McCain goes after L.A. Times on PLO spokesman video

The press needs to keep to the promises they give to their sources. The press needs these sources to get news stories every day. Attacking the messenger has been a large part of the attack of the McCain campaign. Since this tape will bring up the issue of McCain chairing the committee that funded the "terrorist" on the tape with millions of dollars the only thing the attack does is blame the media for being biased. They actually, in my opinion, do not care about the tape and are just feeding the media bias frenzy.

McCain was chair of the IRI (International Republican Institute) which gave a grant to Khalidi's Centre for Palestine's Research and Studies for $448,873 in the 1990's, which was reported in the Huffington Post yesterday. And now he complains about Obama having an association with the person that the group he was chair of gave money to? Doesn't McCain know who he gives money to?

I just read a post on Politico.com called "Khalidi's Defense". It appears that Mr. McCain has more to do with Khalidi than Obama. Check it out on Politico....quite an interesting bit of news!

This Palestinian guy they're talking about is the same fellow John McCain steered nearly a million dollars in grant money to. And the Republicans are hoping one of their most important constituencies (the low information, semi senile, can't figure out how to fill in a ballot Florida retirees) will buy into it. Which leads me ask if there's a genetic predisposition toward dishonesty in the Republicans? Is antisocial and dishonorable behavior in their DNA?

Khalidi led a group, which was funded by the International Republican Institute, which McCain chairs and granted the organization 500K dollars in US tax dollars. So if John McCain believes Obama connection to Khalidi is questionable, than hey JOHN --Thanks for funding the group so they can use the cash to by weapons to kill Americans...get real... This stuff is getting old.

you people always use protection of sources to keep from reporting the truth.
if you had any integrety and pride in your profession you would release the tape.
the founding fathers gave the press their own Amendment, the FIRST because they wanted the press to be the watchdog of government, not governments partner.
take off the skirt you Mary's and to your job.

Well, I'm a Brazilian guy, but I've been watching the US election close because... well, because it affects us all. Both candidates seems to be decent guys with a good background behind them - what should really matter (I think) is the ideas they have for your country, for the economy and Iraq. It bothers me it seems there's so much anger between the two groups (D and R) and the McCain campaign has been based in fear and distrust for at least one month. It's sad, really sad...

There is a big differnce between a research and Studies grant for a group and toasting the anti-semitic ideologies of this guy. It is apples and oranges. Just flat out say you don't care who he supports as opposed to deflecting from the true issue of character.

Where is Michelle saying Whitey on video? Doesn't exist. Where is proof Obama has a fake birth cert? Doesn't exist. Where is proof Obama is a Muslim? Doesn't exist. Where is proof Obama was at the disputed Wright sermon? Doesn't exist. Running on fictional smears you will never prove is why you Republicans are losing.

Huffington Post? I just wrote this in another blog - Has anyone ever read "All the President's Men"? The press really needs to do their job. Say what you want about both sides but you have to admit the media has been a bit biased.

To Mike (#6)

If the LA Times was trying to hold it close simply to get Obama elected, they could have never published the story to begin with. The tape in question was leaked to Times via an anonymous source under one condition, they not release the tape. It would be a much bigger lapse in journalistic integrity for them to release the tape now. Based on the nature of the event this is probably some individual's camcorder that was used to capture the event, and if released there's a good chance it would identify the source. Good luck ever getting another "anonymous" source to give you information once you do that.

The fact that this is even an issue is once again a ridiculous attempt by McCain to scare Americans into believing that Obama is not "one of us". This man is a scholar on Palestinian/Israeli relations and yes he is critical of some policies of Israel and the US but he is also critical of some of the things the Palestinians do.

Even if none of that resonates with you, the icing on the cake is the fact that in the 1990s the IRI directed almost $500k towards a group headed by Khalidi for social research in Palestine. At the time, John McCain was the chair of the IRI. Apparently he wasn't too radical for McCain to give him all that money, but he was too radical for Obama to be colleagues with.

The level of intellectual dishonesty that the McCain campaign has stooped to in this election is appalling.

Show the tape. Release the records on Obama. If there is nothing to hide, then there is no harm for the American people to see just what is happening and to make a informed decision before they vote.

This article was printed back in April to help Hillary Now they regret it

I have a hard time seeing how anyone could support this Obama I would hope ever parent in the world would discourage their kids from hanging around with people like Bill Ayers and Rosco and Rashid but we don’t expect our President of this country to make better decision

John McCain is the one who gave Rashid Khalidi 's Center for Palestine Research $448,873 in grant money for work in the west bank.

HA HA HA HA YIPPPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! McCain makes a fool of himself once again!!!!!

McCain and Palin are truly vile and disgusting liars. I will never vote republican again. Straight ticket democrats for me!!!

Sarah Palin - John McCain's new legacy.

As a member of the military let me say that I'm not voting for either. Why, because I can't in good conscience vote for a man who has had "personal relationships" with known domestic and foreign terrorists, or those who support them financially whether they new it or not. Obama and McCain are not the only candidates here people. I'll pick someone on line 3 or lower after completing my research on them. If i can't decide then I won't vote, because I don't vote for someone just cause they're affiliated with a certain political group. You folks who bash each other based on political affiliation make me sick, and I'm sorry that I have to risk my life for some of you, because for the most part your not worth it.

McCain keeps trying to tie Obama to alleged terrorists but McCain directly supports convicted terrorists Roberto Martin Perez and Eduardo Arocena. Paying one and offering pardons to the other. Palin is friends with anti-American Alaska kooks.

CANF, OMEGA-7, Alaska Independence Party. McCain-Palin putting terrorists first.

Farce, pure farce, nothing more, pay careful attention to the dialogue in McCain's interview with Larry King:

King: Speaking of newspapers, there is The L.A. Times they apparently -- your campaign says that they're suppressing videotape of a 2003 banquet when Barack Obama praised Palestinian activist and scholar Rashid Khalidi. What is this all -- what is this?

McCain: Why shouldn't they ...

King: Why would the paper suppress this?

McCain: I have no idea. If they have the tape, they ought to make the American people aware of it, let them see it and make their own judgment. Frankly, I've been in a lot of political campaigns, a whole lot, I've never seen anything like this, where a major media outlet has information and a tape of some occasion -- maybe it means nothing, maybe it's just a social event, I don't know, but why should they not release it?

And why shouldn't the Obama campaign want it released?

King: Is this Palestinian some sort of terrorist?

McCain: We know that at that time, the PLO was a terrorist organization.

King: He was PLO?

McCain: Yes, yes -- that's what the allegation is, Larry. I haven't seen the tape. So -- but we should see the tape to make it -- the American people make a judgment.

Notice that he never quite says that Khalidi has actually done anything wrong. He certainly wants that perception there and is hinting like a madman that somehow this guy was tied to the PLO but he won't say it because he knows it is not true.

When King asks if Khalidi was a terrorist McCain says that the PLO is a terrorist organization, he hadn't said anything about Khalidi being a part of the PLO, yet he answers a question about this guy with something about them.

Next King follows up asking if this guy was part of the PLO and McCain says "Yes, yes -- that's what the allegation is"... the ALLEGATION, not the truth, he was very careful in his choice of words because this is the type of thing that could later be used for a slander case if Khalidi chose to sue. You will not hear McCain ever directly say that he thinks Khalidi was a terrorist or involved with the PLO or other terrorists because he knows it is not true and that would make it slander. What you will hear him do is make leading comments and implications to try to make people believe that Khalidi himself is a terrorist and was a member of the PLO.

Straight talk express, indeed.

its amazing, mccain has been running one of the most godawful campaigns ever yet guys like Dem4mcain will still defend him, these sad souls are going to be very lost on election day if they actually believe the nonsense rhetoric they post on these blogs