subscriber servicessubscribecontact usabout ussite mapBuy a Classified
Tue, Dec 02 2008 

Published: August 28, 2008 02:00 am    print this story   email this story   comment on this story  

Jay: McCain’s refusal to change course reckless

By Bill Byrd
Times West Virginian

FAIRMONT Charging U.S. Sen. John McCain with seeing the world “through Cold War glasses,” U.S. Sen. Jay Rockefeller said Sen. Barack Obama is “exactly the strong, steady hand that America needs” as president.

Obama understands “that our nation is strongest abroad when we are strongest here at home,” Rockefeller said in a Wednesday evening speech at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.

McCain has served the country with honor, he said.

“But his refusal to change course — his refusal to offer a plan to get us out of Iraq — even in the face of the failed policies of Bush-Cheney — is reckless, and will not keep us safe,” Rockefeller said.

The chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence since last year, Rockefeller said terrorist threats against the nation are “real and growing.”

“I have seen the intelligence up close,” he said. The nation has determined enemies.

The next president must handle nuclear proliferation in Iran, “terrorist sleeper cells, suicide bombers, cyber-attacks and bioterrorism.”

Obama offers a “smart, tough, 21st century approach to national security,” Rockefeller said.

The nation cannot afford “even one more day” of ideological decision-making, the politicizing of intelligence and bungled diplomacy, he said.

Earlier Wednesday, Rockefeller said he believes Obama can catch McCain in West Virginia by the Nov. 4 general election.

For most of the summer, the Illinois senator who accepts the party’s nomination tonight has been trailing McCain by seven to eight percentage points in the state, Rockefeller said.

While the gap has remained stable, Obama may be able to overtake McCain with a concerted push, he said. A Rockefeller campaign staffer in Charleston later cited a June 6 Rasmussen Reports telephone poll that had McCain leading Obama, 45-37.

Rockefeller, 71, is seeking re-election to a fifth term in the Senate. He will be one of the speakers at a free Labor Day Picnic in Mannington on Sunday. The picnic is sponsored by the Marion County Democratic Party, the Marion County AFL-CIO and the United Mine Workers of America.

He hopes Obama or U.S. Sen. Joe Biden, the party’s vice presidential candidate, will attend the state party’s annual Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner on Sept. 20, Rockefeller said.

Despite the possibility of lingering hard feelings among supporters of Sen. Hillary Clinton, the party will be united behind Obama, Rockefeller told state reporters in a telephone press conference.

“I’ve been to every Democratic convention since 1972, and I’ve never heard such a hunger for unity,” among the party’s leaders and officeholders, he said.

Sen. Clinton’s speech Tuesday night was “wonderful,” he said, adding he could see the rift between her campaign and the Obama camp healing during the convention.

E-mail Bill Byrd at bbyrd@timeswv.com.

print this story   email this story   comment on this story  

Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.



Photos


Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., speaks Wednesday at the Democratic National Convention in Denver. AP PHOTO/Associated Press (Click for larger image)

monster
wheels
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide

Find a job! Find a Home! Find a car!

Premium Jobs

Different positions UHC
The Future of Health Care is Here (And You Could Be Too!)
The new United Hospital Center: Opening 2010!
Exci
...>MORE

Receptionist
Receptionist 
Morgantown accounting firm seeking receptionist. Experience with general office equipment and Micros
...>MORE

United Hospital Center: off9
The Future of Health Care is Here (And You Could Be Too!) The new United Hospital Center: Opening 2010! Exciting Career...>MORE

EASY INDOOR $8-$13 per hour
ATTENTION
GREAT ENVIRONMENT
EASY INDOOR
YEAR ROUND JOBS
$8-$13/HR
(304)363-0155
...>MORE

OPEN INTERVIEWS
Earn $$$$ for the Holidays.... Full time, Part time, and temporary positions are available for immediate employment. OP...>MORE

Director, Physician Group Practice
Director, Physician Group Practice
North Central Wv physician management entity has opening for an aggressive, mult
...>MORE

CUSTODIAN / MAINTENANCE WORKER
CUSTODIAN /
MAINTENANCE WORKER
24-32 hrs. wk. Mon-Fri. is need, some evenings/ weekends & holidays. $10,00 h
...>MORE

Pharmacist
Full Time Pharmacist
needed no nights, weekends or holidays. Please call 367-9170 Monday - Friday 8am-5pm. Mail re
...>MORE

Fairmont company/Sales Department.
Fairmont company seeks highly organized, detail-oriented individual who is computer proficient and knowledgeable of Micr...>MORE

Commercial Installation/Sheet Metal Mechanics
Pittsburgh based HVAC company is looking for quality Commercial Installation/Sheet Metal Mechanics to work in and around...>MORE

See all ads


 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2008. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index