Obama for America

 

McCain's False Allegations on Visiting Wounded Troops in Germany

July 29, 2008

OUTLETS AGREE: MCCAIN AD ALLEGATIONS ARE NOT TRUE, AND OBAMA NEVER INTENDED TO BRING PRESS

Andrea Mitchell: The McCain Ad Is "Literally Not True" And "I Can Vouch" That Obama Had No Intention Of Bringing Cameras; "It Seems Inexplicable That This Whole Thing Has Become Such An Issue." Andrea Mitchell said, "As someone supporting John McCain, I've got to ask you about this new John McCain ad. It says, literally, he could have gone, but did other things, but not with cameras. That literally is not true. Let me play a bit of Robert Gibbs, Obama's spokesman reacting to that today… The point is he had no intention of bringing cameras. I was there, I can vouch for it. Why put up an ad claiming that's why he didn't visit the troops? They claim the reason they didn't go was they were concern it would seem to political since that was the political leg of his journey… Well, he wasn't planning to bring an entourage. He certainly visited the soldiers only four or five days earlier when he was in Iraq and visited them in Walter Reed without notice and entourage. It seems inexplicable that this whole thing has become such an issue, but clearly, the McCain campaign wants this to be an issue, wants to paint him as someone who's unfeeling about the troops." [MSNBC, 7/28/08]

Annenberg Fact Check: The McCain Ad's Insinuation That Obama Canceled The Visit Because Of the Press Ban Or The Desire For Gym Time "Is False." "A new McCain ad says Obama 'made time to go to the gym, but canceled a visit with wounded troops. Seems the Pentagon wouldn't allow him to bring cameras.' McCain's facts are literally true, but his insinuation – that the visit was canceled because of the press ban or the desire for gym time – is false. In fact, Obama visited wounded troops earlier – without cameras or press – both in the U.S. and Iraq. And his gym workouts are a daily routine. The Obama campaign canceled the visit with wounded troops at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany, Obama says, when he learned that the Pentagon would not allow him to bring along a retired Air Force major general who is serving as a foreign policy adviser to the campaign. Obama says that 'triggered then a concern that maybe our visit was going to be perceived as political.'" [FactCheck.org, 7/28/08]

Retired Chief Of Medical Operations For USAF At Ramstein Air Force Base: McCain's Ad Is "Dishonest And Shameful." Col. Katherine Scheirman (Ret.), the retired Chief of Medical Operations for United States Air Force in Europe Headquarters at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany said, "John McCain's new ad is dishonest and shameful, and I say that as the former Chief of Medical Operations. Senators Hagel and Reed confirmed to Bob Schieffer yesterday that Senator Obama visited the Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad as a part of their CODEL, with no media present. In Germany, Senator Obama made the right decision to respect wounded troops, and the doctors and nurses doing crucial and time-sensitive work, by not making a visit that was characterized as a campaign event by the Pentagon. Senator Obama should be thanked for putting our military above politics. And, I would hope that John McCain would think in those same terms, the next time he is put in a similar situation. Senator Obama has voted for the troops when John McCain has not, most recently on the new GI Bill. I am happy that Senator Obama puts the welfare of our troops above politics." [Politico, 7/28/08]

Tapper: "The McCain Campaign Provides No Evidence For The Assertion That Being Told He Couldn't Bring Media Had Anything To Do With The Trip's Cancellation." "McCain's ad asserts that Obama 'made time to go to the gym, but cancelled a visit with wounded troops. Seems the Pentagon wouldn't allow him to bring cameras.' The McCain campaign provides no evidence for the assertion that being told he couldn't bring media had anything to do with the trip's cancellation. Oddly, when discussing Obama's trip to the gym, the ad uses footage of Obama playing basketball with US troops in Kuwait over the weekend." [ABC News, 7/26/08]

Tumulty: "There Is Absolutely No Evidence" That Obama Cancelled The Trip Because He Couldn't Bring Media And The Military Confirmed That The Plan Was To Leave Media And Staff At The Airport. "Jake Tapper notes the ad also claims that Obama cancelled the trip because he was told he couldn't bring the media. There is absolutely no evidence for that one. The campaign insists that the plan had been to leave us at the airport, and the military has confirmed that arrangements were being made to hold media and staff there at a passenger terminal." [Time, 7/26/08]

TPM: A Pentagon Spokesperson Confirmed That Pentagon Officials Told Obama Aides That He Couldn't Visit The Base With His Campaign Staff. Greg Sargent at Talking Points Memo wrote, "A Pentagon spokesperson confirms to me that because of longstanding Department of Defense regulations, Pentagon officials told Obama aides that he couldn't visit the base with campaign staff. This left Obama with little choice but to cancel the trip, since the plan to visit with campaign aides had been in the works for weeks." [Talking Points Memo, 7/25/08]

OBAMA CAMPAIGN AND OTHERS: THE ISSUE WAS CONCERN THAT THE TROOPS WOULD BE POLITICIZED BY A "CAMPAIGN" VISIT

Obama Has Been Clear: He Did Not Want Visit to Wounded Soldiers To Be Perceived as Political, Which The Pentagon Had Ruled It Would Be. "We had scheduled to go, we had no problem at all in leaving, we always leave press and staff off -- that is why we left it off the schedule. We were treating it in the same way we treat a visit to Walter Reed which I was able to do a few weeks ago without any fanfare whatsoever. I was going to be accompanied by one of my advisors, a former military officer." Continued Obama, "And we got notice that he would be treated as a campaign person, and it would therefore be perceived as political because he had endorsed my candidacy but he wasn't on the Senate staff. That triggered then a concern that maybe our visit was going to be perceived as political. And the last thing that I want to do is have injured soldiers and the staff at these wonderful institutions having to sort through whether this is political or not or get caught in the crossfire between campaigns." "So rather than go forward and potentially get caught up in what might have been considered a political controversy of some sort," Obama said, "what we decided was that we not make a visit and instead I would call some of the troops that were there. So that essentially would be the extent of the story." [ABC News, 7/26/08]

NBC's Pentagon Correspondent: The Issue Is "Concern Over Exploitation Of The Wounded, For Any Reason." NBC's Pentagon correspondent Jim Miklaszewski said, "As a member of the Armed Service Committee John McCain could also have a legitimate reason for visiting a military base and attracting media coverage, but it hasn't happened and I think both sides would take a serious look at the implications. The other issue is concern over exploitation of the wounded, for any reason. When the president, the Defense secretary, or any member of Congress visit the wounded at a military hospital the media are not invited to cover the event." [MSNBC, 7/25/08]

Hagel Said Obama "Did The Right Thing" In Not Visiting The Troops In Germany And That He Didn't Think McCain's Ad Was Appropriate. "Schieffer also asked about McCain's new TV ad in which he says Obama in Europe 'made time to go to the gym but canceled a visit with wounded troops. Seems the Pentagon wouldn't allow him to bring cameras.' Hagel, who accompanied Obama on their official trip to Afghanistan and Iraq but broke off in Jordan, said, 'the congressional delegation that you referred to ended when we parted in Jordan. At that point, it was a political trip for Senator Obama. I think it would have been inappropriate for him and certainly he would have been criticized by the McCain people and the press and probably should have been if on a political trip in Europe paid for by political funds - not the taxpayers -to go, essentially, then and be accused of using our wounded men and women as props for his campaign...I think it would be totally inappropriate for him on a campaign trip to go to a military hospital and use those soldiers as props. So I think he probably, based on what I know, he did the right thing.' Hagel said he wasn't sure about all the details of the controversy, but 'we saw troops everywhere we went on the congressional delegation. We went out of our way to see those troops.' Hagel said of McCain's ad, 'I do not think it was appropriate.'" [ABC News, 7/27/08]

MCCAIN CAMPAIGN HAS ADDRESSED SIMILAR CONCERNS OVER POLITICIZING AMERICAN TROOPS

McCain Senior Advisor Steve Schmidt: "We Follow The Rules" Banning Political Campaigning On Military Bases. "With Department of Defense rules prohibiting political campaigning on military bases, it was determined that in some cases McCain could visit the installations as a senator but could not engage in any political activity or have news media present. McCain campaign officials said Thursday they intentionally did not campaign on military property. 'We follow the rules,' said senior McCain adviser Steve Schmidt." [CNN.com, 4/3/08]

OBAMA HAS VISITED WITH WOUNDED TROOPS RECENTLY, CALLED SOLDIERS AT LANDSTUHL

Obama Visited Wounded Troops at Walter Reed Last Month. The AP wrote, "Barack Obama stopped by Walter Reed Army Medical Center Saturday to visit wounded war veterans, a group that he has said endures substandard care under the Bush administration. The presumed Democratic nominee, who was in Washington to speak to the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, slipped into the facility shortly after 9 a.m. without stopping to speak to the small group of reporters who follow him. The visit wasn't on his public schedule." [AP, 6/28/08]

Obama Made Phone Calls To Wounded Soldiers At Landstuhl Germany. "Obama made phone calls to wounded soldiers at Landstuhl Germany this morning, in lieu of a personal visit to the forces that was canceled by the Obama campaign. Obama was expected to speak to a number of soldiers individually." [MSNBC, 7/25/08]