WASHINGTON - Republican White House hopeful John McCain, fresh from his first debate with Democratic rival Barack Obama in Mississippi, expressed regret on Saturday that his performance didn’t win over all the pundits in the press.
“I was a little disappointed the media called it a tie but I think that means, when they call it a tie, that means we win,” McCain said during a telephone call that was caught by cameras filming him at his campaign headquarters.
Both camps claimed victory after the 90-minute debate on Friday.
Meanwhile, Obama’s campaign manager, David Plouffe, sought to lower expectations for the next debate in Tennessee on Oct. 7. It will be conducted in a town-hall style with questions from an audience.
“We will be a decided underdog in that encounter, and John McCain is the undisputed town hall champion,” Plouffe told reporters on a conference call, noting that McCain — who is fond of the format — had challenged Obama to do joint town hall meetings throughout the summer.
“He clearly feels, even more than the foreign policy debate, this is his home turf. So if we can just escape relatively unscathed against the undisputed town hall champion in Tennessee, we’ll be thrilled.”
Obama has held regular town halls of his own throughout the 2008 campaign and does not appear to struggle with the format.
Click here for more Reuters 2008 campaign coverage.
Photo credit: Reuters/Brian Snyder (McCain talks on the phone at his campaign headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, on Sept. 27)
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mccain lost
- Posted by Frances FifeI think McCain just couldn’t keep up w/ Baracks whoppers. Mr. Kissinger has already corrected Barack on that little lie and the mother of the dead soldier who Barack mentioned (the bracelet) has asked him repeatedly to quit mentioning her son. http://newsbusters.org/blogs/war…let-w he re- media
Newsbusters is a conservative site, please dont use this as a “source”. The father of the soldier who leans toward McCain made comments speculating as to the mothers feelings and intentions. The conservative stories are HEARSAY!!!! Here are several other stories which refute your claim. These articles use direct quotes from the mother Tracey Jopek, who interviewed with the AP. Read it for yourself…
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iNxTA pa2sQRu0Xx99P3jt2bEXw7gD93G7THO0
http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/apps/pb cs.dll/article?AID=/20080930/WDH06/80930 0364
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/09/29 /soldiers-mother-ecstatic_n_130157.html
- Posted by Whosaid what?Add to #1 about Biden, that he too graduated near the bottom of his class. Do you even know what law school he attended? Hint: It wasn’t the Naval Academy.
- Posted by MattElisa,
As expected, you had no defense for the fact that you claim to be such an intellectual and describe your candidate as the same, but cannot explain why such a brilliant man would:
1. Not have noticed the racist rantings of his pastor even once over a 20 year period.
2. Threatened to declare war on an ally (Pakistan).
3. Claim we should take Russia to the UN Security Council over the Georgia invasion (Russia has veto power, dumb@ss!)
4. Claim to not know anything about the illegal voter registration of ACORN, of which he was a part.
5. Claim to not know anything about the felonies being committed by his close friend and personal financier Tony Rezko.
6. Claim to not know William Ayers, the unrepentant anti-American terrorist in whose house he launched his political career.
7. Claim repeatedly to have had a consistent position on something (”As I’ve said in the past…”, “As I’ve always said,”) when there are recorded quotes of him stating exact opposites on multiple issues.
8. Refuse to appear at town-hall style debates for which he couldn’t prepare answers ahead of time.
9. Think the American public is so stupid to not realize that socialism has resulted in economic collapse everywhere it has been tried.
This last one defines liberalism. Everyone who doesn’t think like you is an idiot. Anyone who went to Harvard is smarter than everyone else.
If it wasn’t ignorance that led Obama to make those claims and have those beliefs, then it was pure dishonesty and awful judgment. Which do you think?
Since you’re not willing to defend Obama on these points, maybe you’re willing to defend Biden on:
1. Ridiculous claims that he received three college degrees while on a full legal scholarship and placed near the top of his class. The truth was he received ONE degree with a double major (far from three degrees) while receiving financial aid (far from a full scholarship.) Anyone with an inkling of intelligence would have realized those claims could be easily verified or disproven, as they were, with five minutes of research.
2. Claiming that FDR went on TV in 1929 after the market crash to reassure the American public. I know eight-year olds who can tell you FDR wasn’t president in 1929, and that television was a couple decades away.
3. Claiming you have to have a “slight Indian accent” to “go into a Dunkin Donuts or Seven-Eleven.” Actually, this may not have been too stupid, knowing that, as a democrat, the media would give him a free pass. Do you think George Allen would have had that statement ignored?
- Posted by MattReally difficult to get into the Naval Academy when your father is an admiral.
McCain looked as if someone gave him a wedgee with his Depends.
- Posted by RealAmerican
Where in your class at the Naval Academy did you graduate, genius?
- Posted by MattMcCain for me was a failure in this match. Obama easily outshone him with his intellect and skill as an orator. He was measured, calm, decisive and constructive. McCain often resorted to a stale kind of didactic manner which neither clarified or expounded what he was talking about.
He said ‘he’ was disappointed? He could say that, although that is exactly what WE will be if he and his strange partner get into the Whitehouse.
What next, Sarah Palin taking potshots at specially placed moose on the Whitehouse lawn? McCain tongue-lashing his subordinates to hell?
McCain did not prove one iota that he is presidential material and even looked, to me, slightly frail and flaky.
The winner here was indeed Obama.
- Posted by TheTruthIs...In this confusing quagmire of economy, I think Obama is the right and best choice for all of us. Just thinking of bad health condition would come about any time for McSame and Sarah Palin would be a commander in chief, all of my blood is frozen all at once. By the way, the escort or guard service or Air Force one would be used for her family of seven-in-chief sounds like scary. This would consume lots of public money and work to serve her family.
- Posted by aida tanakaI’m very interested in all the different takes on
why McCain wouldn’t ever look Obama in the eye
as he was speaking. I’ve always found that if a
person refuses to look you in the eye it’s because
he isn’t telling the truth. Could that be it?
At any rate, I was very drawn to the calm, steady
- Posted by Leighnature that Obama displayed and felt that he
exhibited true statesmanship and thoughtfullness.
McCain just came across to me as very narrow minded,
stubborn to a fault and even arrogant. I just
don’t feel like he quite connects with those of
us who live on middle class incomes, don’t own
7 houses and 13 cars and don’t have wives who wear
$300,000 outfits.