Subject: [big campaign] Tracking Update: McCain Speech in Phoenix, AZ 08/26/08
From: "Andres Moreno" <[email-masked]>
To: "[email-masked]" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:16:41 -0400
List-Id: <bigcampaign.googlegroups.com>

Hello All,
Just got off the phone with our tracker, Ryan, on the ground in Phoenix, AZ.
Below are the notes from our call.

Big Highlights

   - Attacks on Obama and promises to vets largely a repetition, verbatim,
   of speech to DAV, VFW
      - Hits Obama on US' failure to "lead by example" comment, says he
      should state it outright -- "because that is a debate I welcome."
   - Directly addresses Obama charge he'll privatize VA; adamant that this
   is an expansion
   - Directly addresses Obama criticsm GI bill, says it would've been
   politically easier to sign GI bill but "I sought a better bill"
      - Hits Obama on his Berlin speech for saying a "world that stands as
   one" ended the Cold War, and slips in POW reference in saying it was America
   that lead the democracies of the world to end the cold War
   - Repeats promise of no more Walter Reed's.
   - Says he will "save billions" by vetoing every earmark, which can be
   used for vets care
   - Repeats blames on Congress for exacerbating problems in vet health care
   and energy problems

Phoenix, AZ: McCain Speech at American Legion National Convention 08/26/08
(Disclaimer: The following are notes, not direct quotes. If you'd like a
quotable transcript or video of any part below, please email us.)
Background Details

   - Stage Craft was all American Legion, no campaign signs
   - 3,000 people - "this place is huge and packed"
   - All veterans of the American Legion, representing all the states
   - Audience members wore their legion hats with spouses
   - two seating areas on either side of podium with 3 rows of veterans
   each, about 80 people on the stage
   - Heavy press: 20 or so cameras, mix of natl and heavy local coverage
   - Tracker didn't see any protesters
   - McCain reading from teleprompter

*Prepared Remarks:
*
90th Annual American Legion National Convention in Phoenix, Arizona

Thank you all very much. National Commander Marty Conatser, thank you for
the kind introduction. National Adjutant Bob Spanogle, Auxiliary President
Jan Pulvermacher-Ryan, Auxiliary Secretary Pam Gilley: thank you all. If I
may speak for the gang at Tempe Post 2, we are honored to be in the company
of our fellow members of the American Legion. Apparently it falls to me as
well to offer an official welcome the Great State of Arizona. Our governor
is out of town, up in Denver for some big party they're throwing there. I
guess my invitation got lost in the mail.

All of us take pride in being members of this great organization. After its
founding in 1919, the Legion served many of the more than four million
American veterans of the First World War. Today just one of those veterans
survives, a man of 107 named Frank Buckles. Frank lives in West Virginia,
and last week in Orlando the folks at the VFW convention gave him a standing
ovation. I have a feeling that you, too, will want to join in a round of
applause for the last doughboy.

In all the years since, the men and women of the Legion have stayed faithful
to their mission of service to one another and to country. In Europe, Asia,
the Middle East, and elsewhere, America's veterans have faced different
enemies, but they have always found the same friend and ally in the Legion,
the VFW, and other veterans' service organizations. All of us returned from
war with a few experiences we'd gladly forget, but the friendships and
camaraderie we brought home are forever. For keeping us all together, and
helping those most in need, we're all in the debt of the American Legion.

The men and women of the Legion believe in their country's cause in the
world, and you have served and sacrificed for it. You know that when our
leaders speak of this nation's history and purposes in the affairs of the
world, they should do so with confidence, gratitude, and above all with
moral clarity.

There are those who say that our day as the free world's leader has passed,
that our moment is waning. They point to the anti-Americanism that is
sometimes heard in Europe and elsewhere, and take this as a sign that
America no longer has the strength or the moral credibility to lead. The
criticisms tend to pass or quiet down when global threats and dangers
appear. In times of trouble, free nations of the world still look to

America for leadership, because they know the strength of America remains
the greatest force for good on this earth.

My opponent had the chance to express such confidence in America, when he
delivered a much anticipated address in Berlin. He was the picture of
confidence, in some ways. But confidence in oneself and confidence in one's
country are not the same. And in that speech, Senator Obama left an
important point unclear. He suggested that the end of the Cold War proved
that there was, "no challenge too great for a world that stands as one." Now
I missed a few years of the Cold War, as the guest of one of our
adversaries, but as I recall the world was deeply divided during the Cold
War -- between the side of freedom and the side of tyranny. The Cold War
ended not because the world stood "as one," but because the great
democracies came together, bound together by sustained and decisive American
leadership.

All of this is more than an academic debate. For the sake of our own
security, and the defense of our values in the affairs of the world,
American leadership is critical. While we have our share of critics around
the world, when people in the oppressed nations of the world need support,
and solidarity, and hope, they look to America. When they talk about our
country, it is not with distrust or disdain, but with respect and affection.
They do not resent or resist America's democratic influence in the world --
they thank God for it.

Just days after the Russian invasion of Georgia, Senator Obama had this to
say about the crisis: "We've got to send a clear message to Russia and unify
our allies. They can't charge into other countries. Of course it helps if we
are leading by example on that point." End of quote. I guess we are left to
figure out the rest for ourselves. It's unlikely he was alluding to
Afghanistan, the nation we liberated after 9/11, and continue to help
despite Russian complaints about our related deployments in Central Asia.
And he probably didn't have Kosovo in mind either -- although Russia didn't
care much for that military action, either. We and our NATO allies had to
end the Serbian slaughter of civilians in Kosovo without UN approval,
because the Russians blocked the effort in the Security Council.

If I catch Senator Obama's drift, then, our failure to "lead by example" was
the liberation of Iraq. And if he really thinks that, by liberating Iraq
from a dangerous tyrant, America somehow set a bad example that invited
Russia to invade a small, peaceful, and democratic nation, then he should
state it outright -- because that is a debate I welcome.

In the end, confusion about such questions only invites more trouble,
violence, and aggression. To promote stability and peace, America must stand
firmly on the side of freedom and justice. The next president must bring to
office a clear-eyed view of our nation's role in the world, as the defender
of the oppressed and a force for peace.

Through decades of struggle, free nations prevailed over tyranny in large
measure because of the sacrifices of the men and women of the United States
armed forces. And it will fall to the next commander in chief to make good
on the obligation our government accepts every time any man or woman enters
the military, and again when they receive their DD 214. Those we depend on
as troops should know, when they become veterans, that they can depend on
us. Honoring this obligation will require leadership. And I pledge to you
that as president I will lead -- from the front -- to reform our VA system
and make sure that veterans receive the respect and care they have earned.

The Walter Reed scandal was a disgrace unworthy of this nation -- and I
intend to make sure that nothing like it is ever repeated. There are other
problems as well that have not received as much media attention. And my
administration will do the hard and necessary work of fixing them, even when
the press and the public are not watching.

Reform begins with appointing a secretary of veterans affairs who is a
leader of the highest caliber, and who listens to veterans and veterans'
service organizations. My VA secretary must be a forceful advocate for
veterans and forthright advisor to me, so we can make the right choices
about budgeting, health care, and other veterans' benefit issues. He or she
will also need to be a high-energy leader, too, because we'll have a lot of
work to do in improving service to veterans.

Veterans must be treated fairly and expeditiously as they seek compensation
for disability or illness. We owe them compassion and hands-on care in their
transition to civilian life. We owe them training, rehabilitation, and
education. We owe their families, parents and caregivers our concern and
support. Veterans should never be deprived of quality medical care and
mental health care coverage for illness or injury incurred as a result of
their service to our country.

As president, I will do all that is in my power to ensure that those who
serve today, and those who have served in the past, have access to the
highest quality health, mental health and rehabilitative care in the world.
And I will not accept a situation in which veterans are denied access to
care on account of travel distances, backlogs of appointments, and years of
pending disability evaluation and claims. We should no longer tolerate
requiring veterans to make an appointment to stand in one line for a ticket
to stand in another.

I'm not here to tell you that there is a cost that is too high to be paid in
the care of our nation's veterans. I will make sure that Congress funds the
VA health care budget in a sufficient, timely, and predictable manner. But I
will say that every increase in funding must be matched by increases in
accountability, both at the VA and in Congress. And this requires an end to
certain practices and abuses that serve neither our veterans, our country,
nor the reputation of Congress itself.

Exactly because funding VA programs command bipartisan support, some in the
Congress like to attach unrelated appropriations and earmarks to VA bills.
The result is to mix vital national priorities with wasteful and often
worthless political pork. Earmarks show up in bills of every kind, and not
just VA bills. That's how we end up budgeting hundreds of millions of
dollars for bridges to nowhere, and for other wasteful projects that do not
serve the public interest. The principle here is simple: Public money should
serve the public good. If it's me sitting in the Oval Office, at the
Resolute desk, those wasteful spending bills are going the way of all
earmarks: straight back to the Congress with a veto.

When we make it clear to Congress that no earmark bill will be signed into
law, that will save many billions of dollars that can be applied to
essential priorities, and above all to the care of our veterans. But reform
doesn't end there. We must also modernize our disability system to make sure
that eligible service members receive benefits quickly, based on clear,
predictable, and fair standards. And we must address the problems of
capacity and access within our VA health care system. While this will
involve a wide range of initiatives, I believe there is a simple and direct
reform we should make right away.

My administration will create a Veterans' Care Access Card to be used by
veterans with illness or injury incurred during their military service, and
by those with lower incomes. This card will provide those without timely
access to VA facilities the option of using high-quality health-care
providers near their homes. For many veterans, the closest VA facility isn't
close enough. And many of their local providers are already familiar with
the most common needs of veterans. Often, all that prevents them from
receiving local care is a system for sharing medical records among VA, DOD,
and civilian hospitals and doctors. My reform will improve care, reduce
risks, and broaden access all at the same time.

This card is not intended to either replace the VA or privatize veterans'
health care, as some have wrongly charged. I believe the VA should always be
there to provide top-quality care for our veterans. And I believe that the
VA should continue to provide broad-spectrum health care to eligible
veterans, in addition to specialized care in areas such as spinal injuries,
prosthetics, and blindness -- services in which the VA sets the standard in
medical care.

Even so, there are veterans eligible for care who are not currently able to
receive it, on account of distance, wait times, or the absence of certain
specialties. And for this group, the new card I propose will offer better
alternatives, to provide the benefits they have earned.

Reform must also recognize that greater care is needed for certain types of
injuries. In the Senate, I co-authored the Wounded Warrior Act, which was
the first major legislative initiative to address post-traumatic stress
disorder and traumatic brain injury. As president, I will build on this
legislation to improve screening and treatment for these severe injuries
suffered by many in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The VA must also broaden its care for the women who are entering the armed
forces in greater numbers than ever, and who are suffering from the same war
wounds -- visible and invisible -- suffered by other veterans. The American
Legion was founded just one year before the women of America received the
right to vote, in a constitutional amendment that became law 88 years ago
today. Among the many wrongs that have been righted in that time, women are
now welcomed and respected as equals in the ranks of the armed forces of the
United States. Yet the growing ranks of women veterans have left the VA
lagging behind in the services it provides. As rapidly as possible, we must
improve the VA system so that it can fully assess and treat conditions that
predominantly or exclusively affect women. And here the Veterans Care Access
Card will prove especially valuable, affording women medical options while
the VA improves capaci ty and expands services.

These are among the elements of my reform agenda for the VA system. And
today, as other occasions, I have stated in the plainest, most
straightforward terms that the Veterans Health Care Access Card will expand
existing benefits. I don't expect this will deter the Obama campaign from
misrepresenting my proposals, but lest there be any doubt you have my
pledge: My reforms would not force anyone to go to a non-VA facility, and do
not signal privatization of the VA. Use of the Card would be optional. Only
high quality health care providers would be used. Participating veterans
would incur no additional charges. And my reforms will not replace any
scheduled expansion of the VA network -- including those facilities designed
to serve veterans living in rural and remote areas. This is, very simply, an
effort to expand care to a group of eligible veterans who are not now
receiving care.

I suppose from my opponent's vantage point, veterans concerns are just one
more issue to be spun or worked to advantage. This would explain why he has
also taken liberties with my position on the GI Bill. In its initial
version, that bill failed to address the number one education request that
I've heard from career service members and their families -- the freedom to
transfer their benefits to a spouse or a child. The bill also did nothing to
retain the young officer and enlisted leaders who form the backbone of our
all-volunteer force.

As a political proposition, it would have much easier for me to have just
signed on to what I considered flawed legislation. But the people of
Arizona, and of all America, expect more from their representatives than
that, and instead I sought a better bill. I'm proud to say that the result
is a law that better serves our military, better serves military families,
and better serves the interests of our country.

No one who has worn the uniform of his or her country can ever take these
matters lightly. We all learned an ethic in the service of looking after one
another, of leaving no one behind, and this commitment did not end when we
left the service. As a matter of duty and of honor, whatever our commitments
to veterans cost, if I am president those commitments will be kept.

The next president will have many responsibilities to the American people,
and I take them all seriously. But if I am elected, I will have one
responsibility that outweighs all the others. And that is to use whatever
talents I possess, and every resource God has granted me to protect the
security of this great and good nation from all enemies foreign and
domestic.

It is every veteran's hope that should their children be called upon to
answer a call to arms, the battle will be necessary and the field well
chosen. But that is not their responsibility. It belongs to the government
that called them. As it once was for us, their honor will be in their answer
not their summons. Whatever we think about how and why we went to war in
Iraq, we are all humbled by and grateful for their example. They now deserve
the distinction of the best Americans, and we owe them a debt we can never
fully repay. We can only offer the small tribute of our humility and our
commitment to do all that we can do, in less trying and costly
circumstances, to help keep this nation worthy of their sacrifice.

Many of them have served multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many had
their tours extended. Many returned to combat sooner than they had been led
to expect. It was a sad and hard thing to ask so much more of Americans who
have already given more than their fair share to the defense of our country.
Few of them and their families will have received the news about additional
and longer deployments without aiming a few appropriate complaints in the
general direction of people like me, who helped make the decision to send
them there. And then they shouldered a rifle or climbed in a cockpit and
risked everything -- everything -- to accomplish their mission, to protect
another people's freedom and our own country from harm.

It is a privilege beyond measure to live in a country served by them. I have
had the good fortune to know personally a great many brave and selfless
patriots who sacrificed and shed blood to defend America. But I have known
none braver or better than those who do so today. They are our inspiration,
as I suspect all of you were once theirs. And I pray to a loving God that He
bless and protect them. Thank you.

-- 
Andres Moreno
Tracking/Media Monitoring Director
ProgressiveAccountability.org (PAO)
202-609-7688 (office)
703-501-6566 (cell)
[email-masked]

--~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~
You received this message because you are subscribed to the "big campaign" group.

To post to this group, send to [email-masked]

To unsubscribe, send email to [email-masked]

E-mail [email-masked] with questions or concerns
 
This is a list of individuals. It is not affiliated with any group or organization.
-~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---