Who's paying for this BHO campaign trip?

[achiro]

and yes I called it a campaign trip on purpose.

[Hamhock]

mortgage company lobbyists

[soonerscuba]

The tax payers, it's a bi-partisan fact finding trip, that is pretty needless. If you have a problem with BHO doing it but not others, that is a boulder your about to launch through a glass house.

[tommieharris91]

Who's paying for this BHO campaign trip?

The tax payers

That's all you need to know folks.

I'd say the same if JSM was making this trip, too.

[JohnnyMack]

How many of these trips are taken by members of Congress annually?

[soonerscuba]

How many of these trips are taken by members of Congress annually?
Well, I know for a FACT that McCain is a man of too much character and dignity to make multiple tax funded fact finding missions to various points on the globe and not look like an *** while Lieberman sweeps up.

Like I said, of all the issues to attack a political opponent with, this probably ranks dead last, maybe behind campaign finance.

[walkoffsooner]

it all comes from my income tax. They waste every penny I pay in. Well thats the the way i look at it.

[swardboy]

At least Barry had the good sense not to visit the injured soldiers at Ramstein...no sense in wasting good money showing appreciation for their sacrifice.

[achiro]

The thing is, there is a huge difference between a few senators heading off to Irag to check things out, talk to the soldiers etc and what this was about. "Fact finding" my ***. Germany? Paris?
This has nothing to do with dim and repub crap. It's a misuse of funds to help someone in a campaign.

[Sooner_Havok]

At least Barry had the good sense not to visit the injured soldiers at Ramstein...no sense in wasting good money showing appreciation for their sacrifice.

Yeah, what an *******. What kind of arrogant ********* actually listens to the Pentagon?

link (http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/25/obama-skips-visit-with-troops/)

WE NEED A PRESIDENT WHO WON'T LISTEN TO ANYONE!

[mdklatt]

"Fact finding" my ***. Germany? Paris?


His campaign is paying for Europe, which is why there was confusion about whether or not he should visit Landstuhl.

From Sooner_Havok's link:


“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,” Mr. Gibbs said.

I don't know why that would have been inappropriate, though. It sounds like some miscommunication between Obama's staff and the Pentagon. One thing's for sure: Damned if he did, damned if didn't.

[Fugue]

Couldn't he have gone privately?
I think that would have been a very effective message.

[Sooner_Havok]

But some aides to Mr. Obama said the Pentagon suggested the campaign should scrap the stop because it could be viewed as a campaign event.

.

[mdklatt]

Couldn't he have gone privately?


In 20/20 hindsight, yes. I'm sure that would have been misconstrued in some way by the Republican hordes, though. If it's such a big deal, how McCain isn't on a plane right now to Ramstein AB to visit the troops? I just read that Bush has never been to Landstuhl.

:les: IT'S AN OUTRAGE!!!

More silly, trivial crap to distract us from the real issues. Bread and circuses.

[achiro]

His campaign is paying for Europe

I heard this today as well, I have no problem with it going down like that.

[achiro]

The pentagon said today that they never told him that he shouldn't or couldn't go. Just that he could only take a limited number of people and no video, only stills.
I think that makes it look worse for him. It will give the appearance of, "Oh, no video shots to spread around the universe, it would be a waste of our time then"

[JohnnyMack]

But if he does go, then it's just a publicity stunt. He can't win.

[mdklatt]

The pentagon said today that they never told him that he shouldn't or couldn't go. Just that he could only take a limited number of people and no video, only stills.
I think that makes it look worse for him. It will give the appearance of, "Oh, no video shots to spread around the universe, it would be a waste of our time then"

Do you really believes this, or are you saying that's what the public perception will be? Because good lord, that is even more cynicism than I could muster. Of course the Pentagon didn't tell Obama anything. Some DoD staffer told some Obama staffer who told some other staffer, etc, so I can see how this was some kind of miscommunication.

[Echoes]

The tax payers, it's a bi-partisan fact finding trip, that is pretty needless. If you have a problem with BHO doing it but not others, that is a boulder your about to launch through a glass house.

This. This kind of thing goes on all the time. His campaign pays for Europe, as others have said. I wouldn't be bringing up tax spending, if you support the current administration.

[AlbqSooner]

Do you really believes this, or are you saying that's what the public perception will be? Because good lord, that is even more cynicism than I could muster.
According to the Link provided by Sooner Havok:
"They made a decision based on their own calculations not to visit. Senator Obama, like any other member of the senate, is always welcome to visit our wounded warriors or our military hospitals around the world. But they do so in their official capacity, and not as a candidate. He can come in and bring senate staffers as well, if he likes, but campaign staffers and press are not permitted to accompany him. That would be a violation of DoD directives.”

Kinda sounds like a decision based on unavailability of press coverage.

[Sooner_Havok]

According to the Link provided by Sooner Havok:
"They made a decision based on their own calculations not to visit. Senator Obama, like any other member of the senate, is always welcome to visit our wounded warriors or our military hospitals around the world. But they do so in their official capacity, and not as a candidate. He can come in and bring senate staffers as well, if he likes, but campaign staffers and press are not permitted to accompany him. That would be a violation of DoD directives.”

Kinda sounds like a decision based on unavailability of press coverage.

Or the fact that he didn't have his senate staffers there. If he is traveling on his campaign funds (witch is has been documented that he is) I don't think he COULD have any of his senate staffers with him.