John McCain lets loose, with Barack Obama as his target

In case you're not in Albuquerque today -- and to be honest, most of us aren't, which is what makes that place so special -- here's a taste of what Sen. John McCain interrupted his Tuesday night debate prep to say there, against the backdrop of a stock market that dipped further. His campaign had indicated that, in an economic environment unfavorable to the party occupying the White House (which would be McCain's GOP), it would try to change the subject. As these excerpts show, McCain definitely tried to do that:

"Rather than answer his critics, Sen. [Barack] Obama will try to distract you from noticing that he never answers the serious and legitimate questions he has been asked. But let me reply in the plainest terms I know. I don't need lessons about telling the truth to the American people. And were I ever to need any improvement in that regard, I probably wouldn't seek advice from a Chicago politician.

"My opponent's touchiness every time he is questioned about his record should make us only more concerned. For a guy who's already authored two memoirs, he's not exactly an open book. It's as if somehow the usual rules don't apply, and where other candidates have to explain themselves and their records, Sen. Obama seems to think he is above all that.

"... All people want to know is: What has this man ever actually accomplished in government?  What does he plan for America?  In short: Who is the real Barack Obama?  But ask such questions and all you get in response is another barrage of angry insults.

"Our current economic crisis is a good case in point. What was ...

... his actual record in the years before the great economic crisis of our lifetimes?

"This crisis started in our housing market in the form of subprime loans that were pushed on people who could not afford them. Bad mortgages were being backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and it was only a matter of time before a contagion of unsustainable debt began to spread. This corruption was encouraged by Democrats in Congress, and abetted by Sen. Obama.

"Sen. Obama has accused me of opposing regulation to avert this crisis. ... The truth is I was the one who called at the time for tighter restrictions on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that could have helped prevent this crisis from happening in the first place.

"Sen. Obama was silent on the regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and his Democratic allies in Congress opposed every effort to rein them in. As recently as September of last year he said that subprime loans had been, quote, 'a good idea.' Well, Sen. Obama, that 'good idea' has now plunged this country into the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.

To hear him talk now, you'd think he'd always opposed the dangerous practices at these institutions. But there is absolutely nothing in his record to suggest he did. He was surely familiar with the people who were creating this problem.

"The executives of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have advised him, and he has taken their money for his campaign. He has received more money from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac than any other senator in history, with the exception of the chairman of the committee overseeing them. 

"... If Sen. Obama is such a champion of financial regulation, why didn't he support these regulations that could have prevented this crisis in the first place?  He won't tell you, but you deserve an answer."

Other than that McCain's remarks were just a friendly discussion of differences. And we can expect to hear much more about this Tuesday night in Nashville's nationally televised town-hall meeting.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo credit: Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press

Comments

[John Bush and Pet Parrot]

Desperate men in desperate times say desperate things. John McCain has no ideas. John McCain does not represent the middle class. John McCain is watching his bid for the presidency disappear down the drain. John McCain's legacy will be claiming the economy is FUNDAMENTALLY SAOUND only days before it plummeted into the deepest crisis it has been in since the great depression. For a dullard who barely graduated at the bottom of his class, John needs to listen to politicians that are better prepared to lead our country out of this Republican fueled economic meltdown.

[Nixon reincarnated?]

Seriously the photo you selected for this piece just shouts out..." I am not a crook"

[Kimmo]

BREAKING NEWS:
SARAH PALIN decided to use her Vice Presidential candidacy as marketing tool for her first McMoose Burger chain in Alaska after the elections. Sarah said she did not really expect McCain to win especially with her on the ticket. I didn’t blink when Senator McCain asked me to be his running mate. I just knew it was a great opportunity to get Joe Six-Pack to hear about my moose burgers on the campaign trail. I can’t wait to open my first McMoose Burger and like McDonald’s, I am not going to discriminate against hiring seniors. Now if your asking me if I would hire John McCain, you betcha! So long as he is willing to work for minimum wage serving moose burgers at the drive through window. It's the least thing I can do for a maverick. Wink Wink!

Kimmo

[Tim McGarry]

If John McCain really believes that "tighter restrictions on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac...could have helped prevent this crisis from happening in the first place," his grasp of the facts is seriously deficient. Both institutions were undercapitalized and took risks they shouldn't have, but their volumes declined sharply and their market shares dropped during the critical subprime production years, relative to private lenders and conduits. It's well established that the lion's share of the problem was with Wall Street and that that's where the critical failures occurred. McCain should understand that. The public needs to understand it, if we are to produce the right reforms for the future. By warping the truth for campaign purposes, McCain will make that understanding harder to achieve

[jefflz]

Our retirement plans are going down the drain and all McCain/Palin come up with are desperate lies, smears and hate speech. People need to know, for example, what McCain is going to do to Medicare. That is more important for the country

From the Wall St. Journal Oct. 6, 2008

McCain would pay for his health plan with major reductions to Medicare and Medicaid, a top aide said, in a move that independent analysts estimate could result in cuts of $1.3 trillion over 10 years to the government programs. The Republican presidential nominee has said little about the proposed cuts, but they are needed to keep his health-care plan "budget neutral," as he has promised. The McCain campaign hasn't given a specific figure for the cuts, but didn't dispute the analysts' estimate.

Furthermore McCain's plan will tax employee health care benefits, deregulate the insurance industry guaranteeing that only wealthy and health people can get coverage.

[US Sec of Comon Sense]

Boy the straight talk express has taken a detour to liars lane.
Senator McCain, stop with the diversionary tactics. Tell the truth. Obama was 8 years old when the Weather Underground was doing their bombings. Geez, what a lie to tie Obama to this. So much for straight talk.
The American people want and deserve better.

Signed,

A former McCain supporter.