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Barack Obama Should Invite McCain to go on a Trip Across America
John McCain sharply criticized Democratic rival Barack Obama for not having been to Iraq since 2006, and said they should visit the war zone together.
"Look at what happened in the last two years since Senator Obama visited and declared the war lost," the GOP presidential nominee-in-waiting told The Associated Press in an interview, noting that the Illinois senator's last trip to Iraq came before the military buildup that is credited with curbing violence.
"He really has no experience or knowledge or judgment about the issue of Iraq and he has wanted to surrender for a long time," the Arizona senator added. "If there was any other issue before the American people, and you hadn't had anything to do with it in a couple of years, I think the American people would judge that very harshly."
Perhaps Barack Obama should challenge John McCain to travel across America with him to see what’s been happening to his fellow citizens and our vets over the past 8 years.
Obama should offer to take McCain to visit Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida. He should introduce McCain to those folks that have lost their jobs because of NAFTA and are now living in poverty. Let McCain meet some homeowners that lost their homes because of subprime mortgage interest rates going sky high.
Obama should introduce him to those folks that have lost everything because they couldn’t pay high medical bills.
Introduce McCain to that single mother working two jobs just to put a roof over her children’s heads.
As Obama and McCain travel across country, they should stop at the local gas stations to buy gas. Stop at the local market and buy some groceries. Let him talk to the trucker that’s close to bankruptsy because he can’t meet his bills for the high price of gasoline. Allow McCain to travel over the pot holes in our highways.
Obama should take Senator McCain to some emergency rooms across the nation. Let him see how long a person has to wait to be examined. Let McCain see the paper work that needs to be filled out just to see a doctor.
McCain should also visit some local grade schools. Let him see the crumbling school buildings.
Last but not least, Obama should take McCain to military bases across our nation that have substandard living conditions for our soldiers. Leaking roofs, toliets that don’t work and mold growing on the walls.
Senator McCain said it himself awhile back. He doesn’t understand economics. Perhaps if he were to simply look at how our nation’s economy is hurting – he’d understand why American’s are fed up with spending billions of dollars over in Iraq.
Senator McCain’s priorities lay with the Iraqi’s. Senator Obama’s concerns lay with the American people.
Senator McCain -- Listen to your own words;
"If there was any other issue before the American people, and you hadn't had anything to do with it in a couple of years, I think the American people would judge that very harshly."
Comments (19)
That's a great twist on what McCain is saying. Really great thought.
May 27, 2008 11:47 AM | Reply | Permalink
McCain would flip out, it'd be great to watch.
May 27, 2008 11:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
I'm hoping Obama see's this idea and jumps on it. It would give him something to use against McCain AND help tell people he DOES KNOW and DOES CARE about what they are going through.
May 27, 2008 11:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
Love it. I want to see McCain red-faced and sputtering as this offer is extended to him - live, on national TV.
May 27, 2008 12:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeh, perhaps it would be best to hold this OFFER till their first Debate when McCain challenges Obama to go to Iraq with him.
Perfect type of come back. Of course, Obama would do a much better job at writing it all out.
May 27, 2008 12:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
Heh.
May 27, 2008 4:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
I had the same thought when I saw McShame's comments this morning.
I think there is an Obama story on HuffPost suggesting that the campaign is going to hammer on McCain on domestic issues while he keeps talking about foreign policy.
McCain wants to frame the campaign with his perceived positives and keep Obama responding to his issues rather than discussing his own. Like the nasty economy McCain doesn't understand.
May 27, 2008 5:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
how many of the 57 states do you think they should visit?
and, perhaps they could make a trek to auschwitz, to inspect the site of Obama's uncle's liberation of the Jews.
not to mention the "i see dead people" memorial day speech when he saw many deceased vets in front of him.
be careful what you wish for
May 27, 2008 6:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
This ad by a young mom who is a veteran of Iraq says it all.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsMumUEPMCY
Three trillion dollars for Baghdad, but not one red cent for Americans. John McCain comes from a line of soldiers that go back to the Revolutionary War. He seems to think that war is the only important measure of a man or of a country. While John McCain is busy trying to make the ghosts of his ancestors proud, Obama is working to make life better for regular people. That's an easy choice for me. If John McCain and George Bush had spent as much time thinking about America as they've spent thinking about Iraq and Iran, we'd be living in a better world right now. No third term for Bush/McCain.
May 27, 2008 6:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
Awesome.
Will McCain be wearing a flak jacket on that tour, too?
May 27, 2008 6:10 PM | Reply | Permalink
Great tactic and it would be a great strategy to continue that tactic every time McCain tries it make it all about how much money we can waste in Iraq, Obam should shift to all the rebuilding we need to do right here at home.
May 27, 2008 6:39 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, my instant reaction to seeing that post on Huffington was that Obama should respond with an invitation to McCain to visit the schools in the Corridor of Shame
(I have a bit of an obsession about McCain's so-called education `policy`)
May 27, 2008 7:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obama would never do it because he's not that snarky - especially before he's secured the Dem nomination officially. But I'd love to be proven wrong.
You know the perfect venue to spring this onto McCain? The first debate. McCain would turn beet-red, and it'd be all anyone would be talking about.
May 27, 2008 7:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
And this meme of McCain's that he won't `surrender` in Iraq, Obama should be responding - `yes that's what you send in Vietnam - all these decades later, some things never change...'
(makes me laugh just thinking about it)
May 27, 2008 10:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
Connie, this is a REALLY good idea!
We know that John Edwards got both Obama and Clinton to agree to a poverty tour so such a tour is going to happen anyway. I think it will tell the American people something about who is on their side: the guy who wants to travel to Iraq and posture about like a tough guy wearing a bullet-proof vest surrounded by huge security details, or the guy who is willing to walk among us (unfortunately, with secret service protection) and witness the devastation to our infrastructure due to the bloated spending on the Iraq War. It would be especially moving to go to the lower 9th Ward in New Orleans and see the failure of our government to rebuild for our displaced citizens right here in this country.
May 27, 2008 10:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
Connie, I almost never bother to respond to you, because we rarely agree. I opened this post cuz I really though I might find a post of yours that I could agree with, based on the title. I'd like to find unity.
Then you said Obama should walk Mccain through all the places Obama lost. (Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Florida.)
Do you really believe McCain knows less about this part of America than Obama? If so, I respectfully submit that you haven't traveled enough, either through life or through America.
May 28, 2008 12:11 AM | Reply | Permalink
This is a brilliant, brilliant idea!
May 28, 2008 1:10 AM | Reply | Permalink
Please cross-post to several places like DKos so the Obama people will be sure to see it. This is a killer idea. I sent the link to the comments section of obama.com, but who knows if they'll see it there.
May 28, 2008 1:15 AM | Reply | Permalink
I love all the people here that think this is a great idea and would surely burn McCain. He's already been touring the U.S. and will continue to do so during the campaign, so that's nothing new. Obama though of course knows he cannot make this proposal (which some here have suggested would be a wonderful "gotcha moment" during a debate) as McCain could easily turn the tables and accept the invite as long as Obama accepts the invite to Iraq. Imagine THAT exchange during a debate. Talk about gotcha!!! So let's have a little common sense here people.
May 28, 2008 8:35 AM | Reply | Permalink
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