McCain tries to clarify and defend MidEast Oil Comments

[w8liftinglady]

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/05/02/975609.aspx
While traveling on his campaign plane from Denver to Phoenix for a weekend off, John McCain tried to clarify a somewhat controversial statement he had made at a town hall this afternoon about the relationship between America’s dependence on foreign oil and its military involvement in the Middle East.

First, the statement in question: “My friends I will have an energy policy that we will be talking about, which will eliminate our dependence on oil from the Middle East that will – that will then prevent us – that will prevent us from having ever to send our young men and women into conflict again in the Middle East.”

With no senior advisors traveling with the senator today, the campaign’s traveling press secretary Brooke Buchanan came to the back of the plane before landing to defend her boss’ remarks. The initial defense asserted that he was not referring to the current war in Iraq, but America's involvement in the first Gulf War, which was at least partially due to the country’s reliance on foreign oil.

After the plane had landed, McCain himself tried to clarify his remarks, at first agreeing with his press secretary: “I was talking about that we had fought the first Gulf War for several reasons. One of them was Saddam Hussein’s invasion and that’s just not something that’s acceptable…but also we didn’t want them to have control over the oil, and that part of the world is critical to us because of our dependency on foreign oil. And it’s more important than in any other part of the world.”

McCain then summarized his point by basically restating his remarks from earlier in the day: “We will have independency of foreign oil and we will not have to have that as a factor in any conflict that we have to engage in. …I want us to remove our dependency on foreign oil for national security reasons. That’s what I was saying. And that’s all I mean.”

But then when specifically asked by an Associated Press reporter if, when he made the statement, he was “thinking about the first Gulf War,” he said no.

“No, I was thinking about- it’s not hard to- we will not,” McCain stumbled. “By eliminating our dependency on foreign oil, we will not have to have our national security threatened by a cut off of that oil. Because we will be dependent, because we won’t be dependent, we will no longer be dependent on foreign oil. That’s what my remarks were.”

[LakeSamish706]

1. That outta be good, lets hope he steps on his tong somemore... lol n/t

[DAGDA56]

2. It's stuff like this that really makes me look forward....

...to the GE debates...no matter who the Dem is. My only concern is that neither will really go after McCain as they ought to.

[VP505]

4. Totally agree,

and to go a little further, whoever the Dem is needs to push him hard into stuttering, stammering and angry enough to explode. Let the electorate see him in if full blown anger.

[Qutzupalotl]

3. The truth will out

at the most inopportune moments.