thedrifter
10-04-07, 09:18 AM
McCain: Call to service was needed after 9/11
By Jim Davenport - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Oct 4, 2007 5:21:40 EDT
CAMDEN, S.C. — Republican U.S. presidential candidate John McCain said Wednesday that President Bush made a mistake after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks by encouraging people to shop instead of urging citizens to join the military or volunteer.
“I believe that the big mistake that our leadership of our nation made after 9/11 is we told people to go shopping and we told them to take a trip,” McCain told students at a military prep school.
A month after the attacks, Bush said, “We cannot let the terrorists achieve the objective of frightening our nation to the point where we don’t conduct business or people don’t shop.”
People would have joined the military or volunteer groups had the president urged them, McCain said. “I think Americans would have responded overwhelmingly and I believe they still will,” he said.
The senator made the comments Wednesday after shelving a prepared speech that was highly critical of Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton.
McCain said the original text of his speech was similar to an address he had already made and that his differences with Clinton remain a “legitimate issue.”
Excerpts of the original speech, released Tuesday by the McCain campaign, accused Clinton of indecisiveness on foreign policy.
“The Democratic front-runner wants to have it both ways when it comes to foreign policy. On the one hand, the New York senator voted for the Iraq War. On the other hand, she now opposes it — sort of,” the prepared remarks said.
“On the one hand, she wants a firm deadline for retreat. But, on the other hand, she says we cannot abandon the nation to Iran’s designs,” the speech said.
The Clinton campaign said Tuesday the two senators, both members of the Armed Services Committee, “have an honest disagreement on the war.”
“Senator McCain is the Senate’s biggest supporter of President Bush’s escalation there. Senator Clinton wants to end the war and when she is president she will,” Zac Wright, Clinton’s South Carolina spokesman, said in an e-mailed statement.
The national election is in November 2008.
Ellie
By Jim Davenport - The Associated Press
Posted : Thursday Oct 4, 2007 5:21:40 EDT
CAMDEN, S.C. — Republican U.S. presidential candidate John McCain said Wednesday that President Bush made a mistake after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks by encouraging people to shop instead of urging citizens to join the military or volunteer.
“I believe that the big mistake that our leadership of our nation made after 9/11 is we told people to go shopping and we told them to take a trip,” McCain told students at a military prep school.
A month after the attacks, Bush said, “We cannot let the terrorists achieve the objective of frightening our nation to the point where we don’t conduct business or people don’t shop.”
People would have joined the military or volunteer groups had the president urged them, McCain said. “I think Americans would have responded overwhelmingly and I believe they still will,” he said.
The senator made the comments Wednesday after shelving a prepared speech that was highly critical of Democratic front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton.
McCain said the original text of his speech was similar to an address he had already made and that his differences with Clinton remain a “legitimate issue.”
Excerpts of the original speech, released Tuesday by the McCain campaign, accused Clinton of indecisiveness on foreign policy.
“The Democratic front-runner wants to have it both ways when it comes to foreign policy. On the one hand, the New York senator voted for the Iraq War. On the other hand, she now opposes it — sort of,” the prepared remarks said.
“On the one hand, she wants a firm deadline for retreat. But, on the other hand, she says we cannot abandon the nation to Iran’s designs,” the speech said.
The Clinton campaign said Tuesday the two senators, both members of the Armed Services Committee, “have an honest disagreement on the war.”
“Senator McCain is the Senate’s biggest supporter of President Bush’s escalation there. Senator Clinton wants to end the war and when she is president she will,” Zac Wright, Clinton’s South Carolina spokesman, said in an e-mailed statement.
The national election is in November 2008.
Ellie