McCain Denies. We Apologize.

Speaking Earlier Today on ABC News’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos, Senator John McCain was asked about his apparent reluctance to look at Barack Obama during Friday’s debate.

“I Wasn’t,” interrupted Senator McCain.

Mr. Stephanopoulos, Visibly Surprised, said, “No? Well, we went back through the tape, and some people were saying that that was showing disdain for him. Is that fair?”

Senator McCain Chuckled. “I was looking at the moderator a great deal of time; I was writing a lot of the time. No way, no how, that in any way would—”

“Certainly Not What You Intended,” interrupted Mr. Stephanopoulos.

“Not Only What I Intended,” Answered Senator McCain. “Wasn’t,” he repeated. “That’s just foolishness. I’ve been in many, many debates, and a lot of times I don’t look at my opponents, because I’m focusing on the people and the American people that I’m talking to.That’s what the debate’s all about.”

________________________________________________

What Can You Make of the Video Evidence?

http://www.the-peoples-forum.com/cgi-bin/readart.cgi?ArtNum=5185

________________________________________________

The American Voters Were Promised an Opportunity to evaluate the ability of our two presidential candidates debating face-to-face. While Barack Obama frequently turned toward his Republican opponent, and addressed his opponent directly, Senator McCain clearly did everything he could to avoid looking at his debate opponent.

Does Senator McCain Expect That International Debates would go well for him—and for the American people—if he would not address his counterpart directly? Such behavior in most cultures is taken as a sign of weakness and an insult. Weakness and insult lead to war, not to peaceful, constructive international cooperation.

In the Debate, Barack Obama showed Senator McCain the respect that this distinguished war hero deserves. Whether Senator McCain’s behavior reflected denial or senility or venality hardly matters at this point. The debate is over. The opportunity is lost.

However, If Senator McCain Claims that what happened didn’t even happen, it’s hard to know what to think. There is no good answer. What he was thinking—before, during or after—no one may ever know.

While We Respectfully Disagree with Senator McCain about the purpose of a debate—in which both parties have agreed to debate each other—it is hard to label something as “cheating” when the accused person insists that not only wasn’t he cheating, but that the cheating did not even occur.

On the Basis of the Confusion, We Apologize for accusing John McCain of deliberately cheating the American people in last Friday night's debate.

NEWS FLASH! President Bush Announces Time-Horizon for Withdrawal

[A Hypothetical Media Encounter Somewhere in Iraq]


IRAQ—Speaking in Iraq Earlier Today, leading presidential contender Barack Obama spoke to the President’s decision to set a time-horizon for withdrawing American troops from Iraqi soil. Said Obama, “I congratulate George Bush for having the strength of character to change directions and show the Iraqi people the respect they deserve.”

“Furthermore,” Obama Continued, “on behalf of the American people, I would like to thank President Bush for giving us what we have wished for as a nation: an honorable conclusion to this unfortunate war, and for allowing us to redirect our attention to getting the perpetrators of September 11 and to seeing our brave men and women of the military safely home.”

Said Obama, “It is Time to Restore Faith and Trust in the American dollar and in the nation as a whole. It’s time to get back to the sound and humane fiscal policies that will help America face the many new challenges, to energy and the environment. Now we can move forward at last, so that the next time the world calls on America, America will again be in a position to answer.”

In Response to a Followup Question—Referring to Iraq Withdrawal-Deadlines, Iran negotiations, and acknowledgment of environmental changes—whether the President’s change of course constituted “flip-flopping,” Barack Obama said, “While some pundits will take the opportunity to label these decisions flip-flopping, I believe these changes represent President Bush’s growing understanding of America’s role in the future of the world, in terms of politics, in terms of the environment, in terms of the price of oil, and in terms of our challenged economy. These recent statements by George W. Bush show growth and change that he can be proud of. And for those Americans who have opposed the Administration’s policies for so long, President Bush’s correction of those policies is like the return of the prodigal son.”

The “Prodigal Son" refers to a parable in the New Testament, which mentions a young man who gathered his share of his father’s property and took “a journey into a far country,” where he “squandered his property in reckless living. And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need.”

When the Son Decided to Return Home, “his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.” (from Luke 15:13-24, The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles.)

Senator Obama Is Visiting Afghanistan and Iraq in connection with his duties as a United States Senator.