Politicians in the heat of a political race tend to make broad sweeping statements that oversimplify facts while obfuscate the record and positions of their opponent. Last evening during the Presidential debate Obama had some misstatements. One was saying that 95% of “American people” would see a tax cut under his plan. When experts have looked at his plan, the figure is more like 81%.
Obama also stated that Iraq has a $79 billion surplus in oil revenue. The implication is that Iraq should be paying for the rebuilding of their infrastructure and the US should be intentionally withdrawing from Iraq. Obama exaggerated the amount since most estimates peg the figure as less than $60 billion.
McCain repeatedly obfuscated the difference between himself and Obama. McCain stated that the Joint Chief of Staff has called Obama’s Iraq plan as irresponsible and dangerous. McCain knows full well that active military officers are not permitted to engage in political campaigning or comment upon proposals put forward by candidates. Playing to the ignorance of the average electorate, McCain stated that General Mullens has called Obama’s plan for Iraq as “very dangerous.” Mullens was not speaking about Obama’s plan but about a proposal made by the Democratic leadership last year to put in place timetables to withdraw all troops within twelve to eighteen months. Obama has called for a carefully thought out timetable to downsized and withdraw from Iraq by 2010.
General Eisenhower drafter two letters on the eve of the Normandy invasion, one if it was successful and one if it failed. The existence of the two letters is widely known. In speaking of the failure letter and taking responsibility McCain stated last night that in the failure letter Eisenhower tendered his resignation. In the letter Eisenhower accepted the failure as his alone, and that the troops and general should not be blamed. The letter did not contain or hint at a resignation. Like a great story teller who embellishes for dramatic impact, McCain too embellished the truth into a great sounding yarn. It makes leaves me wondering how many other embellished yarns he is telling and would tell as President.
McCain in his embellishment and playing loosely with facts stated that the US pays $700 billion a year for oil to hostile nations. Oil imports for the current year at the current rate will come in around $536 billion from all countries. Has he embellished the figure by 30%. Maybe McCain has not embellished. Maybe he has inside knowledge that oil prices are going to double again before the end of the year so that we will be close to the figure he quoted.
Given that about a third of the oil imports come from Canada, UK and Mexico, McCain has called Canada and UK hostile nations. As McCain has championed himself and his campaign as the "Straight Talk Express" I will take the statement as not a generalization gone astray but how he views the world and that in his eyes Canada and the UK are hostile nations. Woe to America, if these nations are hostile to the US, then there is no country in the world that McCain can be call friendly.
