Obama’s campaign slogan in the GE, “I was against the war before I actually had to vote for it”

[AGirl]

Cmon, it doesn’t sound very convincing to me. I don’t think he has any real advantage over Hillary when facing off McCain.

[islandmkl]

1. as opposed to..

"I was for the war; but I didn't realize I was for the war until I needed to show that I was not for the war yet needed to not explain that I WAS for the war."

[islandmkl]

2. as opposed to..

"I was for the war; but I didn't realize I was for the war until I needed to show that I was not for the war yet needed to not explain that I WAS for the war."

[cali]

3. that's absurd. Even the most anti-war Senators have voted to

fund the war because of the troops. People like Leahy, Kennedy, Sanders.

[tekisui]

4. Voted to fund with time-tables for withdrawel even.

[guruoo]

22. Others did it, so that makes it OK?

[featherman]

5. Weak .... but I'm glad you are trying. Good candidate spirit

[Nailzberg]

6. McCain can't make make that argument.

Imagine

McCain: If you were against the war, why did you vote to fund it?
Obama: Because you sent our troops there without armor, and I voted to protect them.

Where does he go from there?

They can't use a "for it before you were against it" attack on Obama, because he wasn't for it in the first place. And America isn't as split as it was in 2004, when a good amount of voters were still unsure if the war was right or wrong.

[SammyWinstonJack]

8. Yeah McCain probably doesn't want to go there.

Ya know he will though. :evilgrin:

[KennedyGuy]

7. Right ON...Great post..

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

9. Obama had the balls to speak out against the war at a time when it was unpopular to do so

Unlike Clinton, who apparently couldn't be bothered to do any research to determine what she was voting for in the IWR. She was clearly more concerned with getting votes than doing the right thing.

[jenmito]

10. Wrong. He was against it and spoke out against it even predicting exactly what would happen...

Good judgement unlike Hillary's. He's in a strong position against ANY Repub. Voting to protect the troops who Hillary sent in there is not a flip-flop.

[ecdab]

11. I remember quite well

how I felt after the vote on the joint resolution to authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against Iraq. I was furious.

For those that have forgotten the results...

Grouped By Vote Position YEAs ---77
Allard (R-CO)
Allen (R-VA)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Bennett (R-UT)
Biden (D-DE)
Bond (R-MO)
Breaux (D-LA)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burns (R-MT)
Campbell (R-CO)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Carnahan (D-MO)
Carper (D-DE)
Cleland (D-GA)
Clinton (D-NY)
Cochran (R-MS)
Collins (R-ME)
Craig (R-ID)
Crapo (R-ID)
Daschle (D-SD)
DeWine (R-OH)
Dodd (D-CT)
Domenici (R-NM)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Edwards (D-NC)
Ensign (R-NV)
Enzi (R-WY)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Fitzgerald (R-IL)
Frist (R-TN)
Gramm (R-TX)
Grassley (R-IA)
Gregg (R-NH)
Hagel (R-NE)
Harkin (D-IA)
Hatch (R-UT)
Helms (R-NC)
Hollings (D-SC)
Hutchinson (R-AR)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kerry (D-MA)
Kohl (D-WI)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lieberman (D-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Lott (R-MS)
Lugar (R-IN)
McCain (R-AZ)
McConnell (R-KY)
Miller (D-GA)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Nickles (R-OK)
Reid (D-NV)
Roberts (R-KS)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Santorum (R-PA)
Schumer (D-NY)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Smith (R-NH)
Smith (R-OR)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (R-PA)
Stevens (R-AK)
Thomas (R-WY)
Thompson (R-TN)
Thurmond (R-SC)
Torricelli (D-NJ)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (R-VA)

NAYs ---23
Akaka (D-HI)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Byrd (D-WV)
Chafee (R-RI)
Conrad (D-ND)
Corzine (D-NJ)
Dayton (D-MN)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Graham (D-FL)
Inouye (D-HI)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murray (D-WA)
Reed (D-RI)
Sarbanes (D-MD)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Wellstone (D-MN)
Wyden (D-OR)


I also remember quite well that I and many others called the result of that vote quite correctly. As such, I find it difficult not to question the judgment of those that failed to vote NAY to HJRes 114 on 10/11/2002. This, of course, doesn't mean that I wouldn't support Hillary against any Republican - I would support her, and do so gladly. But, as this primary unfolds - I can not support her against the likes of Obama. Simply put - in the most important vote of her Senate career - Hillary Clinton not only failed to vote correctly, she put her support behind a resolution that has been catastrophic for this country. That's hard to get over, and frankly, the correct vote on HJRes 114 was obvious to any that took an honest look. Her explanation of that vote hasn't even come close to satisfying me - and I doubt that it possibly could.

[izzybeans]

12. Wrong he can say he would never abandon troops in harms way.

[Yossariant]

14. He can say he wasn't there. Not present. Absent.

He can't be held responsible for votes he didn't cast, while he's busy taking credit for votes he didn't cast.

[izzybeans]

15. rove is that you?

[Yossariant]

17. Hi, George, how's it going with you?

[izzybeans]

20. Clearly you don't understand you are either perpetuating a republican political tactic

or have been sucked in by it. Cherry picking votes and mischaracterizing them is their only leg to stand on.

A reply of he voted present to dodge a hard battle will ring false. He stood with Planned Parenthood as this was their chosen tactic. And voting present some 1/100th of a percent of the time is hardly a worthy talking point. Don't you think?

Or do you want to continue with the Rovian lie about his voting record?

[H2O Man]

13. It sounds shallow.

And it's not what Obama has said, at all.

[oasis]

16. Barack "Johnny-one-note" Obama. He has nothing else to offer. (eom)

[EmperorHasNoClothes]

18. Neither, apparently, do you.

[oasis]

19. I too, opposed the war and my ideas for a national health plan is flawed.

Maybe some of you geniuses will support me should I choose to run. :eyes:

[Alexander]

25. Your ideas "is" flawed? Apparently your English *is* flawed, too.

Not to mention your estimation of Obama's health plan, especially when compared to Hillary's.

Is your children learning?

:rofl:

[Rosa Luxemburg]

21. Hillary's slogan: "Bush told me to vote for the war!"

:evilgrin:

[Evergreen Emerald]

23. Look he has NO advantage. Smoke and mirrors. Distortions and lies

Since being in the senate his record IS EXACTLY THE SAME. Except when it comes to hard votes then he is conveniently absent...so he can later claim any stance rather than make the hard decisions....but ignore all that cause...dang, he sure talks good.

[krkaufman]

24. You think wrong. n/t