FLASHBACK: McCain Declared Osama Bin Laden Threats Are ‘Very Helpful’ To Bush’s Campaign»

[babylonsister]

So no wonder his protests against what Charlie Black said seemed so half-hearted. He agrees. :eyes:

http://thinkprogress.org/2008/06/24/flashback-mccain-terrorist/

FLASHBACK: McCain Declared Osama Bin Laden Threats Are ‘Very Helpful’ To Bush’s Campaign»


Yesterday, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) sought to distance himself from adviser Charlie Black, who told Fortune Magazine that another terrorist attack on the United States would be “a big advantage” to McCain’s campaign. McCain rejected the comments, saying, “If he said that, and I do not know the context, I strenuously disagree.”

However, McCain himself has made similar assertions in the past. In 2004, just three days before the presidential election, McCain argued that a recently-released video-tape by Osama bin Laden would prove “very helpful to President Bush”:

U.S. Sen. John McCain, campaigning in southwestern Connecticut on Saturday, said Osama bin Laden’s video message to Americans will likely energize President Bush’s re-election campaign.

“I think it’s very helpful to President Bush,” said McCain, R-Ariz., while stumping in Stamford for U.S. Rep. Christopher Shays. “It focuses America’s attention on the war on terrorism. I’m not sure if it was intentional or not, but I think it does have an effect.”

In the 18-minute video, bin Laden declared that al Qaeda was still motivated to attack the United States again.

More recently, McCain indicated that the terrorist attack that killed Pakistani politician Benazir Bhutto would help him politically, as CNN’s Dana Bash recounted on the Situation Room yesterday:

BASH: I was actually with Sen. McCain the very day that Benazir Bhutto was assassinated. … He really did understand from that moment that this was something that he thought could help him in the race at that point to be the Republican nominee. In fact, at that event that very day I asked Sen. McCain if he thought it would help his political campaign and he said pretty much “Yes.” … So it’s not a secret that back then that Sen. McCain and his campaign thought it would help.

To be sure — unlike Black seemed to do — McCain in 2004 was not advocating a terrorist attack. Yet just like his trusted adviser, McCain — who claimed yesterday he “cannot imagine” why Black would say such a thing — has not hesitated to claim political advantage from acts of terror.

[cbc5g]

1. Not surprised here...the politics of terror

[WritersBlock]

2. Every once in awhile the truth oozes out of their mouths. I'm sure they hate it when that happens,

Because the last thing they want is for the country to wake up and realize who's benefited from lots of things that have happened in the past 7 years.

[babylonsister]

6. I'm sure he forgot about all these crazy tubes that record stuff; his

words often bit him in the ass, deservedly so.

[AndyTiedye]

3. Senator McCain, You MIHOP is Showing

M.I.H.O.P.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

4. I guess McCain wishes he didn't have a 'mouth'

[lyonn]

5. It's hard to believe in this election that the Fear Factor is doing well

George has proven that attacking other countries does not keep us safe. Repubs will say that his strategy has keep us from further attacks. Hell, they have killed over 4,000 in Iraq of our people and many Shiites. And the terrorist never get accused of this accomplishment, to say nothing of moving back into Afghanistan and attacking us there. Terrorist have caused total confusion in the U.S. plus we are paying Arabs mightily for oil. Looks like things have worked quite well for them without, as a group, being blamed.

Where is Bin Laden? Gone but not forgotten by many Americans, the real culprit.

Donna (?) Bash is a pretty damn good reporter, by the way. She slips that stuff in from time to time and has still been able to keep her job. McCain is phonier than George and possibly dumber? Power hungry is a very good word to describe him. Dedicated to being a "hot dog". Notice the red convertible in his recent statement to reporters on his energy flap. We must all remember that he once tooled around in his red corvette when he was a youngun like some cool, arrogant, egotistical jerk. Seems he hasn't changed. Corvettes were cool back then, McCain was a cool jerk. I'm sure his wife back then was impressed.

Dumb rant but I hate the guy, he truly is George the II. He is getting the same "pass" by the reporters that George did because he sucks up to them, good ol' boy BS.

[Quantess]

9. Some people are slow learners.

Some people still haven't figured out that the Bush foreign policies just incite the terrorists.

I liked your rant, by the way. :)

[malaise]

11. Is it?

Bush is at 23% and Obama leads in all polls. Didn't they try this $hit in 2006 and lose?

[Bluebear]

7. Rec #5. Good reminder!

[eridani]

8. So why aren't we doing more to educate the public about fake videos?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=358&topic_id=3185

[Solly Mack]

10. nudge & nod