Barack Obama: We'll never forget what's-his-name

From the presidential debate Oxford, Miss. Sept. 26, 2008, between Sens. John McCain, Republican, and Democrat Barack Obama.

--Andrew Malcolm

Comments

[OxyCon]

The family of that fallen soldier that Obama exploited, without even knowing his name, has asked Obama repeatedly to stop wearing his bracelet in public and using it as a campaign prop. Yet Obama is still exploiting the fallen soldier. Makes you sick in the gut, doesn't it?

[keller]

Unlike McCain, who uses the soldier whose bracelet he wears like a prop, by telling this story near the close of virtually every town hall he holds, Obama doesn't have the name memorized. Better he glance down to get it right then wing it and get it wrong.

[Chris Y]

I was a committed McCain voter before New Hampshire. I still am, and this sort of thing only drives home the fact that I'm making the right choice.

With that being said, I find it amazing that whenever a John McCain voter sees the light, he or she immediately goes to the comments section of a handy blog or newspaper article that's been linked to by Instapundit, for maximum effect.

Anyway, Obama's not ready for prime time. He barely has more experience than Sarah Palin, and she's a *vice presidential* candidate. (Seriously, name any general criticism you can make of Palin, and it ricochets right back at Senator Obama.)

Obama's going down (see the Bradley Effect), and his secret plan to win the election (youthful voters who don't show up in the polls because they use ceel phones) won't bother to get up from their XBoxes to pull the lever for him.

We'll get four more years of vitriol and whining from the Democrats, and at least four years of solid leadership from McCain. That's good enough for me.

McCain/Palin '08 -- Country First

[Matt]

For some reason, this post is pulling in a very skewed segment of the population. Every poll on the debate is in agreement - Obama bested McCain by double digits. But here, people are obsessing because Obama hesitated for a moment before saying the soldier's name. This is just one more distraction from the issues. We need to deal with healthcare, the economy, the housing crisis, our failing financial institutions, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Contrary to what one poster said, Kissinger did not say that Obama was mistaken about Kissinger's remark. A couple of news sites tried to create that false impression. Obama's comment was that Kissinger said we should meet with Ahmadinejad without preconditions, and he did say that - almost word for word. He later said that McCain's position was consistent with his own, but that doesn't change the fact that Obama was right, even though McCain repeatedly and incorrectly insisted he was wrong.

But this election isn't about who said what, or who hesitated for a moment before saying the soldier's name. We've got to elect a President and Vice President who will stop running our country into the ground and will get us back on track. Like most Americans, I believe that Obama and Biden will do exactly that.

[jr]

Lots of Obama astroturfers here. Where's Winner, or is he disguising himself again?

[Carol]

I guess everyone catches the essence of the debate in different ways. For me, they were these:
* the "wall of words" style of Sen. Obama, as wide and broad as he could stretch it (and Lehrer never reigned him in). It is a tactic, this veil of articulation, that is all surface and no depth, symbolizing a grasp of the issues but in fact saying very little, for so many many words, and veiling so very much.
(Take that verneer of words tactics to Putin and see how fast he opens it like paper and eats you alive)
* the split-second flicks of heavy-lidded knife-eyes from Sen. Obama to his heroic opponent were the most honest glimpses of the real man.
* "You Don't Say That Out Loud." was the signature moment of the night. What fool puts their ally on notice and forces them to have to stand against us, rather than working with them quietly to accomplish the same end? Answer: a politician who cares little for real governance and only wants your lousy vote and his lousy power.
* That same admonishment makes me mull this question: What don't YOU say out loud, Sen. Obama? What are those precious things that Sen. Obama holds so dear that he would protect them by never saying out loud? Possibly they are related to those things he is trying creepily to keep shut up, the tip of the iceberg of which we can all recite, and what else is in that locked vault of sacred ideology? I shudder at what we don't know.
* Back to the "wall of words", the recitation is outstandingly capable, but I get no sense of heart from any of it, where does he connect with any of this? Georgians? You could tell it was an exercise in glib and he doesn't care a whit. What is the true substance that drives this man? The one place I almost caught a whiff of connection was when he tried changing the subject after a powerful moment by McCain by bringing up his father from Kenya. Divert! Divert! And, oh, yeah: this is what moves Barrack Obama: what alone we can sense is he cherishes is the idea of himself.

Meanwhile, the entire economy teeters waiting on a bill that Obama's party is busy adding as much graft as possible to. Make sure the cronies get their payola, Ms. Pelosi, we know that's the most important thing, aye?
If ever we needed McCain, the man willing to be attacked from all sides to stand for the right thing for this nation, it is now.

[Clay Babcock]

McCain mentioned the middle class how many times? 0

[Jean]

McCain spoke of a bracelet he wears, given to him by a mother who lost her son in the war. Obama said, I have one given to me too by a mother. How childlike can one sound? Obama did not see that statement on his teleprompter, it was one of those uncontrolled lame thoughts floating in his brain. Obama's chain of thought is unclear, unsure, blank, filled with lies and leaves him unfit to try to lead this country. We are in a crises on all sides and John McCain/Sarah Palin is now our only hope.

[Garry]

It actually gets worse than needing to read the soldiers name off the bracelet - the mother that gave him the bracelet has asked the mighty-O to take it off and not use it to make try and use it politically. Does the mighty-O respect the wishes of the solider's mother - apparently NOT. What an arrogant jerk.

[NotReallyALefty]

I was a rabid Obama supporter before this debate, but now ... ha ha ha!

How pathetic that his supporters have to pretend they're "independents" and then spew his campaign talking points.

Look, whichever candidate you were "for", Obama's statement that no American soldier dies in vain was the stupidest thing he's said for a while. Because if we had listened to him and pulled out in defeat, that's exactly what their sacrifices would have been - in vain.

Both want to pull out. But McCain wants to pull out in victory. Only a true fool cannot see what pulling out in defeat would do for terrorist recruiting. And I saw one in the debate.

[slaughterfan]

You McCain lovers will say he won no matter what, you will defend Palin (the reason you lost) no matter what, but here's the real deal. We don't care about names on a bracelet. Obama will be YOUR president(twice) get used to it.

[Winston]

Obama is not genuine.He is, unfortunately, a phony politician hungry for power. So sad!

[m913]

Were you so ready to laugh at the dead soldier's name that you missed what Obama said? Both candidates honor their sacrafices. But McCain wants to send more troops to take his place in danger. Obama wants no more mothers with dead sons for that useless war.

[mrsb06]

All I can say is wow...was I watching the same debate that any of you watched? A slamdunk for McCain?? McCain looking presidential?? That is right up there with "Sarah Palin is extremely qualified".

I saw a lot of comments about Obama not knowing the name on his bracelet. I would venture to say he has met thousands of people during this campaigning time. I can't immediately recall the names of people I meet in the first five minutes of a party.

But is that really what upsets people?? It wasn't the Iraq vet at the Rep Convention w/the sign that said "McCain votes against vets" or his t-shirt stating he was a vet opposed to the war? Or how about Sen. McCain stating that he met privately with six hundred and some odd soldiers in Iraq who CHOSE to reenlist. What about the THOUSANDS that have been ordered to stay/return??? Does their opinion of the war not matter?? Of course the vet at the convention doesn't matter because he was shouted down by those on the floor shouting "USA" as if HE were unAmerican. But that is how John McCain honors and "takes care of" vets...as he promised to do during the debate.

The commenters on this blog have spent more time discussing a bracelet and the "disrespect" displayed at the debate than discussing the issues. Are you not in touch with the middle class either?????

[Someone who isn't stupid enough to be swayed by such nonsense]

Oh my god you're so blind.

McCain finished his bracelet story with "which is why we need to do such and such in Iraq".

THAT MEANS HE IS USING IT TO STRENGTHEN HIS VIEWS IN THE EYES OF THE VOTING PUBLIC IN ORDER TO GET VOTES.

WHY IS THAT SO HARD TO UNDERSTAND!?

THAT MEANS HE IS USING IT FOR HIS OWN POLITICAL GAIN.

HOW CAN YOU NOT SEE THIS?

Obama actually didn't one up McCain AT ALL. In fact he explained that since McCains bracelet and a mother with a wish does not represent ALL grieving mothers wishes, such as Mrs Jopek.

That actually means that Obama is in the SAME BOAT as McCain so does that mean that Obamas views are better? NO!

That's the point he was trying to put across, but you guys are so EASILY blinded by biased footage you cant see ANYTHING at all.

McCain was using his to make his views of the iraq war stronger to the viewing public.

Obamas reply was meant to show that possesing a bracelet from a mother with a plea cant be used to back his views as it does not represent all grieving mothers wishes. That includes HIMSELF aswell.

This is why the mother said she was "ecstatic" as it "showed there is more than one viewpoint on the war"

You think McCAIN wasn't using his bracelet for political gain? It was HE who was using it in a debate to back up his views....

Obama wouldn't even have MENTIONED his bracelet if McCain didn't, because he KNOWS that it doesn't strengthen his views at all and shouldn't be used to do so.

If anything Obama PREVENTED the bracelets from being used for political gain by pointing out that they don't represent and grieving mothers and therefore CAN NOT be used in a debate to help put your point across.

As for Obama stumbling, if you WATCH the debate, you can hear him about to say that he recieved the bracelet directly from Sgt Jopek!

He had to stop himself, correct himself and say what he meant to say, which was from the MOTHER of Sgt Jopek.

OH YEAH!

I wonder if anyone noticed McCain looking at his bracelet THREE TIMES before briefily mentioning the name in the middle of his speech?

No?

Read what I've typed and watch the debate again yourself.

Actually, nothing I said makes sense right? Obama is just a childish power hungry guy and that's it cause that's just the way it is huh?

As for the mother NOT WANTING OBAMA TO WEAR OR SPEAK OF THE BRACLET AT ALL......

Well, here we go again...

Look it up. Reports show that her HUSBAND who she has been divorced from for YEARS and is now in CUBA, had in her words "wrongly portrayed her views on the matter" and was "ecstatic" that Obama mentioned his bracelet and was "honoured"

A youtube clip showing the WHOLE truth.

watch?v=gtsPn5KMjr4

So now we got that out of the way what next?

Obama saying "McCain is right too many times?"

PFft.

Good luck believing every crappy piece of propaganda you find to support your biased view without looking into it properly and voting in your next 8 years of Bush.

Have fun! I live in England so I'll be laughing at you all when it happens :D