Obama Campaign: McCain Not a 'Warmonger'

[LTR]

I posted this in LBN, but I thought I'd post here as well.


------------------------------------------

WASHINGTON (AP) — Democrat Barack Obama's presidential campaign on Saturday repudiated a liberal talk show host's description of Sen. John McCain as a warmonger, a comment made to an audience that Obama later addressed.

Ed Schultz, host of a nationally syndicated radio program that is based in Fargo, N.D., was warming up the crowd Friday at a $100-a-person fundraiser for the North Dakota Democratic party in Grand Forks when he tagged the Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting as a "warmonger," Schultz acknowledged in a telephone interview Saturday.

(snip)

"He voted for this war. He's a perpetrator of the war. He's an advocate of the war," Schultz said. "In my personal definition, that's a warmonger."

(snip)

But on Saturday, Obama campaign spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement: "John McCain is not a warmonger 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."

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h-aFR0cZ6zXvNM9uKG8SHex5VoYAD8VRTGK80

Here's a little backstory, via my blog:

http://ltradio.blogspot.com/2008/04/mccain-furious-at-schultz-over.html

And notice the little jab at McCain in the Obama campaign statement?

[depakid]

1. Now there's the way to win in the fall!

Enable McCain.

Is there any wonder that so many are less than impressed with EITHER of the two remaining candidates?

[Forkboy]

8. How would it serve the Dem candidates to call McCain a warmonger?

John Q Public will tune that kind of stuff right out if they use a term like that. There's ways to say it without actually saying it, and that's the art of politics.

Yes, people like you and I would love to see that said in no uncertain terms, but politics doesn't work that way, and if either candidate says this it'll blow up in their face.

[Cha]

19. hilary practically endorsed mccain

so her camp's not calling him a "warmonger". Ed Schultz can say what he wants.. he's a radio guy but I think this is very politically savvy of Obama to say it like it is with finesse.

[rodeodance]

30. still telling that LIE.

[depakid]

20. He doesn't need to upbraid surrogates who do

That's a move one would expect from a Dukakis style campaign -and will have similar results. Fact is, McCain's on the record doing things like singing stupid songs about bombing Iran and making 100 year war statements. John Q. Public, already tired of this war, won't be impressed by that (to say the least).

These sorts of perceptions need to be reinforced, not torn down.

I'm also reminded of 2000, where Lieberman sat down at that table and made Cheney look like such a reasonable man- almost grandfatherly, rather than clearly and systematically exposing his extremist record. Look what that brought us.

[Forkboy]

23. I agree, but there are words that are overly charged that can backfire.

That's all I'm saying.

Either way, McCain is in for a whoopin'. :)

[GarbagemanLB]

2. A jab at McCain and Hillary, but with class. His campaign is a good example for future campaigns to

follow.

[stellanoir]

3. "He's just never seen a war he didn't like."

ughhhh

[MadBadger]

4. He has to do this.

[tokenlib]

5. Well, Ed did say it was his opinion...

..to bad we have to apologize for personal opinions. But it is understandable.

[MadBadger]

6. The statement wasnt an apology., it just said they disagreed.

[Cha]

21. Precisely..

[babylonsister]

7. McCain on the 'warmonger' remark

Obama is showing respect; nothin' wrong with that.

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/04/05/863058.aspx

McCain on the 'warmonger' remark
Posted: Saturday, April 05, 2008 4:15 PM by Mark Murray
Filed Under: 2008, McCain, Obama

From NBC/NJ's Adam Aigner-Treworgy and NBC's Mark Murray


McCain at his media avail today: "It's a free country, and we have freedom of speech in America, and Mr. {Ed} Shultz is entitled to his views. I would hope that in keeping with his commitment that Sen. Obama would rapidly condemn, Sen. Obama would condemn such language since it was part of his campaign. But that kind of thing, I don't think is necessary at all in this campaign. I made it very clear how I feel about war and my experiences with it."

As mentioned earlier, the Obama campaign didn't condemn Schultz's remark, but issued this statement: "John McCain is not a warmonger 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."

And contrary what McCain said, Shultz's remark wasn't technically part of Obama's campaign; it came at a fundraiser for the North Dakota Democratic Party, which Obama attended.

[PoliticalAmazon]

14. Too bad McCain didn't show the same honor when he allowed a supporter...

...to call HRC a "bitch" without challenge.

If anything else, this incident shows that Obama is a more honorable man than McCain is.

[PA Democrat]

15. I actually got a chuckle out of Obama's statement.

Someone who supports a war that never should have been waged IS a warmonger.

[PoliticalAmazon]

9. Well, to be 100% truthful, McCain isn't a war monger. A warmonger is...

...someone who works to get wars started. Michael Ledeen is a war monger. Bush Jr is a war monger. But, to my knowledge, McCain isn't out there stirring the pot and looking for excuses to start wars.

But I see no benefit in Obama rising to his defense...unless Obama is already looking beyond PA and trying to show GOP voters that he is a fair fighter.

[bunnies]

10. "He's a supporter of war"

Obama got his dig in. In a PC way. Good for him.

[malletgirl02]

25. I thought that was kind of clever

Kind of like a nonapology apology.

[jody]

11. That's cute BO says McCain is not a warmonger so people should not accuse BO of being a warmonger as

he moves closer to McCain.

[MediaBabe]

12. Gotta have that 'wiggle room'

That's a good politician for ya. Always looking for how to have it both ways just in case McCain is elected and Obama is once again just one of a hundred.

[OzarkDem]

13. Obama is McCain-lite

[GarbagemanLB]

24. Then Hillary IS mccain

[Middle finga]

16. Why do the Obama campaign feel the need to respond to something

Ed Schulz said, Ed isn't a part of Obama's campaign. Anyone who still support the war against the people of Iraq is a warmonger and an evil human being.

[rodeodance]

38. yeah--He the BO camp endorses McCain but they let the Randi Rhodes smear slide by.

[Middle finga]

17. Delete

[UALRBSofL]

18. Thanks for posting the article OP

It might actually turn out to be a nice little sound bite on the Clinton stump speech. :)

[dkf]

22. Name calling is lame.

Calling him out on his actions...that works for everyone.

[NashVegas]

26. So, Does This Mean He Thinks Hillary IS a Fucking Whore?

[rodeodance]

32. "So, Does This Mean He Thinks Hillary IS a Fucking Whore?"--stop SPAMING

[Swamp Rat]

27. Jen Psaki is wrong

McCain is a definately a warmonger.

[LTR]

28. Yeah, but the Obama campaign couldn't just come out and say that

Politics doesn't work like that. And Obama has done well in cultivating a persona of someone who handles delicate matters with class.

Notice he did get in a jab at McCain for supporting the war. Very deft touch.

[Lilith Velkor]

29. ZOMG HE PRACTICALLY ENDORSED MCCAIN!!!1!

(I know, I know...it's not evil if Obama does it...) :eyes:

[rodeodance]

33. We heard that lie from BO supporters for months now. I like the sound of it for BO

[Vinca]

31. As I responded to your post in LBN -

Obama and McCain both want to conduct respectful campaigns. We'll come to appreciate that when the swifties gear up.

[rodeodance]

35. To bad BO started the gutter politics with the race-card. NOTHING "respectful" about that.

Original Message
As I responded to your post in LBN -
Posted by Vinca


Obama and McCain both want to conduct respectful campaigns. We'll come to appreciate that when the swifties gear up.

[Vinca]

36. What an old, tired meme. You need to follow your leader and

make up some new stories.

[rodeodance]

37. Here is BO being interviewed by Russert about the 4-page race memo from the BO camp:

QUOTE
RUSSERT: In terms of accountability, Senator Obama, Senator Clinton on Sunday told me that the Obama campaign had been pushing this storyline. And, true enough, your press secretary in South Carolina -- four pages of alleged comments made by the Clinton people about the issue of race.
In hindsight, do you regret pushing this story?


OBAMA: Well, not only in hindsight, but going forward. I think that, as Hillary said, our supporters, our staff get overzealous. They start saying things that I would not say. And it is my responsibility to make sure that we’re setting a clear tone in our campaign, and I take that responsibility very seriously, which is why I spoke yesterday and sent a message in case people were not clear that what we want to do is make sure that we focus on the issues.

Now, there are going to be significant issues that we debate, and some serious differences that we have. OBAMA: And I’m sure those will be on display today.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/15/us/polit...PPg1RgmjYp5ZFTw

[Enrique]

34. good for Obama

:toast: