Smurf-Herder
07-16-2008, 06:22 PM
I say apparently because - with Obama, you never know wtf is going on.
Bell vets want Q&A with Obama & McCain
http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/local/2008/07/13/50746
"If you had access to the bookings calendar of the Bell County Expo Center and turned the pages to Aug. 11, you might read something like this: McCain and Obama need seating for about 6,000. In reality, the booking has been penciled in, with staff awaiting confirmation of a town hall forum put on by a consortium of military groups.
The consortium’s managing director and spokeswoman, Carissa Picard, is excited that Sen. John McCain has accepted the invitation to speak at the forum, and holds out hope Sen. Barack Obama will do the same.
The gathering would give military men and women, their families and their communities the chance to get some questions answered, Picard said.
“CBS has agreed to broadcast the meeting live to the nation on Monday, Aug. 11,” she said.
“We believe this needs to happen. We have questions that millions of Americans want answered.
“Millions of Americans will be affected if our troops don’t get the care that they need when returning from active duty. It’s not just soldiers that will suffer if they don’t receive better care when they come back. It’s their friends, their families, it’s society in general.”
Picard believes that by getting these questions answered by the presumptive candidates Americans will be offered a better chance of knowing who to vote for in November.
“Fort Hood is not just Texas, it’s made up of people from all over the country. Fort Hood is a base that houses people from all over this country and after this war many will return to their home states,” she said.
One glitch is the fact that Obama has not committed to a meeting.
“We started organizing this in early June and gave some possible dates,” Picard said. “The Democratic Party will not commit though. We have asked to suggest a possible date and have yet to get an answer.”
The consortium has not lost hope that he will accept an invitation in the future.
“The people of Fort Hood are not just returned servicemen in Bell County,” said Sam Murphey, Democrat candidate for the Texas House of Representatives, Dist. 55. “These people are our friends and our neighbors. They need answers and the rest of America deserves answers to questions the military has to ask. Fort Hood is the largest operating military establishment in the free world.
“I would be happy to urge Sen. Obama to come here,” said Murphey, who is a Vietnam veteran.
Ralph Sheffield, Republican candidate for the same Dist. 55 seat, said, “I think it’s a fantastic deal. I think it would be great to see McCain here in our backyard.”
Sheffield said he thinks it would be a good forum for the general public to see the differences between the Republicans and Democrats and where they stand on the war.
Picard is not only the spokesman for the consortium of veterans groups but is a military wife whose husband is serving in Iraq. She wants the opportunity to ask questions of the person who will lead the country."
Obama throws CBS' town hall debate into doubt
http://www.reuters.com/article/industryNews/idUSN1547713420080715
"NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - CBS News' unlucky streak when it comes to scheduling primary debates may be continuing into the general election.
The network tentatively agreed to produce and air on Monday, August 11, a televised town hall meeting in primetime between GOP candidate John McCain and his Democratic rival, Barack Obama. But there's only one problem: Obama hasn't committed, citing scheduling issues. That has thrown into doubt the whole thing.
The McCain campaign has readily agreed to appear at the forum on military and veterans issues sponsored by a number of organizations, but that's not going to be enough to allow CBS to televise it. Both candidates would have to participate for the network to carry it.
And the organizers -- a group of national organizations that help active-duty military, veterans and the survivors of military personnel killed -- say they want to hear from both candidates, not just one.
"The important thing for us is that this happens, and that there's this focus on military and veterans and their families and the legacy of war," said Amy Fairweather of the San Francisco-based Swords to Plowshares, one of the organizers. "If that means that things have to be changed as far as the date or logistics or the format or anything like that, that's absolutely fine."
CBS News said on Monday there was nothing new to report on the issue. It isn't clear whether CBS will be able to clear a space on another night if both candidates are able to agree. The 2008 Fort Hood Presidential Town Hall Consortium was to be held at the Bell County Expo Center in Belton, Texas, near the army base.
The network had been approached by the organizers of the forum to see if it was interested in carrying it live in primetime. The network responded that it would and cleared the primetime for that night.
CBS was the only network news division that was unable to assemble a debate of presidential candidates during this primary season. It tried several times but couldn't air a December Democratic debate in Los Angeles because of the Hollywood writers strike, and one earlier this year in North Carolina was scrapped after Obama wouldn't agree to the day scheduled."
------------------------------------------------
My question is, what could be more important than this to Obama, with Iraq being such a huge issue in this campaign?
Bell vets want Q&A with Obama & McCain
http://www.temple-telegram.com/story/local/2008/07/13/50746
"If you had access to the bookings calendar of the Bell County Expo Center and turned the pages to Aug. 11, you might read something like this: McCain and Obama need seating for about 6,000. In reality, the booking has been penciled in, with staff awaiting confirmation of a town hall forum put on by a consortium of military groups.
The consortium’s managing director and spokeswoman, Carissa Picard, is excited that Sen. John McCain has accepted the invitation to speak at the forum, and holds out hope Sen. Barack Obama will do the same.
The gathering would give military men and women, their families and their communities the chance to get some questions answered, Picard said.
“CBS has agreed to broadcast the meeting live to the nation on Monday, Aug. 11,” she said.
“We believe this needs to happen. We have questions that millions of Americans want answered.
“Millions of Americans will be affected if our troops don’t get the care that they need when returning from active duty. It’s not just soldiers that will suffer if they don’t receive better care when they come back. It’s their friends, their families, it’s society in general.”
Picard believes that by getting these questions answered by the presumptive candidates Americans will be offered a better chance of knowing who to vote for in November.
“Fort Hood is not just Texas, it’s made up of people from all over the country. Fort Hood is a base that houses people from all over this country and after this war many will return to their home states,” she said.
One glitch is the fact that Obama has not committed to a meeting.
“We started organizing this in early June and gave some possible dates,” Picard said. “The Democratic Party will not commit though. We have asked to suggest a possible date and have yet to get an answer.”
The consortium has not lost hope that he will accept an invitation in the future.
“The people of Fort Hood are not just returned servicemen in Bell County,” said Sam Murphey, Democrat candidate for the Texas House of Representatives, Dist. 55. “These people are our friends and our neighbors. They need answers and the rest of America deserves answers to questions the military has to ask. Fort Hood is the largest operating military establishment in the free world.
“I would be happy to urge Sen. Obama to come here,” said Murphey, who is a Vietnam veteran.
Ralph Sheffield, Republican candidate for the same Dist. 55 seat, said, “I think it’s a fantastic deal. I think it would be great to see McCain here in our backyard.”
Sheffield said he thinks it would be a good forum for the general public to see the differences between the Republicans and Democrats and where they stand on the war.
Picard is not only the spokesman for the consortium of veterans groups but is a military wife whose husband is serving in Iraq. She wants the opportunity to ask questions of the person who will lead the country."
Obama throws CBS' town hall debate into doubt
http://www.reuters.com/article/industryNews/idUSN1547713420080715
"NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) - CBS News' unlucky streak when it comes to scheduling primary debates may be continuing into the general election.
The network tentatively agreed to produce and air on Monday, August 11, a televised town hall meeting in primetime between GOP candidate John McCain and his Democratic rival, Barack Obama. But there's only one problem: Obama hasn't committed, citing scheduling issues. That has thrown into doubt the whole thing.
The McCain campaign has readily agreed to appear at the forum on military and veterans issues sponsored by a number of organizations, but that's not going to be enough to allow CBS to televise it. Both candidates would have to participate for the network to carry it.
And the organizers -- a group of national organizations that help active-duty military, veterans and the survivors of military personnel killed -- say they want to hear from both candidates, not just one.
"The important thing for us is that this happens, and that there's this focus on military and veterans and their families and the legacy of war," said Amy Fairweather of the San Francisco-based Swords to Plowshares, one of the organizers. "If that means that things have to be changed as far as the date or logistics or the format or anything like that, that's absolutely fine."
CBS News said on Monday there was nothing new to report on the issue. It isn't clear whether CBS will be able to clear a space on another night if both candidates are able to agree. The 2008 Fort Hood Presidential Town Hall Consortium was to be held at the Bell County Expo Center in Belton, Texas, near the army base.
The network had been approached by the organizers of the forum to see if it was interested in carrying it live in primetime. The network responded that it would and cleared the primetime for that night.
CBS was the only network news division that was unable to assemble a debate of presidential candidates during this primary season. It tried several times but couldn't air a December Democratic debate in Los Angeles because of the Hollywood writers strike, and one earlier this year in North Carolina was scrapped after Obama wouldn't agree to the day scheduled."
------------------------------------------------
My question is, what could be more important than this to Obama, with Iraq being such a huge issue in this campaign?