Barack Obama continued Tuesday to downplay the results of the so-called troop surge in Iraq, telling CBS News that while he credits the surge with helping to reduce violence in Iraq it “doesn’t meet our long-term strategic goal.”
Earlier, Obama — in the middle of an overseas trip that so far has taken him to Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait and Jordan — had drawn criticism from John McCain’s campaign after he told ABC News that, knowing what he knows now, he still would have opposed the troop surge in Iraq.
Obama Downplays Impact of Troop Surge
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McCain Fights to Yank Spotlight Away From Obama
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John McCain is working overtime to grab headlines as Barack Obama enters the thick of a high-profile tour abroad that has all but transported the U.S. media overseas.
With a plane full of reporters in tow, Obama met with Jordanian King Abdullah II Tuesday before heading to Israel for meetings with top officials there and with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
McCain Dogged by Potty Mouths at Town Halls
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John McCain dealt with yet another questioner at a town hall meeting Tuesday who flavored her comments with salty language — hardly the first time the Arizona senator has fielded an obscenity-laced inquiry.
In this case, a woman who identified herself as a McCain campaign volunteer used her question to complain that the paid staffers were not pulling their weight.
Jordan’s King Urges Palestinian Statehood During Meeting With Obama
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AMMAN, Jordan — Jordan’s king has told Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama that an evenhanded U.S. policy would bolster America’s credibility in the Middle East.
King Abdullah II also told Obama that achieving Palestinian statehood is essential for ending the Arab-Israeli conflict.
A royal palace statement said Abdullah’s remarks came in a closed-door meeting with the Illinois senator Tuesday at Abdullah’s private Amman residence.
Ron Paul’s Minnesota Rally Moves to Larger Venue
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ST. PAUL, Minn. — Supporters of maverick Rep. Ron Paul who are organizing a rally as an alternative to the Republican National Convention are moving their crosstown event to a larger venue.
The Rally for the Republic featuring Paul — the Texas conservative failed in his bid to win the GOP nomination for president — is scheduled for Minneapolis’ Target Center, home of basketball’s Minnesota Timberwolves.
Petition Effort to Recall New Jersey Governor Stalls
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TRENTON, N.J. — A bid to recall New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine appears to be sputtering toward an unsuccessful finish.
The effort’s chairman, Carl Bergmanson, said Monday that backers have less than 100,000 signatures. They need 1.2 million signatures to get a recall question on November’s ballot.
Bergmanson said the group faces a Wednesday deadline to submit petitions but won’t be doing so, unless they get an unexpected surge in petitions.
Lautenberg Ends Bid to Score Springsteen Tix for Fundraiser
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NEWARK, N.J. — Sen. Frank Lautenberg’s re-election campaign has dropped its request to get the operator of Giants Stadium to provide it with Bruce Springsteen tickets for a fundraiser event this weekend.
The turnaround comes after a newspaper reported that the senator’s campaign planned to purchase premium tickets for Sunday’s Springsteen concert for $108 apiece, then give them to supporters who donate $1,500 or more to the Democrat’s campaign fund.
America’s Future: Candidates Pursue Proactive and Preventive Approach to Health Care
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By James Rosen
Though neither candidate is a physician, Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama each present strikingly similar diagnoses of the ailing American health care system: Some 47 million Americans lack health insurance at any given time; the system is too reactive, instead of proactive; and the average American’s insurance premiums are too high.
But how each candidate would address these systemic problems as the nation’s next president offers one of their sharpest philosophical clashes.
Obama Praises Iraqi Security Improvements, Calls for Political Solution
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AMMAN, Jordan — Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Tuesday that security in Iraq has improved and that the United States urgently needs to turn its attention to Afghanistan.
“There is security progress, but now we need a political solution” in Iraq, Obama said in the first news conference of his highly publicized trip abroad. Afghanistan is now the “central front in the war against terrorism,” he added.
Aides Try to Cast Obama as Presidential as Overseas Trip Shifts to Campaign Event
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Now that Barack Obama has left Afghanistan and Iraq, where he was part of a congressional delegation, and is visiting the Middle East and Europe as a presidential candidate, most everything he does is being viewed through the prism of the race for the White House.
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