Obama responds to Bush and McCain:
"That was frustrating enough," he said of Bush's words. "Then John McCain gives a speech. He gave a speech in the morning where he talked about the need for civility in our politics. He talked about elevating the tone in our country.... Not an hour later, he turned around and embraced George Bush's attacks on Democrats. He jumped on a call with a bunch of bloggers and said that I wasn't fit to protect this nation that I love."
McCain "accused me of not being fit to protect this nation - a nation my grandfather served in World War II- a nation that's given me everything that I have," Obama said, then pivoted to attack Bush and McCain on a series of issues: Iraq; the survival of Osama bin Laden's and the Al Qaeda's leadership; Iran's strength; and Hamas's and Hezbollah's ascendancy.
My great uncle killed a lot of Germans, and I have the war trophies to prove it. I'm not sure that makes me uniquely qualified to protect this country. It's odd that Obama continually defends himself using the politics of association, while at the same time condemning those who would attack him based on his associations with people like Rev. Wright. Obama's father was communist, but he didn't get to choose his father, or his grandfather. And their politics have little bearing on his own. But he did choose to associate with people like Robert Malley who would attempt to appease Hamas. And he hung around with Bill Ayers, who clearly does not love this nation. Those associations would seem far more relevant than his grandfather's service in the Second World War.
And for the record, Hamas and Hezbollah are both ascendant because Israel implemented the kind of policies that Obama advocates for this country: unilateral withdrawal in the face of terrorism. If Israel had stayed in Gaza and Southern Lebanon, Hamas and Hezbollah would not be in control of those respective territories. Why does Obama expect a different result when he unilaterally withdraws U.S. forces from Iraq?
