What a waste of time and resources.

Does any one really think politicians learn anything from going to a few carefully staged photo ops behind a huge security cordon? I don't know if any one's told Obama and McCain- but they have this new device called the "telephone" where you don't have to travel to other side of the world to talk to some one there.

Churchill2004:What a waste of time and resources.

Does any one really think politicians learn anything from going to a few carefully staged photo ops behind a huge security cordon? I don't know if any one's told Obama and McCain- but they have this new device called the "telephone" where you don't have to travel to other side of the world to talk to some one there.

But the pics over the webcam don't show up nearly as nicely on the front page of the New York Times.

Why 390 and not 270?

Churchill2004:What a waste of time and resources.

This is what I think of every time McCain goes on about "Obama has only been to Iraq once!"

So, he's wasted less of my money on photo ops. Got it.

That would be an unbeatable ticket in November.

If it's Obama/Hagel, McCain would have about as much possibility as Nader winning the election.

It would be great to see Obama pick Hagel, and McCain pick Lieberman.

And then to see McCain get crushed like a bug.

Churchill2004:What a waste of time and resources.

Does any one really think politicians learn anything from going to a few carefully staged photo ops behind a huge security cordon? I don't know if any one's told Obama and McCain- but they have this new device called the "telephone" where you don't have to travel to other side of the world to talk to some one there.

It's worse than that.

Do you learn anything about a country when you visit it and go to a few tourist attractions in a safe area of that country? Of course not, but you feel like you do. It's a good way to re-enact an "I'm not a ________, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn last night" commercial on a global scale.

Hagel=PANCAKES

Word.

Obama/Hagel would be a real dream ticket.

if the lefties got their knickers in a twist over obama's fisa flip-flop, imagine what they'd do if he names hagel as his veep candidate.

FlashHarry:if the lefties got their knickers in a twist over obama's fisa flip-flop, imagine what they'd do if he names hagel as his veep candidate.

Remember when he said he'd surround himself with people who had differing views and opinions?

Sounds like pretty basic successful leadership technique.

Obama/Hagel = never happen. Hagel is, for a Republican, sane on foreign policy but monumentally conservative on everything else. Hagel as SecDef maybe, but that'd be a retarded choice for Obama to make because it'd perpetuate the lie that Democrats don't know foreign policy or national defense.

TofuTheAlmighty:Obama/Hagel = never happen. Hagel is, for a Republican, sane on foreign policy but monumentally conservative on everything else. Hagel as SecDef maybe, but that'd be a retarded choice for Obama to make because it'd perpetuate the lie that Democrats don't know foreign policy or national defense.

I don't think anyone bothers actually listening to Obama -- I don't know how many times in print I've read that he wants to "get past the old debates"

He could very well alienate a whole segment of Democrats to pick up good Republicans. I'd be happy with it.

But nobody really knows how to talk about politics without conjuring the definitions of left and right from the last 30 years.

Hagel is making the same statements about 'realignment' etc.

Call them Webb Democrats if you will.

TofuTheAlmighty:Obama/Hagel = never happen.

Agreed. As it is, plenty of Republicans are not very fond of Hagel (his opponents for his Senate seat must be really weak or something), and leaving the Republican party to side with Obama will do nothing to endear him to those Republicans. Regardless of VP pick, history will be repeated; the VP candidate will have little to no impact on the election.

I fully expect another close race this year, with neither candidate winning by more than 4% (I expect it'll fall between 0-2%), and the electoral race again coming down to a few key states. And don't try to push the "OMG!!!!11! McCain=CH1MPY!!111!" BS, thinking like in 2000 and 2004 that the Democrats would win easily. History should prove now that you cannot get your hopes up, and that these races prove that the country still falls in a fairly even split.

06Wahoo:I fully expect another close race this year, with neither candidate winning by more than 4% (I expect it'll fall between 0-2%), and the electoral race again coming down to a few key states. And don't try to push the "OMG!!!!11! McCain=CH1MPY!!111!" BS, thinking like in 2000 and 2004 that the Democrats would win easily. History should prove now that you cannot get your hopes up, and that these races prove that the country still falls in a fairly even split.


IN 2000 and 2004, gas wasn't 4$ and rising. And McCain is going senile. I will be very surprised if it isnt a slaughter.

Obama/Hagel would allow moderate Republicans, the people horrified by what's happened to their party in the last decade, to vote Democratic with a clean conscience. Obama would win in a 60/40 rout with Hagel.

But if "he's too conservative" for the Democrats' liberal base, and Obama ends up picking a loser like Chris Dodd, then this election will be much closer than it ought to be.

My friends, Obama will have a lovely stroll through a bazaar, and when he returns we can compare rugs and discuss what a lovely thing our policy has wrought in Iraq.

06Wahoo:Agreed. As it is, plenty of Republicans are not very fond of Hagel (his opponents for his Senate seat must be really weak or something), and leaving the Republican party to side with Obama will do nothing to endear him to those Republicans.

Hagel is retiring from the Senate this year at 62. He's damned wealthy. I don't think he really cares what the Republican loyalists think of him.

TofuTheAlmighty:Obama/Hagel = never happen. Hagel is, for a Republican, sane on foreign policy but monumentally conservative on everything else. Hagel as SecDef maybe, but that'd be a retarded choice for Obama to make because it'd perpetuate the lie that Democrats don't know foreign policy or national defense.

He's going to have him head a cabinet level position on non-proliferation.

\You heard it here second.

Jon Snow:a cabinet level position on non-proliferation.

That would quite possibly be the stupidest cabinet-level position ever. And we're talking about a cabinet that includes a "Secretary of Housing and Urban Development" and "Secretary of Health and Human Services". Not to mention "Secretary of Homeland Security".

FlashHarry:if the lefties got their knickers in a twist over obama's fisa flip-flop, imagine what they'd do if he names hagel as his veep candidate.

I would be thrilled to see it happen.

But thank you for telling me what I think.

Churchill2004:What a waste of time and resources.

Does any one really think politicians learn anything from going to a few carefully staged photo ops behind a huge security cordon? I don't know if any one's told Obama and McCain- but they have this new device called the "telephone" where you don't have to travel to other side of the world to talk to some one there.

Of course they don't learn anything, McCain and many Republicans are DEMANDING that Obama visit Iraq...

FTFA: Republicans have sought to make an issue of Obama's scarcity of visits to Iraq a campaign issue-the Illinois senator has not visited Iraq since Jan. 2006. The Republican National Committee's Web site features a clock counting down the days-915 current-since his last visit. Sen. McCain, in contrast, has made eight trips since the war began in 2003.

06Wahoo:TofuTheAlmighty:Obama/Hagel = never happen.

Agreed. As it is, plenty of Republicans are not very fond of Hagel (his opponents for his Senate seat must be really weak or something), and leaving the Republican party to side with Obama will do nothing to endear him to those Republicans. Regardless of VP pick, history will be repeated; the VP candidate will have little to no impact on the election.

I fully expect another close race this year, with neither candidate winning by more than 4% (I expect it'll fall between 0-2%), and the electoral race again coming down to a few key states. And don't try to push the "OMG!!!!11! McCain=CH1MPY!!111!" BS, thinking like in 2000 and 2004 that the Democrats would win easily. History should prove now that you cannot get your hopes up, and that these races prove that the country still falls in a fairly even split.

Or it could realign my party (Republican) away from the creepy "Jaysus is comin! No Abortions and Bible Class in SCHOOL" crowd of theocratic busybodies into a party more deserving to be in government.

Just a thought.