Obama scraps visit to wounded US troops in Germany

Obama scraps visit to wounded US troops

in Germany

The Associated Press

Thu, Jul 24, 2008 (3:42 p.m.)

Sen. Barack Obama scrapped plans to visit wounded members of the armed forces in Germany as part of his overseas trip, a decision his campaign said was made because the Democratic presidential candidate thought it would be inappropriate on a campaign-funded journey.

A campaign adviser said the U.S. military saw the visit as a campaign stop.

“We learned from the Pentagon last night that the visit would be viewed instead as a campaign event,” the adviser, retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Scott Gration, said in a statement. “Senator Obama did not want to have a trip to see our wounded warriors perveived as a campaign event when his visit was to show his appreciation for our troops and decided instead not to go.”

Sen. John McCain’s presidential campaign immediately criticized the move.

“Barack Obama is wrong. It is never inappropriate to visit our men and women in the military,” said Brian Rogers, a spokesman for the Republican contender.

Obama’s decision raised a number of questions because the visit, which had been scheduled for Friday, never appeared on the schedule of events distributed to reporters who are accompanying him on his travels.

The first word from the campaign about its existence was a statement from Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs.

Obama had been planning to go to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany before a flight to Paris. Gibbs said the stop was canceled because Obama decided “it would be inappropriate to make a stop to visit troops at a U.S. military facility as part of a trip funded by the campaign.”

Next stop, Germany: Ich bin ein beginner!

http://michellemalkin.com/2008/07/24/next-stop-germany-ich-bin-ein-beginner/

Hussein Heckled By Israelis As He Places Note On Sacred Wailing Wall

http://patdollard.com/2008/07/hussein-heckled-by-israelis-as-he-places-note-on-sacred-wailing-wall/

G.I. In Afghanistan – “We Got More Thanks From The Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders” Than From Hussein

http://patdollard.com/2008/07/gi-in-afghanistan-we-got-more-thanks-from-the-dallas-cowboy-cheerleaders-than-from-obama/

Obama camp plasters posters at Western Wall

http://worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=70454

Obamamania Has Gone From Media Phenomenon To Downright Creepy

http://patdollard.com/2008/07/obamamania-has-gone-from-media-phenomenon-to-downright-creepy/

Obama Bans Protest In Berlin

http://patdollard.com/2008/07/bild-barack-obama-bans-protest-signs-in-berlin/

What Committee was that, Senator?

Ethel C. Fenig

On his if-it’s-Wednesday-this-must-be-Israel photo op tour, Barack Obama seems to have forgotten about life back home in the US of A;  about what he said  and about his responsibilities as Senator. 

“Just this past week, we passed out of the out of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee – which is my committee – a bill to call for divestment from Iran as way of ratcheting up the pressure to ensure that they don’t obtain a nuclear weapon,” Obama said at a press conference in Sderot, Israel.

But that isn’t his committee; he is chairman of the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee’s Subcommittee on European Affairs.  But that position seems to be forgettable because as chairman he rarely had meetings of any substance.

However, in his defense it must be stated he admitted:

“I could fall asleep now standing up,” after Netanyahu asked him how his whirlwind trip to the Middle East and Europe is going.

And

An Obama spokesman tells CNN “it was his bill, not his committee,” referring to the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act that the Illinois senator sponsored and introduced in May 2007. The measure was then referred to the Banking Committee, and passed a vote of 19-2 on July 17.

Thank you spokesman for clarifying; now please inform the Senator of his committee assignment.  And maybe he will call a meeting to tell the other members how he spent his summer vacation.

Posted at 11:31 AM | Email | Permalink

Obama’s Love for our soldiers only goes so far

Rick Moran

Evidently, if you’re a soldier in Afghanistan and there are no cameras around to record how much you love the troops, you can blow them off if you are Barack Obama.

Blackfive got an email yesterday from a soldier in Bagram, Afghanistan that tells what happened when Obama visited the base

I wanted to share with you what happened. He got off the plan[sic] and got into a bullet proof vehicle, got to the area to meet with the Major General (2 Star) who is the commander here at Bagram. As the Soldiers where lined up to shake his hand he blew them off and didn’t say a word as he went into the conference room to meet the General. As he finished, the vehicles took him to the ClamShell (pretty much a big top tent that military personnel can play basketball or work out in with weights) so he could take his publicity pictures playing basketball. He again shunned the opportunity to talk to Soldiers to thank them for their service. So really he was just here to make a showing for the American’s back home that he is their candidate for President. I think that if you are going to make an effort to come all the way over here you would thank those that are providing the freedom that they are providing for you. I swear we got more thanks from the NBA Basketball Players or the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders than from one of the Senators, who wants to be the President of the United States. I just don’t understand how anyone would want him to be our Commander-and-Chief. It was almost that he was scared to be around those that provide the freedom for him and our great country.

And Hot Air has news that Obama actually dropped a scheduled meeting with soldiers in Germany so that he wouldn’t miss his big speech

The message here is that thousands of screaming German fans at the Tiergarten take precedence over visiting Americans serving their country at Rammstein and Landstuhl.  Maybe one of the networks following Obama could interview a few of the soldiers about how they perceive that set of priorities from Obama.

And in an update, we discover it wasn’t “scheduling problems” that made Obama miss his date with the troops

Obama canceled a previously-planned stop to visit thousands of American service personnel, including troops wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan being treated at Landstuhl, so he could hold a political rally for Germans and go shopping in Berlin. Now that’s a nice set of priorities for a man who wants to become Commander in Chief.

I guess unless he can use troops as props in his little propaganda shows, they mean nothing to him.

Hat Tip: Bob Owens

Posted at 12:35 PM | Email | Permalink

Aren’t we forgetting something, Barack?

Rick Moran
Like maybe, that little event, incidental to most of us, called an election?

Headline on Marc Ambinder;s site:

Obama Team Begins Work On Presidential Transition:

“Barack is well aware of the complexity and the organizational challenge involved in the transition process and he has tasked s small group to begin thinking through the process,” a senior campaign adviser said. “Barack has made his expectations clear about what he wants from such a process, how he wants it to move forward, and the establishment and execution of his timeline is proceeding apace.”

The Obama camp is urging John McCain to get in on the fun and start pretending he’s already been elected.

But McCain, showing better sense as well as a better hold on his ego, had his aides simply say they wouldn’t talk to reporters about it.

It isn’t that Obama shouldn’t be planning for an Administration. It is the arrogant manner in which they make no bones about doing so. They don’t care who knows. They openly discuss transition personnel.

Prudence? Or monumental ego?

Posted at 12:23 PM | Email | Permalink