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Obama tells Israelis he's committed to their security, speaking with Hamas rockets as backdrop ... McCain denies he misstated timing of Iraq surge; says some elements began before Bush's order ... McCain credits Bush for drop in oil and gas prices ... Economy top issue, but energy concerns grow in AP-Ipsos poll ... McCain airs radio ads in U.S. Berlins
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Obama tells Israel he's committed to its security
SDEROT, Israel (AP)—From the solemnity of a Holocaust museum to a dusty village battered by Hamas rockets, Democrat Barack Obama on Wednesday professed "an unshakable commitment to the security" of Israel, whether the threat comes from terrorists, Iran or elsewhere.
"The way you know where somebody's going is where have they been. And I've been with Israel for many, many years now," he said.
In his public remarks, Obama sidestepped a question of whether he would condone an Israeli attack to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. But he said he was confident that in several private meetings he had not left Israeli politicians with the impression that, if elected president, he would be "pressuring them to accept any kinds of concessions that would put their security at stake."
Obama packed more than a half-dozen meetings, a stop at the Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial, a helicopter tour of the country and a visit to a house hit by Hamas rockets into his only full day in Israel during
He also rode past an Israeli checkpoint into Ramallah on the West Bank, where he assured Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of his support for a two-state resolution of the region's long animosities. Later, entering a session with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Obama said his talks with Abbas indicated "there's a strong sense of progress being made" toward peace. Olmert nodded and said, "Indeed."
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McCain denies misstating the timing of Iraq surge
BETHLEHEM, Pa. (AP)—Republican John McCain pushed back on Wednesday against Democratic criticism that he misstated when the troop buildup ordered by President Bush began, saying elements were put in place before Bush announced the strategy in early 2007.
He told reporters during an unscheduled stop in a super market that, what the Bush administration calls "the surge" was actually "made up of a number of components," some of which began before the president's order for more troops.
It's all a matter of semantics, he suggested.
McCain said Army Col. Sean MacFarland started carrying out elements of a new counterinsurgency strategy as early as December 2006.
At issue are McCain's comments in a Tuesday interview with CBS. The Arizona senator disputed Democrat Barack Obama's contention that a Sunni revolt against al-Qaida combined with the dispatch of thousands more U.S. combat troops to Iraq to produce the improved security situation there. McCain called that a "false depiction."
Democrats jumped on his comments. They said McCain's remarks showed he was out of touch, because the rebellion of U.S.-backed Sunni sheiks against al-Qaida terrorists in Iraq's Anbar province was under way well before Bush announced in January 2007 his decision to send 30,000 additional U.S. troops to Iraq.
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McCain credits Bush for drop in oil prices
WILKES-BARRE, Pa. (AP)—Republican John McCain on Wednesday credited the recent $10-a-barrel drop in the price of oil to President Bush's lifting of a presidential ban on offshore drilling, an action he has been advocating in his presidential campaign.
The cost of oil and gasoline is "on everybody's mind in this room," McCain told a town-hall meeting.
He criticized Democratic rival Barack Obama for opposing drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf.
Bush recently lifted the executive order banning offshore drilling that his father put in place in 1990. He also asked Congress to lift its own moratorium on oil exploration on the outer continental shelf which includes coastal waters as close as three miles from shore.
"The price of oil dropped $10 a barrel," said McCain, who argued that the psychology of lifting the ban has affected world markets.
The White House didn't go that far. Presidential spokeswoman Dana Perino said the price drop also could reflect diminished demand.
"I don't know if we fully deserve the credit," Perino said.
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Poll: Economy top issue; energy worries grow most
WASHINGTON (AP)—What's rising faster than gas prices this summer? Americans' worries about them.
The economy is the nation's top concern by far, but anxiety about energy has grown more since spring than any other issue while the focus on Iraq continues to fade, according to a poll released Wednesday.
The findings by the Associated Press-Ipsos poll provide the latest confirmation of how economic woes—including job losses, rising inflation and the ailing financial and housing markets—are dominating voters' worries as this fall's presidential election approaches.
Forty-four percent said the economy was the country's most important problem, a small increase from the 39 percent who said so in April.
Another 22 percent named energy problems including rising gasoline costs, an enormous boost from the 4 percent who said so last spring. Gasoline averaged about $3.33 per gallon in early April, about 70 cents less than it does now, according to the federal Energy Information Administration.
The Iraq war and other foreign affairs issues were named by just 15 percent in the poll. Iraq was cited by 25 percent in April and 40 percent in January.
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McCain has Berlin moment too—in little Berlins
WASHINGTON (AP)—John McCain can be a Berliner, too.
The Republican National Committee decided to have a little fun with Barack Obama's widely anticipated speech Thursday at Berlin's Victory Column. It is airing anti-Obama ads in Berlin's namesakes in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and New Hampshire.
Not a lot of audience reach in these tiny radio markets, but certainly a poke in the ribs to Obama.
The 60-second ad accuses Obama of voting against allocating money for military troops.
The reference is to Obama's vote on May 24, 2007, against a $120 billion appropriation, most of it for troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Obama had voted for a similar bill weeks earlier that required the administration to begin withdrawing troops from Iraq by Oct. 1, 2007. That bill passed, but President Bush vetoed it. The legislation that replaced it contained no withdrawal language and it passed 80-14 with Obama among the dissenters.
At the time of that vote, Obama issued a statement: "After he vetoed a plan that would have funded the troops and begun to bring them home, this bill represents more of his stubborn refusal to address his failed policy. We should not give the President a blank check to continue down this same, disastrous path."
Obama has otherwise voted for every spending bill for troops in war zones. His campaign denounced the ad as a "distasteful and misleading attack."
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DAILY TRACK
Democrat Barack Obama holds a slight lead nationally over Republican John McCain—46 percent to 42 percent—among registered voters in the presidential race, according to the latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking update.
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THE DEMOCRATS
Barack Obama visited Jerusalem and Ramallah, West Bank.
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THE REPUBLICANS
John McCain met with voters in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. He canceled a visit to New Orleans because of weather, and then planned to head to Ohio.
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QUOTE OF THE DAY:
"I think it would be fun."—Republican John McCain, on whether as president he would regularly submit himself to questioning before the House speaker and minority leader.
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STAT OF THE DAY:
Independents are more bored with the campaign than any other group of people—28 percent of them say so—according to an AP-Yahoo News survey conducted in June.
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Compiled by Ann Sanner.
