Sick of It
You know what? I'm sick of it. I'm sick of politicians claiming to have "walked into [interview] trap(s)."
This is the problem with politicians. Most of them don't listen to the people talking to them. Explain how this is a trap, Rep. Bachmann:
Chris Matthews asks if you think Barack Obama has anti-American views. You respond:
"Absolutely. I'm very concerned that he may have anti-American views. That's what the American people are concerned about. That's why they want to know what his answers are."
A trap? It seems to me more like a question. You know, "question?" It's a simple concept. I bet you get asked at least one question every day. Anybody ever say, "how are you?" That's a question.
Furthermore, how can you keep saying you don't know what Obama's views are when he has spent three debates laying out reasonably detailed plans, explaining his ideas for the government and why he feels they need to be done in addition to what effect those plans will have on the United States? You can go to his website. It's very easy to use. To claim not to know what Obama is about is straight-up ignorant.
Now, here's her "clarification" on her statement:
"I did not say that Barack Obama was anti-American, nor do I believe Barack Obama is anti-American. He loves his country, just as everyone in this room does," she told the crowd. "Nor did I call for an investigation of members of Congress for their pro-American or anti-American views. That is not what I said." Bachmann said that while she didn't question Obama's patriotism, "I'm very concerned about Barack Obama's views. I don't believe that socialism is a good thing for America."
So, Rep. Bachmann, do you or don't you know what Obama's answers/views are? Because on Harball, you claimed people needed to know what Obama's answers were. But a few days later, you knew his answers and claimed they were socialist. This is not a trap. This is of your own making. Just because you did this on national television doesn't mean it's the fault of the alleged "Liberal Media" (which is a neo-con fabrication). You didn't focus on the discussion nor did you focus on the question asked. That's your fault. Take responsibility for your actions. Lead the people.
I'm sick and tired of the tactic by which one campaign/organization/politician keeps asking questions and pretends their opponent has given no answers. Sticking your fingers in your ears doesn't bring us any sort of helpful resolution.
So here's a direct question to the McCain/Palin campaign and the GOP in general:
We've been in Iraq now for almost six years. The Commander in Chief's initial thought was that we would be greeted as liberators. We went in with the goal of destroying WMDs (which never appeared) and removing Saddam Hussein from power (done). We never made a plan or timetable for when we'd leave or how we'd know it was time to leave. No plan. Now we're stuck there with no clear answer as to when we can leave or what would let us know when it's okay for us to leave. That lack of a plan has left our troops in harm's way. The longer they stay over in Iraq, the more opportunities militants have to shoot at them. The lack of a plan has meant that the US has been spending billions of dollars a month for months and possibly years longer than they would have had a solid plan been in place for our military actions. This has left the American economy in jeopardy. Even as our troops make progress in Iraq, the situation could've easily been handled better by those in charge. This would have helped the American economy and, most importantly, it would have saved American lives. But there has been and still is no plan. There are no criteria for our military leaders to gauge how close to our goal the troops are. There are no solid goals in Iraq that the American people have heard.
So far, there have been few plans for the next four years laid out by the McCain/Palin campaign. We've heard Sen. McCain say he knows how to do a lot of things ("I know how to do that, my friends"), but he's never shared how he's going to accomplish all these items with us. We've heard McCain call for a spending freeze. We haven't heard what a spending freeze accomplishes. So, Sen. McCain, what are your plans for the next four years? Why will they help the American people?
Or does your plan only go as far as attacking your opponent? In which case, what progess does that make for the American people? How can you do your job as president, if you have no goals ahead of you?