McCain defends statement by Palin
Republican presidential nominee John McCain defended running mate Sarah Palin yesterday, even as she contradicted his policy against talking publicly about attacking terrorist targets in Pakistan.
McCain chided Democratic nominee Barack Obama during Friday's presidential debate for saying publicly he supports striking terrorist targets inside Pakistan if the Pakistani government is unable or unwilling to do so.
Osama bin Laden and other top Al Qaeda leaders are thought to be hiding in tribal areas along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Obama has said he would support sending American troops into Pakistan to attack such high-value targets.
"You don't say that out loud," McCain said during the debate. "If you have to do things, you do things."
But on Saturday, Palin said much the same thing to a customer at a Philadelphia restaurant, with the media nearby.
"If that's what we have to do stop the terrorists from coming any further in, absolutely, we should," Palin said in the exchange, which was captured on video and reported by CBS News.
"She was in a conversation with some young man," McCain said yesterday on ABC's "This Week." "She understands and has stated repeatedly that we're not going to do anything except in America's national security interest and we are not going to, quote, announce it ahead of time."
McCain said Palin's exchange was not an official policy statement.
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"The idea that if we give more and more to those with the most, prosperity will trickle down to everyone else; the idea that no harm will be done if we let lobbyists shred consumer protections and fight against every regulation as unwise or unnecessary," Obama said, offering his summation of McCain's ideas for what county law enforcement officials said was a crowd of about 35,000 gathered outside the Detroit Public Library.
"Well, what we have seen over the last few weeks is nothing less than the final verdict on this failed philosophy," Obama said.
Both candidates indicated yesterday that they will support a newly negotiated congressional deal for a $700 billion bailout of the financial industry.
McCain campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds said Obama's record of voting for higher taxes is "proof that his talk about the middle class is much different than his record."
Obama also used the visit to the Michigan battleground, his first in three weeks, to emphasize voter registration and encourage supporters to register to vote by the Oct. 6 deadline. Polls last week showed Obama pulling ahead of McCain in a state considered crucial to Obama's chances on Nov. 4.
Senator Joe Biden, Obama's running mate, called on everyone in the crowd to help register at least one person before the deadline.
At a $2,500-per-couple fund-raiser inside the library before the rally, Obama also urged about 125 supporters to register and vote.
Michigan has a high percentage of people registered to vote, due in part to efforts by the secretary of state's office to register people when they apply for a driver's license.
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