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PORTSMOUTH, N.H. - Sen. John McCain reached out to veterans in New Hampshire on Monday, delivering a scathing critique of President Barack Obama's foreign policy while attempting to portray Republicans as the only party willing to compromise over the contentious issue of defense sequestration cuts.
McCain - the 2008 GOP presidential nominee - visited the Granite State to campaign for Mitt Romney and held town halls at three Veterans of Foreign War posts in the state he got to know well during his previous bids for the White House. A veteran himself, McCain said support from the men and women who served in the military will be vital for Romney to win here.
In each of the town halls, the Arizona Republican gave a harsh rebuttal to the foreign policy decisions made by the current administration. His most passionate argument centered around the recent attack on the U.S. consulate in Libya which took the lives of four Americans, including Libyan Ambassador Chris Stevens. U.S. officials such as Susan Rice, ambassador to the United Nations, characterized the attack as "a spontaneous reaction" to a video mocking the prophet Muhammad.
It's a characterization McCain called "disgraceful."
"This was a well-orchestrated attack. They had indirect fire, direct fire. And somehow there were reports that they knew where our ambassador was. That is not a spontaneous demonstration," McCain told a crowd gathered at the VFW post in Portsmouth. "That is wrong to tell the American people that it was. It's disgraceful to tell the American people that it was a spontaneous demonstration."
McCain was joined for part of the day by New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte. The two have been part of a group of Republicans who have toured the country to warn about the dangers of automatic spending cuts to the defense budget, known as "sequestration." The cuts, which were agreed to by Congress and the White House last year as part of deficit-reduction plan, will take place unless Washington can agree to an alternative way to slash spending.
During a stop in Nashua, McCain called on the president to "invite us to the White House. We'll compromise. We'll prevent a devastating effect on our ability to defend this nation."
Later in the day McCain said Republicans are "willing to put everything on the table for the sake of our national security." But he said the president has been unwilling to negotiate and cited it as an example of Obama's failed leadership.
Much of McCain's energy on Monday was also aimed at defending Romney's foreign policy credentials, which have come under new scrutiny since the GOP nominee criticized the president's handling of attacks on American outposts in the Middle East. The former Massachusetts governor was viewed by some as trying to politicize an event which took U.S. lives. McCain defended Romney's statements, likening his world view to that of former President Ronald Reagan.
"When Ronald Reagan came out of governor of California, he wasn't the most versed in national security issues," McCain told a VFW crowd. "He had been a movie actor and governor of California. But he had the instincts. He spoke up for the oppressed ... Mitt Romney has those same instincts."
But it was not just Romney's foreign policy experience that McCain found himself defending. Throughout the day, he faced questions from conservatives worried about their prospects come November.
One voter asked -- given the country's bleak economic outlook -- why Romney isn’t leading in the polls. Another asked why the former Bain Capital CEO will not be more specific about his plans for the country.
McCain cited the contentious Republican primary where the Romney campaign had to endure an onslaught of negative attacks as part of the reason why the candidate is having such difficulty winning over voters. "I've never seen in modern times such vicious attacks," McCain said. "Bain Capital, allegations that he was quote, lying; even one person said he had committed a crime. There was a saturation. And so, it's regrettable."
When a woman said she worries Republicans will not be able to spread their message far enough to garner electoral success, McCain said, "I do, too."
The concern on display from voters today came in the wake of a Politico article citing in-fighting in the Romney campaign for recent blunders and missed opportunities at the Republican National Convention. It's a narrative McCain knows well; his unsuccessful 2008 run was plagued by similar stories.
"There's always some disagreements amongst campaigns, but you know, political folks need to write a story every day," McCain told NBC News after his Portsmouth town hall. "But look, these things are always there. We saw about dissension in the Obama campaign between Chicago and Washington. There's always those stories. Most Americans are not too concerned about it."
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As a vet myself I would never in a million years vote for Romney, NEVER. I also have a son currently on active duty and am terrified that to prove his manliness, he will take us to war with Iran or Syria, or somewhere else. What also ticks me off is that of his five healthy strapping sons, not a one has served. Cowards, willing to let others serve so they can benefit. Pathetic really.
Thank you for your service and for the service of your son, I salute both of you. You are quite right, however, I fear that Romney would open at the least, two additional fronts in the "war of terror." Syria, without a doubt, and then Iran because of his so-called ties to Isreal.
OBAMA 2012
Old man yells at cloud. Cloud carries on in indifference.
... and stay off my damb grass!
The sooner EVERYBODY in this country comes to terms with the fact that this 2 party system is corrupt to it's core, and has sold us out, the better off we'll be. John McCain, Barak Obama, and the rest of these clowns could care less about you and I. They're owned and operated by the corporations and the banksters that hold them hostage. Romney has broken the law on more than just one occasion, taking money from overseas donors, and should be charged like the criminal that he is. Obama should be impeached for his unconstitutional war against Libya, his violation of article 1 section 8 of the Constitution. We are beyond bankrupt people, and the privately owned Federal Reserve is destroying the value of our currency. A responsibility never afforded them by our founding fathers! Prosecute the banksters, the Bush Crime Syndicate, and cut all ties with Israel. Then end the Fed, otherwise we are screwed!
Yeppers, then we can all be members of the FORMER United States of America! Salute.
Romney moved to NH in the first place in order to go to church with the Marriotts so he could hit them up for a $20M loan to start Bain... that's what kind of opportunist Romney is.
Also, McCain saw Romney's tax returns and chose Sarah Palin
Obama's amateur, fumbling attempts at diplomacy have been an embarrassment to himself and to the US.
First, he publicly and loudly affirmed his support for a Palestinian state. This had the predictable effect of encouraging the Palestinians to seek their own separate state. Then, he had to order his Ambassador to the UN, Susan Rice, to veto any UN resolution that might actually create a Palestinian state, in order to salvage the Jewish vote.
Most presidents (not all) have had sense enough to be consistent in the messages they send to the international community. Reversals, like Obama's, only create an atmosphere of uncertainty and distrust. One can easily imagine how Obama's blundering could have started a violent increase in Middle East hostilities.
I know it's a stretch for you Neocons to grasp, but have you EVER considered that what's happening in the Middle East just MIGHT be the result of us being in two wars over there and killing hundreds of thousands of their people? I'm just spitballing here, but it seems to me, if some nation was out killing hundreds of thousands of Christians, people in America just MIGHT be a little peeved, well at least the so called Christians would be. Further, how many years have we meddled in the Middle East in support of our good friends in Isreal. Don't get me wrong they are a good ally, but do you think that MAYBE the people in the Middle East might like us a bit more or hate us a bit less if we didn't try and tell them how to live their lives? Just a thought.
It shouldn't be the job of voters to come up with desperate excuses for their favorite politicians. Blind loyalty to a sports team is cute. Blind loyalty to a brand of automobile is unwise. Blind loyalty to a political party is dangerous.
kannin,
You must have missed the last 4 years. Mr. Obama has always been for a 2 state settlement.
Someone PLEASE explain to me how Anyone can talk up someone's "creds" when that someone has no such creds? I used to like McCain, until he went senile in the last election. The man used to have something that resembled dignity, I wonder where that has gone?
McCain will be remembered for many things. The one that sticks out most in my mind was when he was running against Obama and he spoke out saying something to the effect that there was nothing wrong with the US economy. It was within the next 48 hours that all heck broke loose, Wall Street was going downhill, the banking industry was set to collapse, yada yada. President Bush had to create TARP and gave billions in loans to GM ........
John McCain is showing a very disturbing tendency to lie. It seems now to be a Repug strategy.
If he wants to talk Sequestration talk to his boy Ryan who helped bring it about by not backing up his speaker.
Yes Johnie the attack was bad but you have no idea how it went down. Maybe you should look back to 9/11 to see a government failure of the highest order. All the info was there but you baboons on the right of course could not read the tea leaves. You were to worried about not sure - Maybe the goat book?
John I used to respect you but you are lower then a snake or just senile.
McCain should be stirring up Veterans in Chicago, Cailfornia, and at other Democratic party strangleholds. New Hampshire is Romney's to lose.
I bet Romney could see Great Britain from one of his mansions on the East Coast. That's the extent of his foreign policy experience.
Brilliant strategy! Always makes sense to trot out the guy who got pummeled by the sitting President in the last election!
bomb, bomb, bomb - bomb bomb McCain...
STFU you old fool!
Wasn't it just 10 days ago that Mitt's spokesperson, when asked for specifics on Mitt's foreign policy, called it a "distraction" and a "shiny object"?
The GOP is about to have its worst defeat in decades...
For once Rush is right... The GOP should draw the curtains and change its game. Otherwise, it is the party of the past (of course we already know that has been true for a very long time).
There is no defense for what is jokingly called the republican party now-a-days,,,,,NONE!!!!!!
The republican party is DEAD!!!! They have committed SUICIDE!!!!!!
Anyone who doesn't get this,,,,well, very slow on the up-take is one way to describe you. Brain-washed is another.
Romney with "foreign policy cred"? Did he buy some? He is the epitome of an "empty suit" who has yet to give a clear reason why he wans to be President.
He couldn't be more right, Screw this Politically correct BS and tell it like it is. He just got my Vote !
Romney is FINISHED.... and so is the Republican Party.
After Obama is reelected in a landslide, the "GOP" will fragment into three factions: the neo-nazi racist faction, the know-nothing anti-evolution faction, and the I've-got-mine plutocrat faction.
How far do you think three political parties formed from any if these factions will get in the world of tomorrow?
I'll give you three guesses... NOWHERE.
To accept what John McCain says you would have to believe that McCain has foreign policy cred, which he doesn't.
Obama's Classmate tells The truth!
The Perfect Marxist scheme using the Cloward and Piven Plan
www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/overwhelm.asp
He has all kinds of foreign policy experience , he hid in France to avoid the war. lololololol
I hear of them wanting to look at his tax records. If you think for one min. that the IRS would not be all over him you are nuts. They would be on him like a wet diaper look at what they done to Willy Nelson.
Stop embarrassing yourself, John. Haven't you had enough humiliation yet?
If Mccain had been president these past 4 years does anyone really believe we wouldn't be neck deep in Egypt, Libya and Syria? By knee deep I mean our kids dying and the republicans demanding patriotic tax cuts at the same time
McCain choose Sarah Palin not Mitt. McCain is a War Monger.