Pentagon plays politics with Obama's planned Germany visit to the troops (Congress, Iraq) - Elections - City-Data Forum

JoeP · 07-25-2008, 09:24 AM

NBC's Andrea Mitchell on Morning Joe this morning:

Quote:

ANDREA MITCHELL: The background on the military flap is that they [Obama campaign] had clearly planned a trip to Ramstein [AFB]. They were planning to visit the injured troops. And then the Pentagon explained that they couldn't go as part of a political trip. The Obama campaign thought that they could go, leave the press corps on the tarmac, and then take off with military escort and make this one last visit. As he did in Iraq, by the way. He visited a casualty unit in the Green Zone, without photographers, as part of the congressional delegation. But the military said that the rules are that he could only go as part of a previously-arranged congressional delegation, to Ramstein.

Clearly, people in the campaign are really angry. They had wanted this to be the final stop on the trip here in Germany, and to do it without the press corps, just to do it on his own. But the objections of the military are that he is now being staffed by campaign aides, not by his Senate staff, who are the people of course with him when he went with Hagel and Jack Reed in Iraq. So, you know, the anger here in the campaign is pretty intense at the Pentagon. They feel that the military are drawing some lines--they're not saying this publicly of course--but drawing lines that they might have drawn for other people. He was planning to just go by himself, not with cameras, not with any entourage, as he had done in Walter Reed in the past in Washington, as he did in Iraq. Joe.
JOE SCARBOROUGH: It's curious, if that's the case, why the campaign didn't make that announcement yesterday, and allowed stories to go like this. I'm sure there's going to be a lot of he said/she said in the days to come about this.

MITCHELL: But they thought that they couldn't win. Yeah. They thought that they were, you know, you know, no-win situation, that the Pentagon, perhaps the military with cooperation from some Republican operatives and, that's the sort of scuttlebutt, that there have been some foreign policy advisers of John McCain with connections in the Pentagon who had something to do with this. But that is, perhaps, just the normal political paranoia of the season

delusianne · 07-25-2008, 09:29 AM

Thanks for posting that!

I too wish he and his campaign would make this and many other puzzles absolutely clear. It's costing him.

trzlucky · 07-25-2008, 09:36 AM

``The senator decided out of respect for these servicemen and women that it would be inappropriate to make a stop to visit troops at a U.S. military facility as part of a trip funded by the campaign,'' spokesman Robert Gibbs (Obama spokeman) said in a statement.

Pentagon spokeswomen Pentagon spokeswoman Elizabeth Hibner said the base was ``prepared to host him, but his campaign canceled the visit.''

Obama ``was told he could visit as an official but he cannot come in an election capacity, not visit with his campaign staff,'' Hibner said in a telephone interview. She said Obama did make phone calls today to wounded soldiers at the base.

Bloomberg.com: Worldwide

jmarquise · 07-25-2008, 09:45 AM

why would he go if he couldn't have a media photo op?

Habsburg · 07-25-2008, 09:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmarquise

why would he go if he couldn't have a media photo op?

There's another thread here saying that they weren't allowed to visit during a campaign trip, or something like that.

sanrene · 07-25-2008, 09:59 AM

Oh, he could go. But he couldn't USE it as a political prop. What would be in it for obama if he couldn't exploit the opportunity for political gain?

delusianne · 07-25-2008, 10:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sanrene

Oh, he could go. But he couldn't USE it as a political prop. What would be in it for obama if he couldn't exploit the opportunity for political gain?

Andrea Mitchell is no fan of Obama. But even she says, "He was planning to just go by himself, not with cameras, not with any entourage, as he had done in Walter Reed in the past in Washington, as he did in Iraq." (thanks for the pre-bolding, JoeP!)

hal512 · 07-25-2008, 10:25 AM

With Department of Defense rules prohibiting political campaigning on military bases, it was determined that in some cases they could visit the installations as a senator but could not engage in any political activity or have news media present.

Obama could have gone had he wanted to; he just couldn't take his personal photo crew. Only military photographers are to take pic's on military bases. The trip had been planned for days and he planned to visit wounded soldiers and then cancels at the last minute...some commander in chief! That is cowardly and disgusting to try to blame in on the pentagon when it was his choice! Obama only cares about Obama! McCain has gone to the US Naval Academy several times to visit his son and has never been accused of wrong doing. McCain gets it and cares more about his family and country then himself, Obama can't say the same!
http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IMAGES/cartoons/toon072508.gif (broken link)

Habsburg · 07-25-2008, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hal512

With Department of Defense rules prohibiting political campaigning on military bases, it was determined that in some cases they could visit the installations as a senator but could not engage in any political activity or have news media present.

Obama could have gone had he wanted to; he just couldn't take his personal photo crew. Only military photographers are to take pic's on military bases. The trip had been planned for days and he planned to visit wounded soldiers and then cancels at the last minute...some commander in chief! That is cowardly and disgusting to try to blame in on the pentagon when it was his choice! Obama only cares about Obama! McCain has gone to the US Naval Academy several times to visit his son and has never been accused of wrong doing. McCain gets it and cares more about his family and country then himself, Obama can't say the same!

Re-read the OP:

The Obama campaign thought that they could go, leave the press corps on the tarmac, and then take off with military escort and make this one last visit. As he did in Iraq, by the way. He visited a casualty unit in the Green Zone, without photographers, as part of the congressional delegation. But the military said that the rules are that he could only go as part of a previously-arranged congressional delegation, to Ramstein.

delusianne · 07-25-2008, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hal512

With Department of Defense rules prohibiting political campaigning on military bases, it was determined that in some cases they could visit the installations as a senator but could not engage in any political activity or have news media present.

Obama could have gone had he wanted to; he just couldn't take his personal photo crew. Only military photographers are to take pic's on military bases. The trip had been planned for days and he planned to visit wounded soldiers and then cancels at the last minute...some commander in chief! That is cowardly and disgusting to try to blame in on the pentagon when it was his choice! Obama only cares about Obama! McCain has gone to the US Naval Academy several times to visit his son and has never been accused of wrong doing. McCain gets it and cares more about his family and country then himself, Obama can't say the same!

He was not planning to go in order to campaign.

From the OP's quote up top: "The Obama campaign thought that they could go, leave the press corps on the tarmac, and then take off with military escort and make this one last visit. As he did in Iraq, by the way. He visited a casualty unit in the Green Zone, without photographers, as part of the congressional delegation. But the military said that the rules are that he could only go as part of a previously-arranged congressional delegation, to Ramstein."