McCain calls Obama insincere

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.suntimes.com/output/news/cst-nws-obama07.html

WASHINGTON -- Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) received a dressing down Monday from Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who accused the freshman of using the ethics reform issue for "self-interested partisan posturing."

In a sarcastic letter, McCain accused Obama, the Senate Democrats' new lead spokesman on ethics, of not wanting to sincerely negotiate a bipartisan reform of lobbying.

Obama replied Monday that he was "puzzled" over McCain's letter and pledged to continue to work together on reform.

"I confess that I have no idea" what prompted the letter, Obama wrote Monday. "But let me assure you that I am not interested in typical partisan rhetoric or posturing. The fact that you have now questioned my sincerity and my desire to put aside politics for the public interest is regrettable but does not in any way diminish my deep respect for you nor my willingness to find a bipartisan solution to this problem."

[Wetzelbill]

1. of all people to accuse somebody of that

maybe McCain might want to nut up and stand up to the man whose campaign targeted his own wife and daughter instead of hugging and sucking up in the hope that he might get the chance to be president someday.

[Eric J in MN]

3. McCain also attacked the movie "Fahrenheit 9/11" on national TV,

without having seen it.


Real sincere.

[Wetzelbill]

5. yeah, he called MM a disengenous filmmaker at the Repub convention

McCain is a guy who would sell out on anything to be president, or even have a shot at it. His ambition blinds him. He's relatively moderate on some issues and he has ridden that into making people believe he is some kind of truth crusading Maverick. Psh, whatever. McCain's biggest attribute is that he doesn't suck quite as bad as most of the people in his party and that's about it. He's a shameless opportunist who has never met a camera he didn't like.

[tsuki]

7. What is he a moderate on?

[NNN0LHI]

Excellent question n/t

[Wetzelbill]

11. relatively moderate

on some economic issues. For example, he didn't vote for some of Bush's tax cuts. He's also moderate in terms of religion in politics. That's why the fundies hate his guts. Not really moderate on much else though. In fact, you could argue that he isn't moderate at all, it's just that he isn't completely nuts like the rest of his party.

[salin]

2. and yet, I have yet to hear McCain lash out at Bush per

the "signing statement" on his anti torture law. Where is his snarky response to bush on that?

[fearnobush]

4. McCain, a war hero indeed, but a big time political coward.

So said.

[Bluebear]

6. Hold me! >>>>>

[H2O Man]

10. At a time

in the morning when I was questioning to what degree Senator McCain would willingly humiliate himself, you answered it.

[ScreamingMeemie]

8. And sniffing Bush's pits for a photo op is sincere?

:puke: I wonder just what it is they have threatened him with. They seem to "pull him out like a prize" whenever things get hot.

[MSgt213]

9. So not only are we weak on "Defense" we are now weak on "Ethics"

What a way to attack the messenger instead of the problem. Which party attempts to change the rules every time one of its members violates them again?

[MoJoWorkin]

12. I hope this begins to wake Obama up to the fact you just can't be nice

to the Repugs anymore. There is NO BIPARTISANSHIP on anything, due to the Neocons callous treatment, over and over again of war heroes (MaCain must have slept thru all the mud he was dragged thru by them), etc. There are no more Everett Dirksen's on the Repug side. WAKE UP DLC Dems and newbies. You can't compromise or reason with Nazi thugs!

[Disturbed]

14. John McCain, Hypocrite

John McCain, Hypocrite
by Doug Ireland

John McCain, the media's darling, has found a clever way around his own campaign finance reform law to take big corporate bucks in furtherance of his political ambitions while carrying water for the corporate mammoth providing the dough. But the national press is ignoring the story.


The Associated Press first ran the story of John McCain's odorous but lucrative Senatorial service to the communications giant Cablevision on the afternoon of March 7. But, while some local papers in McCain's home state (like the East Valley Tribune) have run the story, nothing has as yet made it into the print editions of the New York Times, the L.A. Times, the Washington Post, or any of the half-dozen other big city dailies I checked (although, if one searches the hundreds of AP stories available on the Post's website on its Politics page by clicking on "Latest Wire Reports," one can find it there--but how many readers would bother to do that?) One notable exception: the Kansas City Star.


Here's what the AP's investigation found:


McCain repeatedly intervened on behalf of a policy Cablevision favored -- one which "congressional and private studies conclude could make cable more expensive" -- while his chief political adviser, Rick Davis (who's masterminding McCain's probable '08 presidential rerun) solicited $200,000 in contributions from Cablevision to an institute that promotes McCain and pays Davis a $110,000 annual salary.


The Reform Institute was set up to promote McCain and his issues--especially campaign finance reform, embodied in the famous McCain-Feingold law. This Institute is "a tax-exempt group that touts McCain's views and has showcased him at events since his unsuccessful 2000 presidential campaign," and it "often uses the senator's name in press releases and fund-raising letters and includes him at press conferences," the AP says. And, of course, it provides a cushy sinecure with no heavy lifting for McCain's main man, Davis, as he prepares the pontificating Senator's next presidential run. Cablevision's contributions account for a whopping 15% of the Institute's budget.


http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0309-35.htm

[reality based]

19. Good point. As JFK once said:

"Those who try to ride the back of the tiger often end up inside." These Repubrats are hostile to the very idea of fairness and democracy. You can't really deal with them because they aren't going to play by the rules.

[teryang]

13. McCain took payola during the HUD scandal

...to obstruct justice. Now he's posturing as an ethical authority?

The man is a hypocrite. He talks about reform but he has his hand out big time to his corporate benefactors.

[Wetzelbill]

16. yeah he's one of the Keating 5

he conveniently forgets to mention that his track record isn't all that pristine when he goes about posturing about campaign finance, reform etc.

[1932]

25. McCain has no business dressing down anyone on ethics.

Taxpayers bailed out S&Ls to the tune of billions of dollars. A couple decades later, McCain's a powerful senator (albeit, having problems selling his multi-million dollar Arizona home) who never suffered the political repercussions for his role in the S&L crisis.

[avitali]

26. Yes.

People have conveniently forgotten about the Keating Five. I will never forget; that's what I think of everytime I see this weasel.

[flordehinojos]

15. A PROJECTION OF THE GREATES T MAGNITUDE, MR. rectitude MCCAIN.

[0007]

20. Sniff sniff

I'm tired of beating up truck drivers down at the Triple X

[flordehinojos]

22. love the picture you posted!

It is perfect!

:) :)

[DemonFighterLives]

17. You'll have to excuse me here

but both of these boys should take their little hissy fit elsewhere. Obama is still relatively untested and McCain is looking stupid and trivial.
Imus show had to read the whole letter from McCain and basically the boys on the show liked the dressing down of the freshman.

Obama better stick with the liberals and forget as others have said here trying to work with the snide underhanded righties from hell.
:rant:


Edit to add that I don't want the bush gang reforming anything else. Didn't seem like we needed all of this ethics reform before they stole the country. Perhaps the regime should just go away.
:argh:

[BlueIris]

18. BlueIris calls McCain "creepy."

And unprofessional and...some other questionable things. Shut up, Senator McCain. You'll be in a position to criticize Obama's sincerity when yours is no longer at issue. Give Mr. Hastert a call and let him know you're backing a fucking impeachment effort, then I might consider that you could be considered sincere again. Someday. Maybe.

[journalist3072]

21. What a slimy bastard McCain is

If there is anyone who is insincrere about ethics reform, it's the Rethugs. For crying out loud, they just made their leader the guy who used to pass out tobacco checks on the house floor.

[oasis]

23. McCain's a joke. He won't make a move or say a word without an eye

on 2008.

[Vinca]

24. McCain has crossed over to the dark side . . . again.

Like his "esteemed" colleagues, it appears he's less concerned with the final result than the bloviating along the way.