I'm a glass half-empty kind of guy, so I kind of left the TV thinking McCain had a better night. I'm now starting to change my mind... I think they both had some good soundbites, but Obama looked more "presidential" and this was no more than a draw in what was supposed to be McCain's home court. I'm feeling good now.
I'm feeling even better now that the Obama campaign is fact-checking the living daylights out of McCain's debate statements. Hopefully more is on the way, but I figured I'd share some relevant points. Keep going to the site as I'm sure they're frantically digging through stuff as we speak.
John McCain refuses to commit to meeting with Spain's Zapatero
Top Foreign Policy Aide Confirmed That McCain Refused To Commit To A White House Meeting With Zapatero. "McCain foreign policy adviser Randy Scheunemann said there was no doubt that McCain intended to say that he would not commit to a White House meeting with Zapatero. Asked to explain McCain's apparent shift in tone and position since April, Scheunemann said in an e-mail: ‘If elected, he will meet with a wide range of allies in a wide variety of venues but is not going to spell out scheduling and meeting location specifics in advance. He also is not going to make reckless promises to meet America's adversaries. It's called keeping your options open, unlike Senator Obama, who has publicly committed to meeting some of the world's worst dictators unconditionally in his first year in office.’" [Washington Post, 9/19/08]
Obama forecasted a conflict between Russia and Georgia back in April
April 2008: Obama Warned Of Possible Conflict In The Georgia Region In April 2008. Obama said in a press release, "Georgia is a sovereign country, a member of the United Nations, and a close friend of the United States. I welcome the desire by Georgia, as well as Ukraine, to seek closer ties with NATO. Russian President Vladimir Putin's decree establishing closer governmental and legal relations with the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, without the approval of the Georgian government, is deeply troubling and contrary to Russia's obligations as a permanent member of the UN Security Council. Putin's declaration falls short of recognizing Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent countries, but these pledges of closer ties to these two regions threatens the Georgian government and emboldens the secessionist forces in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili has offered to negotiate substantial autonomy for these regions. Negotiations between the Georgian government and regional leaders, fully supported by international organizations and responsible governments, are the right way to proceed. ... The advance of democracy and peace in the region is a remarkable achievement that cannot be undone by unilateral acts designed to undermine the territorial integrity of democratic countries like Georgia." [Obama Press Release, 4/21/08 ]
Obama reacted harshly to Russian aggression
Obama Condemned Russia’s Aggressive Actions And Reiterated His Call For An Immediate Ceasefire. Obama said in a statement, "I just spoke separately with Secretary Rice and President Saakashvili about the grave crisis in Georgia. I told President Saakashvili that I was deeply concerned about the wellbeing of the people of Georgia. Over the last two days, Russia has escalated the crisis in Georgia through its clear and continued violation of Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. On Friday, Aug. 8, Russian military forces invaded Georgia. I condemn Russia’s aggressive actions and reiterate my call for an immediate ceasefire. Russia must stop its bombing campaign, cease flights of Russian aircraft in Georgian airspace, and withdraw its ground forces from Georgia." [Politico, Obama Press Release, 8/9/08 ]
Obama's worked across party lines on important national security measures
Obama And Lugar Passed Law Boosting U.S. Efforts To Keep WMDs And Other Dangerous Weapons Out Of The Hands Of Terrorists. In 2006, Obama and Lugar introduced The Cooperative Proliferation Detection Act, which was passed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee unanimously on May 26, 2006 and was eventually incorporated into the Department of State Authorities Act of 2006 and signed into law on January 11, 2007. ... The legislation authored by Chairman Lugar and Senator Obama enhances: (1) U.S. cooperation with foreign governments to destroy conventional weapons stockpiles around the world; and (2) the United States' ability to provide assistance to foreign governments aimed at helping them detect and interdict weapons and materials of mass destruction. ...The initiative was modeled after the Nunn-Lugar program that focuses on weapons of mass destruction in the former Soviet Union. The legislation was signed into law on January 11, 2007, as a part of H.R. 6060, the Department of State Authorities Act of 2006." [P.L. 109-472 , 1/11/07; House Report 109-706 , 9/3/06; S. 2566 , 109th Congress; S.1949 , 109th Congress; Senate Report 110-40 , 3/29/07]
John McCain has failed to lead on nuclear proliferation
Nuclear Experts Said McCain’s Speech On Non-Proliferation "Did Not Break Significant New Ground." "Nuclear experts said McCain did not break significant new ground, but they welcomed the focus on the issue. ‘McCain's speech, while vague in several key areas, reflects the emerging bipartisan consensus in favor of renewed U.S. leadership on nuclear disarmament that is needed to win support for steps needed to shore up the beleaguered global nonproliferation system,’ said Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association. He said it was ‘a welcome start’ that candidates are focused ‘on this underreported issue in the campaign.’" [Washington Post, 5/28/08 ]
John McCain will TAX health benefits for certain American workers
"Mr. Holtz-Eakin said in an interview that for some, Mr. McCain’s health care tax credits would not be large enough to compensate for his proposal to eliminate the tax breaks afforded to workers with employer-provided health benefits.... Charlie Black, a senior adviser to his campaign, who was also on the bus, acknowledged that some would pay more..." NYT, [5/1/08]).
John McCain has voted against renewable energy 23 times (note: this is only one example, the website lists MANY more)
- McCain Voted Against Extending The Renewable Energy Production Credit; The Measure Also Included $290 Million For Renewable Energy R&D On Solar, Wind, Geothermal, Biomass, Hydropower. McCain voted against an amendment that provided an additional $500 million for LIHEAP and $3.5 billion for other energy programs. The amendment extends the renewable energy production tax credit and clean renewable energy bonds programs for four years. The amendment provided for the following funding: Biomass cellulosic fuels ($250 million), Cellulosic biomass ethanol conversion assistance ($250 million), Renewable energy R&D Solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, hydropower ($290 million). [2006 Senate Vote 42, 3/14/2006]