Events Calendar
In This Section
New eateries expand menu of options
Patrick McManamon: Here's what the Browns should try the rest of the season
Veterans describe rewards, sacrifices
Sentencing hearing in Twinsburg officer's killing to begin Thursday
WWII veteran honored through hospice program
Zips fit well together for a victory
Don't expect Zips' exhibition game to be pretty
Microsoft to upgrade portal to boost Bing
Most Read Stories
Suitcase causes bomb scare at Akron bus terminal
Akron City Council OKs higher speed on I-77
Chapel Hill isn't rolling right along
Motorcyclist killed, wife injured in Stark County crash
New eateries expand menu of options
Man says he was punched, robbed by 3 people in parking lot
Patrick McManamon: Here's what the Browns should try the rest of the season
Louisville athlete commits to play for Boston College
Family found dead in Ohio home
Blogs:
Pets:
It Takes All Kinds
The Heldenfiles:
Tuesday Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
An interesting thought from a reader
Akron Zips:
Akron vs. Mount Union — Liveblog
Tribe Matters:
Indians announce spring dates
Cleveland Browns:
Mangini doesn't name a quarterback
Kent State Sports:
Flashes interested in another Cincinnati player
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Shaq: It’s All About Winning Championships
Buckeye Blogging:
Buckeyes Roll 100-60 / Season Outlook
Varsity Letters:
Report: Walsh baseball player commits
All Da King's Men:
More On The Fort Hood Jihadist
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Simply Incapable of Telling The Truth
Akron Law Café:
Health Care Financing Reform: (63) Commonwealth Fund Report on Primary Care
See Jane Style:
Muffle Your Muffler
Car Chase:
Clock Tender- Extending the Life of Collector Car Clocks
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Rumors: Akron Starbucks Closing
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Jack is looking for a trip to Southern Ohio the week of November 16.
Sound Check:
Aeromsith looking for new singer as Steven Tyler contemplates solo career
HRLite House:
Personal Rant – Why People Do Not Live in Northeast Ohio
Akron Gamer:
Video: 'Modern Warfare 2' hits the streets
Pair battle in media over comments on Iraq war
By Dennis J. Willard
Beacon Journal Columbus Bureau
Published on Thursday, Feb 28, 2008
COLUMBUS: Following the Democratic debate Tuesday evening in Cleveland, presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain waged a war of words of their own over the presence of al-Qaida in Iraq.
McCain, the U.S. senator from Arizona and the presumed Republican nominee, criticized Obama for stating during his debate with U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-New York, that he would reserve his right if
elected president to attack al-Qaida in Iraq if the terrorist group established a base there after the U.S. withdraws under his pledged, but undetermined, timetable for next year.
McCain, according to published reports, stated during a speech Wednesday in Tyler, Texas, he had news for the U.S. senator from Illinois, that al-Qaida was already in Iraq.
Obama countered McCain during a rally at Ohio State University, explaining he is well aware that al-Qaida has established a presence in Iraq.
''I have some news for John McCain,'' Obama said. ''There was no such thing as al-Qaida in Iraq until George Bush and John McCain decided to invade Iraq.''
Stating he would stand strong against terrorism as president, Obama said Bush and his followers waged the wrong war, and they should have been focusing on al-Qaida in Afghanistan and the foothills of Pakistan.
Obama spent nearly an hour speaking to an enthusiastic crowd of more than 5,000 at St. John Arena on the OSU campus.
Closing the gap
Next Tuesday, voters in Ohio are likely to determine the Democratic presidential nominee. Primaries are scheduled for the same day in Texas, Rhode Island and Vermont.
Obama trails Clinton by 8 to 11 points according to recent polls, but he has narrowed the gap in Ohio with a spate of television and radio advertisements that touch upon hot-button issues, particularly the unpopular North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) signed by former President Bill Clinton.
Before the crowd of students and other supporters, Obama returned to NAFTA and the state's troubled economy, promising once again to provide tax breaks to companies that invest in the U.S. and to strip incentives from businesses that export jobs and outsource work across our borders and overseas.
Obama again pledged to make affordable health insurance available to the 47 million uninsured Americans and to mandate that parental coverage extend to their children until age 25.
The candidate outlined plans to roll back tax breaks for the wealthy and provide a tax cut to anyone earning $75,000 or less annually, raise the minimum wage on a regular basis rather than once every 10 years, fund early childhood education initiatives and reward teachers financially for their hard work.
Obama said he would overhaul the No Child Left Behind Act, increase standards in schools while moving away from high stakes testing, expand the arts curricula in classrooms, and provide a $4,000 tuition credit to make college more affordable in return for community service from students.
Throughout the speech, Obama cast himself as an agent of change, willing to take on the Washington establishment while battling special interests and lobbyists.
He said he is not afraid to confront people, noting he told automakers in Detroit that they will need to improve their mileage per gallon on future vehicles and he once again mentioned the struggle the country faces in converting to alternative energies because it means taking on companies like Exxon that reported $11 billion in profits last quarter.
He addressed his critics, particularly Clinton, who deride his message of hope as being naive, noting the idea means not walking around with one's head in the clouds, but imagining the possibilities for positive change and then fighting to make them real.
They act like ''I kinda stumbled into running for the presidency,'' Obama said.
Dennis J. Willard can be reached at 614-224-1613 or dwillard@thebeaconjournal.com.
COLUMBUS: Following the Democratic debate Tuesday evening in Cleveland, presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain waged a war of words of their own over the presence of al-Qaida in Iraq.
Get the full article here.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
