Sound off! ;o)

If nothing else comes out of this primary season, it will be the enduring notion that, when it comes to shooting our own selves squarely in the backside, Democrats have raised it to an artform.

Beyond that, I find it sad that Hillary Clinton will likely be starring in advertisements for John McCain if Obama gets the nomination... and vice versa.

No one can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory like Democrats can...!

Gee, the substantive portions of your diary are directly copied from Clinton's website.  I wonder what answer I would come up with?

So much for objectivity.

On this question: Who said John McCain is seen as more honest and trustworthy than Hillary Clinton

That's really just a statement of fact. In every poll I've seen Senator Clinton is ranked last in honest and trustworthy questions. If there is a poll showing her ranked higher maybe someone can post it.

Fanfuckingtastic!!!! He has been using repug talking pts, analysis and their playbook from the git-go. I am so glad we are  pushing back on it.

Who took Obama's greatest strength (his ability to unite people with his words) and turned it into a weakness, just like Rove took Kerry's strength (his military service compared to Bush/Cheney) and turned it into a weakness?

"A top adviser to Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign said Wednesday that Democrats should give more thought to Sen. Barack Obama's admissions of illegal drug use before they pick a presidential candidate."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22226198/

Did Alegre forgot who drew first blood?

So wait, are Clinton supporters actually denying that Clinton is using the Rove playbook?

Hillary Camp exemplifies high moral character and Obama is spewing a hate mongering campaign.

Tactic #3: Accuse Your Opponent of What He/She is Going to Accuse You Of

Art Silverblatt, Jane Squier Bruns and Gina Jensen - DECIPHERING KARL ROVE'S PLAYBOOK: CAMPAIGN TACTICS AND RESPONSE STRATEGIES

Who indeed?  I would suggest you should actually read it but it's clear you already have.

then get out of the kitchen.

Stop whining.

just another bullshit alegre diary that will make the rec'd list

is also the Democratic Playbook, they just don't want to take any accountability for it.  This campaign has been relatively clean, but both camps have been guilty of attacks and bickering.  

the adds, I think, are not that effective.  The first, Obama uses not his words, but the words of all the newspapers who endorsed him.  Second, the health care plan ends with "reduces costs more than Hillary's", but does not level with the viewer about his plans.

I really feel bad when I see you and Susan spending all of your energy trashing another candidate.  I used to enjoy your work, but you know, I think you have both jumped the shark and are starting to hurt the Democratic party.

You don't have to like Obama, heck, you don't even have to like Clinton.  I thought the whole point of the netroots was to strengthen the Democratic party.

I am dismayed and dispirited by the level of shit throwing from all the hyperpartisans.

This diary commits the grave sin of being BORING.

prop·a·gan·da  [prop-uh-gan-duh]
-noun
1. information, ideas, or rumors deliberately spread widely to help or harm a person, group, movement, institution, nation, etc.

de·lu·sion   [di-loo-zhuhn]
noun

1. an act or instance of deluding.
   
2. the state of being deluded.
   
3. a false belief or opinion: delusions of grandeur.
   
4. Psychiatry. a fixed false belief that is resistant to reason or confrontation with actual fact: a paranoid delusion.
   

That's what Obama is these days. So instead of coming up with a comprehensive healthcare plan he attacks the superior plan using fear tactics straight out of the Republican play book. Is this the new style of politics? Politics of hope? Obama's campaign reminds me GWB in 2000. All talk and negative attacks based on fear and race-baiting.

Nice diary keep up the good work. I don't know how long I'll hang on MyDD to cheer you on though. MODs get up in arms when there's too much anti-obama stuff. I'll either get sick of them or they'll get sick of me, I'm not sure which will come first. It's all good though :D

There's great article by Colbert King in the WaPo today that delves into Hillary's use of the right-wing noise machine and tactics:

Granted, Hillary Clinton has philosophical differences with the putative Republican presidential nominee, John McCain; far-right-wingers Pat Buchanan and Rush Limbaugh; and the conservative talking heads on Fox TV. But they and Clinton have a common enemy: Obama. Their allegiance to the goal of bringing him down makes them compatriots.

To discredit Obama, Clinton plugs McCain's commander-in-chief qualifications.

She and McCain, working from similar talking points, do a tag-team number on Obama, labeling the Democratic Party front-runner "out of touch" and "elitist."

Meanwhile, Bill Clinton turns up on Limbaugh's show on the day of the Texas primary (he was interviewed by a guest host) to plug his wife's candidacy to Limbaugh's vast conservative audience. The Clinton-right-wing friendship is one of the most arresting developments of the campaign.

Reminder, young hopefuls: There's no telling what some folks will do to get ahead.

Lesson Two: Resort to McCarthyism.

Discredit your opponent by associating him or her with someone who is strongly disliked or deemed disreputable.

It matters not that your opponent neither shares nor is influenced by that person's ideas or behavior. The association, if presented skillfully and persistently, may be enough to create doubt about the opponent.
Case in point: Link Obama with controversial figures to call into question his fitness for the presidency. Sen. Joe McCarthy did it by impugning the patriotism of innocent Americans. It worked for him -- for a while.

another hillaryhub C&P job.  Hell, I can write these in my sleep now.  What doofus is going to take a quiz manufactured by the hillaryhub thinktank masterminds, that hasn't already swallowed their twisted logic?  Diarist, please just give us the direct link and spare us the spin-off spin.  

Here, I'll save you the post:
www.hillaryhub.com/

... pushing her hair back as she was talking about Obama.

OMG!  Take her out and flog her!  You KNOW she knew exactly what she was doing because HRC is cold and calculating and sleazy!  You KNOW what she was thinking because we'vee ALL been told what's going on in her head for years now!  You KNOW that HRC doesn't make a move without taking a poll and everything is scripted because she is just so non-human!

We KNOW that this is just another part of the kitchen sink.  How long will she go!?

She is appalling and disgusting!

/snark

are probably in that handbook. You seen any of the candidates using those outlets lately?

Wow!  An anti-Obama diary from Alegre.  You just don't see those enough!

chance on revealing how much has been raised on your HIllraiser link? i'm curious! I donated once on it, i believe

First, you criticize Obama for not fighting hard enough.

Then, when he fights back, you WHINE.  

Let them know you won't sit still while Obama and his henchmen are saying this kind of garbage about a woman who serves on the Armed Services Committee - who's gone to bat for our troops more times than I'd say that jerk of a general ever has - and who'll do right by our troops once she's in the Oval Office.

YOU ALEGRE just insulted an Honorable General that I am proud to know. You also insulted me with your comment above. Alegre . . . ARE YOU on ACTIVE-DUTY in the Military right now?!

You have some nerve telling ME that the General's words are garbage. I have lost enough of my colleagues to this war, and I some of my fellow soldiers are directly involved with the Tomb of the Unknown. You can wish away her Tuzla-gaffe all you want . . . but do not deny that we were outraged by this.

YES YES YES . . . I think she will also defeat McCain the GE, but you aren't helping her cause.

Most of my Soldiers don't read the progressive blogosphere, so fortunately they won't notice your offense.

Rove spoke at Bill Clinton's Library on Politics last year after being courted by the Clintons. Bill praises Rove's tactics. HRC campaign manager vows to run the campaign like Rove. How I could go on and on. I can't believe you have the audacity to say Obama has the republican playbook.  You know very well that he is being skewered in the media for not "crushing Hillary when she was down"- i.e. Bosnia, He didn't even do it in the debate. Don't believe me about the Clintons and Rove? From the Washington Post. Links included.

The Clintons recognize the skill Rove has brought to politics and admire his craft, if not his ideology. Just days after the November 2004 election, Bill Clinton pulled Rove aside at the dedication of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library in Arkansas. "Hey, you did a marvelous job, it was just marvelous what you did," Clinton told Rove, according to the book, ""The Way to Win: Taking the White House in 2008," by our former colleague, John F. Harris and his co-author, Mark Halperin. "I want to get you down to the library. I want to talk politics with you. You just did an incredible job and I'd like to really get together with you and I think we could have a great conversation."  http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail /2007/08/14/hillary_the_rove_candidate_o f.html

Clinton's campaign manager, Patti Solis Doyle, seems to agree with that assessment, having effectively vowed to run her operation much as Rove did his two successful national campaigns. "She expresses admiration for the way George W. Bush's campaign team controlled its message, and, given her druthers, would run this race no differently," Michelle Cottle writes this month in New York magazine. " 'We are a very disciplined group, and I am very proud of it,' she says with a defiant edge. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con tent/article/2007/08/14/AR2007081401722. html

GOP said half of the country believe that Hillary rides a bloom.

I'll say hell Yeah!.

Hillary is like Hermione Granger. She is super smart, knows all the answers and always has the right magic to pull everybody's rump out of the fire. She is also witty, loving, and caring.

"The greatest wizard of her time." My kind of president.

er, are you calling General Stewart a liar, or the Stolen Valor Act of 2005 (signed by Senator Clinton) a farce, or US veterans wimps, or...?

Just not sure where you go with that one.

I know it strikes you as unfair to have a decorated military officer confront a civilian claming military honor to be put forth as a counter to whether your "pastor loves America as much as you do", but the whine level is a bit uncalled for.

I mean since Ickes stated that Race and Religion is the Clinton attack plan, Truth and Troops seems like a reasonably tame response.  Ya' know, Truth and Troops are real issues that a Commander in Chief should have some passing thoughts on, while Race and Religion are, um, perhaps less than honorable arguments for American elctions?

Work with me here.  I know FleaFlicker - er - Susan is back after her troll-deletion and the "purge" you all arranged hasn't worked out so well, but seems to me that most folks here want a Dem president in the fall.  If you can't hold your own it might just be that your ranks are thinning out.  Maybe taking a tack that does not include "full of BS" and "that jerk of a general" in it - maybe that might be a more pro-Democratic approach?

The Tuzla issue is the only serious bone I have to pick with Sen. Clinton - and it's a big one.  I'd like to hear her apologize, and not just say "I already apologized for" it.

Do you or your candidate have an answer that does not involved hurling something at something else?

-with deepest condolences

-chris

other.  I'm a bit concerned we're not going to be unified after June 3rd. Lets tamp it down some folks.

Fox News.  Go ahead and try to protect your candidate for being caught in an offensive lie and then trying to joke her way out of it.  She did that when she lied about sniper fire and then went on Leno and made fun of herself being caught in a lie.  Bush and Cheney employ these tactics!  

Let me repeat...

BUSH AND CHENEY EMPLOY THESE TACTICS!

I don't fighting against these red herring tactics are Republican Playbook arguments.  In the same vein, calling Hillary out for using this strategy to get herself out of a horrible lie is totally legit.  

I lost all respect for BHO after the debate and his speeches afterwards As shown in the last debate he has no clue regarding taxes and economy.

He is a uniter. He united all the republicans and has divided the democrats.

Does "Clinton supporters" qualify as the correct answer?  I mean, I know "fingergate" is one of the most pressing issues of our time, but I thought that we would save some of the stupid for the GE.

   You have had nothing but gleeful applause for every nasty, back-biting, small-minded smear to come out of the Clinton campaign in the last 15 months. Every new slam has you breathlessly announcing "the tide is turning", even as your candidate drowns in her own nastiness, and blows through formerly loyal constituencies (black, latino, under 50k-a year whites, wealthy Liberals) like I go through socks. You haven't had a word of reproach for any of the bald-faced lies Hillary has spouted, no matter how silly, or counter-productive, or doqwnright stupid they were. You have been a cheerleader from hell, no matter what she said or did. Now that Obama has finally gotten pissed off, and decided to dish it out, you suddenly discover intellectual integrity? That's not even honest enough to make me angry, ya know? It would be funny, if it weren't so pathetic. The mental contortions you had to go through to be able to write this post are scary. Keep up your witless boosterism, though. Obama can  only benefit by the comparison. After the election, you and your fellow Clinton supporters can get together and cry about Disloyalty, Mysogyny, Mean Boys, DKos trolls, Unfair Media, whatever...I never agreed with you, but I used to enjoy reading your stuff. But you've gone 'round the bend, friend. Here's hoping you get your head outta yer ass by november.

Obama 08

I would imagine that if HRC said this, or set up Obama this way, he and everyone would be saying, "see, not fit to be commander in chief".

Imagine the undecided voter, thinking that Obama promised new stuff. Sadly, as it turns out, "meet the new boss, same as the old boss"

Promising to be a uniter, instead he becomes the divider.  Where have I heard that before?

Today, he's too tough.

Gotta' love it.

I thought the line of today was "if you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen".  You can't complain about negative ads (that aren't really particularly negative) at the same time.

Can we just nominate John Edwards now?

cigars, blue dress, Whitewater, etc is the day that Obama has truly gone into negative campaigning.

This little back and forth between Hillary and Obama is NOTHING compared to what the GOP will hit Obama or Hillary with if they get the nomination.  If Hillary wins the nomination, cigars, blue dresses, etc will be talked about every day.

This isn't really that negative...LOL!

If HRC and BC are so trustworthy and competent, then why have 17 US Senators endorsed Obama and only 13 Clinton?

And we can see how those who have decided not to support Clinton have been treated as traitors.  Some at mydd even like that sort of approach!

The division between loyalists and traitors chillingly reminds me of the Nixon days.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/us/pol itics/20loyalty.html?ei=5087&em=& ;en=33ca05b0fe2bd454&ex=1208750400&a mp;pagewanted=print
"People in the Clinton orbit say there are a varying gradations of perceived disloyalty. In their eyes, the least offensive (if somewhat annoying) group are "likely" Hillary Clinton supporters who have not defected, in part out of recognition of past ties, but have not made public commitments to her, either. Until Friday, this would have included Mr. Reich, who had said he would not formally endorse Mr. Obama out of "loyalty" to Mrs. Clinton, a friend for over four decades whom he actually went out on a date with in their college days.

Then there are those whom Mrs. Clinton worked hard to win over but who have actually taken the step of endorsing Mr. Obama. These would include newer senators like Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, or older colleagues, like Senator John D. Rockefeller IV of West Virginia.

There is also a large class of Obama supporters in the Senate for whom the Clintons raised considerable amounts of money. This includes Claire McCaskill of Missouri, who upset Mrs. Clinton in a 2006 appearance on "Meet the Press" when she told Tim Russert that while Mr. Clinton was a great leader, "I don't want my daughter near him."

But the worst offenders, associates say, are former Clintonites who not only endorse Obama, but who also publicly criticize Mrs. Clinton's campaign as they do so. Mr. Craig, a former law school classmate of Mrs. Clinton's, became a charter member of this club when he wondered aloud (to Jonathan Alter of Newsweek) "if Hillary's campaign can't control Bill, whether Hillary's White House could."

Mr. Richardson moved instantly atop the roster of infamy after he endorsed Mr. Obama and then took the added step of saying that people around the Clintons practiced "gutter" politics and that they felt entitled to the presidency. He was tarred as "Judas" in The New York Times by James Carville, still a fierce defender of the Clintons."

Read all about it:

http://noquarterusa.net/blog/2008/04/19/ rove's-sweet-dream/

Do you have links for all the statements on the "quiz"?

And who is General Walter Stewart?

General Walter Stewart has been speaking out against the Bosnia issue since Hillary first make her comments.

He, like most of the military, are offended by Hillary's lies.  It's called "theft of valor" to lie about having been in action, when you haven't.  It's a pretty big deal in the military.  In fact, Congress passed a law called the Stolen Valor Act of 2005, passed in 2006.  It makes it illegal to falsely claim to have earned a medal of honor.  Hillary cosponsored the Act.   She's also on the Senate Judical Committee.  She knew that what she was doing was offensive.  She didn't expect to get called on it.

I know some people in the military, so I've been paying attention to it.  I've written a blog here:

http://hillsbosnia.blogspot.com/2008/03/ tammis-poem.html

I even quote Stewart, and point to other places where he's made statements.  He calls for Hillary to apologize, and asks all military supporters to withdraw their support from Hillary.

What is offensive about Alegre's post is that she, as with Hillary, completely ignores this aspect of the event.  But, it's very real.  And very sad.

Our soldiers give their lives to protect us and our liberties.  The loose limbs, their eye sight, and everything imaginable.  Because they love this country.  We cannot repay them for it.  All we can do is honor their service and respect them.  In the military, that service is highly respected.  Lying about it dilutes and defaces the noble act.

Hillary lied about Bosnia for personal gain - to claim that she had better credentials than Obama to be CIC.  It's pretty despicable.

I'm glad that Obama is giving voice to the military.  They deserve to be heard.

Here is the true cost of war.

http://www.opaobie.com/images/Generation sOfValor.jpg

Here's a real story about Bosnia, published in the military's Talon newsletter:

May 25 was once a day for the young. But Saturday, it will be a day of sorrow in Tuzla.

Something horrible happened exactly one year ago in this city on a beautiful, warm, spring evening.
Seventy-two people were killed, and 124 were wounded when an artillery round landed without warning and exploded in the crowded Cafe District.

The youngest victim was a 2-year-old boy.

The explosion had a profound effect on Tuzla. It was the city's largest day of bloodshed during four years of war here.

Almost every young person in Tuzla knows somebody who was in the Cafe District that evening.
Now, the survivors only have memories of the people who were killed.

One survivor, Jasmin Hadzimehmedovic, 33, was in the crowd when the round exploded.

"May 22 was my birthday, but I didn't have time to celebrate", he said. "So, I decided to celebrate on May 25. It was such a nice evening. Even now, I can remember the happy faces."

But the euphoria was shattered in a instant.
"I saw a bright flash. I didn't hear anything coming in. After that, I heard a lot of screaming and saw many bodies", Hadzimehmedovic said.
"I was laying on the ground, with a pain in my leg, between wounded and dead people."

Blood and body parts lay everywhere, he said.
"It was repulsive, but no one felt anything," he said. "We were like machines. You couldn't feel anything. But in that moment you only wanted to help the poor people."

"That night, my best friend... she was killed. I only wanted to celebrate my birthday with her, she was only 21 years old," he said.

A monument to honor the victims will be unveiled tomorrow during a memorial ceremony held at the site of the explosion.

Those are perfectly accurate, and perfectly above-board ads. Yeah, they're saying something negative about Hillary.... so I guess if that's your definition of "attack ad", you're right.

And as for what that general said, I'll agree it was a bit over the top. But only a bit. Did Hillary, or did she not "make a joke" about her sniper fire stuff? And did she, or did she not, smile and laugh as she told the sniper fire lie in the first place? Yes she did!

Do you seriously think that anyone who has been through REAL sniper fire (or esp. someone who has had a loved one DIE by it), appreciates Hillary joking about this?

Allegre, you have every right to defend your candidate, but there are some lines that you should not cross.  Denigrating our military, and those who serve us is beneath contempt.  Your misdirected anger is especially egregious in defense of a candidate who lied and dishonored our military.  That makes it a double insult.

There are some lines that your over the top righteous dignity should not cross.  It may feel good to express your indulgent outrage, but you need to grow and recognize that sometimes your candidate may make a mistake.  

You do her no favors with your over the top posts.  There isn't a single person who will be won over by these posts.  You are only speaking to the choir.  So what's the point?  

You actually are hurting your candidate by examplifying a vindictive reactionary unreasonable base.  Some Hillary supporters have a good sense of her errors, and support her anyway, for valid reasons.  You are completely ignorant of any sense reality.

Who wants to go there?  If you really want to do your candidate some good, change your tune.

Most objective observers acknowledge that the Clinton camp has been much more negative during this campaign, and that Obama has been content to let things remain positive unless challenged, when he has been forced to respond to avoid being swiftboated.

The only purpose this sort of manufactured anger serves is to provide Clinton supporters a reason to explain not supporting Obama in the general.  Now, nothing can actually excuse that anti-Democratic act, but not many people are truly using their cerebellum at this point.. the lizard brain is much more useful in a fight.

In 2004 Hillary was asked by the Department of Defense to serve as the only Senate member of the Transformation Advisory Group to the Joint Forces Command. The military wanted her on that committee - she was the only Senator invited to serve on this committee tasked with reforming the Pentagon.

http://www.jfcom.mil/about/priorities.ht m

http://www.senate.gov/~clinton/news/stat ements/record.cfm?id=278112

By contrast, Sen. Obama is Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on European Affairs.  He failed to hold a single substantive hearing, though this sub-committee has responsibility for Europe and NATO and NATO's policy in Afghanistan.  He's admitted he was too busy running for President.

Senior Military Brass are worried about Obama:

"...[T]he mostly conservative retired officers, industry executives and current defense officials interviewed by The Washington Times cite Mr. Obama's lack of experience in national security. They also point to his determination to pull American combat units from Iraq at a time when a troop surge has reduced violence, damaged al Qaeda and allowed the Iraqi government to progress toward Sunni-Shia-Kurd reconciliation.

"We're very concerned about his apparent lack of understanding on the threat of radical Islam to the United States," said retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas McInerney, who is pro-Iraq war and a Fox News analyst. "A lot of retired senior officers feel the same way."

Mr. Obama also has stirred concern in national security circles by pledging to talk to the leaders of rogue nations, such as Iran and North Korea, without preconditions.

His urging of the Bush administration to conduct air strikes against terrorist targets in Pakistan without its approval is privately derided inside the Pentagon as the way to ruin relations with a good ally. Pakistan will not allow U.S. combat troops to operate on its soil."

Flag Officers Endorsing Hillary Clinton for President and Commander-in- Chief:

http://thepage.time.com/clinton-campaign -statement-touting-military-supporters/

*

General Henry Hugh Shelton Endorses Hillary for President

Senator Clinton today [3/1/08] is proud to announce that General Henry Hugh Shelton has endorsed her to be the Nation's next Commander-in- Chief.

One of our nation's top military figures, General Shelton served two terms as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff under Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush.  

In announcing his endorsement, General Shelton said, "I've been with Senator Clinton when she has been with our military men and women.  I know from those experiences that she understands the demands and sacrifice of military life. I am confident she will always put the readiness and well being of our troops first.  She is ready to be Commander-in- Chief."

General Shelton joins General John Shalikashvili as the second former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to have endorsed Senator Clinton.  General Shelton is the fourth flag officer to endorse Senator Clinton this week.

The first Green Beret to serve as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Shelton served our Nation with distinction over a career that spanned 38 years.  General Shelton served two tours of duty in Vietnam , and was awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. He was assistant commander of the 101st Airborne Division during Operation Desert Storm in Iraq , and later commanded the 82nd Airborne Division.  Prior to serving as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, General Shelton commanded U.S. Special Operations Forces.  He served as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the nation's highest ranking military office, from 1997-2001.

General Shelton joins a distinguished group of 28 retired flag officers who have endorsed Senator Clinton to be our nation's next Commander-in- Chief.  In addition, more than 2,000 veterans and military retirees are members of Senator Clinton's national and state veterans' steering committees.  

"I am so proud to have the endorsement of General Shelton.  He has spent his career commanding our country's elite military units.  He commanded at the highest level of our nation's armed forces, while always remaining dedicated to the effectiveness of their combat capabilities and the well-being of their families."

"I Was Too Busy Running For President"

Sen. Barack Obama admits to not even holding one hearing while Chair of the Subcommittee on European Affairs which includes NATO and Afghanistan. Ponder that for a moment. Afghanistan is in free-fall; the Taliban are re-taking the country; U.S. Troops are there fighting and dying.

But, Sen. Obama said he was "too busy" running for President to even hold one hearing about Afghanistan, NATO or US troops serving in Afghanistan.

Obama stresses the importance of veterans health care:

"Long as there are wounded service members receiving substandard medical care, we have failed in our duty to honor the commitment of the brave men and women who chose to serve. We must provide our returning heroes and their families with every resource they need to rebuild their lives," Obama said in a press release on April 10, 2007.

But:

Obama skipped a hearing about expanding veterans' health services. Craig opened, "We also have legislation before us to specifically address the demand for long-term care. As the veteran population ages, the demand for long-term care has increased accordingly." Akaka added that the committee would consider legislation that would encourage "creative ways to help alleviate the burden on caregivers while expanding services to veterans." (From the GPO, May 11, 2006.)

Obama also skipped a hearing to create insurance benefits for veterans in rehabilitation. Craig announced that the committee would "hear testimony about the traumatically injured protection under service members' group life insurance benefit." Akaka declared that "this insurance program helps ease the financial burden" on a hospitalized service member's family. (From the GPO on September 7, 2006.)

*

Obama skipped the hearing on improving veterans' health care access. "In many cases, VA's facilities are located where veterans used to live, not where they now live," noted Chairman Craig. The legislation under consideration was "designed in part to address the changes in the demographics of our veterans' population and follows America's medicine's transformation from hospital-centric to patient-centric delivery of care." (From the GPO on April 6, 2006.)

Sen. Obama also missed an "exceedingly important" nomination hearing for the VA's Undersecretary for Health. "Dr. Perlin [has been nominated] to serve as VA's Under Secretary for Health," announced Chairman Craig. "This is an exceedingly important position. The Under Secretary, in effect, serves as CEO of the VA's entire health care system, the largest integrated health care system in the United States. Dr. Perlin, this is a big, big, big job." (From the GPO on April 7, 2005.)

*

Sen. Obama missed the vote to eliminate requirement that severance pay be deducted from disability compensation: Obama did not vote for the Levin, D-Mich., amendment No. 2019 to the Levin substitute amendment No. 2011.

The Levin amendment would establish a Defense Department and Veterans Affairs Interagency Program Office to implement a joint electronic health record system and eliminate the current requirement that severance pay be deducted from disability compensation for disabilities incurred in a combat zone. It would authorize $50 million for the treatment and rehabilitation of service members with traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder and create common disability ratings to determine those eligible for care.

The substitute would authorize $648.3 billion for defense programs in fiscal 2008, including $127.5 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It also would authorize $143.5 billion for operations and maintenance; $109.9 billion for procurement; $122.9 billion for military personnel and $74.7 billion for research development, testing and evaluation.

(The Senate vote results: #246, Amdt. 2019 to HR 1585, Passed 94-0: R 48-0; D 44-0 (ND 39-0, SD 5-0); I 2-0; 7/12/07; Hillary Clinton voted yea; Obama did not vote.)

Obama missed a vote to provide $109.3 billion in fiscal 2008 for the Department of Veterans Affairs: Obama did not vote for passage of the bill that would provide $109.3 billion in fiscal 2008 for the Department of Veterans Affairs, military construction and military housing. The bill would provide $87.5 billion for the Department of Veterans Affairs, including $37.2 billion for veterans health programs. It would provide $41.2 billion in mandatory spending for veterans' service-connected compensation benefits and pensions. The bill would provide $9.8 billion for military construction, $2.9 billion for military family housing and $8.5 billion for the latest round of base closures. As amended, the bill would provide $100 million in emergency funding for the Homeland Security Department to reimburse state and local law enforcement entities for security and related costs associated with the 2008 presidential candidate nominating conventions.

(From Vote 316, HR 2642 (Fiscal 2008 Military Construction-VA Appropriations), Passed 92-1: R 47-1; D 43-0 (ND 39-0, SD 4-0); I 2-0, 9/6/07; Clinton voted yea; Obama did not vote.)

*

Illinois' disabled veterans are at "rock bottom" -- "dead last" -- in benefits and claims processing of applications for disability. But Illinois' veterans take a back seat because their junior senator is running for president. And that senator, Barack Obama, has missed an astonishing number of hearings and meetings of the Senate Veterans committee.

But Obama has skipped 19 of 37 VA committee meetings in the 109th congress. Obama's attendance record was the second worst of all Democrats on the committee. He attended just 18 of the committee's 37 meetings in Washington D.C.

http://www.mydd.com/story/2008/2/27/1057 11/135

Source

Greensburg, Pennsylvania - Hillary Rodham Clinton said on Tuesday she made a mistake in claiming that she came under hostile fire in Bosnia 12 years ago, as rival Barack Obama's campaign continued to challenge her credibility.

In a recent speech and interviews, the New York senator described a harrowing scene in Tuzla, Bosnia, in which she and her daughter, Chelsea, had to run for cover as soon as they landed for a visit in 1996. But video footage of the day showed a peaceful reception in which a young girl greeted the first lady on the tarmac.

Clinton told reporters in Pennsylvania on Tuesday that she erred in describing the scene, which she now realises after talking with aides and others.

"So I made a mistake," she said. "That happens. It proves I'm human, which you know, for some people, is a revelation."

The more important issue, she said, is whether she would be a better commander in chief than Obama or Republican presidential candidate John McCain. Clinton and Obama are competing for votes in Pennsylvania's April 22 primary.

Clinton's aides had tried to control the Bosnia flap on Monday, saying the New York senator "misspoke".

'Lighten up, guys'

But Clinton had to address the issue herself on Tuesday, after repeated airings of the 1996 video clips caused critics to ridicule her.

Reminded that she had said it was the first time she had misspoken in 12 years, Clinton told reporters: "I was joking. Lighten up, guys."

In a March 17 speech in Washington, Clinton said of the Bosnia trip: "I remember landing under sniper fire. There was supposed to be some kind of a greeting ceremony at the airport, but instead we just ran with our heads down to get into the vehicles to get to our base."

That account was still posted on her campaign website on Tuesday.

Clinton told CNN last week, "There was no greeting ceremony, and we basically were told to run to our cars. Now, that is what happened."

Several news outlets disputed the claims.

Clinton began retracting the remarks in a series of private interviews on Monday and Tuesday before addressing about two dozen reporters here after a speech.

She told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "I was sleep-deprived, and I misspoke."

She told KDKA radio in Pittsburgh: "You know, I have written about this and described it in many different settings, and I did misspeak the other day. This has been a very long campaign."

Claims 'astonishing'

The Obama campaign fuelled the Bosnia brouhaha on Tuesday, sponsoring a conference call with Pennsylvania reporters that featured retired Major General Walter Stewart of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. Stewart said he was assigned to the Army's European headquarters when Clinton visited Bosnia as first lady in 1996. He said her claim that she landed under enemy fire insulted US soldiers charged with her security.

Clinton's explanation that she misspoke was "really astonishing," said Stewart, who supports Obama.

"She has no sense of what a statement like that does to soldiers," Stewart said. "She is insulting the command in its entirety."

"Believe me, heads would have rolled all over" if the military put the first lady and her daughter in a position of "unacceptable risk."

At her news conference, Clinton said, "the military and the Secret Service did a terrific job" of handling the situation in Bosnia. "We did take precautions," she said, noting that she was the first president's wife to enter a war zone since Eleanor Roosevelt.

Or was that since Pat Nixon?

And she was the "first high profile person" from the US in Bosnia - except for the President and Secretary of State (no, I meant realy high level...)

-chris