Obama campaign responds to McCain’s attacks on his stance on labeling terrorist organizations

The Obama campaign held a conference call with Congressman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Senior Foreign Policy Adviser Denis McDonough to respond to John McCain’s address to The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPCA). McDonough said McCain asserted that Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) does not support labeling the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corp as a terrorist organization. McDonough said Obama had co-sponsored the Senate Iran Counter-Proliferation Act to “make that point clear” that the group is a terrorist organization, which he still supports today.

McDonough said McCain is trying to run on the Democratic tradition of a strong foreign policy and strong support for Israel, but that his series of policy choices will have the opposite impact. He said there is very little difference in what McCain outlined at the conference and what President Bush undertook the last eight years.

McDonough also said that Obama opposed keeping troops in Iraq and adding a mission countering the Iranian influence inside Iraq. He said Obama is concerned about threats posed to troops in Iraq as a result of support provided by Iranian entities.

Schiff said Obama gave a “stirring speech” to the AIPAC in the past, and will use his chance to address the committee this week to amplify his policy, objectives, and steadfast commitment to Israel. He said Obama will set out his own vision without distortion from the McCain campaign.

McCain says Obama’s policies with Iraq will create "chaos"

John McCain (R-Ariz.) spoke today at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee meeting. McCain assured members of the committee that “Israel would always have a friend and ally in the United States.” McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, strongly supports a military aid increase to Israel, to maintain a qualitative military edge with the Israeli government against threats like Hamas and Hezbollah in the region.

McCain criticized Obama for his foreign policy aims with Iraq saying that that American policy should reflect freedom and democracy, in that the United States military must not leave the region. If the United States military leaves Iraq the region “will suffer chaos” and Israel and the national security of the United States will suffer.

McCain also supports putting real world pressure in Iran so they will enact a peaceful change. McCain urged tougher sanctions with the United Nations security council or if they aren’t doing enough, he suggested the United States take unilateral action outside of the U.N. framework.

The United States “must hold Iran in check and accountable” for their terrorist connections. McCain urged an international campaign on Iranian imports of gasoline and put financial sanctions on the central bank of Iran.

Bob Dole searches for facts on health care for wounded veterans

Former Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kan.) addressed the National Press Club Newsmaker Luncheon Program on changes being made to improve care for wounded veterans. He said he is now involved in Honor Flights, a program to show World War II veterans the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C., and the President’s Commission on Care for America’s Returning Wounded Warriors. He said President Bush accepted some of the blame for the young men and women coming back from Afghanistan and Iraq with serious injuries, and told the commission to do “whatever it takes” to make veteran health care better.

Dole said the commission had one purpose: to address the real problems for care for wounded veterans. He said the commission went all over the country, visiting hospitals and looking for facts. Some of the recommendations he said the commission made were for care coordinators to follow patients all the way through their care, and adding quality-of-life and transition payments in addition to loss of wages payments. He said the additional payments are getting resistance from veteran organizations, and that if they won’t sign off on it, it won’t go anywhere.

Dole said a new National Center of Excellence for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury has been earmarked in Congress. He said this program will cost a couple of billion dollars, but that amount is “cheap compared to the cost in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

Dole also commented on the upcoming election. He said it is very important for candidate Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) to release his medical records, and that it is too early for him to pick a running mate. He suggests picking a vice president who is outside politics, understands government, and has a good reputation. He joked that if McCain is worried about the age issue, he’ll serve with him.

John McCain alive and kickin'

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) health was described as “very good” in a conference call held with three of McCain’s doctor at Mayo Clinic Arizona. Since 1993, McCain has had four melanomas removed, three noninvasive and one invasive. Dr. John D. Eckstein, McCain’s physician for sixteen years, was able to cite “ No medical reason or problems that would preclude Sen. McCain from fulfilling all the duties and obligations of the President of the United States.”

A 2.2 mm thick melanoma that had a 2 cm diameter was removed from the McCain’s lower left temple after it was found to be invasive in August 2000. Dr. Michael L. Hinni, the otolaryngologist that performed the procedure, said that the procedure necessitated a large wound, 6 cm by 6 cm. Hinni stated that the reconstruction procedure resulted in a prominent left jaw due to an absence of tissue and that this prominence is not evidence of a recurrence of cancer.

Other health topics discussed include four small kidney stones in McCain’s right kidney and McCain’s reduced range of mobility, a result of McCain’s imprisonment during the Vietnam War. McCain currently takes medication to lower cholesterol, prevent kidney stones, preserve potassium in the blood stream, and multi-vitamins. When McCain’s age was called into question Eckstein said “age should not be a limiting factor in this day and age.”

New polls gage likely outcome of Election 2008

George Washington University held a conference call to release the findings of a new Battleground Poll that tested national attitudes on race, the economy, and the Iraq War in relation to the candidates involved in the 2008 presidential election.

Brian Nienaber, vice president of the Republican polling firm the Tarrance Group, said that with three out of four voters disapproving of the direction the country is headed, “you’d certainly be well-positioned to think that the Republican Party and its presidential nominee would be in a nearly hopeless position, even at this early stage in the electoral process.” He went on to enumerate what he believed to be presumed presidential nominee Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) strengths on issues like Iraq and national security, saying that he has his own “brand of change” to sell that will distance him from anti-incumbent sentiment without “repudiating” the Republican Party. Citing statistics from the poll analysis that support this, Nienaber said that 40 percent of Americans still believe the U.S. should maintain a presence in Iraq until military officials say it is safe to leave. He said that 56 percent of voters still like President Bush as a person, even if they do not approve of his Administration. Nienaber also cited the Democratic Party’s weaknesses, saying that 1 in 5 supporters of each major nominee did not plan to vote for the other if their candidate was not elected. Nienaber said that “as bad as things are right now,” the Republican Party can still look forward to “successes” in November.

Celinda Lake, president of the Democratic polling firm Lake Research Partners, said “there’s no question that there are enormous challenges to the Republican brand,” but that McCain is a “formidable candidate” that Democrats should not underestimate. However, she said that Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is “overwhelmingly” winning over independent voters compared to McCain. Lake said that 87 percent of Democratic voters say that the Iraq war was not worth the cost, while 75 percent of Republicans still think it was. Lake also said that Republicans in Congress have even lower approval ratings than Bush, emphasizing the strength of voters motivated by a desire for a change of the party in power. While she said that the general presidential election “bodes well for the Obama ticket,” Lake maintained that “it’s not over until the fall.” She also said she thinks Obama can “bring home” Hillary supporters to the Democratic Party if he is the nominee.