McCain's Huge Gaffe: Describes Bin Laden As A Freedom Fighter

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Saturday September 27, 2008 · 12:46 PM PDT

2008/09/27 · 12:46

Red Wind, writing at the seminal (as I do) has rightly focused on one big gaffe McCain made last night in incorrectly describing the Pakistan of the late 1990s as a "failed state" (others have noted this as well). Since foreign affairs are supposed to be McCain’s strong suit, this is a big deal. When you pair that mistake with McCain’s even bigger gaffe, his strength is exposed as a glaring weakness–McCain actually managed to describe Bin Laden as a "freedom fighter" and demonstrated his absolute failure to understand that we picked the wrong people to help in the 1980s in Afghanistan.

Poll

135 votes Show Results

McCain's Bin Laden gaffe is:

135 votes Vote Now!

McCain's Bin Laden gaffe is:

huge

13 votes

enormous

13 votes

under the traditiional media's radar

74 votes

further evidence his foreign policy cred is undeserved

35 votes

Jack Cafferty (and now Blitzer too) talking about Palin's association with separatist party!

cedelson

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Tuesday September 02, 2008 · 1:19 PM PDT

2008/09/02 · 13:19

first time I have seen anyone on CNN or MSNBC mention this...Jack Cafferty just mentioned that Palin is associated with a party advocating secession from the US and noted that this directly contradicts McCain's "Country First". Cafferty also noted a whole string of problems with Palin and asked viewers to email in to say whether they think Palin was properly vettted (not voted of course! thanks--sorry for typo).

I assume Olbermann will be all over the secession issue tonight (or next time he is on--someone said he's off this week)

(wow, how weird to be typing that word "secession" in 2008). Waiting for everyone else on TV to catch up on this blockbuster story.

edit: I changed title as Cafferty did not literally use the words "Alaskan Indepedence Party". But he made clear that Palin is associated with a party advocating secession and also noted that this directly contradicts McCain's "Country First" slogan.

edit 2: someone mentioned NPR did a story on this too--excellent!

edit 3: Blitzer just raised this question too, said there is more here to look into. James Carville agreed, Bill Bennett played dumb and started talking about William Ayers

Poll

577 votes Show Results

When will McCain drop Palin from the ticket?

577 votes Vote Now!

When will McCain drop Palin from the ticket?

as soon as he finishes actially vetting her

58 votes

when Karl Rove gives him permission to do so

146 votes

sometime in next 2 weeks

77 votes

never...and Palin remains the gift that keeps on giving

296 votes

McCain Attacks "Big Government" Program Championed by...McCain

cedelson

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Tuesday May 06, 2008 · 2:11 PM PDT

2008/05/06 · 14:11

I would love to get this massive McCain "flip-flop" (hate that term) out there but am afraid traditional media is asleep at the switch...

Poll

100 votes Show Results

McCain is...

100 votes Vote Now!

McCain is...

a hypocrite

0 votes

a big hypocrite

16 votes

confident the media will give him a free pass on anything

50 votes

still going to lose to Obama in November

34 votes

McCain Needs to Explain His Close Ties to A Convicted Felon

cedelson

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Friday April 18, 2008 · 12:55 PM PDT

2008/04/18 · 12:55

Wednesday's disgraceful debate got me thinking. If George Stephanopoulos can ask Barack Obama about his insubstantial ties to a former radical, then why can't someone ask John McCain to explain his relationships with some rather unsavory characters, including convicted felons? Let's start with one here–there will be more to come.
(continued...)

Poll

59 votes Show Results

McCain has...

59 votes Vote Now!

McCain has...

some explaining to do

2 votes

some serious explaining to do

5 votes

to rely on the good graces of Chris Matthews, George Stephanopoulos et al

6 votes

no business being elected president

46 votes

Not Ready to be President: McCain Flubs Softball Question from Chris Matthews

cedelson

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday April 16, 2008 · 10:26 AM PDT

2008/04/16 · 10:26

Softball with Chris Matthews is making a "College Tour". Yesterday, Matthews spoke with (you can't really call it an interview) John McCain at Villanova. Matthews had been bragging all day about how tough he would be on McCain (Matthews has made similar claims about his toughness as an interviewer in the past). The actual event did nothing to highlight Matthews's interviewing ability, while it did reveal McCain's inability to handle even the softest of questions, and produced an enormous gaffe that should focus attention on McCain's readiness to be president.

The highlight, or lowlight, depending on your perspective, came at the end of the event, when Matthews asked McCain what his presidency would be like–"When you think about what your presidency would be like...paint a portrait...a big, iconic notion of a McCain presidency" (not Matthews's exact words, but very close–no transcript available yet). McCain called it "a very tough question" and stalled for time by thanking the audience before making a rambling response. Ultimately, he changed the question around, pretending he had been asked how he would like to be remembered, and saying absolutely nothing about what his presidency would be like.

Poll

198 votes Show Results

John McCain is...

198 votes Vote Now!

John McCain is...

Not ready to be president

33 votes

Not Ready for Hardball

1 vote

Not Ready for Softball

5 votes

Ready for a Nap

159 votes

questions Tim Russert should ask McCain

cedelson

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Wednesday February 27, 2008 · 10:36 AM PST

2008/02/27 · 10:36

Tim Russert focused like a laser beam on a nonexistent connection between Barack Obama and Louis Farrakhan. Maybe if he insinuates himself into a general election debate as a 3rd participant he can ask John McCain about his very real connection with white supremacists.

cedelson

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Thursday February 21, 2008 · 9:13 AM PST

2008/02/21 · 09:13

McCain's defenders a/k/a the right wing noise/PR machine are desperate to make the NYT story about anything other than the allegations involving McCain's extramarital affair with a lobbyist, and favors he may have done for her.

Poll

121 votes Show Results

The McCain matter is

121 votes Vote Now!

The McCain matter is

more serious than Clinton-Lewinsky

54 votes

at least as serious as Clinton-Lewinsky

6 votes

a big mess regardless of what you think about Clinton-Lewinsky (and Starr)

21 votes

yet to be determined, in terms of signiificance

26 votes

no big deal

14 votes

We are not the Republicans

cedelson

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Wednesday February 20, 2008 · 7:08 AM PST

2008/02/20 · 07:08

There is a recommended diary that advocates "taking the gloves off" with regard to John McCain's wife. Apparently this means digging into her drug use and related improper activities. What this has to do with a presidential campaign, I have no idea. My strong suspicion is that most Americans would react to this sort of stuff as follows (a) they will be repelled and (b) they will be sympathetic with McCain and his wife.

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64 votes Show Results

we are

64 votes Vote Now!

we are

better than this

27 votes

much, much better than this

27 votes

no better than this

2 votes

no better than those who have slimed in the past

1 vote

no better than the Republicans

7 votes

Democrats Hand Over Own Balls to President at Rose Garden Ceremony

cedelson

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Monday February 18, 2008 · 1:30 PM PST

2008/02/18 · 13:30

In a Rose Garden ceremony this morning, a congressional delegation led by Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) formally handed over their balls to President George W. Bush.

"Recent actions, including most notably the cave-in on amnesty to the telecoms, make clear that we don’t need these any more," said Senator Rockefeller as he handed over a small plastic bag containing his genitalia. "We thought it only fitting that we hand over the essence of our once proud manhood to the man we now roll over for on command: President Bush."

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95 votes Show Results

Democrats in the Senate have

95 votes Vote Now!

Democrats in the Senate have

no balls

18 votes

for the most part, no balls, with some exceptions

28 votes

no more relevance in the FISA debate--it's up to the House to show some balls

19 votes

let us down terribly

30 votes

One more vet who might disagree with Bill O'Reilly

cedelson

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday February 12, 2008 · 12:58 PM PST

2008/02/12 · 12:58

There was a light hail in Washington D.C. this afternoon, at least where I was, less than a mile from the White House. I was walking to get something to eat. I was fuming over the FISA votes--how could we have gotten to a place where Senators are voting to give up the rule of law and surrender our constitutional rights?

cedelson

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Wednesday February 06, 2008 · 7:59 AM PST

2008/02/06 · 07:59

I am getting really sick of the media narrative that McCain is a "maverick". He is lock step with Bush on all the central issues--Iraq, how to respond to terrorism, tax cuts, the economy (which he doesn't know much about), abortion, Supreme Court nominees. I think McCain is overhyped and is much more beatable than the media makes him out to be. Here's my attempt to explain why

cedelson

Community (This content is not subject to review by Daily Kos staff prior to publication.)

Tuesday December 04, 2007 · 6:50 AM PST

2007/12/04 · 06:50

After 18 years out of "the game", I decided to brush up on my high school French and started a French class last night. During class, we talked a bit about French-Canadians, and then about U.S.-Canadian. I said (in my halting French), that they weren't so great recently. Someone else objected that no, Canada has troops in Iraq and in fact these troops take very high casualties. I was mystified--I couldn't remember hearing Canadians had ever been there, but wasn't 100% sure and thought oh, maybe they were in the British sectors. When I got home, I did some looking and actually, as far as I can tell, there have never been Canadian troops in Iraq--let alone taking heavy casualties. But I want to be sure I'm right before I retort, in French, next week to my classmate. Can anyone confirm this? Thanks.

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McCain's Huge Gaffe: Describes Bin Laden As A Freedom Fighter

Jack Cafferty (and now Blitzer too) talking about Palin's association with separatist party!

McCain Attacks "Big Government" Program Championed by...McCain

McCain Needs to Explain His Close Ties to A Convicted Felon

Not Ready to be President: McCain Flubs Softball Question from Chris Matthews

questions Tim Russert should ask McCain

What if Monica Lewinsky were a lobbyist?

We are not the Republicans

Democrats Hand Over Own Balls to President at Rose Garden Ceremony

One more vet who might disagree with Bill O'Reilly

How to Beat McCain in November

question: Canadians in Iraq?