The Anatomy of A Lazy Reporter: The Dana Milbank Story

Why do some seem psychologically dependent on the idea that Senator Obama is an elitist, arrogant, or unpatriotic?

The latest dust up surrounds a statement Senator Obama made to House Democrats a few days ago. Washington Post reporter Dana Milbank reported that the Illinois Senator said the following:

"This is the moment . . . that the world is waiting for... I have become a symbol of the possibility of America returning to our best traditions."

The McCain campaign and right-wing commentators and pundits wasted no time pouncing on Obama as arrogant. But upon more reporting, those present at meeting, at which Dana Milbank was not, said that the reported comment did not reflect the context of Obama's remarks.

This was the full statement.

"It has become increasingly clear in my travel, the campaign, that the crowds, the enthusiasm, 200,000 people in Berlin, is not about me at all. It's about America. I have become a symbol of the possibility of America returning to our best traditions."

It seems Barack Obama was talking about people being excited about the prospect for a better a better America not just about himself. But I could not explain this better than the folks on MSNBC.

New Obama Ad

Finally deciding whether acknowledging McCain's attacks will give them more authority, the campaign of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama decided yesterday to issue it's own ad in response to McCain's compellingly intellectual attack, comparing Senator Obama to Britney Spears and Paris Hilton.

Here's the ad:

Republican Strategist: McCain Campaign Planned to Attack Obama If He Had Visited Troops

David Kiley of Business Week spoke with a Republican strategist recently who conceded that the McCain campaign was planning to attack Obama for using troops as a campaign prop, had he visited troops in German last week during the political part of his trip.

Here's an excerpt from the article:

"What the McCain campaign doesn’t want people to know, according to one GOP strategist I spoke with over the weekend, is that they had an ad script ready to go if Obama had visited the wounded troops saying that Obama was...wait for it...using wounded troops as campaign props. So, no matter which way Obama turned, McCain had an Obama bashing ad ready to launch. I guess that’s political hardball. But another word for it is the one word that most politicians are loathe to use about their opponents—a lie."

To see the full story, click here.

In Switzerland, An Easier Time for the Disabled

See NPR story here.

Joe Klein: I said McCain was Honorable: I Was Wrong

Noticeably startled by the new tactics by the McCain campaign to eviscerate the character of Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama, Time writer Joe Klein has retracted a claim he made earlier in the campaign: that John McCain was an honorable man.

See retraction here.

Is Someone Jealous?

Frustrated that most people would rather see, talk about, and think about Senator Obama, Arizona Senator John McCain and his campaign have launched a new negative ad, "Celeb," comparing Senator Obama to Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, while slamming him for not supporting Offshore Drilling and wanting to raise taxes.



What Senator McCain's ad does not mention is that Senator Obama supports drilling on the 60 million plus acres of land already leased to oil companies that have not been drilled yet and that Senator Obama's tax cut for the middle class (those making less than $250,000/year) is three times larger than that of the Arizona Senator's, who skews his tax relief to those making more than $650,000/year, according to the Tax Policy Center.

McCain Denies He Used The Word "Timetable" (Check the previous post)

In his latest bout of dementia, Senator McCain claimed last Sunday on This Week With George Stephanopoulos that he did not use the word "timetable" when seeming to give a tepid endorsement of Senator Obama's plan for redeployment from Iraq when speaking with Wolf Blitzer two days prior.

As for the greeted with liberators remark, I've stopped caring.




This could have been an honest mistake. I actually think it was. I really don't think he remembered what he said two days prior.

McCain Thinks Obama Withdrawal Plan Is "A Pretty Good Timetable"

Confronted by the harsh reality that the political debate about Iraq seems to be moving in favor of Senator Obama, presumptive Republican nominee Senator John McCain (R-AZ) conceded last Friday that Senator Obama's 16-month timetable for withdrawing combat forces from Iraq is "a pretty good timetable."



This gaffe followed Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki's twice repeated statement that his goals for US redeployment coincides with the Illinois Senator's plans for Iraq.

Florida Republican Governor Refuses to Defend McCain Attacks

Florida Governor and VP hopeful Charlie Crist refused to defend John McCain's attacks on Senator Obama on Morning Joe this Morning.

This video is courtesy of MSNBC and Talking Points Memo:

McCain Ad Accusing Obama of Not Supporting Troops Features Obama (With the Troops)

As Illinois Senator and presumptive Democratic Nominee for president Barack Obama concluded his world tour last week, the presumptive Republican Nominee John McCain (R-AZ) unleashed a blistering attack accusing his opponent of making time to go to the gym and give big speeches but not time to visit wounded soldiers in Landstuhl.

Here is the ad:

The most amusing yet not obvious part of the ad is that the clip of Obama playing basketball is actually footage from an earlier troop visit in Kuwait by the Illinois Senator, who played basketball with the servicemen and women.

Notice the same Khaki pants, dark shirt, and adoring servicemen and women in both clips.

Watch the one-minute video of Obama playing basketball with troops here:

The attack originated with the decision of the Obama campaign to cancel a visit to the military hospital after reportedly being told from the Pentagon that the trip was seen as a political one. The Obama campaign decided that, since this part of the trip was being paid for by the campaign, it would be inappropriate to visit the soldiers and run the risk of putting them in the middle of a political campaign. Senator Obama did visit troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, as part of a congressional delegation that included Rhode Island Democrat Jack Reed and Nebraska Republican Chuck Hagel.

Many of the charges in the ad were so absurd that the Washington Post, NBC Correspondent Andrea Mitchell, long-time friend and fellow Vietnam War Veteran Chuck Hagel, and Delaware Democrat and Chairman of Senate Foreign Relations Committee Joe Biden have all debunked the ad as untrue and inappropriate.

The Washington Post devoted three pages in its print edition today to invalidating claims in the ad.

MSNBC Correspondent Andrea Mitchell was actually part of the press delegation that reported on Senator Obama's week long tour of the Middle East and Europe. Having actually witnessed the trip first hand, Mitchell pressed North Carolina Republican and McCain supporter Senator Richard Burr on the specific charge that Senator Obama wanted to bring his entourage and cameras with him to see the soldiers. She said that was not true, and that in other visits during the trip Senator Obama visited troops without cameras and fanfare. The difference between the earlier visits and the one in Berlin was that he was operating in campaign mode. Mr. Burr said that he's never encountered a problem when he was visiting the troops. Apparently, it must have slipped his mind that he has never been nominated and therefore has never campaigned as his party's nominee for president.

Here is the video.




On last Sunday's episode of Face the Nation, Chuck Hagel defended Senator Obama from Senator McCain's attacks.

Senator Hagel: "I think it would have been inappropriate for him and certainly he would have been criticized by the McCain people and the press and probably should have been if on a political trip in Europe paid for by political funds-not the taxpayers-to go, essentially, then and be accused of using our wounded men and women as props for his campaign."

See transcript here.

Chairman of the full Foreign Relatioins Committee Senator Biden responded to the charge that Senator Obama didn't hold a hearing on Afghanistan. Under Biden's Chairmanship, large issues like those concerning the War in Afghanistan are held if full committee for the benefit of all members. See news report here.

The last and most ironic aspect about Senator McCain's attempt to paint Senator Obama as someone who does not support the troops is the Arizona Senator's own poor grade ( a 'D') on Veterans Issues by the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans America. Senator Obama received a B+ by the group.

See full ratings here.

The Independent Progressive Movement

For decades, politicians, the mainstream media, and most of the country has signed on to the left/right, liberal/conservative model to describe our politics. Those on the left and right were seen as two major factions competing for the hearts and minds of the American people, and the two sides were so fundamentally different that working together was considered concession.

The Independent Progressive Movement seeks to break this model. Arianna Huffington of the HuffingtonPost is one of the great leaders of this movement. A former McCain supporter, she does not believe the left/right dynamic is helpful for our politics. Neither do I. We can progress - move forward - on many issues by focusing on our common humanity and common interests in a better world. This does not mean that we don't have deeply held convictions about values or policy.

Like most progressives, I believe everyone should have health insurance. I believe everyone who works should have a living wage; that people shouldn't go bankrupt when they get sick; that we should uphold our constitution; that our government should look out for the little guy, not just big corporations; that the middle class should receive tax relief; that lobbyists should have less influence on our government; that education is the great equalizer of our society and should be made more accessible for more people; that America should be a light to the world, not just a missile; and, finally, that no matter who you are, where you were born, who your parents were, how much money you make, what your religion is, or who you love, the opportunities of this world should be open to all and the policies of governments all over the world should recognize everyone's god-given potential and right to equality under law.

In approach, I believe where bridges can be built, they should. I believe that when either party veers away from these values we should call them on it. And that one should not support a position just because it's the position of a party or a candidate. But most importantly, we need to speak the truth. And we need to be respectful. And we should approach politics with the premise that we are all trying to do what we think is right for the country we love.