(Jake Turcotte)
McCain hits Obama on national security in new ad
By Jimmy Orr | 08.27.08
Foreign policy - the theme tonight. Foreign policy - the new McCain ad. See how it works?
As if the McCain campaign were clairvoyant, they rolled out a new campaign commercial coinciding with the theme of Day 3 at the Democratic Convention.
What do you just bet the Obama folks will be every bit as psychic next week?
They are calling today “Securing America’s Future.” And the DNC says Barack has got the goods to deliver. Specifically, so they say, “he offers a new, tough foreign policy that is neither Republican nor Democratic, but is a strong, smart American foreign policy to make our country more secure and advance our interests in the world.”
If you were betting that John McCain has a different position, as Ed McMahon would say, “You are correct, sir.”
The McCain camp says Barack Obama doesn’t believe Iran poses a serious threat, “even though they support terrorism, are developing nuclear capabilities and repeatedly threaten to eliminate Israel” reads another one of these good morning emails the McCain people keep sending.
Monitor colleague Alexandra Marks has a solid piece this morning discussing the hurdles that Senator Biden is going to have to clear. It’s not going to be easy.
Senator Biden will have a challenge cut out for him. Four years ago, decorated veteran John Kerry tried to shore up his party’s credibility on national security when he “reported for duty” and stressed national security during his convention speech. He ended up actually dropping by one percentage point in the polls.
In 2008, the GOP’s presumed nominee, John McCain, is a war hero and former POW. He outpolls Barack Obama on the national security issue by four or five percentage points. Among military veterans, who tend to take strong stands for national security, McCain beats Senator Obama by as much as 20 points.
Back to the new ad. The ominous voice — he’s back in this spot. But, in a twist, the voice doesn’t sound as hushed. Watch for yourself (below).
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2. Merle Izard Higgison | 08.27.08
True statement and imperative that it be taken seriously by all of us. Obama is not qualified to be president.
3. Robert Jaffe | 08.27.08
Well, that quote was taken completely out of context, but fine. What exactly makes McCain qualified? I noticed alot of scary things in that video, but nothing about McCain. Weird, huh?
4. Joseph Frisbie | 08.27.08
As a vietnam veteran, I once respected John McCain. The ads and low life strategy of his campaign has changed that. I know McCain has more experience but has he the judgement? He may more experience to lead but…
WHERE IS HE GOING TO LEAD US? THAT IS THE QUESTION TO BE ASKED.
5. Joseph Frisbie | 08.27.08
As a vietnam veteran, I once respected John McCain. The ads and low life strategy of his campaign has changed that.
I know McCain has more experience but has he the judgement? He may more experience to lead but…
WHERE IS HE GOING TO LEAD US? THAT IS THE QUESTION TO BE ASKED.
He is willing to opt for the swift boat approach that will win at all costs. His values have changed midstream in the campaign. What do want? I will say it. I will lie and create ads even CNN and Fox won’t air.
In short… I DON’T TRUST HIM.
6. Charlie S | 08.27.08
Obama can and should pounce HARD. I think Randy Scheunemann has to be a target on McCain’s foreign policy. He was one of the original drafters of PNAC, the bible to Neo-Con foreign policy, and he has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Republic of Georgia while writing Mccain’s foreign policy. “Today, we are all Georgians”. Who do you work for John? Maybe you forgot we’re Americans because your chief foreign policy advisor gets his paychecks from a foreign country.
7. Kristian | 08.27.08
McCain has taken the quote out of context to show fear:
“Strong countries and strong Presidents talk to their adversaries. That’s what Kennedy did with Khrushchev. That’s what Reagan did with Gorbachev. That’s what Nixon did with Mao. I mean think about it. Iran, Cuba, Venezuela — these countries are tiny compared to the Soviet Union. They don’t pose a serious threat to us the way the Soviet Union posed a threat to us. And yet we were willing to talk to the Soviet Union at the time when they were saying we’re going to wipe you off the planet.”
He’s not saying Iran isn’t a threat. He’s not saying that he won’t take Iran on. Obama has always spoke heavily against Iran. It’s actually a fine point about him that a lot of his earlier supporters did not know about him. He’s always spoken forcefully about Iran but has said, over and over again, that you can solve a lot of these problems with diplomacy. It’s an easy thing to agree with when thinking about the Iraq war.
8. Katharine | 08.27.08
Charlie- exactly. McCain says he is ‘country first’. The question is, which country?
9. Katharine | 08.27.08
I think, if McCain is going to use ridicule, Obama should too. Like, Iran borders on Pakistan? Putin is the president of Germany? The difference between ***** and Sunnis? Czechoslovakia??? If McCain wants to argue experience in foreign affairs, how come he cant even get the basics right?
10. Thomas | 08.27.08
McCain is pretty much banking on the continued ignorance of voters. This strategy works now, but he’s likely to be in trouble in the debates.
While I am not one to borrow from liberal attack dogs (if still basing their attacks in facts), the type of people who will fall for McCain’s good and evil rhetoric in the face of Obama’s thoughtful and multi-perspectival answers will be, as Al Franken calls them, the dittoheads.
These arguments work like this:
Obama: Iran is not a threat in the way that it has been portrayed by the Bush Administration. To the extent that it is a threat, we must negotiate with them in order to keep open lines of communication to attempt to solve the problem diplomatically. We were incorrect about Iraq’s nuclear program, and we have not found it necessary to go to war with North Korea despite theirs. War with Iran as anything but the very last resort would be imprudent, irresponsible, damaging to America’s reputation, and an unnecessary and frivolous use of brave American lives for the sake of petty political goals.
McCain: My opponent likes to portray Iran as a ’small’ country, an ‘irrelevant’ country. But, my friends, it was in a lonely, small country bordering Pakistan that the terrorists which brought us 9/11 hatched their plot, harbored by the anti-American government there: that country was Afghanistan. You know that Iran sponsors terrorism just like Afghanistan does. Was invading Afghanistan the ‘wrong’ thing to do? I don’t want to go to war, I know firsthand what it’s like to be in war. But I will do anything to keep this country that I love, and the people in it, safe.
etc. etc.
The issue with the argument as I have written it for McCain is that it rests on a narrow perspective and hasty generalizations and parallels. Obama’s arguments have a tendency to make it sound like they excessively downplay threats that do indeed exist: because he talks from the perspective of taking the world situation into account. McCain’s arguments, instead, overinflate these threats, using the questionable hyperbole of “Any threat to the United States is a serious one that should not be taken lightly,” with a dash of character assassination in insinuating that anyone who’s not willing to bomb the bejesus out of countries that dislike the U.S. is unpatriotic. The catch: What country does that sound a lot like?
Yep.
11. Saint Michael Traveler | 08.27.08
Senator McCain Ad makes Iran an Issue
Senator McCain attempts to divert our attention away from our national problems by creating imaginary threats such as Iran. He forgets that we have seen these puppet masters works and we have learned about their tricks.
Senator McCain is out of touch with my generation. My generation demanded we should give all children in America the same opportunity irrespective of the gender, color of skin, religion of the parents, and the national origin of the parents, or where they live in America. My generation supported the American workers, farmers, and the middle class.
The Republican Party represents the “me-generation”. The life objectives of the “me-generation” are to get money as much as you can and where ever you can. Then, use the money to buy more power and self-gratification.
The Republican Party is responsible for the mass migration of the American industry and technical jobs to other countries; they had one objective to maximize their profits using the cheapest labors at the expense of the environment. The Republican Party is responsible for withdrawing investment in our country’s infrastructures and industries so that they can invest the capital in the other nations; they had one objective to maximize their returns at the expense of the American future.
The Republican Party and their flag bearer Senator McCain supports multi-national corporations whose sole allegiance is to the profits at the expense of my children and grand children? The Democratic Party supports the workers, the farmers and the middle class Americans.
Senator McCain, we have seen the Republican Party’s puppet dance before. It would not work again. The issues are: job, medical insurance, transportation, education, housing, and the national infrastructures.
12. Charles | 08.27.08
On effectiveness alone this is a great ad. The McCain team has been coming up with a lot of these ads lately too. Obama should man up and fight back. He is only fairing slightly better than John Kerry did in ‘04.
@Katherine - Seriously, do you want to make that argument? How many states in Barack Obama’s America? Is it 57 or 60?
@Kristian - Name for me please one diplomatic tactic that will convince the islamofacist state of Iran to end it’s pursuit of nuclear weaponry and agree to live peacefully with Israel. I’m waiting…
13. Rocky | 08.27.08
Bully the world
Make threats
Pound your chest
Dont negotiate with our adversaries
A simple plan from the neo-con minds
Will the American peope swallow this same old unsucessful narrative, that got us here today, on our failed foreign policy, these past 7 years, from a man with 30 years experience in the US Senate, graduating 5th from the bottom of a USN class of over 500 students?
14. tom | 08.27.08
Since 9 /11 the Republicans seem to have a lock on fearmongering Its like a Mantra . I have had enough of the overindulged priviliged tough boys
Bush , Chaney and McCain who wouldnt know a real threat if they saw one.
We have become a nation of the intimidated. Meanwhile our civil liberties have been abridged ,our economy has been decimated and our troops abused in a foolish boondoggle in Iraq for the last six years and counting.If the Republicans keep it up we will not need an enemy to destroy us we will spend and overextend ourselves into oblivian
Who we going to provoke a fight with now …Iran? maybe Russia lets not forget North Korea, Syria ?Our enemy list is a long one and getting longer by the day.
There has to be a better way otherwise there is little hope for us all
15. Mike M | 08.27.08
So what does McCain want to do, kill everybody. John McCain is all talk. Where does he get this vast amount of experience on foreign policy from. He crashed 5 planes and sat out the whole war. Your talking about a guy that finished last in his class and can’t even work a computer. He’s all over You Tube lying about everything he says. He also has a mad dog foaming out the mouth temper (like me) that could get us all killed. The biggest nightmare of all is the press hiding the truth from the public. Obama better get with it. He needs to fire back on every add McCain puts out or he’s gonna lose this election.
16. Socrates | 08.27.08
SAINT MICHAEL TRAVELER - Republicans didn’t send the jobs over seas - greedy Democratic Unions did. A Union brick layer in a New York earns $65 per hour to lay brick. That same brick layer in non-union Florida earns $15. What justifies the $50 disparity. Unfortunately the “for the people” unions drove American corporations elsewhere to find labor cheap enough to help them earn a profit to sustain buisness.
What is wrong with profit? Since when is this word a bad one?
Unfortunately, most people I know, who barely eek out a living, hate their jobs and blame the politians and “oil companies, corporations, etc.” for their misfortunes, are Democrats. The Democratic party truly is a sad one.
How could you possible label Republicans as the “me” party when most welfare recipients are Democratic? Answer that question for me?
Obama is no savior. Nor is he capable of running our country. I hate everything Hillary stands for but I will gladly say that she has 500% more capability of being a world leader than the currently nominated buffoon.
17. Raymond Micheals | 08.28.08
John McCain has proven time and time again that he is willing to distort what Obama says.
I think Obama should spare us this idea of saying nice things about John McCain on the stump. I dont want to hear it again. John McCain is too dishonourable to get any kind workds from his opponents.
18. zane | 08.28.08
I to am a Viet Nam vet and a life long Conservative.. I had a tremendous amount of respect for John McCain and still do. But, I am afraid that it is time that John McCain should anser a simple question. Did he spend 6 years in the Hanoi Hilton to come home to tell Americans that they should be afraid? I find the whole idea repulsive.
McCain seems no longer to be his own man. He seems to be willing to do or say whatever the Rovians tell him to do. For the life of me, I cannot understand how a man like this would sully his own good name with this kind of trash.
20. Robert of New York | 08.28.08
Listen to all you pathetic whining liberals. You basically want to put a child in the office of the Presidency. If Obama somehow wins, you’ll get what you richly deserve.
21. Marlon | 08.29.08
All these countries are threats, and they become bigger threats with McCain in office, since he’s not as willing to use diplomatic solutions as Obama. How many countries do you think we can bully into standing down? Our army’s stretched thin as it is. If Iran _really_ wanted to try something, and all McCain said was some bluster about “we’ll use military force,” our army would be hurt bad. Russia could get involved, and China.
I’m a Democrat but no, I’m not naive. I think we have to be careful of Iran. We’re not as powerful as we used to be. I don’t think that being aggressively militant is the same as being careful. Obama’s foreign policy is way more careful, way more nuanced than McSame Warhawk’s.
Remember the Cuba Missile Crisis? That was solved by cool heads, not firebrand voices for war. The only Americans eager to fight wars in this globalized day and age are people who believe in Armageddon and the second coming of Christ.
22. Jose in AZ | 08.29.08
If indeed one felt strongly “COUNTRY FIRST”, then acknowledge the good in what the *american* opponent has to say.
McCain of 2000 would have done that. McCain of 2008 has sold out to the disciples of Karl Rove.
McCain, what positive things will happen if you’re elected? And remember, expressing that “negative things won’t happen” isn’t actually positive in the minds of America…Just in your mind or one of your 7 houses.
BTW: Look this up on Wikipedia, which cites McCain’s own biography: McCain decided to run for congress in AZ’s 1st congressional district after incumbent J.J. Rhoads announced his retirement. Cindy promptly purchased a house in that district *the day the retirement was announced*. In other words, he wasn’t eligible to represent that district until he Cindy bought him that house. No wonder he loses track of how many they have.
23. Steve of MV | 08.30.08
THE BATTLE HYMN OF THE REPUBLICANS
It’s McCain and not Obama who shall never call retreat.
It’s McCain and not Obama who can man the judgment seat.
It’s McCain’s and not Obama’s surge that saved us from defeat.
We’ll cast our votes for John.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
We’ll cast our votes for John.
It’s McCain and not Obama who has served across the sea.
It’s McCain and not Obama who has fought for you and me.
It’s McCain and not Obama who can keep free nations free.
We’ll cast our votes for John.
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
We’ll cast our votes for John.
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Jimmy Orr has worked in politics for the majority of his professional career working for two U.S. Senators, two Governors and one President. Most recently, Orr served as White House Spokesman and Internet Director for President George W. Bush and Special Advisor to Governor Schwarzenegger for Internet Communications.
David Cook is Washington bureau chief of The Christian Science Monitor and host of the Monitor's newsmaker breakfasts. He was the Monitor's editor from 1994 to 2001. Cook is a graduate of Principia College, served in the U.S. Army, was a Bagehot Fellow at Columbia University, and is a member of the Gridiron Club, Washington's oldest journalistic organization.
1. THW | 08.27.08
The Frightening about these commercials is that they try to frighten. The major problem with McCain is not “experience” but judgement or more to the point lack of judgement. Is approach is not unlike Putin, if you get in our way I will trample you.
His experience relates more to the 19th century rather than the 21St. I would say he still is a prisoner but now he is a prisoner of history. Is experience is dated and out of touch.