The difference between hope and experience …
posted at 7:15 pm on May 20, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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… is that experience knows what it’s talking about. Take a look at the video from the Hanford Site controversy that Michelle covered yesterday, and see the difference in responses when people question Barack Obama and John McCain about it. McCain responds crisply, aware of the difficulties in and the billions Congress has already spent on the clean-up efforts at the nuclear production facility in Washington, now closed. Barack Obama stammers through an admission that he has no clue about the controversy (via David All):
In fact, here’s the Obama response in transcript form:
Here’s something that you will rarely hear from a politician, and that is that I’m not familiar with the Hanford, uuuuhh, site, so I don’t know exactly what’s going on there. (Applause.) Now, having said that, I promise you I’ll learn about it by the time I leave here on the ride back to the airport.
Here’s something we hear all the time about politicians; Obama doesn’t read legislation before voting on it. Third Wave Dave discovers that Obama voted on a bill in 2005 that specifically dealt with the clean-up effort at Hanford. HR 1815’s summary reads as follows:
Section 3114 -
Directs the Secretary to submit to the defense and appropriations committees any reports received from the Army Corps of Engineers evaluating costs, schedules, and technical issues associated with the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant Project at the DOE Hanford Site.
Obama voted in favor of HR 1815 in Senate Vote 360, and it passed easily, 95-0, with McCain ironically not in attendance. Even Obama’s own Senate website shows this vote. Does Obama routinely cast votes without having a clue about the issue at hand? And does his campaign staff have no idea how to prepare their candidate for regional appearances, by at least reminding him that he’s supposed to know about Hanford?
The comparison here is obvious. One man in this video has prepared himself for the office of the presidency by doing the job he has now. The other one has been sleepwalking his way through his first term in the Senate.
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Obama HOPES that things at Hanford will CHANGE soon, I mean, if they’re like, really bad and all that.
Isn’t that enough, man?!
Cicero43 on May 20, 2008 at 7:18 PM
Obama keeps making McCains ads for him. Good thing since McCains fundraising stinks. Could be better if you dumped Hernandez, John McCain! (hint, hint)
ctmom on May 20, 2008 at 7:19 PM
They later asked Obama about his run for the Presidency against Hillary Clinton and he stated that he didn’t know she was running.
GoodBoy on May 20, 2008 at 7:20 PM
Present.
whitetop on May 20, 2008 at 7:20 PM
The entire quote-
“Here’s something you’ll rarely hear from a politician: I’m not familiar…”
He’s proud of his ignorance.
jgapinoy on May 20, 2008 at 7:22 PM
The more Comrade B.H. Obama speaks extemporaneously, the more the country learns he isn’t even an empty suit. He has no form, no structure, no ideas (that his Marxist teachers haven’t taught him) and, yet, he is likely the next President of the United States of America (soon to be re-named the People’s Democrat Republic).
SeniorD on May 20, 2008 at 7:25 PM
right2bright on May 20, 2008 at 7:25 PM
My confidence is underwhelmed…
What a ninny.
heldmyw on May 20, 2008 at 7:26 PM
Barry Pwnedbama: the first Affirmative Action Presidential candidate.
His campaign slogan: Let’s give it to him cuz he’s black!
benrand on May 20, 2008 at 7:30 PM
Looks that way doesn’t it! LOL, too funny.
upinak on May 20, 2008 at 7:33 PM
And to think the people that blindly support this tool couldn’t care less. They don’t care how unqualified he is. They want Obama.
Must be Jedi mind control … no other way to explain it.
darwin on May 20, 2008 at 7:34 PM
There was some Iraq bill he voted on without reading, too. But, and this is something you probably haven’t heard much from a blogger, I am unfamiliar with the details of that …uhhh… bill.
NTWR on May 20, 2008 at 7:37 PM
You’re kidding, right? There was one sentence mentioning a particular item in a 850+ page document, and you are going to make a snarky comment about him not “having a clue about the issue at hand”. That’s silly, and completely unreasonable.
DaveS on May 20, 2008 at 7:38 PM
Sleepwalking?! How dare you! He hasn’t been sleepwalking! He’s been working hard, gathering up lots and lots of Hope. If he had just been learning and voting, he’d be running a bo-o-o-oring campaign. As it is, he’s casting out sparkly Hopedust - much more fun and appropriate for an American Idol nation.
eeyore on May 20, 2008 at 7:42 PM
The text is listed in the bill’s summary section. Perhaps, considering he was elected Senator, he could take the time to read even a Defense Authorization Act’s summary page.
amerpundit on May 20, 2008 at 7:43 PM
Admit he doesn’t know, as opposed to what McCain did with John Klein today?
Typhonsentra on May 20, 2008 at 7:47 PM
Hmm… seems like most of the Hot Air crowd didn’t have any problems in electing shittake-for-brains as President in 2000. Now we’re suddenly worried about experience?
bayam on May 20, 2008 at 7:51 PM
“shittake-for-brains” is your opinion of the president, who previously served as governor. Most Democrats even have to admit Obama has little-to-no experience. In fact, Obama only runs on “judgment”.
amerpundit on May 20, 2008 at 7:52 PM
Very damning.
JeffreyLloyd on May 20, 2008 at 7:55 PM
Oh thaaaat Hanford. I thought you said something else.
Mormon Doc on May 20, 2008 at 8:15 PM
Uh Ed, forgive my ignorance as I`m not American but hasn`t Obama`s short history in Wash. been regarding nuclear & proliferation issues, he`s on a committee for the nuke issues I thought,
this may not be proliferation, but beyond general ignorance of issues - he`s supposed to be studied on this, a leader! Nuclear clean up, disarmement etc this is all related & clearly if I`m not mistaken on his duties to date this makes him even smaller in that suit, insignificant even, a real b*llshitter - I am sure I read on his website he`s an expert and passionate advocate for these nuclear issues *snort*
saus on May 20, 2008 at 8:17 PM
He can’t be expected to know about every nuclear contaminated site that the government is spending billions of dollars to clean up. There must be thousands of such places.
To be fair Rev Wright covered this in one of the sermons that BO wasn’t listening to.
Mormon Doc on May 20, 2008 at 8:18 PM
Yes mock him you fools but O! was a COMMUNITY ORGANIZER!!
mred on May 20, 2008 at 8:21 PM
Typhonsentra
What did the Maverick say today?
Mormon Doc on May 20, 2008 at 8:22 PM
Is there a more useless “occupation” on Earth than that?
Cicero43 on May 20, 2008 at 8:24 PM
Good Piece Ed.
abinitioadinfinitum on May 20, 2008 at 8:26 PM
amerpundit on May 20, 2008 at 7:43 PM
And remember it three and a half years later? That’s just silly. Especially considering that the summary alone is 51 pages of incredibly interesting reading.
Come on guys… be reasonable.
DaveS on May 20, 2008 at 8:28 PM
I hope we see that crotch shot in a future political ad.
danking70 on May 20, 2008 at 8:30 PM
somebody, please tell me that there is a repository of all the b.s. about Obama—since the msm isn’t doing anything about exposing this affirmative action fraud, it is up to us in our local and state levels. I need a list. Just a list…
dish on May 20, 2008 at 8:34 PM
Hanford must CHANGE! we need HOPE for those affected by Hanford. Hanford cannot go on as business as USUAL.
Hey, psst. What’s Hanford?
DrW on May 20, 2008 at 8:34 PM
Obama has no time for readin’ that stuff. His MESSiahness has handlers who tell him what to vote for and what to vote against. After all, everybody knows that thinking too much can only give you gray hair, and gray hair just don’t fit with his MESSiahness’ image.
thekingtut on May 20, 2008 at 8:34 PM
This man is a true idiot. I swear that the mere fact he has gotten this far is beyond belief.
Winebabe on May 20, 2008 at 8:43 PM
Obama is the ADHD candidate.
Can’t pay attention in IL Senate (voted present)
Can’t pay attention in church (didn’t know what was being preached)
Can’t pay attention in the US Senate (doesn’t know what bills he’s voting on)
Can’t pay attention to his wife (just now proud)
However, he has enough attention span to write 2 rather long books about himself.
faraway on May 20, 2008 at 8:43 PM
Had 20 years of sermons to cut and paste from. It was quicker then you might think.
Spirit of 1776 on May 20, 2008 at 8:48 PM
Lets give him the benefit of the doubt, given where he was, I’m sure that he campaign staff could take a few moments to google up local concerns to see what might come up in a Q&A session, and take another few moments to make sure the candidate has a clue on anything he might have voted on related to local concerns.
Canadian Imperialist Running Dog on May 20, 2008 at 8:49 PM
Come on, the man couldn’t pronounce ‘big’ words. Did anyone think that a nearly life-long alcoholic would have any chance to run for office if not for his name and money? Or did he possess an area of policy expertise that everyone missed? He served as governor in a state there the position is largely ceremonial and daddy had an established name.
Even if you don’t agree with McCain or Obama, both are far more qualified than Bush ever was- and certainly won’t have to campaign on the strength of their teams (like Bush did when citing Cheney and Powell, who as it turns out was ignored).
bayam on May 20, 2008 at 8:51 PM
Obama’s junk on the front page? It’s not just sweeps month for cable news!
lorien1973 on May 20, 2008 at 8:54 PM
bayam
You said that Obama is more qualified than President Bush was as Governor to run for office, correct? If so, what do you base that on? I’m just curious what you are noting as Obama’s qualifications.
Mormon Doc on May 20, 2008 at 9:00 PM
I see that Field Marshall Bayam has become totally unhinged. Must be po-ed that the shrub has won the war in Iraq despite his learned criticism.
jerryofva on May 20, 2008 at 9:06 PM
this must be part of his `Record of Results` on nuclear issues..
saus on May 20, 2008 at 9:06 PM
What kind of braindead idiots applaud a presidential candidate for admitting he doesn’t have a clue?
Don’t answer that.
Scary.
fogw on May 20, 2008 at 9:11 PM
Obama thinks this “presidency thing” will be just like high school or …uhhhhhhh, won’t it?
.
Uhhhhhhh.
his favorite word these days, watch him and count em…..thousands of ‘uuhhhhh’s’ for every vote.
shooter on May 20, 2008 at 9:20 PM
ADHD candidate, Hopiate followers.
Bristling Childishness ‘08! /dem
RushBaby on May 20, 2008 at 9:32 PM
Hillary tops him: she voted for the Iraq war resolution without ever reading the relevant intelligence reports.
burt on May 20, 2008 at 9:37 PM
I just watched Hillary’s victory speech in Kentucky and I’m reminded that those of us with some “seasoning” can sift a candidate’s statements through the filter of experience, while young folks just accept the words as gospel. Seasoned voters know that anyone who relies on what a candidate says (any candidate) is likely to be disappointed. They all say what will yield the most positive response from the audience. They will lie if that’s what it takes to be elected. After all, they can’t achieve their altruistic goals unless they first hold the office. So, they happily operate in an “end justifying the means” mode because they’re going to fix the problems and right the wrongs.
What voters should be doing is looking at a candidate’s history. Does he/she have a history of following through on promises and positions? When given an opportunity to take an action, what was the outcome? Too often outcomes are ignored. Do so at your peril since negative outcomes illustrate poor judgment. Actions and results speak to an individual’s character, determination, and judgment. Aren’t these traits important?
Talk is cheap. There’s nothing stopping me from saying that I’m going to climb Mt. Everest. Should anyone believe me? What’s my record? Suppose you investigate and find that I’ve climbed several other difficult mountains. You have every right to take me at my word. If, on the other hand, you find that I’ve never climbed anything higher than my roof, you can dismiss the statement as BS or wishful thinking.
My point is that filling the most difficult job on the planet is not a decision that should be based on rhetoric alone. “Hope” and “Change” are great sounding words but taken alone have no meaning – they’re out of context. Hope can’t accomplish anything without action and change can go either way – good or bad. In other words, they epitomize empty rhetoric.
Personally, I don’t believe that Obama could pass a Top Secret security clearance background check - especially when his associations come under scrutiny. Friends and neighbors are interviewed during an investigation and do impact the result. With his meager resume, I doubt that he could have been confirmed to a U.S. Attorney position before his candidacy. Obama is simply premature; he’s not ready for the most demanding job in the world and we shouldn’t give him the job simply because he’s black and articulate.
Garnet92 on May 20, 2008 at 9:41 PM
He’ll get back to her with the answer just like Sweetie got hers.
- The Cat
MirCat on May 20, 2008 at 10:00 PM
http://news.yahoo.com/s/huffpost/20080520/cm_huffpost/102611
This is the story, this is the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yr6Va7PEBg8
Typhonsentra on May 20, 2008 at 10:20 PM
Free Rock Concert Preceded Big Obama Rally in Portland
Hugh Hewitt just told me that right before Obama addressed that huge crowd in Portland, the indie rock band the Decemberists played a free 45-minute concert. Now, I’m sure Obama would draw a big crowd either way, but wasn’t that worth mentioning in the coverage?
From Wikipedia: “Named both in reference to the Russian Decembrist Revolt (which may explain its use of the National Anthem of the Soviet Union as an introduction at many concerts)…” Lovely.
I wonder if they played, “Sixteen Military Wives.” The video depicts a bully named “Henry Stowecroft” (Kissinger and Brent?) representing the United States in a grade school model United Nations who declares war on Luxembourg. I kid you not when I tell you the video begins with the bully putting on a flag pin.
http://campaignspot.nationalreview.com/
funky chicken on May 20, 2008 at 10:41 PM
Garnet92 on May 20, 2008 at 9:41 PM
-
Well said Sir!
I like the mountain climbing comparison. That is one I think I may reuse - If you don’t mind.
Unquiet on May 20, 2008 at 10:51 PM
BRILLIANT. That says it all. This f*cking moron want to lead the free world and doesn’t know the slightest about his own backyard?!
NO THANKS. No time - in the face of A’jad in Iran - for a hoping neophyte (who, with his wife, holds America in a low esteem).
Lockstein13 on May 20, 2008 at 11:06 PM
If you ever wondered how Bush Derangement Syndrome might have evolved, or wished to gaze upon the birth of moonbattery, this thread–and the comments on Hotair, in general, I think–represent a case study of sorts.
Behold the rightwing’s transformation into the very caricaturish, reflexively irrational hyper-partisans that they have lamented for 8 years. It is happening right before your eyes–eh, it’s been happening for quite a long time now, actually.
Sure, make fools of yourselves in lampooning Obama’s failure to remember a single line item on 50+ pages of a budget summary, but don’t you dare open your mouths the next time the nutroots are chastising Bush for failing to remember a particular PDB or to read between the lines before 9/11, or the next time they are accusing McCain of slipping into dementia because he accidentally says “Iran” instead of “Iraq” or some similar verbal gaffe.
I’mjust looking out for you guys… you’re starting to really sound like morons on some of this stuff.
DaveS on May 20, 2008 at 11:18 PM
Absolutely. It’s not reasonable to expect Obama to know anything about Hanford. That would be impossible. I’ll bet John McCain couldn’t either.
What? He did?
Never mind.
jl on May 20, 2008 at 11:36 PM
Reading through the comments I get the impression that Bush is running for a 3rd term?
kahall on May 20, 2008 at 11:37 PM
Heh. Well it’s our turn, don’tcha think?
I don’t agree with you either. Debates here can’t really be compared to the fever swamps. It’s intellectually dishonest to claim so.
Hey, chin up. You guys might still win this one. If you do, I predict the level of vitriol won’t come anywhere near what we’ve heard from the left for the last 8 full years.
But personally, I think your party’s about to fall completely apart (and yes, I know ours isn’t really any better at this point).
techno_barbarian on May 21, 2008 at 12:00 AM
I am working for Washington Group International an ME working for the Handford porject and my dad did work here before he moved out to Aiken to work on that Nuke plant there and my brother works for Bechtal also dealing with the nuke plant here in Richland. I know a lot about this plant. A lot of people here in Tri-cities area works for Bechtal or Washington Group International or in the plant itself. Want he just did was made WA a tossup state because the Tri-cities area has a lot of people. A lot more people are moving here because it is more conservative part of Washington heck our rep is a republican. It could go BO if he plays his card right which he is not doing.
BroncosRock on May 21, 2008 at 12:01 AM
Obamafans would jump off a cliff if he said the word.
Connie on May 21, 2008 at 12:06 AM
DaveS at 11:18 PM-
You can go back to watching reruns of “The Hanford Files“.
Where James Hussein Garner plays a plucky, jug-eared detective who can’t find his own ass even when it’s handed to him.
And spare us the pseudo-concern.
The point is:
Barry the Brilliant doesn’t even know what he votes on.
Also, BDS didn’t “evolve” but was born fully-formed from the election follies in Florida.
It is tired, old political theater known as “demonize those that beat you“.
(And, since you brought it up, 9/11 was planned during the Clinton years- as far as a president failing to “read between the lines” goes- a fact that captured al-Qaeda henchmen have made clear, but it only went operational during the beginning of Bush’s first term, ultimately, because Billy Jeff didn’t whack Osama when he had the chance[s].)
profitsbeard on May 21, 2008 at 12:15 AM
Is this for real? Is anyone suggesting here Barack Obama needs to be familiar with everyone of the items in HR 1815? Are we trying to elect a Jeopardy champion here? The summary of HR 1815 pasted in Word is 61 pages.
Let’s be serious, this is worse than the gotcha game played by Tim Russert — on a bad day.
mycowardice on May 21, 2008 at 12:45 AM
It mainly shows the incompetence of his staff (how could they not anticipate this question?)
He doesn’t have to know everything at all times, but he should at least be able to retain information relevant to the state he’s in, when he’s able to remember what state he’s in.
rosewaning on May 21, 2008 at 1:59 AM
techno_barbarian on May 21, 2008 at 12:00 AM
You seem to be confused. I’m pretty right-wing. I just don’t like idiots, and I don’t like the fact that a lot of people here are bare no discernible difference from the moonbats.
I didn’t say that the “debates here” can be properly compared to the lefty sites, but, rather, that the tone of the comments as a whole are moving more and more toward that… ahem, quality.
jl on May 20, 2008 at 11:36 PM
First of all, there is no indication that McCain recalled voting on an appropriations bill almost 4 years ago that had a particular line item (out of thousands) that mentioned the site in question.
Second of all, we know that McCain had heard of the site and was familiar at least with past discussions and funding of cleanup efforts, but wouldn’t you expect someone who was alive at the time the site was doing what its famous for doing to be more aware of it than someone who was born 20 years afterward?
Again, all I’m asking is that you people make a minimal effort to sound intelligent and rational. If you actually try you’ll do fine.
I find myself here tilting at windmills every few months, when some story or another gets you guys all acting like morons… it would be nice if I didn’t have to try to be your brain for you.
DaveS on May 21, 2008 at 2:45 AM
mycowardice on May 21, 2008 at 12:45 AM
Unfortunately, I don’t think that these people care if they sound more unreasonable than your typical “gotcha” journalist. I agree, its ridiculous and embarrassing, but apparently not everyone is embarrassed by looking like a desperate, partisan hack.
DaveS on May 21, 2008 at 2:50 AM
He knew all about Hanford all along. He’s just too polite and classy to tell those people to go eff themselves. So instead he acts like he’s so special for honestly telling them he’s ignorant about what is so important to them. His basic message is: the voters are just here to watch, I am the real story here.
snaggletoothie on May 21, 2008 at 3:06 AM
I always think of a President as being a lot like a commercial airline pilot.
Most of the time they don’t have to do all that much. Just don’t screw up the landings, look good in their captain’s uniform, and be subtle about harassing the stewardesses. That’s about it. The plane just about flies itself.
But every time I get on a plane … I want that captain with 30 years of flight time. I want him to know what every one of those switches and dials does, I want him to know them blindfolded.
Because the real reason he’s up there isn’t for the day-to-day stuff. It’s for when the shit hits the fan and everything goes wrong.
It’s that moment where my life, the lives of my family, are all in his hands. And the decisions he makes at that moment may very well decide if we live or die. And the only thing he’s really got is those decades of experience, all that practice and training, to make sure he does decide right - that he hits the right switches and button.
The Presidency isn’t much different. The country will likely do just fine if Captain Obama sits in his office and practices being articulate all day. He and Michelle can hang out in the Oval Office and bash America from sun-up to sun-down, as long as the national engines are turning and the wings stay on the plane.
But if the worst happens … well, we’ll be flying at 37,000 feet on a massive DC-10 with a guy that watched a History Channel special on air travel, caught the first half of Airplane on HBO … and now thinks he’s a pilot.
If the worst happens … we could all be in very serious trouble.
And its for this reason that I cannot understand how anyone, no matter how liberal, can vote for him. You’re putting him in the cockpit, people. And you’ll be sitting back in coach, with your children.
If you make the wrong choice, and we actually need a pilot up there on one dark day in the next four years, you could live (for a little while) to truly regret that choice.
McCain will have plenty of bumpy landings and probably make his passengers airsick, but when the flack and missiles start flying, he can bring that plane home with one hand behind his back.
Even Hillary could probably at least land the plane in one piece. It may be at the wrong airport, she’ll probably have to land it with the gear up in a big mess of sparks and metal, but we’d probably walk away from the wreckage. If nothing else, she’s got a co-pilot with a little actual experience.
But Obama? He’s that drunk clueless passenger in every bad air disaster movie radioing the tower and asking how exactly you fly a plane. Even with all the experienced personnel on the ground, the odds against survival are a thousand to one.
And the one time only happens in the movies.
It’s my plea to liberals, which they ought to get for themselves when they watch clips like this. Please. You don’t hire a pilot because he looks good or thinks like you do. You hire him for his experience and training and for what he can do for you when it all goes to hell.
Obama can’t do it.
Professor Blather on May 21, 2008 at 7:33 AM
So why did McCain know about the issue? He and Obama work in the same place, on the same legislation.
Sorry, this isn’t about “gotcha”, it’s about experience and preparation. Obama doesn’t have either.
Ed Morrissey on May 21, 2008 at 7:45 AM
How about this for a start:
Obama’s Gaffes (by Michelle)
MrLynn on May 21, 2008 at 8:08 AM
This raises an important question, worthy of a movie: What do the FBI and the military do when a newly-elected President can’t pass security clearance?
Answer: Short of a military coup, they’ve no choice but to hand the clearance, the codes, and the ‘football’ over to the new guy—and to all of his treasonous associates.
I can imagine a very effective campaign advertisement making this very point. . .
Excellent post, Garnet92.
MrLynn on May 21, 2008 at 8:15 AM
Great metaphor, Professor.
The lefties should remember that although W is easy to caricature, he was not only a two-term governor, he also was an actual fighter pilot, in a plane that was infamous for wiping out pilots (the F-102).
What exactly has Obambi done that is in any way comparable? When he was editor of the Harvard Law Review, he wrote not a single article. Did he author any legislation of note in either the Illinois legislature or in the US Senate?
MrLynn on May 21, 2008 at 8:23 AM
The crowd applauded? um, really, why?
funky chicken on May 21, 2008 at 8:37 AM
Actually, DaveS, that doesn’t make much sense. When Hanford was doing what it was designed to do, it wasn’t very famous. It BECAME quite famous because of the contamination problems and the very expensive clean-up.
I am roughly Obama’s age and I knew about it. But then, I am much more qualified to be president than he his, so maybe that’s an unfair comparison.
Scary.
jl on May 21, 2008 at 9:10 AM
Are you talking about Ted (hick) Kennedy?
PappaMac on May 21, 2008 at 9:53 AM
I agree with you. He can’t be expected to remember everything. However, I agree with Canadian Imperialist Running Dog, his staff should have briefed him on it and he should have made sure they did brief him on local affairs. The fact that he did not shows his inexperience and poor judgment.
Kafir on May 21, 2008 at 9:59 AM
I for one, think it would do this country a lot of good to have a black president and I listened to Obama closely until I came to the same conclusion as many others. He’s an empty suit with a gift for oratory. Had Obama been further to the democratic center (you know, where McCain is)I would have considered voting for him (as a message to lefty McCain).
But sadly as I wrestle over and over again with these pathetic choices, I keep coming back to the conclusion that I can’t vote this time around. We’ve got vanilla pudding and chocolate pudding and I’m a conservative diabetic.
Ernest on May 21, 2008 at 10:08 AM
Geez, but Barry gives ‘empty suit’ a bad name.
Barry also gives a bad name to those who swooningly support him and his views. I guess no one studies cults of personalties anymore, even with a most recently obvious ‘current events’ example provided by Saddam Hussein.
The dumbing down America — which can only lead to bad things. Who knew it woud happen this way?
Barry is so obviously ignorant of history, current events, even his own votes. With a shout-out to Michelle, Barry makes me sad to be an American.
RickZ on May 21, 2008 at 10:32 AM
So are his supporters “proud of his ignorance” as ‘yes they can’ strive for such a goal themselves.
Judgement To LeadProud To Be Ignerant.Considering all the hoopla that was made over the crowd size, that comment scares the hell out of me. Truly, our MSM have now surpassed Pravda in their lies of commission and ommission.
RickZ on May 21, 2008 at 10:45 AM
Fantastic post. I would like to see this idea turned into a McCain commercial or web video. This point cannot be made too loudly or too often.
Gilda on May 21, 2008 at 11:06 AM
Obama meant to vote “present” on Hanford, so you see that it was just a simple error.
Before he commits to anything, what does Moveon/org want?
drjohn on May 21, 2008 at 11:09 AM
This is silly.
tlynch001 on May 21, 2008 at 12:56 PM
Obama thought that “Hanford” was an earmark put in by the Democratic rep for our 57th state…so he voted to let it sail through!
landlines on May 21, 2008 at 1:04 PM
Ed Morrissey on May 21, 2008 at 7:45 AM
Ed, I agree that McCain showed more experience and preparation. I was merely taking issue with the idea that Obama is an idiot–or whatever the not-quite-explicit implication was meant to be–simply because he wasn’t aware of a single line item on a defense budget almost 4 years ago. THAT is what I think sounds absurd.
Your larger point about experience and preparation is perfectly valid, I think, assuming a pattern of this sort of thing–which there is.
DaveS on May 21, 2008 at 1:31 PM