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| No Photo Op: Why Obama Nixed Visiting Landstuhl and Ramstein |
| 2008-07-25 |
| NBC’s Jim Miklaszewski and Courtney Kube get the skinny on the abrupt cancellation of Barack Obama’s visit to Landstuhl and Ramstein yesterday. The campaign tried to excuse it by claiming that it wouldn’t be appropriate to visit while on a campaign-funded portion of his trip, but that wasn’t the real problem. When Obama found out he couldn’t use the visit as a photo op, he canceled: One military official who was working on the Obama visit said because political candidates are prohibited from using military installations as campaign backdrops, Obama’s representatives were told, “he could only bring two or three of his Senate staff member, no campaign officials or workers.” In addition, “Obama could not bring any media. Only military photographers would be permitted to record Obama’s visit.” The official said “We didn’t know why” the request to visit the wounded troops was withdrawn. “He (Obama) was more than welcome. We were all ready for him.” In fact, those same rules applied for the CODEL trip to Iraq and Afghanistan. They serve to keep politicians from exploiting military facilities for political reasons, and to ensure that all visitors get treated fairly. Andrea Mitchell, also of NBC, complained of this very issue during the earlier visits with the troops when she told Chris Matthews that the media couldn’t get access to Obama when visiting troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. This makes the decision track very clear. Obama and his team set up the visits to military installations before going overseas. After seeing how the media got excluded in Iraq and Afghanistan, they decided it wasn’t worth traveling to Ramstein and Landstuhl to visit the severely wounded troops because they couldn’t bring the campaign and get the photo ops they wanted. Instead, Obama went shopping in Berlin. As I wrote yesterday, that’s certainly a revealing set of priorities for a man who wants to lead these troops as Commander in Chief. |
| Posted by:Beavis |
| #17 The Chosen One keeps a fleet of backhoes on retainer. Man, I wouldn't want to be thrown under no backhoe. That dam bus was bad enough! -- An ever longer list of no longer useful names |
| Posted by: SteveS 2008-07-25 21:33 |
| #16 I think this is very telling Link: Security was obviously a concern, but the restrictions on Obama's press corps were nonetheless troubling. It's hard to remember another candidate for president being that controlling with the media, especially a press corps that has been nothing but infatuated with him. |
| Posted by: Beavis 2008-07-25 19:49 |
| #15 Now they're playing Point-Counterpoint... Point: Gibbs said Obama had decided several weeks ago he wanted to visit wounded troops in Germany. Asked whether either the senator or aides had considered that the trip might be viewed as political, he replied, "We had taken some of that into consideration but we believed that it could be done in a way that would not create, it would not be created or seen as a campaign stop." But after hearing from the Pentagon, he said, "We decided, Senator Obama decided having made that decision he was far more willing to take the criticism from some political people or political opponents in a political atmosphere than to put our troops in the middle of our campaign back and forth." Counterpoint: At the Pentagon, spokesman Bryan Whitman said Obama was told he could go to Landstuhl, but the visit would have to conform to Defense Department guidelines that restrict political activity on military installation. That meant campaign staff would have been barred from accompanying him, he said. At the same time, he said, "The Pentagon certainly did not tell the senator he could not visit Landstuhl." |
| Posted by: tu3031 2008-07-25 19:07 |
| #14 How dare you misuse a picture of Al Gore, 3dc. |
| Posted by: Lumpy Cheack3231 2008-07-25 18:28 |
| #13 "you just keep thinking he can't sink any lower" Might as well give that up, Percy. The Chosen |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2008-07-25 18:23 |
| #12 |
| Posted by: 3dc 2008-07-25 17:44 |
| #11 Yep, a definite piece of shit is obomba. |
| Posted by: Broadhead6 2008-07-25 14:59 |
| #10 What a disgusting fecking scubmag Obama is. Just wanted to quote the wisdom. |
| Posted by: .5MT 2008-07-25 14:00 |
| #9 Thanks TW! This guy and his followers frighten me more than any armed enemy I have faced. I just find it hard to believe he is even a contender to lead this great nation, he certainly is not qualified. |
| Posted by: 49 Pan 2008-07-25 13:31 |
| #8 Just Obama playing to his base. |
| Posted by: RWV 2008-07-25 13:21 |
| #7 What a disgusting fecking scubmag Obama is. |
| Posted by: OldSpook 2008-07-25 12:54 |
| #6 he is already such a disgusting and arrogant individual that you just keep thinking he can't sink any lower. Surprising only in that Team Obama is so willing to openly flaunt their arrogance and hatred of all things American. |
| Posted by: Percy Spumble4268 2008-07-25 12:32 |
| #5 It's not our nation, 49 Pan. Just Candidate Obama and his little friends, who are just as they've been for the last several generations; the honourable senator just isn't clever enough to hide it. The nation stages surprise parades for troops on leave for a home visit, sends care packages to total strangers, repairs homes on television (or with no publicity at all) for the family waiting back home. Rejoice, 49 Pan, that this time it isn't at all like Viet Nam, however much Candidate Obama and his little friends would like it to be. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2008-07-25 12:32 |
| #4 This just makes me sad in that he "did" intend to use America's most noble, our wounded, as a prop for his elitist tour. It goes beyond emotion and anger and just burns at my soul in disapointment that he could even have one supporter in this nation of ours. Our nation is drifting away. |
| Posted by: 49 Pan 2008-07-25 10:52 |
| #3 There is a big buzz out in the media these days. The MSM has their panties in a wad because Obamaramalamadingdong has not gain a "bump" in the polls from his "worlds longest drive by photo op" I hope this story gets out. I think more people should realize how superficial this all is. He is a manufactured product of media hype and PR grooming. He's a polished verious of the Peter Sellers gardener. Rush played some cuts from JFK's Berlin speech and made a very telling point. There is not one Democrat out there who could make that speech today. JFK sounded more like Ronald Reagan than Barak Obama. The last thing that I think is going to turn on the Dems and the MSM is this gross insinuation that if the US does NOT elect Obamaramalamadingdong president, it will be proof of how racist the US still is....as if using your head and voting qualifications and depth of character don't count. Personally, if Obama is defeated, it will be the end of the MSM as a democratic cheerleader. They will be finally rendered impotent and fangless. Maybe some of the networks should cancel the nightly news. |
| Posted by: James Carville 2008-07-25 10:37 |
| #2 This is pretty good. |
| Posted by: Fluting Black5987 2008-07-25 10:36 |
| #1 Obamessiah thinks he has the election locked up while he doesn't even have the nomination clinched. Many more dumb moves like this and he may go into the convention behind Big Mac. This election will be close and uncallable on election day. And if he loses, Obamessiah will have no one to blame but himself...his wife, his pastor, his spiritual advisor... |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2008-07-25 10:23 |