by Christi Parsons
Eventually, candidates are going to stop making campaign appearances that also involve radio talk show hosts.
Until then, we'll keep bringing you these rare unscripted on-stage moments -- like the one that inspired Barack Obama's camp to clarify today that presumptive Republican nominee John McCain is not, in their opinion, "a warmonger."
Who said otherwise? That would be Ed Schultz, a syndicated radio host who spoke to the crowd at a North Dakota Democratic Party function on Friday, a while before Obama also addressed the same audience.
The pool report from the event indicates that Obama wasn't in the room at the time of the comment. Obama didn't speak until after a succession of introductions by other speakers.
But today, Obama spokeswoman Jen Psaki came back with a clarification about McCain, veteran and former prisoner of war.
"John McCain is not a warmonger," she said, "and should not be described as such. He's a supporter of a war that Senator Obama believes should have never been authorized and never been waged."
McCain had his own talk-show moment a few weeks ago, when host Bill Cunningham, while warming up at a McCain event, made repeated and emphastic use of Obama's full name, "Barack Hussein Obama," and generally trash-talked him.
McCain quickly condemned those remarks, and said today that Obama should do the same with Schultz.
Meantime, Schultz is still speaking his mind.
"He voted for this war. He's a perpetrator of the war. He's an advocate of the war," Schultz said of McCain today in an interview reported by the Associated Press. "In my personal definition, that's a warmonger."







Comments
That's funny since Obama, the most frequent liar of all the candidates, just had Schultz, his talk radio mouthpiece, say just that at one of his events.
But if America haters like Schultz and Obama STILL think McCain's a "warmonger," then maybe they should realize that this man has a more personal stake in winning and ending this war than either of them do.
http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/for-mccain-sons-duty-in-iraq-is-not-a-talking-point-2008-04-02.html
Posted by: Jeff | April 5, 2008 5:59 PM
Jeff,
What's it like to have your entire worldview grounded in soundbites and media spin? You, sir, are sadly mistaken if you actually believe what you posted. Wake up from your Rush Limbauh-inspired coma and do some independant thinking...
Posted by: nic | April 5, 2008 6:49 PM
Jeff:
Since you say McCain has a personal stake in winning this war, please explain what winning this war means.
Posted by: John A | April 5, 2008 7:03 PM
Listening to McCain and his GOP sockpuppets backtrack on his 100 years in Iraq and bomb bomb Iran statements would be laughble if it wasn't so tragic.
Hard to believe the GOP thinks they can win with a promise of 100 more years of this kind of crap. Via Balloon Juice, the reports on another brutal sexual assault by contractors on an American in Iraq:
http://www.balloon-juice.com/
[A]ll she could remember of the night before was screaming and screaming as the soldier anally penetrated her while a colleague who worked for defense contractor KBR held her hand--but instead of helping her, as she had hoped, he jammed his penis in her mouth. Over the next few weeks Smith would be told to keep quiet about the incident by a KBR supervisor. The camp's military liaison officer also told her not to speak about what had happened, she says. And she would follow these instructions.
KBR contractors are immune from local laws, will the Bush Administration investigate, or just look the other way? I predict no investigation from the White House, John McCain won't even mention it, and right-wing bloggers will go through the vicitm's trash cans and yearbooks looking for ways to smear her character.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2kyXN4ZVQg
Posted by: k | April 5, 2008 7:06 PM
According to the Republican National Committee, McCain never said He'd like to stay in Iraq for 100 years, or not really like it's being quoted, or there were mitigating circumstances, or...and...but...but...
The Republicans and their lackeys (Jeff) are trying to say that McCain didn't mean we'd be at war for the full hundred years. Well, then why say it? There's little indication we've "subdued" Iraq enough that we'll ever not be at war there. To do that, to eliminate any attacks on the US occupying forces, will probably never happen. But if one were open to the possibility that we could eventually subdue all Iraqi opposition, what would be a good estimate of how long it might take?
100 years sounds about right to me...and to John McCain.
The difference between John McCain and the Republican dead-enders vs the Democrats and the two-thirds or more of Americans willing to face reality is that we realize it's time to start leaving Iraq. John McCain wants us to stay there another 100 years to see if things get better. And the RNC and people like Jeff are trying desperately to convince people John McCain didn't mean it. Or didn't say it. Or...something...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vf7HYoh9YMM
The best part about their schtick is the GOPer's are actually trying to blame Obama for this....HAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Posted by: John E | April 5, 2008 7:16 PM
Hans Blix was the head of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission from January 2000 to June 2003. Dr. Blix consistently accused the U.S. and British governments of dramatising the threat of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, in order to strengthen the case for the 2003 war against the regime of Saddam Hussein.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Blix
It was politically very expedient to dismiss Hans Blix as a looney liberal , as was done before the war in Iraq, by the right wing media when facts have shown after the war the Hans Blix was correct. There were no WMD in Iraq.
McCain supported this war, and he is a war monger. When so many people including the head of United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission knew that evidence for war against iraq was flimsy, yet Bush the IMBECILE launched a war against a country that was already under UN embargo. And now we are stuck in this unwinnable, extremely costly war, that is only going to increase our debt which our children and grand children are going to pay.
McCain was a war monger.
Vote no to war mongers, vote yes to peacemakers, vote against the pessimism, vote against politics of fear, vote for optimism, vote for peace, vote for youth, vote for hope, vote for change.
Vote Barack Obama.
Posted by: JSmith | April 5, 2008 7:18 PM
America Haters.????....What a child you have become Jeff.
Posted by: bill "Hussein" r. | April 5, 2008 7:52 PM
I'm for Obama, and against the war, but I don't think that McCain is a war-monger. I think he's a basically good man who is simply misguided, like many from his generation and military background. He is doing what he thinks is right - and that's honorable. The only problem is that he's wrong. Since he believes he's right, he'll stick to his guns on the issue, as he should. That means, of course that we have to vote against him, or we'll be stuck bleeding in Iraq forever. But that's no reason to call the man names. Good & honorable men can afford to disagree without being disagreeable. Me? I'm voting for Obama. But I hope the two candidates can conduct a civil, intelligent campaign, discussing the issues without resorting to mud-slinging. It would be a rare, but wonderful thing to behold.
Posted by: FredS | April 5, 2008 8:03 PM
General George Washington was a war monger. So was Patton. So was Winston Churchill.
Posted by: Crack Head Bob | April 5, 2008 8:47 PM
a "fishmonger" sells fish, an "ironmonger" sells hardware [both english terms] and a "warmonger" sells war, ergo, john mccain is a warmonger, trying to sell a hopeless war to americans who believe, for the most part, otherwise. why would mccain deny it ? he is the liar. he has spent his entire adult life -- a long one -- in fighting, voting for, promoting, and trying to sell war, especially the rash and dumb wars that obama is opposed to. the bible says "there is a time for war and a time for peace." lennon says "give peace a chance." i think this is the time for peace, and peace deserves a chance. somebody has to quit first, if a war is ever to end. obviously the iraqi government is not going to quit until it has won its civil war against the sunnis and the shia militias. this they cannot do without american planes and tanks and blood. we must let them know that we are returning sovereignty to whatever government wins the next free and fair election and getting out. if that [doubtless shi'a] government wants to befriend iran, that's the way it ought to be. there is no doubt that iran and iraq must have peace between them if there is to be any peace in the middle east. our present government will never seek peace with iran, and will never let iraq make peace with iran. the only hope for peace in the middle east is for the u.s. to withdraw all of our armed forces including blackwater, except a platoon of marine embassy guards. anyother course of action means continued war. and the promotion of warlike policies is warmongering.
Posted by: hugh folk | April 5, 2008 10:46 PM
Obama's "campaign" made a statement, but where are those words from Obama?
Shultz has also called Hillary some outrageous names in the past... maybe Obama should not associate with radio talk show hosts if he is not going to take personal responsibility... McCain learned his lesson regarding talk show hosts... and has a legitimate beef with Shultz AND Obama.
Posted by: Nickberry | April 6, 2008 12:50 AM
McCain is probably not a warmonger and Obama is probably not a pacifist. His 2002 Iraq speech was clearer than any politician in 30 years on the conditions he would apply to go to war.
http://www.digg.com/politics/Full_text_of_Barack_Obama_s_2002_Speech_Against_the_Iraq_War
His position on Pakistan, strongly criticized in Aug-2007, has almost completely come true.
1. August 2007 debate: Obama makes vocal case for striking terrorists inside Pakistan
"Let me make this clear: There are terrorists holed up in those mountains, that murdered 3,000 Americans," said Obama during the counterterrorism address. "If we have actionable intelligence about high-valued terrorist targets and if President Musharraf will not act, we will."
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3458915
2. McCain, Hillary, Dodd, Biden all critisize him saying we should not be working against Musharraf our only advocate in the region
3. December 2007: Bhutto assassinated by terrorists
4. The Washington Post reported that in late January, a CIA aircraft fired on several buildings in the Pakistani town of Mir Ali, killing a senior al-Qaida commander and several others. The paper, quoting anonymous U.S. officials, said that the action was done without seeking approval from the Pakistani government.
5. Mid February '08, Musharraf voted out of power; US has spent $11B trying to prop. up Musharraf
6. Late February, Senator Dodd endorsed Obama
Posted by: Young Atheart | April 6, 2008 2:13 AM
McCain is probably not a warmonger and Obama is probably not a pacifist. His 2002 Iraq speech was clearer than any politician in 30 years on the conditions he would apply to go to war.
http://www.digg.com/politics/Full_text_of_Barack_Obama_s_2002_Speech_Against_the_Iraq_War
His position on Pakistan, strongly criticized in Aug-2007, has almost completely come true.
1. August 2007 debate: Obama makes vocal case for striking terrorists inside Pakistan
"Let me make this clear: There are terrorists holed up in those mountains, that murdered 3,000 Americans," said Obama during the counterterrorism address. "If we have actionable intelligence about high-valued terrorist targets and if President Musharraf will not act, we will."
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3458915
2. McCain, Hillary, Dodd, Biden all critisize him saying we should not be working against Musharraf our only advocate in the region
3. December 2007: Bhutto assassinated by terrorists
4. The Washington Post reported that in late January, a CIA aircraft fired on several buildings in the Pakistani town of Mir Ali, killing a senior al-Qaida commander and several others. The paper, quoting anonymous U.S. officials, said that the action was done without seeking approval from the Pakistani government.
5. Mid February '08, Musharraf voted out of power; US has spent $11B trying to prop. up Musharraf
6. Late February, Senator Dodd endorsed Obama
Posted by: Young Atheart | April 6, 2008 2:13 AM
McCain can't handle the truth. It makes him mad.
He will call you a "little jerk" and ridicule you in front of every one.
Posted by: Errol J. Lima | April 6, 2008 5:29 AM
"Soundbite" morons. In addition to being incapable of independent thought, toth of you obviously can't operate a computer. Click on the link I provided above. Here it is again.
Since you two lamebrains didn't read my whole post you need me to explain to you that two of McCain's sons are in the military. One of them just got back from Iraq and the other is graduating from the naval academy this year. The "personal stake" I referenced is that fact. Now go back to your soundbites.
Bill Hussein, you're the child and Schultz is exactly that.
Posted by: Jeff | April 6, 2008 9:36 PM