Obama's cancellation of a military hospital visit leaves unanswered questions

The varying explanations for the cancellation of Barack Obama’s planned visit today to the U.S. military’s Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany are leaving campaign-watchers puzzled.

Obama had been scheduled to greet U.S. troops at the hospital just before leaving Germany this afternoon for Paris, where he met French President Nicolas Sarkozy at the Elysee Palace.

But first, Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs released a statement Thursday night saying the senator had decided "out of respect for these servicemen and women that it would be inappropriate to make a stop to visit troops at a U.S. military facility as part of a trip funded by the campaign."

The campaign amended that explanation this morning. Obama wanted to thank the troops for their service, but "we learned from the Pentagon last night that the visit would be viewed instead as....

...a campaign event.," Obama advisor Scott Gration, a retired Air Force major general, said in a statement.

On Obama’s flight from Berlin to Paris, Gibbs offered more details. Around July 15, the Pentagon approved Obama’s visit. But military officials later invoked a rule on political activity at military bases and questioned whether it would cover Obama’s visit, Gibbs said.

Obama spokesmen said they were seeking clarification on what the rule is. Gibbs also declined to speculate on why the Pentagon did not cite the rule until Wednesday.

That account, however, didn’t square with the Defense Department’s explanation. The Pentagon said it informed the Obama campaign on Monday that he and his Senate staff could visit Landstuhl, where wounded soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan are treated, but that no press would be allowed.

"Sen. Obama is more than welcome to visit Landstuhl or any other military hospital around the world," said Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon press secretary. "But he has to do so, just as any other senator has to do so, in his official capacity. It is not acceptable to do so as a candidate."

"In an election year," Morrell said, "I don’t believe that any candidate is allowed to visit a DOD facility with press."

He cited a Pentagon directive that activities "reasonably viewed as directly or indirectly associating the [Defense Department] with a partisan political activity" should be avoided.

Morrell said the U.S. military was prepared to accommodate Obama’s traveling press and campaign staff at the passenger terminal at Ramstein Air Base, the U.S. Air Force base in southern Germany where Obama’s plane had been cleared to land.

-- Michael Finnegan and Peter Spiegel

Comments

[Terri]

How can Obama and his handlers expect us to believe he is ready to make the hard and tough decisions as president, when he can't figure out it is more important to meet wounded soldiers than have press trailing after you? Another example of Obama double speak. This has really helped me make up my mind for president and it isn't Obama. This should have been a nobrainer.

[rick fenske]

Gas is nearly 5 bucks a gallon, there are 4 foreclosures on my Los Angeles street. Middle aged people that I personally know are worried because they don't have health insurance. Food prices are through the roof. And all Barack Obama wants to do is to bask in his own glory. There is something severely wrong with this picture.

[dharper]

The arrogance of this man running around the world presenting himself in a defacto manner as the next POTUS. No matter how the Dems wish to spin this facade this is what he is doing and it is a disgrace to our entire political process.

If John McCain pulled this stunt the Dems and the media would be all over him for his 'hypocrisy'.

Obama and his organization had better quickly realize that it is the American people who are going to elect the next president, not the French, Germans or the populations of the MidEast.

Certainly these nations would love to see him elected because he is, simply put, and appeaser. If he becomes president they will roll over him like a freight train over a mosquito. For those of you too young to remember history Neveille Chamberlain was an 'appeaser' and look where it got both England and the world 70 years ago.

This guy doesn't even have the foreign policy experience I do - at least I spent nearly 3 years in Korea beginning in 1950 as a Marine and look what appeasement got us after that political fiasco between Truman and MacArthur. North Korea with nuclear weapons.

Elect this guy and you can kiss this nation goodbye.

[btb]

It seems to me that this is a further example of the pervasive politicizing of every aspect of government under the Bush administration. Everything was set up for this visit three weeks ago; then the Pentagon informed the campaign that his visit would be viewed as a campaign stop, and not part of the CODEL. Senator Obama obviously did not want the appearance of using injured soldiers for a campaign event, so the trip was scrapped. It seems the Pentagon could have easily classified this as part of the CODEL, and the visit would have been completely kosher. This way, Senator Obama was put in a "damned-if-you-do-damned-if-you-don't" situation, since the stop was already part of their listed press itinerary. I feel like the whole story is not being told, unless the reason the trip was cancelled was no press would be allowed, but that doesn't really fit the tenor of this trip; press was severly restricted at the beginning, when Obama was visiting dangerous battle zones (Afghanistan, Iraq, etc...), so why could it not have been limited at Ramstein?

[Jerry]

Let's face it folks, Barack will go if he can ploiticize it with the press, otherwise he doesn't give a hoot about those people.

[J]

So what? No press op no gratitude? Wha?

[Scott Graham]

What a two-faced liar! First, at every stop on this tour, Obama has been saying he's on this trip NOT as a presidential candidate, but as a US citizen. Now, it would be "inappropriate to make a stop to visit troops at a U.S. military facility as part of a trip funded by the campaign."
Which is it, is he there as part of the campaign or not??? Just another slam against the proud men and women of our military by a out of touch liberal POS!

[Alan Tagle]

so no press was allowed and so Obama thought it was not worth his time. I see.

[indi]

Obama's initial statement is a good statement and said it all. He can visit the troop and facilities as a senator, but not as a candidate with the press. That would be inappropriate as all sides said. The logic is clear: without the press, then his campaign probably won't bother that activity. This also tells that Obama's entire trip is built upon maximizing the media exposure which is understandable but not admirable.

[Emily Wortham]

Obama is so calculating; he does nothing without believing that what he speaks will get him votes, whether he believes it or not. He's an arrogant, egotistical liar, not presidential or commander in chief material.

He looked like someone from 70 some odd yrs. ago standing before the hugh German crowd, most spellbound by this silver tongued pompous liar, with his hand up in the air like a salute. Did he say "Heil, Obama"?

[John Charles Webb, Jr.]

The present administration has gone to great lengths to avoid publicity regarding our wounded soldiers. Seeing our wounded makes the 'TV war' seem much too 'real' and likely to cause a negative public reaction.

Beyond any doubt, the 'pentagon' (AKA the "Bush Administration) was taking steps to prevent having 'the war' appear all too real to the public (no press allowed).

I am certain that there was also some dialogue about 'security concerns' for Sen. Obama's safety, etc., at the medical facility.

This entire eposode represents 'censorship' at its worst. Undoubtedly, this entire debacle was orchestrated by the Bush Administration (an oxymoron) via 'the pentagon'.

[Matt Millham]

To bite off a phrase often used in the Army, Obama chose the easy wrong over the hard right. If he really cares more about what voters think than he cares about the troops' well being, then I think it's fair to question whether he has the judgment to make the really hard decisions. This one should have been easy.

[Carman Smith]

This article is evidence that Obama cares nothing at all about our military or our troops.

[Billw]

Obama is an unpatriotic egomaniac, putting on a charismatic act: No cameras, no act:

He spoke ill of small town people.
He wouldn't wear the flag lapel pin.
He wouldn't put his hand over his heart during the national anthem.
He used a fake presidential seal.
He wanted to speak at the Brandenburg gate.
He wants a huge stadium for his acceptance speech.
He meets with overseas leaders before nomination.
He often looks to the heavens as he speaks.

However the last may just be an act pretending he is getting cues when the teleprompter fails...

[Henry Landis]

One wonders whether Obama's visit to a military hospital was cancelled by the Pentagon under pressure from the White House. The notion that it might be construed as "political" is a bit thin. Of course, everything a candidate does can be viewed as such but shouldn't the wounded soldiers have had the same opportunity to see him as did 200,000 Germans ? Maybe the McCain camp should have checked it out before making a german delicatessen one of HIS campaign stops.

[Marc from San Diego]

Why does it sound like all the McCain supports are complaining, attacking and whining? Reading some of the comments makes you wonder - how about the issues? Stop your whining...

[Doug]

He can't profile and pose for the camera and make high sounding generalized content fluff speaches if he's bogged down with the troops. His handlers and the money source are anti war ,anti military and have there own agenda, He's got to tow their line .

[Maria]

This is just another example of why Mr. Obama is the wrong candidate the Democratic Party SELECTED. I can't wait for Nov. 5 to come and go. What will their excuse for losing be. I wonder if they will blame it on Hilary Clinton, the person that should have been the candidate!

[Frank US]

Do John McCain or conservative republicans respect the moral foundation of this country? The U.S. Constitution was designed to protect the people of America from misguided government.

U.S. Constitution: Amendment I - Freedom of Religion
Right now, for the first time ever, your tax dollars are funding religious groups you may not agree with. To add insult to injury, conservative judges have ruled that taxpayers do not have a right to challenge this expenditure.

Amendment IV - Search and seizure
Under the guise of court action against abortion, Conservative republicans had John Ashcroft subpoena all the medical records of literally thousands of women just like you and members of your family. Conservative republicans are invading your privacy every day. Unfortunately for all of us, they don't appear to care about our U.S. constitution, or by extension, the people of our great country.

Amendment X - Powers of the States and People
John McCain and conservative republicans have tried consistently to overturn States Laws. They used your tax dollars to destroy the will of the people of Oregon, and the famous "Death with Dignity" law; they lost, but undoubtedly will try again. Conservative republicans and John McCain do not respect States Rights.

Amendment VIII - Cruel and Unusual punishment
Would you rather die, or support a government which supported and sanctioned torture? The founding fathers would rather have died, and in fact they were proud to fight and die for our government: A government which specifically outlaws cruel and unusual punishment for very important reasons.

John McCain and the conservative republicans are destroying the moral foundations of our country. I urge you to keep this in mind in the coming election as we rebuild our nation together by voting Democrat.

[SomeGuy]

You guys really belive that, that's what DOD really said and they are not just spinning stuff to hurt Obama's campaign? You know DOD is looking for a few volunteers to find weapons of mass distruction in Iraq, may be you should volunteer.

[Scott]

Hmm...no press. I guess it shows where his real priorities lie, and it's not with the servicemen and women. I guess it's only worth it if you can get some campaign miles out of it

[AJ]

Some of you bone heads don't get it, do you? The man cancelled a plan trip to the hospital because of security or lack thereof. Does Pentagon or DoD have to spell it out in order for to get it? Do you really believe that this man is dumb enough to willingly cancel this visit and risk the political backlash from the media and his adversaries? Come on, read between the lines, people!

[thegwoe]

This article is evidence of NOTHING..! you morons...!

[Okie]

ANTICHRIST

[pamela]

Shame on Obama! Our troops should not have been dissed! No press, no Obama, I get the picture!