Obama fends off McCain’s attacks

By Calvin Palmer

John McCain was battling for political survival as he entered the third and final presidential debate with rival Barack Obama.  One poll for CBS News and The New York Times gives Obama a 15-point lead; another for ABC News and The Washington Post gives Obama a 10-point lead.
 
With 19 days to go to polling day, the fight back has to start now if McCain hopes to emerge victorious.  It was certainly a more aggressive showing by McCain and, at times, he forced Obama on the defensive.
 
In NFL terms, McCain needs touchdowns.  Obama’s defensive strength only saw his rival score field goals and the clock is running down.
 
A large part of the debate focused on the charge of negative campaigning.  McCain feigned hurt over the attack at the weekend by civil rights activist Congressman John Lewis who likened him and Sarah Palin to George Wallace for stirring up crowd hatred.
 
The honest response by McCain would have been that he deplored the comments made by some of his supporters, remarks calling Obama a “terrorist” and even shouts of “kill him,” and to have apologized to his opponent.
 
It is noticeable that since the remarks by Congressman Lewis, McCain has reined in his attack dog Sarah Palin.
 
McCain then went on to attack Obama for the biggest budget ever spent on negative advertising, conveniently forgetting his own ads that pose the question: “Who is Barack Obama?” and “What is he hiding?”
 
And throughout the debate, McCain attacked Obama’s record and threw in the Bill Ayer’s link, as well as the Acorn voting fraud allegations for good measure.
 
Obama calmly answered: “Mr. Ayers is not involved in my campaign, he has never been involved in my campaign, and he will not be in the White House.”

He went on to say that, as a lawyer, he represented Acorn once many years ago, and that Acorn was nothing to do his campaign.

Obama added that the people he associated with included billionaire businessman Warren Buffett, his vice presidential running mate Joseph Biden, Republican senator Dick Luger and former NATO chief General James Jones.

“Those are the people, Democrats and Republicans, who have shaped my ideas and who will be surrounding me in the White House,” Obama said.  “And I think that the fact that this has become such an important part of your campaign, Senator McCain, says more about your campaign than it says about me.”

McCain had incurred a 15-yard penalty on third down and was forced to punt.

Apart from McCain’s flawed $300 billion home mortgage plan, his $5,000 tax credit for health care, the building of 45 nuclear power stations and drilling for offshore oil to make America energy independent, the details on other policies were just vague Republican idealogy.
 
Education was reduced to competition and choice, with mention of the voucher system.  The reduction of the U.S. budget deficit was met with “I can do it,” but no mention of detail.
 
Further attacks on Obama came on the Colombia free trade deal.  Obama pointed out that labor leaders in Colombia were the targets for assassination.  That is a good enough reason but China’s human rights record leaves a lot to be desired and there is no question of America restricting trade with China.  I think that was a McCain field goal.

Out of the three debates, Bob Schieffer of CBS News handled this one a lot better than Tom Brokaw did last week.  He fairly judged when each candidate had made the point they wished to make and moved on to the next question.  He could have been a little firmer in making sure that each candidate answered the question but both are politicians.
 
The debate was also notable for seeing Sarah Palin’s Joe Six-Pack being replaced by McCain’s Joe The Plumber, in real life Joe Wurzelbacher from Ohio who confronted Obama about his plans to tax small businesses and was met with the reply, “I think when you spread wealth around, it is good for everybody.”
 
McCain called this “class warfare,” a somewhat strange remark in a country that is supposedly a classless society.  The divide in America is between “the haves,” the really wealthy people, and “the have nots,” who are generally referred to as the middle-class.
 
I am still puzzled at how McCain can claim to represent ordinary citizens.  The Republican Party is and always will be the party of big business and for McCain to somehow suggest that he will treat big business with disdain is rather disingenuous on his part.
 
On the policy issues, Obama did go through the details of his proposals, spelling them out point by point.   McCain advocated a spending freeze and then proceeded to say that more needs to be spent on special needs children, although in the process, while extolling Sarah Palin’s knowledge in this field, he somehow confused autism with Downs syndrome.
 
At times, Obama seemed to shake his head in disbelief or smile broadly at some of McCain’s rabid accusations.  Ronald Reagan used the same technique during his presidential debates.  It is not a technique I particularly admire but if it worked for Reagan, it might work equally well for Obama.  How McCain must wish he had the skills of the “great communicator.”
 
Neither candidate managed to score a decisive touchdown; for all McCain’s attacks, Obama’s defense stood firm to edge the debate by the margin of a field goal.
 
After the debate, opinions were sought from six uncommitted voters from Virginia.  When asked if they knew of anybody who would not vote for Obama because of his race, three put up their hands.  When asked if it was possible people would not vote for McCain because of Sarah Palin, all six threw up their hands.
 
A CBS poll of 638 uncommitted voters gave victory in the debate to Obama by a margin of 53 percent to 22 percent for McCain.

McCain points the finger but Obama looks to a fairer future for America

By Calvin Palmer

Th second presidential TV debate came down to Mr. Fix-It McCain versus Here-Are-My Policies Obama.  Sen. McCain asked for an awful lot of trust from American voters.  He was short on specifics, other than constantly referring to his record.
 
But McCain’s record is in the past and careful scrutiny would probably reveal that is not as impressive as he would make voters believe.  Voters, facing an uncertain future, are looking for answers and Obama tried to provide them.
 
Right from the get-go it became apparent that McCain is not statesmanlike.  His cheesy and constant use of “My friends,” as the prelude to every answer began to grate, and marked him out for what he is – a politician; someone sincere in their insincerity.
 
To a question on social security and medicare reform, he glibly answered: “I can fix it.”  And that was it.  I suppose the devil is in the details and they would probably drive voters away.  But the voters will never know.  They have to accept him on trust and his record.
 
McCain did make one concrete proposal; a $300 billion initiative enabling the U.S. Treasury to buy up mortgages in foreclosure and renegotiate the principal and rate of interest, thus enabling people to remain in their homes. 
 
The gloves certainly did not come off.  McCain just littered his remarks with snide digs at Obama.  At one point, McCain referred to “Obama and his cronies.”  Not the words of statesman, definitely the words of a politician trying to score cheap points.
 
“Nailing down Sen. Obama’s various tax proposals is like nailing Jello to the wall,” said McCain. 
 
Obama answered: “I think the Straight Talk Express lost a wheel on that one.”
 
If anyone looked statesmanlike, it was Obama.  He told the audience: “You don’t want to hear politicians pointing fingers.”  McCain wasn’t listening.  He launched into examples of Obama’s voting record but never really voiced what he would do.
 
When referring to the 2005 energy bill that was loaded with “goodies, billions for the oil companies and sponsored by Bush and Cheney,” McCain said: “You know who voted for it?  You might never know.  That one.”  He motioned toward Obama.  “You know who voted against it? Me.”
 
“That one,” doesn’t sound like the way a statesman would address a person.  Sounds more like a petulant child trying to shift the blame on to someone else when they have been found out.
 
If McCain looked a little uncomfortable on domestic issues and the policies needed to address them, he did look and sound more at ease discussing foreign matters.  But he also seemed full of contradictions.
 
He managed to get a good barb in by saying in reference to Obama, “We don’t have the time for on-the-job training.”  It is a fair point but somewhat hypocritical when one considers his running mate, Sarah Palin.
 
And Obama acquitted himself well when he said of McCain: “What I don’t understand is why you were in favor of a war against a country that had no involvement in 9/11.”
 
In Afghanistan, McCain said he would use the “same strategy as in Iraq but different.”  Then how can it be the same?
 
With regard to going after terrorists in Pakistan, he said: “Don’t attack them but use force.”  An hour later and I still can’t quite understand his logic there.
 
McCain announces that his “hero” is Theodore Roosevelt who advised speaking softly and carrying a big stick.  But earlier, McCain’s “hero” was Ronald Reagan.  So which one is to be?
 
As to responding to an attack by Iran on Israel, he said he “wouldn’t wait for a resolution from the U.N. Security Council because there would be opposition from China and Russia.”  But in the next breath he said: “We will act with our allies.”  I don’t think any allies would act without a mandate from the U.N.  I am sure Britain wouldn’t.
 
Obama was firm in saying that Iran cannot be allowed to get nuclear weapons.  It would be a “game changer.”  But he did reiterate his willingness to negotiate with Iran’s leaders, spelling out to them the consequences of their actions and if they were to desist from their policies they would be welcomed back into the community of nations.
 
He cited that when President Bush announced he would not talk to Iran’s leaders, the number of centrifuges used to enrich uranium went from zero to 4,000.
 
Clearly, Obama has taken on board Winston Churchill’s philosophy that it is “better to jaw-jaw than war-war,” a comment made at a White House luncheon in June, 1954.  And Churchill’s record on foreign affairs makes McCain look like a novice.
 
The British entered the fray in the guise of a question by moderator Tom Brokaw who said that the senior British commander and British diplomat Sherard Cowper-Coles both say the effort in Afghanistan is failing advocate that the best solution to Afghanistan is to find an “acceptable dictator.”
 
When it comes to fighting wars in different countries across the globe, Britain’s record is second to none.  Voters are asked to accept McCain on the strength of his record but both candidates eschewed Britain’s record and advice, and for obvious reasons.
 
The American public is not prepared for the inevitable fact that the struggle in Afghanistan cannot be won.  Britain at the height of its imperial might couldn’t control the country; the Russians were forced into withdrawal in the face of Afghan rebels armed by America.  And now it is America’s turn to fail.  That is not meant to impugn America in any way, shape or form.  It is just the way it is in Afghanistan and how it always has been.
 
McCain looked an old man, sort of a garden gnome in a suit.  Obama on the other hand looked young and composed as he outlined his vision of change that could bring America and all of its citizens into the 21st Century.
 
The most telling distinction between the two candidates came in their proposals on government spending to extricate America from its present mess.
 
McCain advocates a spending freeze, the one exception being defense.  So the poor and less privileged, the middle-class if you like, stand to be a lot worse off with McCain as president.
 
Obama referred to McCain’s solution as using “a hatchet.”  He said he would use “a scalpel” so that people who need help are getting help and those who don’t need help aren’t getting it.
 
That one answer swept away the myth that Republicans stand for ordinary people.  They do not.  They stand for those who are doing very nicely thank you very much and the rest of you should follow my example.  The rest should be so lucky, especially in these harsh economic times.