will he counter attack? If
John McCain is so all-fire opposed to the Iranians, why is his chief
economic advisor, Carly Fiorina, a woman who when she ran HewlettPackard as
CEO, HewlettPackard was selling computers to the Iranian regime! A terrorist
regime. Counter-attack Barack! If I was advising him I would say, make Carly
Fiorina the Ahmadinejad. She's already participated in a company that was
selling equipment to the Iranians. Computers, at that!*
MADDEN: [�] This, again, is where John McCain can win. It becomes a question
of whether or not you have the experience, whether or not you have the
readiness to take over the oval office and to be commander in chief. And
Barack Obama is going to continue to lose that.
BLITZER: What about the argument that Senator Obama made today. It was a
major part of this speech, when he said, you know what? Talk about national
security judgment. Senator McCain was wrong back in October, November 2002
in supporting this war in Iraq. The biggest strategic blunder in recent
years. I was right in opposing this war in Iraq, and all of the negative
consequences, the trillion dollars Senator Obama says that have occurred.
The 4,000 Americans plus, who have been killed, wouldn't have happened if
Senator McCain among others wouldn't had been a cheerleader for this war.
MADDEN: Well, I think that that is an effort by the Obama campaign to make
what they believe is their most compelling argument. But I think a lot of
Americans right now are not going to be making a judgment on this election
at this time based on whether or not we ought to be re-litigating when we
went in. But instead, what's your plan for going forward? How are you going
to achieve success?
BLITZER: Is it just history?
MADDEN: Who has the best credentials to do that?
BLITZER: Politically, put on your strategic political hat, can he make the
case as he tried to do repeatedly against Hillary Clinton, I was right in
opposing this war, she was wrong in voting for it. And now he'd have to make
the same case against McCain.
BEGALA: It certainly worked in the primaries against Senator Clinton and his
other opponents.
BLITZER: Does it work in the general election?
BEGALA:* I think yes. I think it's good to go right at the other fella's
strength. Don't make it the entire campaign, but go right at that. And John
McCain, not just Dick Cheney, John McCain said we will be greeted as
liberators. John McCain said, at one point, the war would last a month or
two. It was John McCain, who was part and parcel, of misleading us into this
war, and I think that is an important thing. It also has the strategic
advantage of linking again, once more, to George W. Bush, the most unpopular
president of modern times.*
[�]
BEGALA: This is where, now, John McCain is chasing Barack. Obama comes out
today, as he has said for months, and said Afghanistan, al-Qaeda, Pakistan,
that' where we need to be. Well guess what, Senator McCain almost never
mentions Afghanistan. And just a month ago, he said we have sufficient
forces in Afghanistan. Then Obama says we need more troops in Afghanistan.
It's McCain now chasing Barack, saying well I guess Barack's right, we do
need more troops in Afghanistan.
MADDEN: I think John McCain has shown he does have the experience, he knows
a lot more about Afghanistan and this, whole entire theater on the war on
terror, than Barack Obama does. [�]
[�]
BEGALA: [�] *I thought Obama's best line today was when he said, McCain says
when violence is up the troops have to say, and when violence is down the
troops have to stay. McCain wants troops there a hundred years.*
Highlight #7
*Planned Parenthood Ad Shows Failings of McCain's Team *(MSNBC 07/17/08
5:44pm)
MIKE BARNICLE: The first one is an ad put out by Planned Parenthood, check
this out.
[Planned Parenthood ad plays]
BARNICLE: . . . I feel badly for John McCain there.
MIKE PAUL: Translation, "I'm not ready answer that right now" is very
different than "I'm not informed enough on the issue." You're putting it in
a juxtaposition with this Viagra thing. You know what? I'm also thinking of
the conservatives and the right, the Christian right as well. I'm just not
prepared for that question right now. And *frankly that's not just a John
McCain problem, that's a John McCain team problem. They should've been more
prepared than that. If I were working on his campaign he should've been able
to answer that question.*
BARNICLE: Steve, it gets into the whole pro-life, pro-choice issue and the
women's vote in this country, which does not break well for John McCain,
right?
STEVE MACMAHON: That's right, and this is an issue that's important to
women. Sen. McCain has voted twice against requiring health insurance
companies to cover contraception for women. It looked a little like he was
briefed for that appearance by Governor Sanford . . . maybe those two guys
do fit together nicely on a ticket.
BARNICLE: That's a tough one for John McCain
Highlight #8
*Bill O'Reilly Trashes New Planned Parenthood Ad* (FNC, 07/17/08, 8:50pm)
BILL O'REILLY: On a similar subject, the Planned Parenthood fanatics want
you and me to pay for everybody's birth control so they used John McCain to
make that point.
[Planned Parenthood ad shown]
Ok, listen up. Viagra is used to help a medical condition. That's why it's
covered! Birth control is not a medical condition. It is a choice. Why
should I or anybody else have to pay for other people's choices? Do I have
to buy you dinner before you use the birth control? Give me and every other
tax payer a break, Planned Parenthood.
Highlight #9
*What's Happened To McCain's Media Darling Status?* (FNC, 07/17/08, 8:40pm)
BILL O'REILLY: Terry MacAlluf, you know, big guy in a Clinton world, said,
was screaming that NBC News and others were in the tank for Obama and this
hurt Hillary Clinton. Now, some say, the same thing is happening in the
general campaign against John McCain. Do you see it that way?
HOWARD WOLFSON: *Well, I think John McCain has always been the media daring.
And he and his campaign must be looking around and saying, what happened?* I
think that the fact that the media is more disposed towards Barack Obama is
a huge advantage for him. It's not a reason why he will win, but it
certainly gets him a leg up. And it's a big disadvantage for John McCain who
used to be the media darling.
[�]
O'REILLY: When the three anchors announced they were going to Iraq, did you
feel that was strange? [�] When that announcement was made did that mean
anything to you?
WOLFSON: Yeah, I thought it was an unusual decision. *I think the question
that they would have to ask themselves is, whether they would provide the
same level of coverage for John McCain?*
O'REILLY: Well the answer is no.
WOLFSON: The answer I think is unknown because McCain hasn't had a trip of
this length.
O'REILLY: No, but they wouldn't do it. However, to be fair and you know I
always like to be that, Barack Obama and Iraq is a huge story. So we all
know where John McCain stands on Iraq, he's not going to change his mind.
That's it. But now, Obama's waffling on it a little bit. So, everybody's
going, well what's he going to do here? So there it becomes a bigger story.
WOLFSON: Well, it's also a ratings issue. Barack Obama is interesting to
viewers [�] If I'm in the McCain campaign I'm looking for equitable
coverage.
O'REILLY: You're not going to get it though.
WOLFSON: So far I'd say it be a real concern if I were working for John
McCain. And I think it must be, again, especially shocking for them because
for so long John McCain has enjoyed such good press.
*Who's Really the Media Darling This Election?* (FNC, 07/17/08, 8:15pm)
BERNARD GOLDBERG: If we needed any more proof Bill, that the networks were
on the Barack Obama campaign team, this is it. They're covering this
upcoming trip as if he were already the president. By sending their anchors
they're also sending a not so subtle message to their audience. Their
message is this trip is important, because we don't send our anchors unless
the trip is important, right? And they're also saying it's a lot more
important than the trip to the Middle East that campaign made. *Because John
McCain, as far as a lot of the mainstream media is concerned, is just
another run of the mill white politician and Barack Obama is anything but
that. According to the mainstream media.*
[�]
JANE HALL: You know, let me take a bit of the other side. *When John McCain
was running his candidacy in 2000 for presidency, he said the press was his
base. The guy was running on fumes and wall to wall media coverage*. Obama
benefits from being the new kid on the block. I agree with you that this
gives the importance of a state visit, which is a little premature. [�]
BILL O'REILLY: [�] Is this fair?
HALL: I think it's a bit much, but, republicans have made his lack of
foreign policy experience an issue. And the fact that he's going abroad [�]
Highlight #10
*Stephen Colbert Devotes Word to McCain and Psychology of Economy* (Comedy
Central, 07/16/08, 11:40pm)
STEPHEN COLBERT: Nation, oil's at nearly $140 dollars a barrel. It's getting
so that to fill your gas tank you have to take out a mortgage from your
bank. If you can still find a bank that's in business. Only two years ago
oil was at $78 dollars a barrel. If gas gets any higher, it'll be starring
in a movie opposite Tommy Chong. There's a lot of debate over what's causing
this crisis, but luckily some leaders understand what the real problem is.
JOHN MCCAIN: I think psychologically. And a lot of our problems today, as
you know, are psychological. Confidence, trust, uncertainty about our
economic future, ability to keep our own home.
COLBERT: Losing your home is psychological. A lot of people forget that
shelter is really just a state of mind. Clearly America needs psychological
help. Which brings us to tonight's word. Placebo.
Folks, when scientists have a new medicine, they test it on two groups. One
that gets the life saving drug, and one that is told they are getting the
life saving drug, but in fact are getting a sugar pill called a placebo.
[Also Called "Airborne"]
Well, sometimes, sometimes a funny thing happens. Patients who have taken
the sugar pill get better.
[Until They Contract Diabetes]
You see, what happens is their brain fools their body into believing that
useless pill was medicine.
[Same Part of Brain That Generates Votes for Ron Paul]
Well, I think what we need right now is a national sugar pill.
[Technically, High-Fructose Corn Syrup]
John McCain and President Bush understand that. Here's what the President
had to say about their plans to expand offshore drilling.
BUSH: I readily concede that it's not going to produce a drop of oil
tomorrow, but it is going to change the psychology.
COLBERT: The psychology! You see Bush readily concedes that it's not going
to help out here. But in here.
[Only Place Where He Has 50% Approval Rating]
This I believe, is a bold new direction for America.
[Straight To Fantasyland]
That folks, that's not change you can believe in. It's change you have to
believe in.
[Clap Or The Gas Fairy Will Die]
My only problem with these guys is that they're telling us that their plans
won't actually do anything. That's like a pot dealer standing on the street
corner and saying who wants to buy some of my oregano?
[Matthew McConaughey?}
Mr. President, Senator McCain, just tell us your energy plan is the
stickiest-icky. The hairiest, most chronic bud this side of the Himalaya's.
[Stephen Has No Idea What He's Talking About]
If you just do that for us I promise we'll believe you.
[See: Iraq War]
And we'll believe you because we want to. We want to believe that the
nothing you're offering is the something we've all been waiting for.
[Rush For The First Time In 30 Years!]
Besides, who doesn't like sugar pills? They're cheap, they taste good, and
there are no unpleasant side effects like having to change our driving
habits.
[Just Our Life Expectancy]
*But if you give us nothing, and tell us it's nothing, well that's a better
pill to swallow.*
[Placebo]
And that's the word.
Highlight #11
*Bush Continues To Push That the Economy Is Doing Well* (CNN, 07/15/08,
10:23am)
GEORGE BUSH: Our citizens are rightly concerned about the difficulties in
the housing markets and high gasoline prices and the failure of the
democratic congress to address these and other pressing issues. Yet, despite
the challenges we face, our economy has demonstrated remarkable resilience.
While the unemployment rate has risen, it remains at 5.5 percent, which is
still low by historical standards. And the economy continued to grow in the
first quarter of this year. The growth is slower than we would have liked,
but it was growth nonetheless. We saw the signs of a slowdown early and
enacted a bipartisan economic stimulus package. We have now delivered more
than $91 billion in tax relief to more than more than 112 million American
households this year. It's going to take some time before we feel the full
benefit of the economic stimulus package, but the early signs are
encouraging. Retail sales were up in May and June, and should contribute and
will contribute to economic growth. In the months ahead, we expect more
Americans to take advantage of these stimulus payments, and inject new
energy into our economy. The bottom line is this, we are going through a
tough time. But our economy is continually growing, consumers are spending,
businesses are investing, exports continue increasing, and American
productivity remains strong. We can have confidence in the long-term
foundation of our economy and I believe we will come through this challenge
stronger than ever before.
*Bush Talks Government Bailouts, Gas Prices, Oil Exploration, Obama's Trip
to Iraq* (CNN, 07/15/08, 10:33am)
REPORTER: [�] Are there other entities that are so crucial to stability,
that they would require government action to show support for them?
GEORGE BUSH: Government action, if you are talking about bailing out, if
your question is should the government bailout private enterprise, the
answer is no it shouldn't. And by the way, the decisions on Fannie Mae and
Freddie Mac, I hear some people say it is a bailout, I don't think it is a
bailout. The shareholders still own the company. That's why I said we want
this to continue to be a shareholder-owned company. In this case, there is a
feeling that the government will stand behind mortgages through these new
entities. And therefore we felt a special need to step up and say that we
are going to provide, if needed, temporary assistance through either debt or
capital. In terms of private enterprises, I do not think the government
ought to be involved with bailing out companies. I think the government
should create conditions so that companies can survive. I have listed four.
One of the things I am deeply troubled about is the people that think it is
okay to raise taxes during these times. It would be a huge mistake to raise
taxes right now.
[�]
REPORTER: Mr. President, in February you were asked about Americans facing
the prospect of $4 per gallon gasoline, and you said you'd had not heard of
that at the time.
GEORGE BUSH: I have heard of it now.
REPORTER: Gas prices are now approaching $5 per gallon, in some parts of the
country. Offshore oil exploration is obviously a long-term approach, what is
the short-term advice for Americans? What can you do now to help out?
GEORGE BUSH: First of all, there is this psychology in the oil market that
basically says that supplies are going to stay stagnant while demand rises.
And that is reflected somewhat in the price of crude oil. Gasoline prices
are reflected. The amount of gasoline, the price at the pump is reflected in
the price of crude oil. And therefore, seems like it makes sense to me to
say to the world, that we going to use new technologies to explore for oil
and gas in the United States. Offshore oil, Anwar, oil shail projects, to
help change the psychology, to send a clear message that the supplies of oil
will increase. Secondly, obviously, good conservation measures matters. I
have been reading a lot about how the automobile companies are beginning to
adjust. Consumers are beginning to say, now wait a minute, I don't want a
gas guzzler anymore, I want a smaller car. So, the two need to go hand in
hand. There is no immediate fix. This took us a while to get to this
problem, there is no short-term solution. I think I was in the rose garden
where I issued this brilliant statement, if I had a magic wand, but the
president doesn't have a magic want. You just can't say, low gas. It took us
awhile to get here, and we need to have a good strategy to get out of it.
REPORTER: What about the strategic petroleum oil reserve, what about opening
up that?
BUSH: The strategic petroleum oil reserve is for emergencies, but that
doesn't address the fundamental issue. And we need to address the
fundamental issue, which i frankly, have been talking about since I first
became president, which is a combination of using technology to have
alternative sources of energy but, at the same time, finding oil and gas
here at home. Now is the time to get it done. I heard somebody say, well
it's going to take seven years. Well if we had done this seven years ago, we
would be having a different conversation today. i am not suggesting that it
would have completely, you know, changed the dynamics in the world, but it
certainly would have been, we would be using more of our own oil and
spending less money overseas.
[�]
REPORTER: And we know you prize loyalty, and I ask, I wonder if you feel
betrayed by Scott McClellan' assessment of the war in Iraq. And moving
forward, since there have been positive signs on the ground in Iraq, Senator
Obama is also about to take a trip there. What would be your advice to him
as he tries to assess the situation on the ground?
BUSH: I have had no comment, no comment now on Scott's book. Secondly, I
would ask him to listen carefully to Ryan Crocker and General Petraues.
There is a temptation to let the politics at home get in the way with the
considered judgment of the commanders. That is why i strongly rejected an
artificial timetable of withdrawal. It is kind of like an arbitrary thing.
We will decide, in the halls of Congress how to conduct our affairs in Iraq
based upon polls and politics, and we will impose this on people. As opposed
to listening to our commanders, and our diplomats, and listening to the
Iraqis for that matter. The Iraqi's have invited us to be there. But they
share a goal with us, which is to get our troops out as conditions permit.
Matter of fact, that is what we are doing. Return on success has been the
strategy of this administration. And our troops are coming home, but based
upon success. So I would ask that whoever goes there, whatever elected
official goes there, to listen carefully to what is taking place. And
understand that the best way to go forward is to listen to the parties
actually on the ground. That is hard to do, I understand for some in
Washington, there is a lot of pressure. You got these groups out there,
moveon.org, banging away on these candidates, it is hard to kind of divorce
yourself from the politics. I am glad that all, a lot of these elected
officials are going over there. Cause they are going to get an interesting
insight. Something that you don't get from just reading your wonderful
newspapers, listening to your t.v. shows.
*Bush Says We are Already "Surging" and Have "Surged" In Afghanistan* (CNN,
07/15/08, 10:44am)
REPORTER: Should Americans expect a troop surge in Afghanistan?
GEORGE BUSH: We are surging troops in Afghanistan. We will analyze the
situation, of course, and make a determination based on the conditions on
the ground. But we did surge troops. We surged troops, France surged troops,
I said in Bucharest, we'll add more troops. And then, of course, we have to
make sure that the strategy works. Have a counter-insurgency strategy that
not only provides security but also provides economic follow up after the
security has been enhanced. The question really facing the country is will
we have the patience and determination to succeed in these very difficult
theaters. And I understand exhaustion. And I understand people getting
tired. But I would hope that whoever follows me understands that we are at
war. And now is not the time to give up in the struggle against this enemy.
And that while there has not been an attack on the homeland, that is not to
say that people do not want to attack us. And safe havens become very
dangerous for the American people, and we need to deny that safe haven. And
at the same time, win the struggle by advancing democracy. This is an
ideological struggle that we are involved in. These people kill for a
reason. They want us to leave, they want us to, you know, not push back,
they do not want democracy to succeed. And yet, if given a chance, democracy
will succeed. And so these two theaters are the big challenges of the time,
and the war itself is a challenge.
*Bush: "I'm not an economist� I'm an optimist� I am 62. I'm having trouble
remembering a lot of things."* (CNN, 07/15/08, 11:05am)
GEORGE BUSH: Whether the economy will turn around? I'm not an economist, but
I do believe that we are growing, and I can remember, this press conference
here, people yelling recession this, recession that, as if you're
economists. I'm an optimist. I believe there are a lot of positive things
for our economy. But I will tell you, it is not going the way it should, and
I am sorry people are paying as high of gasoline prices as they are.
[�]
BUSH: What was the question? I am 62. I'm having trouble remembering a lot
of things.
REPORTER: It was about Afghanistan, sir.
BUSH: Good, I remember it now.
Highlight #12
*CNN Investigates McCain's "Meal Ticket" and Impact of Busch Deal on
McCain's Fortune and Campaign* (CNN, 07/15/08, 8:44pm)
CAMPBELL BROWN: So there could be some political fallout to this weeks big
deal in the beer industry. The Belgium company InBev is buying
Anheuser-Busch for $52 million bucks. Cindy McCain just happens to run one
of the biggest Anheuser-Busch distributers in the country, beyond what she
stands to make in the deal, red flags are already starting to go up on how a
McCain presidency would affect his wife's business.
DAVID MATTINGLY: *Fair to say, Cindy McCain, is not only a wife to Senator
John McCain, she is also his meal ticket*. Her reported 2006 income of more
than 6 million dollars exceeded her husband's earnings 16 times over*. That
money pays for a wealthy lifestyle of high-end condos, an Arizona ranch,
flying in a corporate jet, and more.*
KEN VOGEL: He wouldn't be able to afford that if not for her. Politically,
he is in Congress arguably because her company and her wealth funded his
first Congressional campaign and has certainly been helpful in subsidizing
his presidential campaign.
MATTINGLY: It's a lifestyle built on beer. Cindy McCain is on the chair of
one of the biggest Anheuser-Busch distributers in the country. A company
founded by her father with a value estimated at more than $100 million. In
Congress, Senator McCain has been able to avoid a conflict of interest by
staying out of the family business and excusing himself from beer related
issues. But critics of that industry doubt that a President McCain would be
able to stay so hands-off.
BRUCE LIVINGSTON: I*t would not be possible, the corporation of which Cindy
McCain is an owner of has lobbied ten times in the last 8 years on various
issues that have gone to Congress and that have gone to executive branch
agencies.*
MATTINGLY: As President, Senator McCain would run a mammoth beaurocracy with
regulatory control over alcohol sales, distribution, and consumption. The
next administration would probably have to deal with issues of beer taxes,
labeling, maybe even the politically sensitive international merger just
announced involving the giant Anheuser-Busch. These are all issues that
could create a conflict because they could have an impact on the McCain
family bottom line.
Though she does not run the day to day operations, Cindy McCain's Hensley &
Co. website links to a newsletter calling for a rollback in the Federal beer
tax. And this 2005 letter posted on the internet by the Los Angeles Times
shows company executive Andrew McCain. *Yes, that is the Senator's son
lobbying against a Federal beer labeling proposal.*
[�]
JAMAL SIMMONS: Of course there are red flags. The real question is not so
much about what Cindy McCain does for a living, because she can do whatever
she wants to do for a living, this is America. The question is whether or
not John McCain is going to lead a transparent government, and he so far is
not leading a transparent campaign. Here's what I mean. *He hasn't talked
about how much he pays, or why he doesn't pay full fair for those airplane
flights he flies around in that jet. He doesn't talk about what's going to
happen to Cindy McCain if he goes into the White House. And so the question
is, of course he listens to somebody like Phil Gramm who thinks that the
economy is all in our heads, or that economic problems are all mental,
because John McCain he has eight houses, they spend $750,000 on credit cards
in one month, and he's flying around the country in this corporate jet. He's
not in touch with where most of Americans are.*
[�]
BROWN: McCain has used his wife's fortune to help fund his campaign,
providing a private plane to travel around the country. [�] Does he have an
obligation to be open with people about this if you want to be president of
the United States?
[�]
GLORIA BORGER: There is sort of a basic issue of transparency here, because
this is sort of the bedrock of John McCain's campaign, which he wants to be
open. His wife has only released the first two pages of her 2006 tax
returns. And I remember in covering the 2004 campaign when Teresa Heinz
Kerry who is also a very wealthy women, wealthier than Cindy McCain, did not
want to release her taxes, republicans were complaining about it.
[�]
SIMMONS: That month where he was spending $750,000 dollars on credit card
debts was from March 2007 until the beginning of, middle of 2008, and that's
when they were spending all this money on credit cards. *They would not have
been able to keep the John McCain campaign alive had he not had this
personal wealth.*
Highlight #13
*Rep. John Boehner Distances Himself and Republicans From McCain's Energy
Policies* (CNN, 07/15/08, 4:17pm)
WOLF BLITZER: Senator McCain has been outspoken in his determination to deal
with global warming in contradiction to some of the republicans out there
who have some doubts about the whole science of that.
JOHN BOEHNER: I think that John McCain's position is not really very
different than most Republicans. [�] The fact is, that we have had climate
change. Clearly, humans have something to do with it. And we ought to begin
reducing our CO2 emmisions. [�]
--
Evan Whitbeck
Tracker/Media Analyst
Progressive Accountability Office
[email protected]
202-609-7677 (w)
360-480-0786 (c)
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