I’m going to write this as calmly and as rationally as I can muster.
Senator John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin, it’s time to take a step back and regain your honor. Perhaps you should consider what your latest political strategy is doing to the American public. Perhaps, if you have any sense of dignity or pride, you should stop and regain a sense of responsibility in the misinformation you are giving to the public and it’s ripple effect on people.
From the Washington Post:
Worse, Palin’s routine attacks on the media have begun to spill into ugliness. In Clearwater, arriving reporters were greeted with shouts and taunts by the crowd of about 3,000. Palin then went on to blame Katie Couric’s questions for her “less-than-successful interview with kinda mainstream media.” At that, Palin supporters turned on reporters in the press area, waving thunder sticks and shouting abuse. Others hurled obscenities at a camera crew. One Palin supporter shouted a racial epithet at an African American sound man for a network and told him, “Sit down, boy.”
…
The reception had been better in Clearwater, where Palin, speaking to a sea of “Palin Power” and “Sarahcuda” T-shirts, tried to link Obama to the 1960s Weather Underground. “One of his earliest supporters is a man named Bill Ayers,” she said. (”Boooo!” said the crowd.) “And, according to the New York Times, he was a domestic terrorist and part of a group that, quote, ‘launched a campaign of bombings that would target the Pentagon and our U.S. Capitol,’ ” she continued. (”Boooo!” the crowd repeated.)
“Kill him!” proposed one man in the audience.
Palin also told those gathered that Obama doesn’t like American soldiers. “He said that our troops in Afghanistan are just, quote, ‘air-raiding villages and killing civilians,’ ” she said, drawing boos from a crowd that had not been told Obama was actually appealing for more troops in Afghanistan.
This game you’re playing to win…it’s dangerous. In fact, it’s beyond dangerous. Your lies and your smears and your attempt to insight riots and zealots and extremists is irresponsible and disgusting.
I’m not one to talk, but I at the very least have a heart and conscience.
I will hold you accountable for your attempts, your words, and your strategy. I will also continue to write and talk and blog every lie and every smear and every misstep, because I can very clearly see what you are doing and that you will stop at nothing to get there.
For every voter you get to yell racial slurs I will find ten, including my own mother, to knock on doors for Senator Obama.
For every voter you get yelling ‘Kill Him’ at a rally, I will find 50 to blog in support of Senator Obama.
For every voter you inspire to create offensive t-shirts, or buttons, or waffle mix, hang offensive flags or put up disgusting lawn signs, I will find 200 to donate to the Obama campaign.
For every single voter you get to spread your hate, I will find thousands willing to stand up to your evil.
Game over. Enough is enough.
On FriendFeed, this post was liked by 2 people and commented on 0 times hide
{ 7 trackbacks }
{ 65 comments… read them below or add one }
Sarah Auerswald 10.06.08 at 11:26 pm
Count me in! I’ll blog against the lies!!!
Queen of Spain 10.06.08 at 11:29 pm
Thank you Sarah
David 10.06.08 at 11:33 pm
“The only tired I was, was tired of giving in.” - Rosa Parks (1913 - 2005)
michelle of bleeding espresso 10.06.08 at 11:35 pm
Brava! And all this from a party whose slogan is “Country First!” and that repeatedly cries “Class Warfare!” when Obama and Biden talk about the middle class needing relief? Please. Talk about empty words.
Francisco 10.06.08 at 11:42 pm
Sadly, rational appeals to irrational people will likely fall on deaf ears. Calling out the GOP for their tactics of hate is like calling a Klansman a racist. To him, that’s a compliment. I suspect those that drink from the well of GOP intolerance will take pride in being called out by the Queen.
Mark 10.07.08 at 12:01 am
Thanks Erin for this post. The first very first time I heard Obama speak, I was so moved that I called to my wife and replayed the YouTube video for her. When it was over, we sat in silence, eyes moist and finally, one of us said “you know in this country, when you talk that way, you can get killed.” Having lived in the south for a number of years, I’m personally acquainted with just how much racial and political hatred simmers just barely below the surface of our “civil” society. So when I saw the “kill him” remark on the web a few hours ago, I thought I was going to vomit. Dear god, surely these people have boundaries they would not cross for the Presidency, don’t they?!? If McCain has a shred of honor left, he must make a public statement unequivocally condemning this remark tomorrow. In the next debate, he also needs to look at Obama and acknowledge that another human being in standing next to him. They are playing with fire and it needs to stop.
beingajoe 10.07.08 at 1:41 am
Well Said!!!!!
http://www.palinspin.com the dirt, scandals, palinisms, incompetence, lies and deceptions of Sarah Palin!
http://www.obamamate.com social news for the Barack Obama nation
Jo MacD 10.07.08 at 2:00 am
Only one more month, then no-one will give two figs what these small-minded self-absorbed pretenders have to say. Keep fighting the good fight, and taking each day one call, one door-knock, one donation at a time. And Thankyou : )
thorswitch 10.07.08 at 2:14 am
Wonderful post, Queen! If I weren’t already blogging for Obama, that would certainly get me to start
It’s sad - and terrifying - that people can become so wrapped up in fear and hatred that they can’t see that they’re doing so much more to destroy this country than the things they fear and the people they hate do.
Jo MacD 10.07.08 at 2:48 am
I’m sorry to be the bearer… but there’s more. This is via Jonathan Martin at Politico: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buyVS9fRqkw
He actually looks a bit surprised at the crowd’s response - yet another example of McCain acting without considering the consequences? Maybe, but sure as hell his campaign strategist knows where this is headed.
Scope 10.07.08 at 3:10 am
Bo liao… in the end of this election, it’s still just dirty old politics…
Rather spend my time being King Of Sprain… LOL~
phyllis 10.07.08 at 4:44 am
amen.
Tanya DePass 10.07.08 at 4:49 am
Thank you your Majesty, thank you!
I’m already blogging and doing what I can against that hateful woman and the out of touch geezer she’s running with, but I’ll double my efforts.
Again, thank you your Majesty I appreciate a global voice speaking out against their hatred, lies and stupidity.
Tanya D
Chicago, IL USA
Miss Britt 10.07.08 at 7:27 am
This makes my stomach turn.
And does anyone else remember a time when we VALUED our right to a free press and saw it as playing a crucial role in our democracy??
Adriana 10.07.08 at 7:41 am
Well said!
I am really disturbed at the dark turn the McCain campaign has taken. I don’t think it’s bringing out the best in Americans, and I think it’s going to take people longer to heal and connect after the elections. It saddens me. Worse, it’s all for nothing — this kind of strategy only energizes the already loyal base and does nothing to move undecided voters. It’s as if McCain/Palin are using these people to channel their own anger and frustration at their own failed campaign. What a depressing waste of energy and resources.
Cathy 10.07.08 at 8:23 am
Excellent post!!! You are so right and it is very very scary what they are doing. Are you ready for this… I wasn’t there when it happened but my DH relayed it. Neighbor boy (around 7 or 8 y.o.) with adult neighbors, minus his parents. Neighbor boy asks what they think of Obama, neighbors respond with ‘he has some good ideas.’ Ready for this hon… I nearly died when I was told. Neighbor boy responds with ‘I think the KKK will take him out.’ OMG where in the world did this kid hear this??? It gave me chills yet boiled me at the same time.
I am right there with you blogging against the smear that is what Truthful Politics is all about.
Axel 10.07.08 at 8:30 am
thank you ! over here we are watching the game with the same disgust and a good portion of fear. Axel from Cologne, Germany.
Warren 10.07.08 at 8:32 am
Erin,
Well said! Regardless of where your politics lie, can’t we get out of the gutter and talk about the important stuff? Clearly, these two don’t get the social media values of transparency and authenticity. Hopefully, we will never hear from them again in 4 weeks!
amy 10.07.08 at 8:52 am
Great post… And inspiring, too. The Palin/McCain campaign is so disheartening and disgusting, and frankly absolutely disturbing. Their negative politics and lowly tactics should not be tolerated let alone supported.
J 10.07.08 at 9:55 am
You’re right. We’ve got to stop them. We’ve got to attribute the comments of every nut case to the candidates themselves, even though that’s a ridiculous connction to try to make because there are nut cases on both sides. Bush is a terrorist. Palin’s husband is sleeping with her daughter. God damn America. The US of KKK. etc. Let’s attibute every vile comment posted on democratunderground, dailykos, and huffingtonpost to Obama. He must think exactly the same as those people. He must agree with every bit of and could just as well have said it himself. Blog away! Fix the problem on both sides.
Debbie Cerda 10.07.08 at 10:10 am
I woke up feeling this way this morning, and told m- boyfriend that I’ve gone from being ashamed and embarrased to outraged and infuriated. I support having a woman in the White House, but not Palin. With that I must say -
Thank you, Sarah Palin, for inspiring me to do something I’ve never done before.
In all my years of volunteering in the community, I’ve never been participated in political events. However, thanks to Governor Palin, I’ve joined a political cause with Women Against Palin and will be getting out in my community to support Senator Obama. Sarah Palin does NOT represent MY interests as a woman - I will stand up and speak out.
And another thank you - for reminding that as a pro-choice supporter, that I have many choices. After weighing what I know as a biologist, I’ve decided that it is a selfish choice to choose to initiate pregnancy at 44 years of age. The need to meet my maternal instinct should not outweigh the quality of life for a child, and pro-choice should not imply abortion as the option. There are plenty of children in the world already with special needs, emotionally and physically. We will adopt.
followthatdog 10.07.08 at 10:10 am
Thank you! I get so angry when the McCain/Palin machine goes back to mudslinging. If only people would open their eyes and see how completely incapable they are of making real change. Instead of talking about what is good for the country, what they would do to make a positive change in the lives of our citizens, they resort to lies and distortion. It is sickening.
Queen of Spain 10.07.08 at 10:15 am
J, I think you miss my point. For ever inspiration, there is another. Nutjobs on both sides can #suckit
Queen of Spain 10.07.08 at 10:19 am
and this morning she does it again
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/07/obama-hatred-on-display-a_n_132572.html
Susan Lindgren 10.07.08 at 10:37 am
Wow 1960 how old was Obama? Okay I guess my 5 year old will be blamed for Wall-streets fall in 40 years- Send him to his room without supper right now!
Appealing to the fanatics that is how low they go, no words
Donna Papacosta 10.07.08 at 10:58 am
Please keep fighting the good fight, Erin.
Trying to Stay Informed 10.07.08 at 11:00 am
And this isn’t happening on the other side? No smears, no misspoken words? I come here to get a sense of a liberal view, and you feed right into the media latching onto some idiot who could have been at either a rally for McCain or Obama yelling Kill Him. The economy is crashing and you choose to write about this?
For every offensive t-shirt against Obama, I can find 20 against McCain…try me.
Queen of Spain 10.07.08 at 11:19 am
“Trying to stay informed” the point is the climate. When Obama goes on the offensive against McCain he says things like “While I respect my opponent I disagree with…” from the McCain camp we hear “Doesn’t think of America like you and I do and pals around with terrorists”
It’s the climate they are creating. You can talk misinformation on both sides, but only one is making this ugly and dangerous
MommyTime 10.07.08 at 11:20 am
As for the issue raised in the comment above mine, the problem, of course, is not simply that some idiot in a crowd yells things that are unconscionable; the problem is how the speaker handles this: is there any effort to create distance between speaker and heckler? Any apology? Any explicit statement that such are NOT the politics of the party? When the answer to these questions is no, when the speaker seems to be goading on such comments and using them to bolster the emotional enthusiasm of the crowd rather than rejecting them as the antics of a slanderer, then the speaker is just as culpable.
And, frankly, it would be far preferable if we were to hear the candidates talking about real issues rather than simply trying to incite crowds with smear tactics. But if this is the “news” they provide, then isn’t this the news they must expect us to write about?
If you start a blogging campaign, please count me in.
MommyTime 10.07.08 at 11:22 am
(As I hope is obvious, my response was addressed to the criticism “Trying…” levels, not to your response, which you were writing as I was writing.)
New Urban Mom 10.07.08 at 11:28 am
All I can think of to say Erin is thank you. Thank you on behalf of my daughter’s generation who are voting for the first time with joy at having the right to choose their next president and also with fear that the nation isn’t strong enough to stand up to this evil.
You’re proving the nation is strong enough.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph [of evil] is for good men to do nothing”
bill 10.07.08 at 1:04 pm
I don’t support McCain. I hope he loses. And yet - I’d like to hear him be the man he was. To be honest, I don’t think it matters, this late in the game. But it’d be good to hear.
Capt. Spastic 10.07.08 at 1:11 pm
Surely the depths the republican party will go to in the pursuit of claiming victory should be no shock to anyone by now.
Haven’t you seen the last 8 years?
These tactics are proof positive that a vote for McCain is a vote for NO CHANGE, and simply more republican, status quo politics.
Daniel 10.07.08 at 3:39 pm
I think it is about time for the McCain camp to bring out the big guns against Obama and his terrorist/radical buddies. How can America be so ignorant to elect a man like this to the White House? He will wreck our economy by raising taxes, weaken our military by cutting spending and no telling what else. Our Founders are spinning their graves that this fool even has a chance at the Oval Office.
I live in Texas, and everyone I know is voting McCain. Not so much for him, mainly for Governor Palin. She is exactly the kind of tough, no-nonsense, straight shooting Leader our Nation needs. I hope and pray she keeps hammering and pounding on the little lord Obama. It’s about time he is forced to answer for his radical and terrorist friends.
Do we really want a President who’s spiritual mentor screams obscenities and “God d*** America” from the pulpit?
Do we really want a First Lady who thinks America is a “Down right mean Country”?
Do we really want a President who supports infanticide? The really, really sick kind. The kind that lets babies die in utility closets…. What a cold bastard.
Do we really want a President who calls folks like me “bitter” and “clinging to guns” with “antipathy” towards people like him?
Guys like him are one of the biggest reasons I “cling” to my guns, to protect my family and home from him and his radical, racist and terrorist friends.
I don’t mean to rant, but this guy and his Marxist ideologies are so dangerous and extremist I can’t help it.
Wake up America!
A vote for Barack Hussein Obama is a vote for bondage!
Queen of Spain 10.07.08 at 3:48 pm
Daniel, I’m leaving your comment up to show everyone what sort of lies and lunacy are being spread about Senator Obama.
Your facts are wrong. Your party’s tactic disgusting.
Does everyone see this? Do you see what Daniel wrote and no doubt believes?
It’s scary and sad.
I suggest you check out the truth with some facts. Factcheck.org and the Sunlight foundation are a good start.
Daniel 10.07.08 at 6:03 pm
Hello QoS,,
First of all, it is a pleasure to speak with you.
I StumbledUpon your blog, and frankly it shocked me to see some of the things you are saying. I guess I kinda felt like you did when you read my previous post.
First, I believe with all my heart what I wrote. I probably should have written it a bit less bombastically, but I believe it nonetheless.
I don’t know you or you background or your education etc etc, or essentially anything that makes you you. So please don’t take my words as any kind of personal indictment of you, just your politics, or what I read of them here.
Thanks for your suggestion of checking out truth and fact. I have been doing so for months now. Everything I have found has led me to the conclusion that an Obama Presidency would be a disastrous one.
To me, he is a man of political opportunism. Whichever way the wind of best political opportunity blows, so does he. Here in Texas, we call that kind of man a “flim flam man”.
There is a long trail of facts or truths that led me to where I am. Starting with his Church. It is impossible to convince me that after sitting in the pews of a Church who’s pastor is a racist, didn’t have any effect on Obama. It is impossible to convince me that Jeremiah Wright’s America hating rhetoric did anything other than confirm the same feelings in Obama. If it did not, then Obama would have disowned him long ago. Instead, Obama had to fold under political pressure and throw J. Wright under the bus.
In my humble opinion, Barack H. Obama is exactly the wrong man for the job of POTUS.
I am off to watch the debate,
God bless,
Daniel.
Wendy 10.07.08 at 7:01 pm
Kudos to you, Queen! I am from Texas originally and believe that Daniel and the other Daniels of the world are out there in force, believing the spin, the smear, the lies, the Hannities. I am JUST ILL (!) that so many are so taken with and sucked in by that kind of stance.
Daniel 10.07.08 at 8:40 pm
Hello Wendy, (Or should I say Howdy)
I feel kinda odd writing this, never before have I been so fascinated by the discussion on a blog!
Yes, those who believe like me are out in force, and thank goodness.
It is amazing how polarized the left and the right have become. Of course the Left feels that it is “All Bush’s fault”. And the Right blames it all on the main stream media. Personally, I am a firm believer that those who seek the middle of the road get run over, so what is next?
For me, the next move is to do all I can to make sure extremists like Barack Obama NEVER make it to the White House. Those on my side of the fence may lose the Presidential battle this year, I don’t know, but one thing that is for sure. We will not roll over, we will not back down and we will not change our principles.
McCain talked about bipartisanship tonight, and he was wrong. Appeasing the enemy is like feeding a crocodile, hoping he will eat you last. (Don’t know who said that, but he/she gets the credit)
So where do we go from here?
The distance between left and right is growing wider every second.
The USA is being torn apart. What will happen next?
As a Texan, I would rather see the USA cease to exist than back down on one of my principles.
Daniel Boone once said; “You may all go to Hell, I shall go to Texas”.
I say the liberal establishment and far left radicals may all go elsewhere, and I shall stay in Texas.
Nothing personal here, and I sincerely wish you all the best. I am just coming to the sad conclusion that our differences are so great that a reconciliation is just not possible.
Once upon a time, being an American meant being free to pursue life Liberty and happiness. Under “leaders” like Obama I don’t think any of those are possible.
Daniel.
Daniel 10.07.08 at 8:43 pm
Whoops, I should learn to proof read better.
Davy Crockett told some Congressional body to go to hell, not Daniel Boone.
Debbie 10.07.08 at 11:24 pm
Just as Sarah Palin does not represent all women, Daniel does not represent all Texans. I’m proud of this state, but don’t always agree with its politics. I’ve always been an issues voter, and vote for the person I feel is the best candidate regardless of their party.
In the current election, I feel that there is nothing to sway me towards voting for McCain/Palin. I think enough points have been covered about the candidates that I don’t need to restate nor defend my position. I’m actually amazed by the number of fellow Texans who have stated that they are voting for Obama, less surprised by the Ron Paul supporters. These supporters include folks in the education and technology sectors, as well as state employees - and LOTS of women!
Fre.Speech 10.08.08 at 9:48 am
My friend recommended I read some of the things on blogher.com and I decided to check things out. I am so glad I did! I will make it my mission to help you discredit the crap that comes out of Palin’s mouth.
-team.OBAMA
V. Parlant 10.08.08 at 9:53 am
I’ve been keeping track and considering blogging Republican hatefulness, but it’s so ugly that I’m not sure I want to touch it. How the Republicans do business, the violent nature of their games, turns my stomach. When I go in-depth to write on these types of subjects I get so worked up it takes me hours to unwind.
Yes, what they’re doing turns my stomach, but I’m not at all surprised that McCain’s taken this route or that his most dedicated supporters are willing to follow him down this path. I’m especially not surprised to see that folks who love Palin and can’t see through her would fall in line this way. Also, after watching the the Republican Convention, I’m not surprised that Republicans lean toward a gang mentality– “Get him! He’s not one of us.”
I don’t consider him to be man of integrity, and as for Republicans in general, let’s please remember that many of the older people that make up the Republican base are people who switched from Democrat to Republican over the last 40 years because they despised the politics of inclusion, preferred segregation, embraced applauded xenophobia and other forms of fear and fear mongering. So, is it any wonder that they resort to what amounts to a southern type strategy of hatred and division with a “terrorism” twist? Is it any wonder that they incite rather than denounce hate even if their words may lead to one of the ugliest violence a democracy may suffer ?
I’m not saying all Republicans are hate-baiters, but that a substantial part of its base has been this way for some time now and Republican leaders have not discouraged it. They’ve courted it.
Thanks for alerting more readers to the sliminess of McCain’s campaign. McCain’s skimming the bottom of his pit now.
Jess 10.08.08 at 12:42 pm
I am no longer shocked by the baseless ramblings of Sen. McCain supporters. If they could back up even the smallest of their rants with hardcore facts not opinion it might be easier to give them some creditability. Unfortunately that is not the case as they continue to wage a baseless attack against Sen. Obama just like Sen McCain did last night.
Daniel 10.08.08 at 2:18 pm
Well Jess, the facts are quite simple when it comes to Obama’s ties to the terrorist Bill Ayers. Obama launched his political career at Ayers’ home. Obama served on several boards with Ayers. Obama’s campaign manager stated that Obama and Ayers were “friendly”. Obama wrote a blurb for one of Ayers books.
What more do you need? The ties are clear, and to call stating facts “smearing” and spreading “rambling”, then we obviously are speaking different languages.
I think there is panic in the Obama camp over this issue, and rightly so.
Oh, and I am not so much of McCain supporter as I am an America supporter. McCain’s stand of issues like the farce of man mad global warming and immigration drive me crazy. But when it comes to energy independence, economic solutions, National Security and foreign affairs, Obama doesn’t ever come close. I am not saying he can’t learn, but as his VP candidate said so eloquently, “The White House is not the place for on the job training.”
Queen of Spain 10.08.08 at 2:48 pm
Ok Daniel, since this is my site and you are seeming to push the lies and rhetoric here. Let’s get some stuff straight (and your cordial tone is appreciated, thank you)
Obama has never denied knowing Bill Ayers, or serving on boards with him. This also has not been an issue for the Republican funded project they worked on or the many republicans who also served on those boards
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=95442902
You’ll also note those republicans involved know this is a distraction issue and are taking offense at it. “It was never a concern by any of us in the Chicago school reform movement that he had led a fugitive life years earlier,” said former Illinois state Republican Rep. Diana Nelson, who worked with both Obama and Ayers over the years. “It’s ridiculous. There is no reason at all to smear Barack Obama with this association. It’s nonsensical, and it just makes me crazy. It’s so silly.”
Now let’s also keep in mind that just today McCain touted his own ties to Ayers
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/08/mccains-trumpets-endorsem_n_132954.html
And then, of course, there is the AP article on McCain’s own dubious ties to terrorists
WASHINGTON (AP) _ Barack Obama has his William Ayers connection. Now John McCain may have an Iran-Contra connection. In the 1980s, McCain served on the advisory board to the U.S. chapter of an international group linked to ultra-right-wing death squads in Central America.
The U.S. Council for World Freedom aided rebels trying to overthrow the leftist government of Nicaragua. That landed the group in the middle of the Iran-Contra affair and in legal trouble with the Internal Revenue Service, which revoked the charitable organization’s tax exemption.
The council created by retired Army Maj. Gen. John Singlaub was the U.S. chapter of the World Anti-Communist League, an international organization linked to former Nazi collaborators and ultra-right-wing death squads in Central America. After setting up the U.S. council, Singlaub served as the international league’s chairman.
McCain’s tie to Singlaub’s council is undergoing renewed scrutiny after his campaign criticized Obama for his link to Ayers, a former radical who engaged in violent acts 40 years ago. Over the weekend, Democratic operative Paul Begala said on ABC’s “This Week” that this “guilt by association” tactic could backfire on the McCain campaign by renewing discussion of McCain’s service on the board of the U.S. Council for World Freedom, “an ultraconservative right-wing group.”
In two interviews with The Associated Press in August and September, Singlaub said McCain became associated with the organization in the early 1980s as McCain launched his political career. McCain was elected to the House in 1982.
Singlaub said McCain was a supporter but not an active member.
“McCain was a new guy on the block learning the ropes,” Singlaub said. “I think I met him in the Washington area when he was just a new congressman. We had McCain on the board to make him feel like he wasn’t left out. It looks good to have names on a letterhead who are well-known and appreciated.
“I don’t recall talking to McCain at all on the work of the group,” Singlaub said.
McCain has said he resigned from the council in 1984 and asked in 1986 to have his name removed from the group’s letterhead.
“I didn’t know whether (the group’s activity) was legal or illegal, but I didn’t think I wanted to be associated with them,” McCain said in a 1986 newspaper interview.
Singlaub does not recall any McCain resignation in 1984 or May 1986. Nor does Joyce Downey, who oversaw the group’s day-to-day activities.
“That’s a surprise to me,” Singlaub said. “This is the first time I’ve ever heard that. There may have been someone in his office communicating with our office.”
“I don’t ever remember hearing about his resigning, but I really wasn’t worried about that part of our activities, a housekeeping thing,” said Singlaub. “If he didn’t want to be on the board that’s OK. It wasn’t as if he had been active participant and we were going to miss his help. He had no active interest. He certainly supported us.”
A news article and two documents tie McCain to the council in 1985, a year after he says he resigned. The group’s Internal Revenue Service filing in 1985, covering the previous year, lists McCain as a member of the council’s advisory board. In October 1985, a States News Service report placed McCain, Rep. Tom Loeffler, R-Texas, and an Arizona congressman at a Washington awards ceremony staged by the council.
On Tuesday, the McCain campaign addressed the resignation by saying the candidate disassociated himself from “one Arizona-based group when questions were raised about its activities.”
Taking an opportunity to attack the Obama-Biden ticket, the McCain campaign added that as a House member and later as a senator, McCain fought against communist influence in Central America while Sen. Joe Biden tried to cut off money for anti-communist forces in El Salvador and Nicaragua.
The renewed attention over McCain’s association with Singlaub’s group comes as his campaign steps up criticism of Obama’s dealings with Ayers, now a college professor who co-founded the Weather Underground in the 1960s and years later worked with Obama on the board of an education reform group in Chicago. Ayers held a meet-the-candidate event at his home when Obama first ran for public office in the mid-1990s.
In McCain’s case, he was a House member and a board member of Singlaub’s council when, as a new congressman, he voted for military assistance to the Nicaraguan Contras, a CIA-organized guerrilla force. In 1984, Congress cut off military assistance to the rebels.
Months before the cutoff, top Reagan administration officials ramped up a secret White House-directed supply network run by national security advisers Robert McFarlane and John Poindexter. The operation’s day-to-day activities were handled by National Security Council aide Oliver North, who relied on retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Richard Secord to carry out the operation. The goal was to keep the Contras operating until Congress could be persuaded to resume CIA funding.
Singlaub’s private group became the public front for the secret White House activity.
“It was noted that they were trying to act as suppliers. It was pretty good cover for us,” Secord, the field operations chief for the secret effort, said Tuesday in an interview.
The White House-directed network’s covert arms shipments, financed in part by the Reagan administration’s secret arms sales to Iran, exploded into the Iran-Contra affair in November 1986. The scandal proved to be the undoing of Singlaub’s council.
In 1987, the IRS withdrew tax-exempt status from Singlaub’s group because of its activities on behalf of the Contras.
Peter Kornbluh, co-author of “The Iran-Contra Scandal: A Declassified History,” said the Council on World Freedom was crucial to diverting public attention from the Reagan White House’s fundraising for the Contras.
Singlaub and the council publicly urged private support for the Contras, providing what Singlaub later called “a lightning rod” to explain how the rebels sustained themselves despite Congress’ cutoff.
In October 1986, the secrecy of North’s network unraveled after one of its planes was shot down over Nicaragua. One American crewman, Eugene Hasenfus, was captured by the Nicaraguan government. At first, Reagan administration officials lied by saying that the plane had no connection to the U.S. government and was part of Singlaub’s operation.
“I resented it that reporters thought it was my plane. I don’t run a sloppy operation,” Singlaub told The AP.
In an interview last month, Downey, the full-time employee of Singlaub’s council, said she has a clear memory of McCain resigning in 1986, but not earlier.
“It was during the time when the U.S. Council had been wrongly accused of being owners of the Hasenfus plane downed in Nicaragua,” said Downey. “A couple of days after that, I was in Washington and called home to get messages from my mother. I returned that call and a staff person wanted to ask for the resignation of Congressman McCain.”
When Hasenfus was shot down, McCain was in the final month of his first campaign for the Senate seat he still holds.
McCain’s office responded quickly. McCain said he had resigned from the council in 1984. Further, McCain said that in May 1986 he asked the group to remove his name from the letterhead. McCain’s office produced two letters from 1984 and 1986 to back his account.
The dates on the resignation letters in 1984 and May 1986 coincided with McCain election campaigns and increasingly critical public scrutiny of the World Anti-Communist League, the umbrella group Singlaub chaired.
In 1983 and 1984 for example, columnist Jack Anderson linked the league’s Latin American affiliate to death squad political assassinations.
The Latin American affiliate was kicked out of the league. At the time, Singlaub told the columnist the Latin American affiliate had “knowingly promoted pro-Nazi groups” and was “virulently anti-Semitic.”
“That was putting it mildly,” Anderson wrote in a Sept. 11, 1984, column on alleged death squad murders, an article that appeared two months before the U.S. election day.
Two weeks after Anderson’s column, a letter from McCain addressed to Singlaub asks that the congressman’s name be taken off the board because he didn’t have time for the council.
Singlaub told AP that “certainly by 1984,” he had purged the World Anti-Communist League of extremists. Singlaub complains that American news media wrote that the league hadn’t gotten rid of extremist elements and tried to tarnish the league’s credibility, “making something evil out of fighting communism.”
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
So I’m sorry Daniel, but that sort of rhetoric does not hold water here in the land of not Texas. And it really shouldn’t hold water in Texas either.
Let’s get back to focusing on the economy, on this war, and on things that really do matter.
dan 10.08.08 at 3:01 pm
thanks for showing up to epitomize this article, daniel. so where did you find out about this “simple fact” which is actually complete BS? do you factcheck your rumors? do you just blindly accept partisan vitriol? seems so.
Daniel 10.08.08 at 5:07 pm
Hello Dan,
Obama did write a “blurb” for one of Ayers’ books. It may not have been on the slip cover, but according to dictionary.com it was a blurb.
1. a brief advertisement or announcement, esp. a laudatory one: She wrote a good blurb for her friend’s novel.
–verb (used with object)
2. to advertise or praise in the manner of a blurb.
So, it is NOT “complete BS”, and yes, I do check my sources.
QoS,
Thanks for your comments, and I truly have no desire to abuse your site.
The AP article, IMHO, does nothing to mitigate the fact that Obama has/does hang out with a known unrepentant terrorist. In fact, it confirms it. We can dance around the issue by questioning motives and putting forth hazy maybes, but the fact remains that Obama has chosen his associates quite poorly. Jeremiah Wright, Father Phlager (sp?), Bill Ayers. Just these three alone show a long history of paling around with anti American radicals. This is not partisan vitriol, this is not hate speech, this is nothing but facts.
I am sure Obama is a nice guy, but Presidential he is not. Not by a long stretch.
One last thought. Since J. Wright screamed damnation on the “US of KKK A”, I wonder what he will say if Obama is elected? Scream damnation down on him?
This kind of baggage is just too much for me to stomach.
Take care,
Daniel.
Queen of Spain 10.08.08 at 5:48 pm
Daniel clearly you do not know or understand the history behind any of these affiliations.
I would highly recommend you read from a olleague of mine, Prof. Kim Pearson, who has written extensively on the subjects.
http://www.blogher.com/patriotism-wrights-jeremiads-and-michelle-obamas-pride
and
http://www.blogher.com/node/17236
and Maria Niles who covers race for BlogHer
http://www.blogher.com/blog/maria-niles
Furthermore, I would encourage you to own up to the faults of the candidate you are voting for while you so easily condemn the one you say you are not voting for.
are great places to start.
Miranda 10.08.08 at 6:07 pm
Mmmm…lynch mob mentality politics. Thanks for calling it out, QoS. I will be blogging in favor of Obama even MORE than I already have been. Although, of course, I will do far less good than you. And you are doing great work.
Lee 10.08.08 at 7:04 pm
WTG! Wonderful post! I agree with all you are getting across here!
I am countering the negative comments for Obama with positive ones on those sites. The Old Fart and the Hussy are losing face and ground so they are desperate. They say ‘It’s always darkest before the Dawn”…but when the Dawn breaks through..guess what?….”That One”…is gonna be President
Dorothy Stahlnecker 10.08.08 at 8:40 pm
I’ve read some of the comments and they are all compelling.. I wish I could say I felt Obama was the answer or that McCain is the answer. Our state of affairs is bipartisan and if you research you might find Clinton signed the bill for housing; mortgages became available to home buyers with no documentation ( exempting the need for qualifying income or credit history).. the ball began rolling bankers and brokers became aware of the sub prime buyers and the money they all could make, it was a downhill fiasco…which to this moment has not been clearly addressed….
I’m hopeful whoever wins will address energy, (all fronts) dependency and better use by our nation. In addition our economy strengthening the dollar along with our reputation everywhere in the world.We’re considered bullies.. And regarding our media why would we care about Putin (or however you spell his name) and give him any time on prime news especially his black belt… There is so much screwed up in our country…I doubt any of us in this century will see relief, its to dam corrupt on all fronts….AIG and their big bash is a great example of where we’re still naive…who will in the end address what they’ve spent and make them pay it back.
Frankly at 62…I’m appalled and wonder if anyone running will really address our issues or if it will be business as usual once elected. There are two things I respect that McCain professes…that he loves this country and will serve us (rather then be served) I wish I knew if he meant it…
Pardon my uneducated, however, honest thoughts…I wish I really knew more…
Dorothy from grammology
grammology.com
Ian 10.08.08 at 8:48 pm
Couldn’t agree more! You summarized everything in a short, sweet sentence: Enough is enough! Don’t these people get it, manipulating the masses for their own benefit is just wrong… and resurrecting racism does a lot of harm in the long run.
Hope everything is settled for the best
Dori 10.09.08 at 5:18 am
Bravo! Excellent post! This just had to be said.
LuckyMe 10.09.08 at 6:01 pm
I love the fact that the Republican slogan is always “lower taxes” and this administration is spending , spending, spending every time we turn around. Bush has run our budget into the depths of hell and set the example for the rest of the country. Remember Bush’s recommendation after 911? America, Go Shopping! Brilliant. Buy big houses that you can’t afford. Your “small government” will bail you out.
When the Democrat moves into the White House, he will set the example and pay the debts that piled up under the 8 year term of his predecessor. Where will the money come from? Yes, he will have to raise taxes. Simple math, my friends. That is if you’re the type who pays your bills. I hope it comes from the golden parachutes of the fired executives (where is their incentive to succeed?) and from the profits of Big Oil, not middle class America.
Should I assume Daniel is a typical McCain supporter? His words echo the over sensationalized bashing we hear at the McCain rallies. It is truly embarrassing for our country. But that ridiculously inflammatory rhetoric just makes the decision easier for the reasonable voters. If you don’t have answers you go on the attack, a sign of a weak candidate. I only hope the truly noble American spirit rises up out of this race and elects a leader with integrity.
AMERICA NEEDS CHANGE. AMERICA NEEDS OBAMA.
emma 10.10.08 at 9:46 am
You might be interested to note that this morning, when I was listening to the BBC hour on my local NPR station, they did not mention McCain ONCE in their coverage of the American election. Instead it was, “important players from both sides, Palin and Obama, are here,” or even better, “here in the Palin campaign…”
Did they forget she’s not running for president? Or is McCain just doing that good a job of hiding behind her?
Lisa Rodgers 10.10.08 at 12:23 pm
Hey!
Well said! More and more of us need to stand up to the outright lies and hatred that are spreading like wild fire in and around the McCain-Palin campaign! I am not a follower. I have been an independent all my voting life and have made my decision for President based on the one most qualified to do the job. The US is the laughing stock of the world right now and we need a leader that will bring us hope and change. I urge the American people to visit http://www.factcheck.org and http://www.snopes.com to check the facts! I for one am not comfortable electing a man to be President that will resort to fear mongering to get what he wants. When McCain dies, do you really think Palin could be the leader of the free world? There are more than just hockey moms and Joe six-packs that vote. I don’t want a President that will sit down and drink a beer with me. I want a leader, not a friend! I have enough of those thank you!
Keep your posts coming!
David 10.10.08 at 12:32 pm
Hello QoS, I believe we are connected on twitter and I hope we remain so.
I personally believe in taking people at their word. I am not super excited about the McCain-Palin ticket, but Obamas associations in the past have me very concerned - not that he is a terrorist or a member of an unpopular religion, but that his ideology is too far left for this country.
It does seem that people at the some of the Palin rallies have said things that any American should find reprehensible. Let us be clear that Sarah Palin is not saying “kill him” or “he is a terrorist”. Those are individual Americans, in very small numbers who attend rallies and exercise (in at least one case, abuse) their right to free speech.
Just as I agree with you that we should not call Obama a terrorist and that it is unfair to say that he holds the same views as Ayers because of proximity and association, it is likewise unfair to try to say that Palin is racist or hold her responsible for the sentiments of a few extremists.
Palin certainly has her drawbacks and has made her share of gaffes, but she has been unfairly targeted by extremists that support Obama. One famous comedienne even publicly suggested that she needed to be gang-raped. Is this the position of the Obama camp? No, of course not.
But it is the position of one Obama supporter.
So let us be fair - both sides have their share of wackos, extremists, idiots and menacing rogues. The American left has their bad apples and to pretend they don’t is to blind yourself with partisanship.
I don’t mind the negative attacks on either side. Sometimes they are legitimate and informative and sometimes they say more about the attacker than their opponent. I trust the America people to wade through the distortions, the false associations and the listen to enough different sourced to settle on something as near the truth as can be ascertained.
I saw the things coming out of dailykos a few weeks ago - where was the outrage then? It was on the right - because it was their ox being gored.
So let us all keep in mind that this issue is not about negative attacks or the truth or associations, it is about oxen. Everyones oxen gets gored a few times in an election, but standing up and saying “my ox was attacked” is just whining. Making it about honor and principle is much smarter and more effective so with that, I commend your acumen.
I am taking the samurai approach to this election - I am going into it assuming my candidate has already lost, so I am not troubled by fears and aprehension. Perhaps I will be surprised, but I have no expectations.
Queen of Spain 10.10.08 at 12:50 pm
Hate speech shouldn’t be tolerated from either side, and the difference to me isn’t that there are wackos yelling stuff out- it’s that the speeches from those campaigning are leading them there. And find that very, very clear. McCain and Palin are calling him out as ‘palling around with terrorists’ and being ‘not like you and me’ which leads to this. From Obama’s side, you see him on stage saying ‘I disagree with Senator McCain, here’s why…’
My problem is that McCain and Palin are instigating this, they ARE responsible. They are setting the tone that is fueling the hate. And I believe they are doing it knowingly.
David 10.10.08 at 1:16 pm
Is Sarah Palin more culpable due to the physical proximity at the rally?
There are plenty of wackos on both sides saying all sorts of terrible things. On the web, in person, in print, etc. if 10,000 people show up to a rally, a certain number are going to be unbalanced.
As to the “paling around with terrorists”, I do not hear anyone trying to say that Ayers is not a domestic terrorist. They try to use words like “revolutionary” and “60s radical” but his people acquired explosives, set off bombs and people died as a result. The word terrorist clearly fits but I suppose “palling around with” is open to interpretation. Should she have said “engaging in literary exchanges with” or “working with community groups with”?
It is her job to go for the most negative interpretation of the relationship between Ayers and Obama. Obama has not helped himself by downplaying the relationship and saying he was not aware of Ayers past. Now he is having to clarify things which, to some people (especially those who oppose you) looks like back pedaling or changing your story.
Obama has relationships that he has been evasive in disclosing. That is a calculated political decision. He has also withheld a lot of other documents that *some* candidates release. Again, this is a political calculation - what is going to be easier to handle - openness or speculation?
At the end of the say, we all see what we want to see. There is a broad spectrum of possible interpretations of a candidates actions (really, any persons actions). Some on the right see Palin as a crusader who is warning people about a candidate that is truly dangerous. These people have a very high level of trust and relate strongly to Palin while having high distrust of Obama. Your interpretation is on the other end of the scale - you see her actions as desperate, dangerous and motivated by the darkest part of her humanity (hate). Easily explained by the fact that you have no trust in Palin and very high trust in Obama.
This is all very predictable, but let us not pretend any of this is objective. It may well be reasonable - I am sure all the democrats see your post as reasonable. I think its reasonable given your views but objectivity is nowhere to be found here - on either side.
TehCrim 10.10.08 at 8:38 pm
Is it really any different to Obama supporters I’ve heard talk about McCain hopefully keeling over from old age before the election?
Holding the whole party responsible for remarks shouted by very very very few, THAT’S what I’d say requires the need to “step back and regain your honor”, let alone composure. Blogs and stories like this actually make me think McCain and Palin are doing much better than I’d guessed, considering the depths of dredge people are digging into to fight them.
Whatever, so long as it takes the pressure off of Obama and legitimate criticisms against him, eh?
Emma 10.12.08 at 12:59 pm
AMEN.
Thanks for putting to words everything that goes through my mind whenever Sarah Palin walks to a podium, and starts spewing downright lies. And you’ve done it much more eloquently than I ever could!
michellew 10.12.08 at 5:06 pm
Count me in too! I’ll be right there with you rallying everyone that I know including MY own mother as well, to stop the fear and hate tactics of this campaign!
Let’s go!
Colleen 10.13.08 at 1:13 pm
Palin is kind of cute. But the woman spouts nonsense. Never mind if it is true or not, her extemporaneous stuff doesn’t even make sense. Her rehearsed debate speeches made grammatical sense at least, but they didn’t answer the questions. Since when did it become permissible to sidestep the questions and just say what you had planned to say. I have yet to see a debate. What is she going to do smile and wink at the heads of the g8? Stammer and giggle?
solicitor bulgaria 10.14.08 at 2:54 pm
This game you re playing to win…it s dangerous. In fact, it s beyond dangerous. Your lies and your smears and your attempt to insight riots and zealots and extremists is irresponsible and disgusting.
Connie K 10.30.08 at 9:32 pm
It’s time McCain is “hoist on his own petard”…Olbermann broke the story on his show today that McCain HIMSELF has links to Ayers as well!
Egg on your face much Daniel?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27461933/