On The Campaign Trail... What They Are Saying
 
Page << | >> August 28, 2008 "I am going to fight as hard as I can over the next 70 days to make clear to the American people that they deserve a president and a White House that is fighting for them. We've got a VA that is chronically under-funded. The thousands of troops that are coming home right now are not getting the help they need. It's heartbreaking. Almost no other state has a higher concentration of veterans than Montana or as many obstacles to veterans getting the treatment they need for PTSD. If we don't deal with it now, then we are going to end up, in one way or another, dealing with it later: with more homeless on the street, more folks in prisons, more people who are unable to adjust. We're a proud people. We're a self reliant people, but ultimately what makes this country great is that we understand we rise and fall together and it's that spirit I want to restore to Washington." Senator Barack Obama, speaking in Billings, Montana, August 27, 2008. "I think I'm more in touch with the American people as far as my policies, my proposals and my ideals...I know what's bothering America because I have town hall meetings." Senator John McCain responding to critiques that he is out of touch with middle class America on KDKA Morning News radio in Pennsylvania, August 28, 2008. August 26, 2008 "The Cold War ended not because the world stood ‘as one,’ but because the great democracies came together, bound together by sustained and decisive American leadership. If I catch Sen. Obama's drift, then, our failure to ‘lead by example’ was the liberation of Iraq. And if he really thinks that, by liberating Iraq from a dangerous tyrant, America somehow set a bad example that invited Russia to invade a small, peaceful and democratic nation, then he should state it outright — because that is a debate I welcome." Senator John McCain, addressing the 90th Annual American Legion National Convention in Phoenix, Arizona, August 26, 2008. "If you don’t know how many houses you have, no wonder you think we’ve made great progress in the economy. No wonder you think the economy is sound." Senator Barack Obama speaking near Kansas City, Missouri, referring to Senator McCain's statement that the fundamentals of the economy are sound, August 26, 2008.
August 25, 2008 “Joe Biden is that rare mix. For decades, he has brought change to Washington, but Washington hasn’t changed him. He’s an expert on foreign policy whose heart and values are rooted firmly in the middle class.” Senator Barack Obama at a rally in Springfield, Illinois to announce Senator Joe Biden as his running mate, August 23, 2008. "Well, I've always respected Joe Biden, but I disagreed with him from the time he voted against the first Gulf War to his position where he said you had to break Iraq up into three different counties. I never agreed with that. But I appreciate very much his dedication to trying to solve this genocide that's going in Darfur and other things that Joe Biden has done. But we really have different approaches to many national security issues. I look forward to whoever my running mate will be having a respectful debate with him on that as well." Senator John McCain in an interview with Katie Couric, discussing Senator Obama's VP choice of Senator Joe Biden, August 23, 2008.
August 14, 2008 "I think that the pro-life position is one of the important aspects or fundamentals of the Republican Party. And I also feel that -- and I'm not trying to equivocate here -- that Americans want us to work together. You know, Tom Ridge is one of the great leaders, and he happens to be pro-choice. And I don't think that that would necessarily rule Tom Ridge out." Senator John McCain speaking about Tom Ridge as a potential vice president candidate in an interview with the Weekly Standard, August 13, 2008. "I am convinced that honoring Senator Clinton's historic campaign in this way will help us celebrate this defining moment in our history and bring the party together in a strong united fashion." Senator Barack Obama in a joint statement with Senator Hillary Clinton, announcing that Senator Clinton’s name will be put in for nomination at the Democratic National Convention, August 14, 2008.
August 13, 2008 "Now is the time for action - not just words. It is past time for the Russian government to immediately sign and implement a cease-fire. Russia must halt its violation of Georgian airspace and withdraw its ground forces from Georgia, with international monitors to verify that these obligations are met." Senator Barack Obama in a statement released on August 12, 2008. "He [Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili] knows that the thoughts and the prayers and support of the American people are with that brave little nation as they struggle today for their freedom and independence. And he wanted me to say thank you to you, to give you his heartfelt thanks for the support of the American people for this tiny little democracy far away from the United States of America. And I told him that I know I speak for every American when I say to him, 'Today, we are all Georgians.'" Senator John McCain at a town hall meeting in York, Pennsylvania, August 12, 2008. August 12, 2008 "In the face of Russian aggression, the very existence of independent Georgia and the survival of its democratically elected government are at stake. "Russian President Medvedev and Prime Minister Putin must understand the severe, long-term negative consequences that their government's actions will have for Russia's relationship with the US and Europe…Whatever tensions and hostilities might have existed between Georgians and Ossetians, they in no way justify Moscow's path of violent aggression. "Russian actions, in clear violation of international law, have no place in 21st century Europe." Senator John McCain in a statement on the conflict between Russia and Georgia, Erie, Pennsylvania, August 11, 2008. "No matter how this conflict started, Russia has escalated it well beyond the dispute over South Ossetia and invaded another country. Russia has escalated its military campaign through strategic bombing and the movement of its ground forces into the heart of Georgia. There is no possible justification for these attacks…Let me be clear: we seek a future of cooperative engagement with the Russian government, and friendship with the Russian people. We want Russia to play its rightful role as a great nation – but with that role comes the responsibility to act as a force for progress in this new century, not regression to the conflicts of the past." Senator Barack Obama in a televised statement on the conflict between Russia and Georgia, August 11, 2008. August 11, 2008 "First, we learned that the federal budget deficit could reach nearly half a trillion dollars next year. Eight years after we had a record surplus, we’re now faced with record deficits. This mortgaging of our children’s future is a direct result of the Bush Administration’s dangerously failed fiscal policies. "The second thing we learned this week was that the Iraqi government now has a $79 billion budget surplus thanks to their windfall oil profits. And while this Iraqi money sits in American banks, American taxpayers continue to spend $10 billion a month to defend and rebuild Iraq. "That’s right. America faces a huge budget deficit. Iraq has a surplus. Now, Senator McCain promises to continue President Bush’s open-ended commitment to the war in Iraq, while refusing to pressure Iraqis to take responsibility for their own country." Senator Barack Obama in the weekly Democratic radio address, August 9, 2008. "As you may know, the Democratic National Convention is just a couple of weeks away. It was four years ago, at the same gathering, that America heard a fine speech from an Illinois state senator named Barack Obama. He's done pretty well for himself since then. And the smart money in Denver is on another celebrated performance. But even the most stirring speeches are easily forgotten when they're short on content. Taking in my opponent's performances is a little like watching a big summer blockbuster, and an hour in realizing that all the best scenes were in the trailer you saw last fall. In the way of running mates, Senator Obama should consider someone with a knack for brevity and directness, to balance the ticket." Senator John McCain in his weekly radio address, August 9, 2008. August 7, 2008 "Government is too big, he wants to grow it. Taxes are to high, he wants to raise them. Congress spends too much and he proposes more. We need more energy and he's against producing it. We're finally winning in Iraq, and he wants to forfeit." Senator John McCain speaking about Senator Obama in Lima, Ohio, August 7, 2008. "If Senator McCain wants to talk about how Washington is broken, that's a debate I'm happy to have. Because Senator McCain's energy plan reads like an early Christmas list for oil and gas lobbyists. It's no wonder -- because many of his top advisers are former oil and gas lobbyists." Senator Barack Obama in Elkhart, Indiana, August 6, 2008. August 6, 2008 “We need more jobs and economic development. Why don't we focus on clean energy and reopening factories and putting people back to work? Nobody is benefiting from jobs that are leaving the community.” Senator Barack Obama speaking at a town hall meeting in Youngstown, Ohio, August 5, 2008. “Solving our national energy crisis requires an 'all of the above' approach. Senator Obama has said that expanding our nuclear power plants 'doesn't make sense for America.' He also says no to nuclear storage and reprocessing. I couldn't disagree more.” Senator John McCain speaking at the Enrico Fermi 2 nuclear power plant near Monroe, Michigan, August 5, 2008. August 5, 2008 “I’ll take the roar of 150 Harleys any day. Any day. This is my first time here, but I recognize that sound. It’s the sound of freedom.” Senator John McCain at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in Sturgis, South Dakota, August 4, 2008. “We thought that the trip accomplished what I wanted to accomplish, which is to give the people back home some sense of how I would operate internationally, the kind of vision I want to project about America to the rest of the world, and make an assessment of Iraq and Afghanistan.” Senator Barack Obama speaking to reporters on his plane about his recent trip to Europe and the Middle East, August 4, 2008.
August 4, 2008 “I also believe that in the short-term, as we transition to renewable energy, we can and should increase our domestic production of oil and natural gas. But we should start by telling the oil companies to drill on the 68 million acres they currently have access to but haven't touched. And if they don't, we should require them to give up their leases to someone who will. We should invest in the technology that can help us recover more from existing oil fields, and speed up the process of recovering oil and gas resources in shale formations in Montana and North Dakota; Texas and Arkansas and in parts of the West and Central Gulf of Mexico. We should sell 70 million barrels of oil from our Strategic Petroleum Reserve for less expensive crude, which in the past has lowered gas prices within two weeks.” Senator Barack Obama addressing energy policy in Lansing, Michigan, August 4, 2008. “Like all compromises, this one has its drawbacks. It includes a limited amount of new offshore drilling, and while I still don't believe that's a particularly meaningful short-term or long-term solution, I am willing to consider it if it's necessary to actually pass a comprehensive plan. I am not interested in making the perfect the enemy of the good - particularly since there is so much good in this compromise that would actually reduce our dependence on foreign oil.” Senator Barack Obama addressing energy policy in Lansing, Michigan, August 4, 2008. “Most Americans understand that producing more of something will lower its price. And if I am elected president, this nation will move quickly to increase our own energy production. Last month, the President finally lifted the executive ban on offshore oil and gas exploration, and called on Congress to lift its ban as well. Lifting that ban could seriously lower the price of oil -- and Congress should get it done immediately. We need to drill more, drill now, and pay less at the pump.” Senator John McCain speaking at the National Urban League Conference in Orlando, Florida, August 1, 2008. “Affirmative action is in the eye of the beholder. I think the United States of America has reached the point where we should provide equal economic opportunities for all America.”
Senator John McCain, responding to a question at the National Urban League Conference in Orlando, Florida, August 1, 2008.
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