Ask Bob Schieffer to cite where the Obama campaign "denigrated McCain's military service"

[Wetzelbill]

Bob Schieffer mentioned it in his commentary yesterday. If he makes an assertion like that, I'd like to see his proof.

Schieffer's direct quote:
"And yet it has come to this: Obama's people trying to denigrate the war hero's military service; McCain's people comparing Obama to a couple of frivolous tarts."


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http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/ftn/main3460.shtml

[Vinca]

1. That must be the talking point that went out when Wesley Clark

said getting shot down doesn't automatically qualify you to be president. Is Clark "officially" with the Obama campaign or is this another Ludicris moment?

[BOSSHOG]

3. Correct me If I'm wrong

but there are only two "qualifications" for being president, be 35 years of age and have been born in the United States. At least one of the two candidates has both of those boxes checked. Getting shot out of the sky or not getting shot out of the sky has absolutely nothing to do with qualifying to be president. General Clark was right and he would be an awesome asset for Senator Obama (hopefully as Secretary of State.)

[Wetzelbill]

5. Yes and also

It's great that McCain showed the mettle and toughness to survive, good for him and that's a good thing to have to his character and augment whatever qualities and experience he may have. Fine. And lord knows the guy talks about it enough and good for him.

But does that make him an expert in anything? No it doesn't. It doesn't make him a health care expert, an economic expert, it doesn't even give him a modicum, of insight into those areas. It doesn't make him any more knowledgable about foreign policy than anyone else. It could be an asset if McCain actually learned any lessons about war as a POW, lessons that would say... oh teach him that getting into unnecessary conflicts might be a bad thing, maybe? But it didn't. In fact, if anything, McCain getting a free pass as because of his military service has made him even more intellecually lazy than he was when he was a cadet finishing almost last in his class at Annapolis.

McCain presents himself as a foreign policy expert, yet he said that the Sunnis and Shia have no history of violence against each other. Ok, John. Epic Fail.

[BOSSHOG]

7. I chuckle when right wing radio

says the anticipated civil war in Iraq has never come. Ignorance is proven a conservative value every day.

[Wetzelbill]

8. I took an International Relations class and a few others

Where they tell us that Rush Limbaugh, Hannity etc, are not sources we can cite, lol. And it's not because professors are so liberal either, it's because anybody who knows anything about foreign policy, or really any type of policy, knows that those people don't know their asses from their elbows.

[Vinca]

19. I agree with Clark, too, just making the observation that's where it began. nt

[high density]

13. Yes I'm pretty sure that's what Schieffer was talking about

Brokaw happened to bring up Clark's comment this weekend as well.

Bob Schieffer once again put on display the fake "balance" that the corporate media feels they must put out there.

Edit: MediaMatters noticed: http://mediamatters.org/items/200808030001

[BOSSHOG]

2. I go back to High School Debate in my Sophomore Year

16 years of age: "He who asserts must prove." I guess that only applies to students who are being taught to be honest.

Seems like like-minded commenators think that everybody who serves in the military do so honorably.

[Wetzelbill]

4. I find that our nation's media and leaders don't have the

skills to make an argument or prove a point that a first-year college student who is writing a paper in a lower level class does.

I have taken lots of writing and political science classes where people like Bush, McCain or say Rudy Giuliani would get stomped by a professor if they wrote down those arguments and made them so half-assed in a paper. That's why McCain's op-ed was turned down, because he can't actually make a specific, cogent argument and provide any type of analyses on what he wants to do to win Iraq and how he defines what winning is. That's just basic stuff, too. Any student would tell you that, for eff's sake.

[Smarmie Doofus]

6. I'll kick this so I can do it later. Schieffer's been...

... been an unpaid ( far as we know) media shill for the GOP for some time. ( Not sure: isn't his brother a GOP politico of some sort?).

He won't apologize, won't retract and will quite possibly not respond to the question; but it's always a good idea to keep these folks' feet to the fire. They may ignore you, but it helps that they know that YOU know that THEY know that you are watching them.

'Course, it might help if Obama and Co. challenged Schieffer directly.

[Wetzelbill]

9. Yes his brother is a Republican

I can't remember exactly what, I'd look it up, but I'm lazy, lol.

But yeah, that's the idea, to let him know he can't just say anything he wants without proof otherwise he'll get called on it.

That's a good idea, I'd like to see Obama's campaign challenge him on that.

[Justitia]

11. Tom Scheiffer is a former biz partner of GWB, named by same as ambassador to Australia & Japan

The Scheiffer clan is very, very tight w/the Bushies.

[Wetzelbill]

16. right on

Nice job.

[Justitia]

18. I try to keep abreast of TX scumbags. It's a daunting job, LOL. -eom

[Phx_Dem]

10. Speaking of McCain's war record, OUCH!

I would love to hear from any Forrestal survivors about this.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/8/4/12521/50505/157/562262

Has McCain’s courage as a jet pilot or as a POW been demonstrated? It may be true, but I haven't seen any verified examples of that notion, at all. McCain was the classic 'jet jockey' who had no clue what war looked like or what his bombs did to people on the ground although he may have gotten a glimpse of it during the USS Forrestal tragedy at which he was the center, click here and here and here . There were numerous allegations made against McCain: that he caused the Forrestal fire that killed about 140 sailors, and seriously wounded about 160; allegations that he was gunning his jet engines or 'wet-starting' (which is jet jockey jargon for 'hot-rodding' or 'showing off') on the flight deck, which caused one of his missiles to "cook off" and fire right into the flight deck jam packed with jets ready to take off on combat missions over Vietnam.

(SNIP)

More about McCain and the Forrestal fire from Google. http://judicial-inc.biz/82jjohn_mccain_and_the_uss_forresta.htm

Suck on that Bob Scheiffer.


(Posted by Mrs Phx_Dem)

[otohara]

12. I PHoned

thanks for the alert.

[Disturbed]

15. Did the Navy usually pick persons from the bottom of the class

to train as pilots? McNasty was 5th from the bottom of his graduating class.

[Wetzelbill]

17. not even close

McCain only got in because his dad and grandfather were Admirals and he only got the pilot gig for the same reason. They in no way ever accept anybody but the best of the best, unless, as in McCain's case, somebody pulls some serious strings for them.

[zulchzulu]

14. Bob Schieffer should ask B1 Bob Dornan about Johnny Songbird's military record

If Bob Schieffer wants to ask someone who "all military n' shit", he could give Bob Dornan a chance to speak his mind on McCain's service.

Here's a clue:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afawZWEtCKc