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McCain Campaign Makes 9/10 the New 9/11!
By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 18, 2008
Modified Jun 18, 2008
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jun 18, 2008
Modified Jun 18, 2008
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Actually, accusing Democrats of having September 10, 2001 attitudes about the war on terror dates back to the 2004 election, but Republican presidential contender John McCain's campaign's claim that Democratic rival Barack Obama has a "September 10 mindset" appears to be the first use of 9/10 in this election year.
On Monday, Obama had made remarks ABC News' Jake Tapper, regarding the Supreme Court's 5-4 decision to allow Guantanamo Bay detainees the right to challenge their detention. While the Bush administration stance is that their controversial programs and policies have prevented any terrorist attacks in the country since September 11, 2001, Obama said, "It is my firm belief that we can track terrorists, we can crack down on threats against the United States, but we can do so within the constraints of our Constitution."
Then he also referred to the terrorists arrested for the WTC attacks, "They are currently in U.S. prisons, incapacitated. And the fact that the administration has not tried to do that has created a situation where not only have we never actually put many of these folks on trial, but we have destroyed our credibility when it comes to rule of law all around the world, and given a huge boost to terrorist recruitment in countries that say, 'Look, this is how the United States treats Muslims.'"
Yesterday, McCain adviser Randy Scheunemann belittled Obama's remarks, saying, "Once again, we have seen that Senator Obama is a perfect manifestation of a September 10th mindset... [These terrorists] are very dangerous people. These aren't just your run-of-the-mill drug dealers that are picked up on the South Side of Chicago."
The McCain campaign also brought out Mr. 9/11 himself, Rudy Giuliani, for a quote:
"Throughout this campaign, I have been very concerned that the Democrats want to take a step back to the failed policies that treated terrorism solely as a law enforcement matter rather than a clear and present danger. Barack Obama appears to believe that terrorists should be treated like criminals -- a belief that underscores his fundamental lack of judgment regarding our national security."
Obama's response was, "Let's think about this: These are the same guys who helped engineer the distraction of the war in Iraq at a time when we could have pinned down the people who actually committed 9/11."
Photograph of the World Trade Center through the arch at Washington Square Park, taken in July 2001, by wallyg on Flickr
Tagged
9/10
9/11
barack obama
guantanamo bay
john mccain
rudy giuliani
september 11
world trade center
wtc attacks
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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