McCain Press Call: To discuss the release of the campaign’s latest ad entitled “Celeb”

[McCain Campaign Press Conference Call from July 30, 2008]

MEDIA ADVISORY
McCain Campaign Conference Call

ARLINGTON, VA — Today, at 12:00 p.m. EDT, U.S. Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign will hold a press conference call with McCain 2008 Campaign Manager, Rick Davis to discuss the release of the campaign’s latest ad entitled “Celeb.”

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

PRESS CONFERENCE CALL

WHO: Rick Davis, Campaign Manager, McCain 2008

WHAT: Press Conference Call

WHEN: Wednesday, July 30, 2008 at 12:00 p.m. EDT

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Obama Press Release: Remarks of Senator Barack Obama (Berlin,Germany)

[Obama Campaign Press Release from July 24, 2008]

Remarks of Senator Barack Obama (as prepared for delivery)
“A World that Stands as One”
July 24th, 2008
Berlin, Germany

Thank you to the citizens of Berlin and to the people of Germany. Let me thank Chancellor Merkel and Foreign Minister Steinmeier for welcoming me earlier today. Thank you Mayor Wowereit, the Berlin Senate, the police, and most of all thank you for this welcome.

I come to Berlin as so many of my countrymen have come before. Tonight, I speak to you not as a candidate for President, but as a citizen – a proud citizen of the United States, and a fellow citizen of the world.

I know that I don’t look like the Americans who’ve previously spoken in this great city. The journey that led me here is improbable. My mother was born in the heartland of America, but my father grew up herding goats in Kenya. His father – my grandfather – was a cook, a domestic servant to the British.

At the height of the Cold War, my father decided, like so many others in the forgotten corners of the world, that his yearning – his dream – required the freedom and opportunity promised by the West. And so he wrote letter after letter to universities all across America until somebody, somewhere answered his prayer for a better life.

That is why I’m here. And you are here because you too know that yearning. This city, of all cities, knows the dream of freedom. And you know that the only reason we stand here tonight is because men and women from both of our nations came together to work, and struggle, and sacrifice for that better life.

Ours is a partnership that truly began sixty years ago this summer, on the day when the first American plane touched down at Templehof.

On that day, much of this continent still lay in ruin. The rubble of this city had yet to be built into a wall. The Soviet shadow had swept across Eastern Europe, while in the West, America, Britain, and France took stock of their losses, and pondered how the world might be remade.

This is where the two sides met. And on the twenty-fourth of June, 1948, the Communists chose to blockade the western part of the city. They cut off food and supplies to more than two million Germans in an effort to extinguish the last flame of freedom in Berlin.

The size of our forces was no match for the much larger Soviet Army. And yet retreat would have allowed Communism to march across Europe. Where the last war had ended, another World War could have easily begun. All that stood in the way was Berlin.

And that’s when the airlift began – when the largest and most unlikely rescue in history brought food and hope to the people of this city.

The odds were stacked against success. In the winter, a heavy fog filled the sky above, and many planes were forced to turn back without dropping off the needed supplies. The streets where we stand were filled with hungry families who had no comfort from the cold.

But in the darkest hours, the people of Berlin kept the flame of hope burning. The people of Berlin refused to give up. And on one fall day, hundreds of thousands of Berliners came here, to the Tiergarten, and heard the city’s mayor implore the world not to give up on freedom. “There is only one possibility,” he said. “For us to stand together united until this battle is won…The people of Berlin have spoken. We have done our duty, and we will keep on doing our duty. People of the world: now do your duty…People of the world, look at Berlin!”

People of the world – look at Berlin!

Look at Berlin, where Germans and Americans learned to work together and trust each other less than three years after facing each other on the field of battle.

Look at Berlin, where the determination of a people met the generosity of the Marshall Plan and created a German miracle; where a victory over tyranny gave rise to NATO, the greatest alliance ever formed to defend our common security.

Look at Berlin, where the bullet holes in the buildings and the somber stones and pillars near the Brandenburg Gate insist that we never forget our common humanity.

People of the world – look at Berlin, where a wall came down, a continent came together, and history proved that there is no challenge too great for a world that stands as one.

Sixty years after the airlift, we are called upon again. History has led us to a new crossroad, with new promise and new peril. When you, the German people, tore down that wall – a wall that divided East and West; freedom and tyranny; fear and hope – walls came tumbling down around the world. From Kiev to Cape Town, prison camps were closed, and the doors of democracy were opened. Markets opened too, and the spread of information and technology reduced barriers to opportunity and prosperity. While the 20th century taught us that we share a common destiny, the 21st has revealed a world more intertwined than at any time in human history.

The fall of the Berlin Wall brought new hope. But that very closeness has given rise to new dangers – dangers that cannot be contained within the borders of a country or by the distance of an ocean.

The terrorists of September 11th plotted in Hamburg and trained in Kandahar and Karachi before killing thousands from all over the globe on American soil.

As we speak, cars in Boston and factories in Beijing are melting the ice caps in the Arctic, shrinking coastlines in the Atlantic, and bringing drought to farms from Kansas to Kenya.

Poorly secured nuclear material in the former Soviet Union, or secrets from a scientist in Pakistan could help build a bomb that detonates in Paris. The poppies in Afghanistan become the heroin in Berlin. The poverty and violence in Somalia breeds the terror of tomorrow. The genocide in Darfur shames the conscience of us all.

In this new world, such dangerous currents have swept along faster than our efforts to contain them. That is why we cannot afford to be divided. No one nation, no matter how large or powerful, can defeat such challenges alone. None of us can deny these threats, or escape responsibility in meeting them. Yet, in the absence of Soviet tanks and a terrible wall, it has become easy to forget this truth. And if we’re honest with each other, we know that sometimes, on both sides of the Atlantic, we have drifted apart, and forgotten our shared destiny.

In Europe, the view that America is part of what has gone wrong in our world, rather than a force to help make it right, has become all too common. In America, there are voices that deride and deny the importance of Europe’s role in our security and our future. Both views miss the truth – that Europeans today are bearing new burdens and taking more responsibility in critical parts of the world; and that just as American bases built in the last century still help to defend the security of this continent, so does our country still sacrifice greatly for freedom around the globe.

Yes, there have been differences between America and Europe. No doubt, there will be differences in the future. But the burdens of global citizenship continue to bind us together. A change of leadership in Washington will not lift this burden. In this new century, Americans and Europeans alike will be required to do more – not less. Partnership and cooperation among nations is not a choice; it is the one way, the only way, to protect our common security and advance our common humanity.

That is why the greatest danger of all is to allow new walls to divide us from one another.

The walls between old allies on either side of the Atlantic cannot stand. The walls between the countries with the most and those with the least cannot stand. The walls between races and tribes; natives and immigrants; Christian and Muslim and Jew cannot stand. These now are the walls we must tear down.

We know they have fallen before. After centuries of strife, the people of Europe have formed a Union of promise and prosperity. Here, at the base of a column built to mark victory in war, we meet in the center of a Europe at peace. Not only have walls come down in Berlin, but they have come down in Belfast, where Protestant and Catholic found a way to live together; in the Balkans, where our Atlantic alliance ended wars and brought savage war criminals to justice; and in South Africa, where the struggle of a courageous people defeated apartheid.

So history reminds us that walls can be torn down. But the task is never easy. True partnership and true progress requires constant work and sustained sacrifice. They require sharing the burdens of development and diplomacy; of progress and peace. They require allies who will listen to each other, learn from each other and, most of all, trust each other.

That is why America cannot turn inward. That is why Europe cannot turn inward. America has no better partner than Europe. Now is the time to build new bridges across the globe as strong as the one that bound us across the Atlantic. Now is the time to join together, through constant cooperation, strong institutions, shared sacrifice, and a global commitment to progress, to meet the challenges of the 21st century. It was this spirit that led airlift planes to appear in the sky above our heads, and people to assemble where we stand today. And this is the moment when our nations – and all nations – must summon that spirit anew.

This is the moment when we must defeat terror and dry up the well of extremism that supports it. This threat is real and we cannot shrink from our responsibility to combat it. If we could create NATO to face down the Soviet Union, we can join in a new and global partnership to dismantle the networks that have struck in Madrid and Amman; in London and Bali; in Washington and New York. If we could win a battle of ideas against the communists, we can stand with the vast majority of Muslims who reject the extremism that leads to hate instead of hope.

This is the moment when we must renew our resolve to rout the terrorists who threaten our security in Afghanistan, and the traffickers who sell drugs on your streets. No one welcomes war. I recognize the enormous difficulties in Afghanistan. But my country and yours have a stake in seeing that NATO’s first mission beyond Europe’s borders is a success. For the people of Afghanistan, and for our shared security, the work must be done. America cannot do this alone. The Afghan people need our troops and your troops; our support and your support to defeat the Taliban and al Qaeda, to develop their economy, and to help them rebuild their nation. We have too much at stake to turn back now.

This is the moment when we must renew the goal of a world without nuclear weapons. The two superpowers that faced each other across the wall of this city came too close too often to destroying all we have built and all that we love. With that wall gone, we need not stand idly by and watch the further spread of the deadly atom. It is time to secure all loose nuclear materials; to stop the spread of nuclear weapons; and to reduce the arsenals from another era. This is the moment to begin the work of seeking the peace of a world without nuclear weapons.

This is the moment when every nation in Europe must have the chance to choose its own tomorrow free from the shadows of yesterday. In this century, we need a strong European Union that deepens the security and prosperity of this continent, while extending a hand abroad. In this century – in this city of all cities – we must reject the Cold War mind-set of the past, and resolve to work with Russia when we can, to stand up for our values when we must, and to seek a partnership that extends across this entire continent.

This is the moment when we must build on the wealth that open markets have created, and share its benefits more equitably. Trade has been a cornerstone of our growth and global development. But we will not be able to sustain this growth if it favors the few, and not the many. Together, we must forge trade that truly rewards the work that creates wealth, with meaningful protections for our people and our planet. This is the moment for trade that is free and fair for all.

This is the moment we must help answer the call for a new dawn in the Middle East. My country must stand with yours and with Europe in sending a direct message to Iran that it must abandon its nuclear ambitions. We must support the Lebanese who have marched and bled for democracy, and the Israelis and Palestinians who seek a secure and lasting peace. And despite past differences, this is the moment when the world should support the millions of Iraqis who seek to rebuild their lives, even as we pass responsibility to the Iraqi government and finally bring this war to a close.

This is the moment when we must come together to save this planet. Let us resolve that we will not leave our children a world where the oceans rise and famine spreads and terrible storms devastate our lands. Let us resolve that all nations – including my own – will act with the same seriousness of purpose as has your nation, and reduce the carbon we send into our atmosphere. This is the moment to give our children back their future. This is the moment to stand as one.

And this is the moment when we must give hope to those left behind in a globalized world. We must remember that the Cold War born in this city was not a battle for land or treasure. Sixty years ago, the planes that flew over Berlin did not drop bombs; instead they delivered food, and coal, and candy to grateful children. And in that show of solidarity, those pilots won more than a military victory. They won hearts and minds; love and loyalty and trust – not just from the people in this city, but from all those who heard the story of what they did here.

Now the world will watch and remember what we do here – what we do with this moment. Will we extend our hand to the people in the forgotten corners of this world who yearn for lives marked by dignity and opportunity; by security and justice? Will we lift the child in Bangladesh from poverty, shelter the refugee in Chad, and banish the scourge of AIDS in our time?

Will we stand for the human rights of the dissident in Burma, the blogger in Iran, or the voter in Zimbabwe? Will we give meaning to the words “never again” in Darfur?

Will we acknowledge that there is no more powerful example than the one each of our nations projects to the world? Will we reject torture and stand for the rule of law? Will we welcome immigrants from different lands, and shun discrimination against those who don’t look like us or worship like we do, and keep the promise of equality and opportunity for all of our people?

People of Berlin – people of the world – this is our moment. This is our time.

I know my country has not perfected itself. At times, we’ve struggled to keep the promise of liberty and equality for all of our people. We’ve made our share of mistakes, and there are times when our actions around the world have not lived up to our best intentions.

But I also know how much I love America. I know that for more than two centuries, we have strived – at great cost and great sacrifice – to form a more perfect union; to seek, with other nations, a more hopeful world. Our allegiance has never been to any particular tribe or kingdom – indeed, every language is spoken in our country; every culture has left its imprint on ours; every point of view is expressed in our public squares. What has always united us – what has always driven our people; what drew my father to America’s shores – is a set of ideals that speak to aspirations shared by all people: that we can live free from fear and free from want; that we can speak our minds and assemble with whomever we choose and worship as we please.

These are the aspirations that joined the fates of all nations in this city. These aspirations are bigger than anything that drives us apart. It is because of these aspirations that the airlift began. It is because of these aspirations that all free people – everywhere – became citizens of Berlin. It is in pursuit of these aspirations that a new generation – our generation – must make our mark on the world.

People of Berlin – and people of the world – the scale of our challenge is great. The road ahead will be long. But I come before you to say that we are heirs to a struggle for freedom. We are a people of improbable hope. With an eye toward the future, with resolve in our hearts, let us remember this history, and answer our destiny, and remake the world once again.

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Obama Press Call: To Unveil Campaign’s New Spanish Language Radio

[Obama Campaign Press Release/Conference Call from July 23, 2008]

TODAY Congressman Becerra to Unveil Obama Campaign’s New Spanish Language Radio Ad on Conference Call

CHICAGO, IL – On a conference call hosted by Congressman Becerra today, the Obama campaign will unveil its new Spanish language radio ad entitled Bootstraps, which profiles Senator Obama’s upbringing and connection to hard working, immigrant and Hispanic values. Bootstraps will air in Colorado, Florida, New Mexico, and Nevada. The script of the ad is attached below.

WHO: Congressman Xavier Becerra and the Obama campaign

WHAT: Conference call to unveil new Spanish language radio ad

WHEN: Wednesday, July 23, 2008
12:00pm Eastern

“Nuestro Propio Camino”

[BO:] I’m Barack Obama and I approve this message.

[VO:] Some people have power and connections.

But most of us have to make our own way through life.

This is true even for the man who could become the next President … Barack Obama.

He grew up without a father — raised by his mother with the support of his grandparents.

Through student loans and hard work, he graduated from college.

Obama never forgot his roots…

He worked with churches to help families get job training and after-school care for their children.

In the State Senate, he passed a law that helped reduce the welfare roles by over 80% by helping families to secure jobs.

And despite the political pressure, Obama has stood with us for immigration reform and spoke out for our veterans.

It’s time we had a President who understands we all deserve a chance to make our own way.

PAID FOR BY OBAMA FOR AMERICA.

[AUDIO]

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McCain Press Call: To Discuss Obama’s “Without Precondition” Statement

[McCain Campaign Press Release/Conference Call from July 23, 2008]

MEDIA ADVISORY
McCain Campaign Conference Call on Obama’s “Without Precondition” Statement

ARLINGTON, VA - Today, at 12:15 p.m. EDT, U.S. Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign will hold a press conference call with Congressman Pete Hoekstra (R-MI), Randy Scheunemann, senior foreign policy adviser, and Kori Schake, senior foreign policy adviser, to discuss Barack Obama ant the one-year anniversary of his “without precondition” Iran policy statement.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

PRESS CONFERENCE CALL

WHO: Congressman Pete Hoekstra (R-MI)
Randy Scheunemann, senior foreign policy adviser, McCain 2008
Kori Schake, senior foreign policy adviser, McCain 2008

WHAT: Press Conference Call

WHEN: Wednesday, July 23, 2008 at 12:15 p.m. EDT

[AUDIO]

*Please note: There were some internal campaign discussions inadvertantly broadcast in the beginning of the call.  This has happened in the past with other campaigns and I have a policy of not including these conversations in the audio without a good reason.  Because a reporter asked the campaign about these exchanges during the call, I have included them for your reference.  Here is the beginning portion of the call exceperted:

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McCain Press Call: Brownback, Wilson and Scheunemann Discuss Obama’s Position On Iraq

[McCain Campaign Press Release/Conference Call from July 22, 2008]

Media Advisory
McCain Campaign Conference Call on Obama’s Position on Iraq

ARLINGTON, VA Today, at 11:30 a.m. EDT, U.S. Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign will hold a press conference call with U.S. Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS), U.S. Representative Heather Wilson (R-NM), Randy Scheunemann, senior foreign policy adviser, to discuss Barack Obama’s Iraq trip and his position on the surge.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

PRESS CONFERENCE CALL

WHO: Sen. Sam Brownback, (R-KS)
Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM)
Randy Scheunemann, senior foreign policy adviser, McCain 2008

WHAT: Press Conference Call

WHEN: Tuesday, July 22, 2008 at 11:30 a.m. EDT

[AUDIO]

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McCain Press Release: Campaign Statement On Obama’s Plan For Troop Withdrawal

[McCain Campaign Press Release from July 20, 2008]

Statement By The McCain Campaign

ARLINGTON, VA — Today, McCain 2008 Senior Foreign Policy Advisor Randy Scheunemann issued the following statement:

“Barack Obama has said repeatedly that, if elected President, he would summon the Joint Chiefs of Staff and give them a new mission: get all U.S. forces out of Iraq within 16 months, regardless of the conditions on the ground. Today, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Admiral Mike Mullen, the nation’s highest ranking officer, made clear that he believes such an approach could be ‘very dangerous.’ Admiral Mullen further added that his view is shared by U.S. commanders in Iraq, who are ‘adamant about continuing progress, about making decisions based on what’s actually happening in the battle space.’ Barack Obama says he wants a ’safe and responsible’ withdrawal from Iraq, but is stubbornly adhering to an unconditional withdrawal that places politics above the advice of our military commanders, the success of our troops, and the security of the American people. Barack Obama is wrong to advocate withdrawal at any cost just as he was wrong to o ppose the surge that has put victory within reach. It is a strategy for defeat, and it is the only strategy Barack Obama has ever supported.”

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Obama Press Release: Advisory - Senator Barack Obama to Give Speech in Berlin

[Obama Campaign Press Release from July 20, 2008]

Senator Barack Obama to Give Speech in Berlin

CHICAGO, IL - On Thursday, July 24, 2008, Senator Barack Obama will visit Berlin, Germany. Obama will give a major speech on the historic U.S.-German partnership, and the need to strengthen Transatlantic relations to meet 21st century challenges in front of the Siegessäule at the Grosser Stern in Tiergarten Park. The event is free and open to the public, and tickets are not required.

THURSDAY, JULY 24

Berlin, Germany

BARACK OBAMA SPEECH

Siegessäule at the Grosser Stern in Tiergarten Park

Berlin, Germany

The event is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required.

Gates open to the public: 4:00 PM

Public Entrance: Straße des 17. Juni at Brandenburg Gate

Event is on the east side of the park. Public should use the following public transportation stops: Potsdamer Platz, Under den Linden, and Lehrter-Stadtbahnhof.

***For security reasons, do not bring bags. Please limit personal belongings. No signs or banners permitted.***

Additional event updates for members of the public will be posted at www.barackobama.com/berlin

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Obama Press Release: MEMO - Obama Leading on Foreign Policy, McCain Following

[Obama Campaign Press Release from July 19, 2008]

To: Interested Parties
From: The Obama Campaign
RE: Obama Leading on Foreign Policy, McCain Following

There are two problems with John McCain’s political attacks on Barack Obama’s foreign policy. First, on the biggest foreign policy questions of the last eight years, Barack Obama has made the right judgment and John McCain has sided with George Bush in making the wrong one. Second, the failure of the McCain-Bush foreign policy has forced John McCain to change his position, and to embrace the very same Obama approaches that he once attacked.

Just this week, Senator McCain has been forced by events to switch to Barack Obama’s position on two fundamental issues: more troops in Afghanistan, and more diplomacy with Iran. On both issues, Obama took stands that weren’t politically popular at the time – opposing the war in Iraq as a diversion from the critical mission in Afghanistan, and standing up for direct diplomacy with Iran – while John McCain lined up with George Bush. Time has proven Obama’s judgment right and McCain wrong.

The next shift appears to be Iraq. For months, Senator McCain has called any plan to redeploy our troops from Iraq “surrender” – even though we’d be leaving Iraq to a sovereign Iraqi government. Now, the Bush Administration is embracing the negotiation of troop withdrawals with the Iraqi government – a position that Senator Obama called for last September, and reiterated on Monday in the New York Times. And now, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki supports Barack Obama’s timeline, telling Der Speigel that, “Barack Obama is right when he talks about 16 months.”

Afghanistan –

• McCain at the beginning of the week: more of the same
• McCain at the end of the week: more troops

Barack Obama said in 2002 that we had to finish the fight against Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda in Afghanistan instead of invading Iraq. John McCain was George Bush’s biggest supporter for a war in Iraq that took our eye off of Afghanistan, arguing that we would be “greeted as liberators”; that democracy would spread across the region; and that we could “muddle through” in Afghanistan. On the most important foreign policy judgment of our generation, Obama got it right and McCain got it wrong.

Since then, our overwhelming focus on Iraq has caused us to shortchange Afghanistan. The result is clear. Osama bin Laden is still at large. Al Qaeda has reconstituted a sanctuary along the Pakistani border. The Taliban is on the offensive. June was the highest casualty month of the war. And Obama’s judgment was reaffirmed earlier this month, when Admiral Mullen, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said, “I don’t have troops I can reach for, brigades I can reach, to send into Afghanistan until I have a reduced requirement in Iraq.”

Barack Obama has consistently called for more troops and resources in Afghanistan. In August of 2007, he called for at least two additional U.S. combat brigades and $1 billion in non-military assistance. Senator McCain continued to march in lockstep with the failed Bush policy, and even argued earlier this year that “Afghanistan is not in trouble because of our diversion to Iraq.” This past week, Senator McCain changed his position for political reasons, embracing Obama’s call for more troops the day after Obama restated it in a New York Times op-ed, and almost one year after Obama’s initial plan. McCain’s proposal was complicated by the fact that the McCain campaign couldn’t even get its answer straight on whether those troops would come from the U.S. or our NATO allies – leading the Times to wonder “how well formed his ideas are.”

SENDING MORE TROOPS TO AFGHANISTAN

Gergen: “In The Last Two Days We’ve Seen Twice Now The Bush Administration Reverse Itself And Take Positions That Are Much Closer To Obama’s,” Added “The Greater Danger To Our Troops Right Now Is In Afghanistan. That’s What Obama’s Been Arguing All Along.” David Gergen: “For the last few months, John McCain has had the upper hand in the arguments about foreign policy, as one of the chief architects of a surge that Obama voted against and then it seemed to work. And yet in the last two days we’ve seen twice now the Bush administration reverse itself and take positions that are much closer to Obama’s. Last night we talked about the fact that suddenly the Bush administration had reversed course and was going to begin talking directly to Iran this weekend, and now tonight we’re talking about them reversing course and saying we must send more troops into Afghanistan, and Afghanistan is becoming in many ways at least as dangerous as Iraq. You know, last — in June, there were virtually the same number of American troops who died in Afghanistan as in Iraq, and yet in Iraq we have five times as many troops. So the danger, the greater danger to our troops right now is in Afghanistan. That’s what Obama’s been arguing all along.” [Anderson Cooper, CNN, 7/16/08]

LA Times Columnist: After Years Of Saying Afghanistan Was Not A Threat, McCain Is Now Calling For More Troops There, “Maybe Because Barack Obama Keeps Hammering Away At The Issue.” LA Times columnist Rosa Brooks wrote, “Immediately after 9/11, McCain shared the widespread view that the U.S. should go to war in Afghanistan to take out those responsible for the 9/11 attacks. But by late November 2001, he wanted to “move on to the next country.” Uh-huh: “Next up, Baghdad!” Of course, we stayed in Afghanistan too, but McCain had gotten tired of it. By April 2003, he said that “nobody in Afghanistan threatens the United States of America,” so we could focus instead on the shiny new war in Iraq. “We don’t read about [Afghanistan] anymore, because it’s succeeded,” he explained in October 2005. But Iraq started getting boring too, so now McCain has turned his restless attention back to Afghanistan — maybe because Barack Obama keeps hammering away at the issue. (Obama, who’s been fairly consistent on Afghanistan for six years now, is either the rare politician who doesn’t suffer from ADD, or he’s smart enough to take his meds.)” [Rosa Brooks Column, LA Times, 7/17/08]

IRAN

• McCain at the beginning of the week: against high-level talks with Iran
• McCain at the end of the week: praised Bush Administration’s high-level talks with Iran

Barack Obama has consistently said that our policy of not pursuing direct diplomacy with Iran has failed, and he has made it clear that he favors direct talks with the Iranian regime in order to advance our interests. Senator McCain and President Bush have ridiculed Obama’s support for direct diplomacy with the Iranian regime. In his trip to Israel, President Bush took implicit aim at Senator Obama, and suggested his proposals for tough diplomacy constituted “appeasement,” while McCain said Obama’s approach was “naive” and “shows a lack of experience.

Here is the record of the McCain-Bush approach. Iran has advanced its illicit nuclear program. Iran is now enriching uranium, and has reportedly stockpiled 150 kilos of low enriched uranium. Iran’s support for terrorism has increased. Iran’s threats toward Israel have increased. Those are the facts, they cannot be denied. McCain has fully supported this failed policy, while Obama has called for a new direction.

This week the Bush administration finally appeared to recognize that it is reckless refusal to participate in talks with our European allies and the Iranian regime had failed. The Bush Administration shifted its policy, and is sending a top-ranking State Department official to join in nuclear talks across the table from Iran in Geneva Senator McCain, a long-time critic of diplomatic engagement with Iran, now changed his position to Obama’s and said that he had “no problem…whatsoever” with this high-level diplomatic engagement with Iran. For the second time in one week, events on the ground forced John McCain to change his position to embrace an Obama position.

TALKS WITH IRAN

Stephanopoulous: “Undersecretary Of State William Burns Will Be Meeting With The Iranians This Weekend As Part Of Their Nuclear Talks,” Obama Has “Been Calling For Those Kind Of Talks For A Long Time.” George Stephanopoulous said, “Senator McCain has moved more towards Barack Obama’s position on Afghanistan, calling for two or three more brigades in Afghanistan which Obama’s called for a long time and watch for this, Chris. We just learned today that the Undersecretary of State William Burns will be meeting with the Iranians this weekend as part of their nuclear talks. Watch for the Obama campaign to say this vindicates Barack Obama’s position. He’s been calling for those kind of talks for a long time.” [ABC Good Morning America, 7/16/08]

Gibson: Bush Administration Insisted It Would Not Talk With Iran, But Its New Willingness to Talk “Is Essentially What Barack Obama Has Been Proposing.” Charlie Gibson: “The Bush administration, for years, has insisted it would not talk with Iran until Iran suspended its nuclear enrichment program. That policy was reversed today. The State Department said it will send Undersecretary of State William Burns to meet face-to-face with Iran’s nuclear negotiator this weekend. So, Martha Raddatz is here to explain what seems like a major turnaround…There are political implications to this because this is essentially what Barack Obama has been proposing, isn’t it?” Martha Raddatz said, “It sure sounds like it, Charlie. There’s a good quote today, from John Bolton, the former U.N. ambassador. He said this is like getting an Obama administration six months early. The White House says it’s very different. But it sure sounds like it’s heading in that direction.” [ABC World News, 7/16/08]

Bolton Sarcastically Said Bush Shift Toward Talking To Iran “Is The State Department Effort To Insure A Smooth Transition To The Obama Administration.” John Bolton said of the Bush Administration’s agreeing to talks with Ira, “Even if this is a one time only event in the Bush administration, it legitimizes the Obama administration to do the same thing,” he said. “It undercuts McCain, and Republicans on the Hill. This is the State Department effort to insure a smooth transition to the Obama administration.” [New York Sun, 7/17/08]

Washington Post: While Bush Administration Opposed US Officials Accompanying Solana To Iran Talks, “Obama Campaign Officials Had Said That One Of The First Steps He Would Take As President Would Be To End The Ban On U.S. Officials Accompanying Solana.” “Administration officials have long insisted that U.S. representatives would not join even preliminary discussions with Tehran until it stops enriching uranium — a distinction that presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has called counterproductive. In June, when Solana traveled to Tehran to present a sweetened offer to Iran to negotiate, the United States pointedly did not join other members of the international coalition in sending a senior official to the meeting. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said at the time that no U.S. representative would attend unless ‘Iran suddenly has a change of tune and says that they will meet the demands of the international community, which are expressed in U.N. Security Council resolutions.’ European officials hailed the news that Burns would come to Geneva as a breakthrough, one that sends a clear message to Iran that the international community is interested in negotiating a solution to the nuclear impasse. ‘It is a very interesting and important sign by the United States,’ one senior European official said last night. Obama campaign officials had said that one of the first steps he would take as president would be to end the ban on U.S. officials accompanying Solana.” [Washington Post, 7/15/08]

The Guardian: McCain has “no problem…whatsoever” with high-level talks with Iran. “John McCain, said he had ‘no problem . . . whatsoever’ with Burns going to the Geneva meeting, but repeated said he would not meet Ahmadinejad. ” [The Guardian (London), 7/18/08]

IRAQ

Barack Obama has consistently called for a responsible redeployment of our troops from Iraq so that we can press the Iraqis to take responsibility for their country, restore our military, and finish the fight in Afghanistan. It is in America’s interests to end the Iraq War responsibly, and it is in the interest of the Iraqi people to have a government that reconciles its differences and takes responsibility for the future of Iraq.

John McCain has consistently labeled any plan to remove U.S. troops from Iraq as “surrender.” However, just this week, the White House agreed on a “general time horizon” for the removal of U.S. troops from Iraq. And speaking to Der Spiegel, Prime Minister Maliki said, “Barack Obama is right when he talks about 16 months.” He went on to say, “Artificially prolonging the tenure of US troops in Iraq would cause problems.”

Senator McCain has said that we must leave Iraq when the sovereign government of Iraq wants us to. Now that the White House has shifted closer to Senator Obama’s position on negotiating the redeployment of our troops from Iraq, and the Prime Minister of the sovereign government of Iraq has endorsed Senator Obama’s 16 month timeline, will Senator McCain shift his position on redeploying troops from Iraq? Why does Senator McCain refuse to press the Iraqis to stand up? Why does Senator McCain want to stay in Iraq longer than we need to and longer than the Iraqis want us to? Does Senator McCain think it would be “surrender” to leave Iraq to the Iraqi government?

Council on Foreign Relations, McCain: “I don’t see how we could stay when our whole emphasis and policy has been based on turning the Iraqi government over to the Iraqi people” QUESTION: Let me give you a hypothetical, senator. What would or should we do if, in the post-June 30th period, a so-called sovereign Iraqi government asks us to leave, even if we are unhappy about the security situation there? I understand it’s a hypothetical, but it’s at least possible. McCAIN: Well, if that scenario evolves, then I think it’s obvious that we would have to leave because— if it was an elected government of Iraq— and we’ve been asked to leave other places in the world. If it were an extremist government, then I think we would have other challenges, but I don’t see how we could stay when our whole emphasis and policy has been based on turning the Iraqi government over to the Iraqi people. http://www.cfr.org/publication/6973/ {April 22, 2004}

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Obama Press Release: Statement From Susan Rice In Response To PM Maliki’s Support For Obama’s Iraq Plan

[Obama Campaign Press Release from July 19, 2008]

Below is a statement from Obama Campaign Senior National Security Advisor, Dr. Susan Rice, in response to Prime Minister Maliki’s support for Senator Obama’s Iraq plan.

“Senator Obama welcomes Prime Minister Maliki’s support for a 16 month timeline for the redeployment of U.S combat brigades. This presents an important opportunity to transition to Iraqi responsibility, while restoring our military and increasing our commitment to finish the fight in Afghanistan.”

Read more

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McCain Press Release: John McCain’s Weekly Radio Address

[McCain Campaign Press Release from July 19, 2008]

John McCain’s Weekly Radio Address

ARLINGTON, VA — U.S. Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign today released the weekly radio address from John McCain. Please find below the text of John McCain’s radio address and the link to access the audio file.

John McCain’s Weekly Radio Address:

Good morning. I’m John McCain, and this week, debate in the presidential campaign turned to the war in Afghanistan. My opponent, Senator Obama, announced his strategy for Afghanistan and Iraq before departing on a fact-finding mission that will include visits to both those countries. Apparently, he’s confident enough that he won’t find any facts that might change his opinion or alter his strategy. Remarkable.

This is similar to the mistake Senator Obama made when he confidently declared that the surge in Iraq could not possibly reduce sectarian violence there, and might well increase violence. He was so certain the surge would fail that he called for our troops to retreat as quickly as possible. Senator Obama’s previous statements against the surge have been hastily removed from his campaign website, in the audacious hope that no one would notice. But we all remember quite well that he said the surge would fail, and today we know that he was wrong.

Read more

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Obama Press Release: Obama Lands In Afghanistan (Pool Report)

[Obama Campaign Press Release from July 19, 2008]

Obama Lands In Afghanistan

Note from Robert Gibbs:

At approximately 3:15 AM Eastern/2:15 AM Central, I received a phone call telling me that Senator Obama had landed at the airport in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Since leaving Washington on Thursday, Senator Obama had stopped and visited troops in Kuwait.

What follows is a pool report by the Chicago Tribune’s John McCormick.

===================================

Background:

This is a pool report for July 17 for flight from Chicago’s Midway Airport to Washington’s Reagan National Airport, followed by motorcade to Andrews Air Force Base. All times are local for the geography mentioned. Please note that the campaign said it would be holding this for distribution until it confirmed Sen. Obama was on the ground in Afghanistan.

Report:

The motorcade left Sen. Obama’s home in Chicago’s Kenwood neighborhood at 11:11 a.m. There was one Chicago Police Department patrol car, followed by two SUVs, a sedan and a press van. Riding in the press van were agent Jill, Sam, John McCormick of the Chicago Tribune and Glen Johnson of The Associated Press.

The motorcade headed north on Lake Shore Drive to I-55 (Stevenson Expressway) and toward MDW. The CPD blocked traffic for our turn onto the western perimeter of the airfield, where we arrived at 11:31 a.m.

Waiting on the tarmac was a Gulfstream III (G3) executive jet (tail number N366JA). We exited our respective vehicles at 11:34 a.m.

The crew was waiting outside for the senator’s arrival and a few photos with him near a wing. He was wearing tan slacks and a short black jacket. After fishing around in the back of one of the SUVs for his luggage (he seemed especially to be checking his suits inside a garment bag), he was on the bird by 11:36 a.m.

Also getting on the plane were eight Secret Service agents and the two reporters. The senator briefly greeted us as we walked past his seat in the forward section. Seated near him was senior spokeswoman Linda Douglass, the only staff member on the flight.

After everyone found a seat on the crowded plane, the pilot announced that the flying time would be between 80 and 85 minutes. All seemed eager for him to start the engines, since the plane had been sitting under a hot sun and the cabin temperature was likely somewhere in the 90s. Sweat had begun to roll down the faces of some of the agents.

“We’re just easing you into it,” Obama told his bodyguards, referring to the heat and the desert weather they would all be traveling to in the coming days.

As the plane taxied, the senator, wearing a short-sleeve black shirt, chatted with Douglass. The plane was wheels up at 11:55 a.m.

Your pool asked Douglass if we could chat with the senator about his upcoming trip. She said she would check, but later told us that we would only get a brief chance to ask him a couple questions once at Reagan National Airport.

Janis, our stewardess, first served the senator his lunch (chicken and rice and broccoli). Everyone else had sandwiches, wraps, chips and candy (yes, just like on the bus), although we were served on china and given green place settings and cloth napkins.

As the plane peaked around 41,000 feet and 500 knots, according to the computer screen tracking our location at the front of the cabin, the senator read a copy of the Wall Street Journal. Johnson had claimed an aisle seat and reported that he first read a story about off-shore oil drilling and then one about Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.

By the time we were descending, at 17,000 feet, he had switched to the New York Times, spending most of his time in the Sports and Arts sections.

We were wheels down at 2:17 p.m. local and parked with the engines off by 2:24 p.m.

After getting off the plane, Douglass said there was time for “one question,” adding, “Then, we’re making him leave. He’s behind [schedule].”

Your pool, with the noise of the jet’s engines in the background, quickly asked what two or three things Obama was hoping to learn on this mission.

“Well, I’m looking forward to seeing what the situation on the ground is,” he said. “I want to, obviously, talk to the commanders and get a sense, both in Afghanistan and in Baghdad of, you know, what the most, ah, their biggest concerns are. And I want to thank our troops for the heroic work that they’ve been doing.”

Then, the senator was asked whether he plans to deliver some tough talk to Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki about doing more to stand up the instruments of self-governance in their own nations.

“Well, you know, I’m more interested in listening than doing a lot of talking,” he said. “And I think it is very important to recognize that I’m going over there as a U.S. senator. We have one president at a time, so it’s the president’s job to deliver those messages.”

By 2:32 p.m., the motorcade was rolling. This one included two local police cars, three SUVs, a Honda Accord, a minivan equipped with lights and sirens and another local patrol car. We were off the DCA property by 2:36 p.m.

Your pool was in the Honda with Douglass. It was driven by Molly Buford, who works in Obama’s senator office and also for the campaign.

The motorcade traveled I-395 to I-295 and then on to the Suitland Parkway, entering a northern entrance of Andrews Air Force Base at 2:57 p.m.

We passed several military helicopters and planes before arriving at 3:01 p.m. near an aircraft that had no markings, with the exception of an American flag on the tail. This was the plane that would transport the congressional delegation to their destination. A ground crew member told us it was a Boeing C-40C.

The senator greeted several military personnel waiting for him near the plane. He was carrying a laptop bag and had changed into some brown leather boots upon arrival in Washington.

The senator was also greeted by Mark Lippert, foreign policy advisor in his senate office. Douglass said he was the only member of Obama’s staff traveling with him on the congressional delegation trip. Douglass later told your pool that Lippert had returned in the late spring from a tour of duty in Iraq as a naval reservist.

By 3:03 p.m., the senator was on the aircraft, having been saluted by a member of the military on his way aboard. At 3:09 p.m., the plane’s door was closed. Four minutes later it was in motion and wheels up at 3:17 p.m., taking off to the south.

Later, Douglass confirmed that Sens. Jack Reed and Chuck Hagel were on the plane before our arrival. Your pool had not seen them at Andrews.

– John McCormick, Chicago Tribune.

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Obama Press Call: Sen. Biden and Susan Rice Discuss Obama’s Plan for Iraq

[Obama Campaign Press Release/Conference Call from July 14, 2008]

TODAY: Obama Campaign to Hold Conference Call With Senator Biden and Susan Rice to Discuss Senator Obama’s Plan for Iraq

Chicago, IL– The Obama campaign will host a conference call today with Senator Joe Biden and Senior Foreign Policy Advisor Susan Rice to discuss Senator Obama’s op-ed in the New York Times today, in which he outlines his strategic plan for success in Iraq that puts the United States security first. His plan calls for a phased redeployment of our combat troops within 16 months, with a residual force to carry out discrete missions. This redeployment will allow the U.S. to properly address the growing threat from a resurgent al Qaeda in Afghanistan, and will allow for sufficient pressure on the Iraqis that is necessary to achieve political reconciliation.

You can find Senator Obama’s op-ed in the New York Times HERE.

Monday, July 14th
12:30 PM ET//11:30 AM CT

[AUDIO]

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Obama Press Release: Obama Campaign Statement On Rev. Jackson Comments

[Obama Campaign Press Release from July 9, 2008]

“As someone who grew up without a father in the home, Senator Obama has spoken and written for many years about the issue of parental responsibility, including the importance of fathers participating in their children’s lives. He also discusses our responsibility as a society to provide jobs, justice, and opportunity for all. He will continue to speak out about our responsibilities to ourselves and each other, and he of course accepts Reverend Jackson’s apology,” said Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton.

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Obama Press Call: To Discuss Prime Minister al-Maliki’s Call for a Timetable for Withdrawal from Iraq

[Obama Campaign Press Release/Conference Call from July 9, 2008]

TODAY: Obama Campaign to Host Conference Call to Discuss Prime Minister al-Maliki’s Call for a Timetable for Withdrawal from Iraq

Chicago, IL—The Obama campaign will host a conference call with former Secretary of the Navy Richard Danzig and Major General Geoffrey Lambert, (USA, Ret.) to discuss Prime Minister al-Maliki’s call for a timetable for U.S. troops to leave Iraq and why the McCain campaign won’t give a direct answer on whether Senator McCain supports maintaining a permanent presence in Iraq or now supports the idea of setting a target date for withdrawal, since he previously stated that he would leave Iraq when the Iraqis asked us to.

Wednesday, July 9th
2:30 PM ET//1:30 PM CT

[AUDIO]

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McCain Press Call: To Discuss Barack Obama’s Statement Regarding Iran

[McCain Campaign Press Release/Conference Call from July 9, 2008]

Media Advisory
McCain Campaign Conference Call

ARLINGTON, VA — Today at 2:05 p.m. EDT, U.S. Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign will hold a press conference call with Senator John Thune (R-SD), Randy Scheunemann, senior foreign policy adviser, and Kori Schake, senior foreign policy adviser, to discuss Barack Obama’s statement regarding Iran.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

PRESS CONFERENCE CALL

WHO: Sen. John Thune, (R-SD)
Randy Scheunemann, senior foreign policy adviser, McCain 2008
Kori Schake, senior foreign policy adviser, McCain 2008

WHAT: Press Conference Call

WHEN: Wednesday, July 9, 2008 at 2:05 p.m. EDT

[AUDIO]

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McCain Press Release: Statement by John McCain on Today’s Missile Tests by Iran

[McCain Campaign Press Release from July 9, 2008]

Statement by John McCain on Today’s Missile Tests by Iran

ARLINGTON, VA — U.S. Senator John McCain issued the following statement on Iran’s missile tests today:

“Iran’s most recent missile tests demonstrate again the dangers it poses to its neighbors and to the wider region, especially Israel. Ballistic missile testing coupled with Iran’s continued refusal to cease its nuclear activities should unite the international community in efforts to counter Iran’s dangerous ambitions. Iran’s missile tests also demonstrate the need for effective missile defense now and in the future, and this includes missile defense in Europe as is planned with the Czech Republic and Poland. Working with our European and regional allies is the best way to meet the threat posed by Iran, not unilateral concessions that undermine multilateral diplomacy.”

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Obama Press Call: Gov. Strickland and Former Gov. Vilsack Discuss Senator McCain’s Failure to Lead on Energy

[Obama Campaign Press Release/Conference Call from July 9, 2008]

TODAY: Gov. Strickland and Former Gov. Vilsack Host Conference Call to Discuss Senator McCain’s Failure to Lead on Energy

Chicago, IL—While Senator McCain touts his plan for renewable energy in Pennsylvania today, the Obama campaign will host a conference call with former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack and Ohio Governor Ted Strickland to discuss how John McCain has been a part of Washington’s failure on energy policy. Time and again, he has stood with the oil companies – not with the families struggling with higher prices—and opposed investing in the alternative sources of energy that have helped fuel some of the very same projects and businesses he’s highlighting in this campaign.

Wednesday, July 9th
11:30 AM ET//10:30 AM CT

[AUDIO]

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Obama Press Release: Statement of Senator Obama on Iranian Missile Test

[Obama Campaign Press Release from July 9, 2008]

Statement of Senator Obama on Iranian Missile Test

“These missile tests demonstrate once again that we need to change our policy to deal aggressively with the threat posed by the Iranian regime. Through its nuclear program, missile capability, meddling in Iraq, support for terrorism, and threats against Israel, Iran now poses the greatest strategic challenge to the United States in the region in a generation. Now is the time to work with our friends and allies, and to pursue direct and aggressive diplomacy with the Iranian regime backed by tougher unilateral and multilateral sanctions. It’s time to offer the Iranians a clear choice between increased costs for continuing their troubling behavior, and concrete incentives that would come if they change course.

“As these tests have reaffirmed, the threat from Iran’s nuclear program is real and it is grave. As President, I will do everything in my power to eliminate that threat, and that must begin with direct, aggressive, and sustained diplomacy.”

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