"Having spent two years as the Command Sergeant Major at Landstuhl Hospital, I am always grateful for the attention that facility receives from members of Congress. There is no more important work done by the United States Army than to care for those who have been wounded in the service our country. While Americans troops remain engaged in two hot wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, there is a steady stream of casualties to the hospital, and a steady stream of visitors who wish to meet with those troops and thank them for their service.
"Senator Obama has explained his decision to cancel a scheduled visit there by blaming the military, which would not allow one of his political advisers to join him in a tour of the facility. Why Senator Obama felt he needed an adviser with him to visit U.S. troops is unclear, but if Senator Obama isn't comfortable meeting wounded American troops without his entourage, perhaps he does not have the experience necessary to serve as commander in chief."
From The McCain Report here.
The WaPo takes the angle that McCain is questioning Obama's patriotism. I think that McCain is questioning Obama's ability to assume the role of Commander In Chief. McCain is saying why could you not go by yourself and visit the wounded solders? Because it goes against your base Mr. Obama, the anti-military types (Code Pink, ANSWER and ACORN etc.) and it was not a campaign photo op. And the MSM (Obama cheerleaders) skirts the issue. They cover up the real issues that Obama can't possibly be the leader of our troops in a time of Global Terrorism!
The attacks are part of a newly aggressive McCain operation whose aim is to portray the Democratic presidential candidate as a craven politician more interested in his image than in ailing soldiers, a senior McCain adviser said. They come despite repeated pledges by the Republican that he will never question his rival's patriotism.
The essence of McCain's allegation is that Obama planned to take a media entourage, including television cameras, to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany during his week-long foreign trip, and that he canceled the visit when he learned he could not do so. "I know that, according to reports, that he wanted to bring media people and cameras and his campaign staffers," McCain said Monday night on CNN's "Larry King Live."
McCain is smart to attack Obama on the ability to lead. Keep it up McCain. Focus on any issue that Obama shows lack on leadership. I know the voters will pick up on that. The Berlin bounce proves it. (nil, not, nine!)
From NYT here:
Assertions in early news reports that the Pentagon had told Mr. Obama he could not visit the medical center were incorrect, said Geoff Morrell, a Pentagon spokesman. He said the military personnel in Germany had made arrangements for Mr. Obama’s visit and were surprised when it was called off.
The cancellation provided one of the few sour notes in an overseas trip that otherwise seemed to be well orchestrated. It offered an opening on a subject, military affairs, that the McCain campaign believes Mr. Obama is vulnerable on.
If the story behind the story of the canceled troop visit has run its course, one question remains: Why didn’t Mr. Obama leave his aides behind, even the retired general, and make the visit by himself?
“Even him going alone would likely be characterized by some as a political event,” Mr. Gibbs said in an interview on Monday, adding, “He decided not to put the troops in that position.”
President Bush, Senators and Congress go and visit the troops all the time. And it is never a campaign issue at all. It is just going to visit those who have served their country and have been wounded while serving. And Thanking the wounded for their service. Thats all! And Sen. McCain has a right to question and attack Sen. Obama on his ability to be a leader to the troops. Which apparently is lacking.
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