Has the Obama campaign responded to Bush not speaking at RNC?

[Ashy Larry]

I think they should put out an ad about it. They are trying to hide their failures and we shouldn't let them. I know they are using the storm as an excuse but I don't think most people really buy that. Nobody believes that Bush is really needed to direct the federal response.

[damndude]

1. all very convenient to be running from the twin cities rebuke from hillary

at the same time the republicans are trying to use the hurricane as a political football to try and rewrite the sorry performance post-katrina they have around their neck like a noose, it is also th best excuse to distance mccain from the bush administration.
i am curious to see how, if mccain does in fact deliver his acceptance speech from the aftermath zone, it will be viewed, sympathetic a caring or a political calculation using the destruction that will surely occur in thousands of lives

[creeksneakers2]

2. Obama has to get out front hard and frame New Orleans quickly

McCain is planning to go Louisiana to grandstand from hurricane country as much as he can. He's already being briefed by governors and leading officials. McCain's record and his phony concern are an unbelievable opportunity for Obama to make devastating attacks and take away a week of glamorous photo ops for McCain. Obama has nothing to lose, since the media has already announced they won't have time for Obama next week.

McCain's record on Katrina is terrible. McCain did a birthday photo op with Bush while the hurricane made landfall. He went on Face the Nation the day before to promote the war in Iraq. The night the hurricane struck, McCain went on Conan O'Brien. McCain didn't visit the hurricane zone until March of 2006. Yet, this spring, McCain did a campaign event in New Orleans where he faulted Bush for not being present in New Orleans during the disaster.

http://mccainsource.com/homefront?id=0006

When appropriations bills for Katrina came up, McCain said we had to also be concerned for the deficit. McCain voted against extending unemployment benefits to hurricane survivors and granting them access to Medicaid. McCain also voted against an emergency $28 billion funding request for Katrina.

http://wwjv4.com/republicans/mccain-vs-mccain-katrina-262

A Senate Committee was formed to investigate Katrina. The Bush administration refused to fully cooperate with the committee. A bill was offered that would have set up an independent commission to investigate. McCain voted against the bill. McCain later lied when he said he'd voted for every investigation of Katrina. McCain tried to lie his way out of that lie by saying the bill for the commission was loaded with pork. The bill had nothing in it other than funds to create the commission.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ng9q4L3_vU

http://www.newsweek.com/id/140233/page/1


McCain previously sought the support of Pastor Hagee, who said New Orleans was itself to blame for Katrina because they had sinned against God.

More recently, McCain refused a request by Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal and others to vote for a $5.8 billion reconstruction bill for Katrina. The bill included money for the Army Corp of Engineers to shore up flood protection. Now McCain has the nerve to go to the hurricane zone to make himself the hero of hurricane protection.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/2008/06/mccain-and-jind.html

This situation could either be an opportunity for Obama to devastate McCain or a game changing move by McCain. It all comes down to the to the way the issue is FRAMED and how hard Obama jumps on it out front. An early attack would give McCain the ugly choice between going ahead to the hurricane zone and having all the negatives brought up making him look like a phony or backing down and looking whooped and going through a week of little coverage at the convention with Obama on his case all week through the hurricanes.

[tinrobot]

3. I think that ad has to come after the convention.

If they run it now, Bush could pop up and speak.

Wait until he hasn't spoken and then run an ad about McCain running away from Bush.

[applegrove]

4. MCcain must be happy neither one of them will speak at the convention.