Barack Obama stooped to a new low in his campaign of division and distraction on Saturday when he scraped the bottom of the barrel in his inference that John McCain may be partially to blame for levee collapses throughout the region. In a prepared statement Obama stated, “I know that Sen. McCain felt as strongly as I did, feeling enormous sympathy for the victims of the recent flooding. I’m sure they appreciated the sentiment, but they probably would have appreciated it even more if Sen. McCain hadn’t opposed legislation to fund levees and flood control programs, which he considers pork.”
Obama’s attack on McCain, even as flood waters continue rise in Illinois and Missouri, is a new low for Obama, as his attack on John McCain also through top Democrat Russ Feingold (led the opposition to the bill) under the bus. The McCain campaign justifiably returned fired by calling out Obama’s distortion and failure to disclose the facts concerning the bill.
Just The Facts:
#1) In his speech Obama conveniently failed to mention the bill actually passed, despite opposition by a small Bi-Partisan group pointing out the fact that the bill failed to address needed reforms in the waterways protection system.
#2) John McCain never voted against the bill, in fact on the final senate vote and the veto override vote neither John McCain nor Barack Obama cast a vote.
#3) A Small group of Senators led by Russ Feingold opposed the bill because if failed to reform the process by which projects were prioritized and monitored, failed to reform the Army Corp of Engineers, and failed to establish a waterways commission; all of which were called for in the years prior too and after Katrina, as necessary reforms by the GAO, other oversight agencies and independent studies.
The bill which provided funding for water projects in all 50 states was opposed on principle by a small bi-partisan group on the basis that the bill essentially threw money to water projects without calling for accountability and reform within the agencies responsible for the nations waterways. The small group led by Russ Feingold, including McCain, did not oppose the funding of these projects and sent an amendment to the floor that would create a bi-partisan waterways commission to provide oversight, prioritization of projects, and implement reforms within the Army corp of Engineers and other watershed agencies.
Feingold stated in a speech on the Senate Floor, “After a decade of government and independent reports calling for reforming the corps and pointing out stunning flaws in corps projects and project studies, and after the tragic failures of New Orleans levees during Hurricane Katrina, the American people deserve meaningful reform. How many more flawed projects or wasted dollars will it take before we say enough is enough?”
The amendment, which Senator Obama voted against, unfortunately failed.
Senator Obama’s attack upon McCain on Saturday is unfortunate and misleading. His inappropriate politicizing of the disaster in the Midwest is paramount to scraping the bottom of the political barrel. If anyone should be criticized for their voting record, support or opposition on this bill, it should be Obama. After all, the Senator opposed an amendment that would have created necessary reforms that private and government studies have called for, for years. The water-shed bill and Obama’s opposition to genuine government reform and politicizing of the unfortunate flooding in the Midwest, is just another example of his “old school bossism” style of Chicago politics aimed at manipulating the facts and blaming the opposition for every problem that exists within our nation.
Please Visit Politically Drunk On Power for more articles by Jarid Brown
Originally Posted at PDOP on June 22, 2008 – Reprinted With Author Permission
Hussein O has a life long habit of avoiding making decisions by voting ‘here’, or not showing up for the vote. I saw a list of 55 major lies told by Hussein O in the past few months, now he’s above the speed limit. Why would Hussein O care about the people affected by the floods. His party’s Katrina relief organization was planning to use ‘tax exempt’ funds collected for N.O. to fund a drunken bash in Denver. Funny how they ran backwards into their holes like a scared crawdad when the word got out.
Hussein O has proven to be the biggest liar to ever enter national politics.
What is the height of irony is that dams are fitted with flood gates for a reason… to relieve overflow in times of extreme water flow. Mother Nature, in her wisdom, did what man didn’t think to do. Break the levees and distribute the water outside the river channel. This, in turn, saved much damage down stream.
Had anyone with a brain thought in advance, they would have picked the specific areas that would do the least amount of damage and “opened the flood gates”, or deliberately severed the levees in order to relieve the water load. However those that were chosen to be flooded would have been livid to be the sacrificial lambs. By having Mother Nature choose the exit points, government and man escapes blame.
It was bound to be a mess no matter what. Sheeeeeet happens when Momma Nature cuts loose. But only His Messiahship is pompous enough to believe “government” can usurp Mother Nature by legislation. And his mesmerized followers are just gullible enough to believe him.
Comrade Obama lies, Communists lie. What’s the difference — Nothing, they both need lies to win as the truth is their mortal enemy.
Anybody know what bill Comrade Obama actually supported while in his junior post in the Senate? Comrade is so trusted, he doesn’t even have a single committee chair.
He is one of the newest senators. I’m sure the democrats felt he was not experienced enough to chair a committee. Which makes it ironic that they think he is experienced enough to chair the country.
I’m not sure you’re correct about the committee chair….I thought that I heard that he _is_ the chair of some committee, but that it hasn’t had a meeting in the two years he’s chaired it…because he was too busy to call a meeting.
I’ll see if I can find it…
Found this… no direct links yet
“as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations’ Subcommittee on Europe, Obama has held zero hearings”
http://www.factcheck.org/askfactcheck/does_obama_chair_a_senate_subcommittee_that.html
Suek is correct. Obama chairs Subcommittee on European Affairs, a sub of Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Sits on several other committes, but not as chair.
Govtrack keeps getting site errors today, or I’d dig for the meetings over the past few years. But I also read that they haven’t convened since His Messiahship was in charge. But then, he’s been too busy campaigning to do his job.
Yet another example of “the new kind of politics.”