McCain Campaign Press Release - Rear Admiral Tom Lynch Calls on Barack Obama to Disavow Accusation of American War Crimes in Afghanistan

HARRISBURG, PA -- Rear Admiral Tom Lynch, USN (Ret.) today issued the following statement on Barack Obama's accusation of American war crimes in Afghanistan:

"Barack Obama must disavow his comments equating American forces in Afghanistan to war criminals. This dangerous rhetoric emboldens our enemy, but it also speaks to Barack Obama's judgment and competency to serve as commander in chief. While his remarks were designed to score political points with the left wing of his party during the primary, Barack Obama stands by the comments even after securing the nomination. By defending his words, Barack Obama makes it more difficult for our American heroes in uniform to complete the job we have asked them to do.

"John McCain understands that, as commander in chief, words do matter. As a POW, John McCain endured years of torture to avoid making similar statements that would be used as propaganda to demoralize Americans. He put country first then, and John McCain continues to place the interests of those who bravely serve our nation above all else."

Background:

Barack Obama accuses Americans of war crimes in Afghanistan. "But during a later appearance before about 800 people in Nashua, Obama made a comment likely to further the spats he was warned about. Asked whether he would move U.S. troops out of Iraq to better fight terrorism elsewhere, he brought up Afghanistan and said, "We've got to get the job done there and that requires us to have enough troops so that we're not just air-raiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous pressure over there."" (Philip Elliot , AP, "Obama Gets Warning From Friendly Voter," Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/14/AR2007081400812.html, Posted 8/14/2007).

Click Here To Watch Barack Obama accuse Americans of war crimes on August 13, 2007: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrW4fOGIMVY

Governor Sarah Palin defended America's service members in Afghanistan from Barack Obama's "reckless" accusations. "Now, Barack Obama had said that all we're doing in Afghanistan is air raiding villages and killing civilians.' And such a reckless, reckless comment and untrue comment, again, hurts our cause. That's not what we're doing there. We're fighting terrorists and securing democracy, and building schools for children there, so that there is opportunity in that country, also. There will be a big difference there. And we will win in Afghanistan, also." (http://mms.tveyes.com/transcript.asp?PlayClip=FALSE&DTSearch=TRUE&DateTime=10%2F2%2F2008+9%3A56%3A33+PM&market=m101&StationID=290, 2008 Vice Presidential Debate, Saint Louis, Mo., Posted 10/2/2008)

Governor Sarah Palin says Barack Obama's "reckless" accusation "disqualifies" him to be commander in chief. "(S)ome of his comments that he made about the war that in my world disqualifies someone from consideration as the next commander in chief. Some of the comments he has made about Afghanistan, what we're doing there, supposedly just air raiding villages and killing civilians. That's reckless." (http://mms.tveyes.com/transcript.asp?PlayClip=FALSE&DTSearch=TRUE&DateTime=10%2F3%2F2008+5%3A22%3A32+PM&market=m1&StationID=130, FOX News, Governor Sarah Palin interview with Carl Cameron, Posted 10/3/2008.)

Barack Obama refused to meet with military families at a town hall meeting with John McCain. "A coalition of military groups is planning a nationally televised town-hall-style meeting with the presidential candidates near Fort Hood, Tex., the largest active-duty military installation in the country. But so far, only Senator John McCain of Arizona, the presumptive Republican nominee, has agreed to attend Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, the presumptive Democratic nominee, has not agreed to participate." (Kate Zernike, "Obama Won't Commit to Event at Military Base," http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/12/us/politics/12obama.html , New York Times, Posted 6/12/2008)

Obama's campaign "couldn't keep its story straight." "U.S. Sen. Barack Obama evidently cared more about criticism back home than visiting wounded American soldiers in Germany. That's the explanation from a spokesman for the presumptive Democratic Party presidential nominee when asked why Mr. Obama canceled a planned visit to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center during his tour of the Middle East and Europe. The Obama campaign couldn't keep its story straight." (Editorial, "Obama's missed visit," Pittsburg Tribune-Review, http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/opinion/archive/s_580035.html, Posted 7/30/2008.)

Obama vacations in Hawaii while John McCain condemns Russian military action. "With his Democratic rival vacationing in Hawaii, John McCain used the political vacuum to polish his foreign policy credentials on Monday morning, issuing a lengthy statement to reporters condemning Russian military action in Georgia and calling for further diplomatic against the Kremlin." (Peter Hambly, "McCain again condemns Russian military action," CNN Political Ticker, http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/08/11/mccain-issues-statement-on-russian-military-action/, Posted 8/11/2008.)

Obama friend William Ayers accused American military of "terrorism." "'We weren't terrorists,' Ayers insists. The reason we weren't terrorists is because we did not commit random acts of terror against people. Terrorism was what was being practiced in the countryside of Vietnam by the United States.'" (Don Terry, "The Calm After the Storm," Chicago Tribune Sunday Magazine, 9/16/2001, reposted by Eric Zorn, "The calm after the storm -- School reform crusader Bill Ayers works within the system now, but don't ask the former Weatherman to apologize for his radical past ," Change of Subject Blog, Chicago Tribune, http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2008/08/the-calm-after.html, posted 8/16/2008.)