WASHINGTON - Republican White House hopeful John McCain tried to use a bracelet of a fallen U.S. soldier given on the campaign trail to drive home his point that he would not withdraw U.S. forces from Iraq based on an arbitrary timeline.
The mother of a soldier gave him a bracelet and asked him to promise “that you will do everything in your power to make sure my son’s death was not in vain,” McCain said in the first presidential debate, contrasting his views with Democratic rival Barack Obama, who has said he would withdraw forces within 16 months.
Obama shot back that he too had a bracelet from the mother of a soldier who asked that no other mother endure the loss she was experiencing.
“She asked me ‘can you please make sure that another mother is not going through what I’m going through,’” Obama said. “No U.S. soldier ever dies in vain because they are carrying out the missions of their commander in chief.”
Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage.
- Photo credit: Reuters/Jim Bourg (McCain and Obama gesture during presidential debate)
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The mother, Tracy Jopek, told AP yesterday she was “ecstatic” that Obama had mentioned her son. “I don’t understand how people can take that and turn it into some garbage on the internet,” she said.
- Posted by MAMichaelMarie- Jim was the moderator you tool!
- Posted by Nicholethe simplicity with which others decide the motivations of the candidates is incredulous. this was meaningful; that wasn’t. what a mourning mom feels and doesn’t as if it is known or identical in every case. demeaning the bracelets or their wearers. It scares me that some people that have posted actually vote.
- Posted by S R NormanPlease refer to the first blogger, Christopher Chopin, who says:
“I’d like to see a poll on this. But if I had to guess, I’d probably believe more mothers who have lost children in Iraq would prefer that no one else dies for a war that began with a lie and will not end.”
Let’s not forget that Sadam Hussein lied to the world, proudly proclaiming his hatred for America and his desire to attack us. He even lied to his own generals about his possessing these weapons. Furthermore, it is completely naive to claim that the war will not end, simply because it hasn’t ended by now. Suck it up and get a clue.
Remember, more people thought it was a good idea to go along with Hitler, until it became painfully obvious that they were wrong, or dead. Why do liberals hate to admit that our involvement in Iraq has contributed to our safety for these last 7 years? Perhaps some of the guilt of success that liberals carry around with them would be relieved if we were attacked again and the “chickens came home to roost.” Would that make you losers happier?
The United States isn’t perfect, but it’s the best there is. Liberals need to stop throwing out the baby with the bath water in every argument. It’s making you look stupid.
- Posted by Mark EdmondsMike and Judy,
- Posted by HopeHow do you like the way McCain has actually voted on bills having to do with Veterans? Don’t you even care about your own self-interest?
My husband is a veteran of the VietNam war and he realized, as did Senator Kerry, that some wars can not be “won”. I was gung-ho for the VietNam war when it began because of government propaganda but came to realize we had been sold a bill of goods just as we have over the Iraq invasion. McCain is stuck in a dangerous time warp in his own mind and thinks he is still fighting the war in VietNam. Many people think he has PSTD. Let’s see his medical records…which consist of thousands of pages and he only let a couple of selected reporters view them for an hour or two. He’s had cancer 4 times (that we know of).
Sorry, but that it is simplistic thinking that we can “win” the occupation of Iraq. The Iraqis want us out; Obama will accomplish this in a responsible way. We can’t keep spending billions of dollars a month there, do you think??? For a hundred years, do you think?
McCain doesn’t even know how to use a COMPUTER. He’s never sent an email. He’s a wealthy out-of-touch admiral’s son who almost flunked out of the Naval Academy who married a wealthy woman whose father had ties to the Mafia, was an ex-con and a felon. Google it!
Hey, don’t be so hard on Obamuh: it wasn’t really a bracelet, it was his ultraportable teleprompter.
- Posted by Alec Guinness