McCain Gets Wiki

re: McCain Gets Wiki

Mirabhai — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 19:43:33 GMT

Looks from your bio as if you're a member of the Wikipedia generation yourself, but we oldsters know that actual players in international politics (as opposed to those who play them on TV) don't get their info from Wikipedia -- or from the Encyclopedia Britannica, either. Wikipedia should be out of bounds for college students and presidential candidates (or their callow handlers) alike. Resorting to Wikipedia mainly displays a lack of familiarity with the more specialized sources that might allow one to craft a decent research paper -- or a decent foreign policy. Bet Obama is capable of mastering information and expressing it in his own words, which appears to be beyond McCain's intellectual abilities.

re: McCain Gets Wiki

Pietr — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 21:38:33 GMT

Andrew, you miss the point. It has everything to do with McCain and his inability to lead. You postulate:

"some young speechwriter assigned to cook up the necessary grafs familiarized himself with an unfamiliar country on Wikipedia and then failed to excise every last trace of the encyclopedia entry in his finished product--which, after all, didn't regurgitate entire sentences or original ideas--shouldn't reflect poorly on a candidate, who, like all of his political peers, simply doesn't have the time to write his own daily remarks."

This was not a routine "campaign speech." This was Senator McCain shooting from the hip declaring a major policy announcement that is the responsibility of the president alone. The Kremlin almost certainly does not listen and analyze every Town Hall meeting. However, they heard McCain's bellicose statement.

McCain and Obama should parse their words very carefully when speaking on matters of war & peace. Nuance matters.

I would assume that every prepared word that Obama speaks on foreign affairs has been parsed by an expert in the particular region involved and, for one about peace and war in the Balkans, most probably at the undersecretary level. Obama displayed the depth of his bench on his trip to the Near East and Europe. He does not, I pray, relegate important policy announcements to "some young speechwriter" who needs to familiarize himself with Georgia.

Finally, anti-plagiarism tools such turnitin are readily available. I would have assumed that not only the White House but also a presidential speechwriting team would have used such a program routinely on important policy announcements. Not to do so, IMHO, is malpractice.

McCain and his team are not ready to lead. They are not professionals but rank amateurs.

re: McCain Gets Wiki

tudor5150 — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:50:33 GMT

If a 10 grader lifted this many phrases in a class paper, he would be flunked for plagiarism. McCain should not get a "pass" on this one. I give him a "F" for having a flunky write his speech. Obama would be hammered unmercifully if he did the same.

re: McCain Gets Wiki

Newvoter101 — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 01:34:39 GMT

to Pietr: I think it is Obama who is the amauter! He has no idea what foreign policy is! With McCain we know he has experience. With Obama it is a big Question Mark? He will have to convince millions of AMERICANS that he has what it takes. Right now, and probably not for another 4 years will he even have what it takes. He sould just pack up and head back to Chicago. He needs to finish his "community organizing" job! Ha ha ha ah.

re: McCain Gets Wiki

thosfiore — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 04:29:31 GMT

So what did McCain have to say other than to read to us from some encyclopedia or another? What is to be done here other than whining about how unfair it is that the Russians fought back when Georgia tried to take back its province? I can appreciate that McCain is truly great American (born overseas), but what exactly does he propose to do that is going to have any effect here?

re: McCain Gets Wiki

tc125231 — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 13:32:33 GMT

I would agree Obama is a question mark, possibly one with promise. McCain has convinced me he is a zero on foreign affairs. Yeah, after being repeatedly wrong about Iraq for years, he was probably right about the surge.

Big deal. A stopped clock is right twice a day.

I have not been impressed with his reactions on Georgia.

The Belgravia Dispatch has apretty good write-up on the subject:

http://www.belgraviadispatch.com/2008/08/mccain_clueless.html

re: McCain Gets Wiki

C. MacLean — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 15:02:27 GMT

Boning up on the history of Georgia and Russia seems like a sensible thing to do, even if your staff does it in a sophmoric way. But we aren't voting for United States Historian, we are voting for United States President. Understanding the past is fine - what does McCain propose to DO for the future with regard to Georgia and Russia?

Well, for starters, he propose kicking Russian out of the G8. How, exactly, is that supposed to help avoid future crises? An isolated Russia, it seems to me, is a dangerous Russia. A reactionary America hell-bent on resurrecting the Cold War, it seems to me, is a dangerous America.

No, McCain may recognize that learning about history is important, but he hasn't yet figured out that repeating it is unnecessary.

Obama, on the other hand, sees no need to have his staff write a poorly written history lesson to prove his supposed grasp of the situation, and offers an alternative to knee jerk tactics of his republican predecessors - dialogue. Actually making an attempt to both listen to the other side, and negotiate with the other side, from a position of strength.

Antagonizing Russia hasn't worked very well in the past, but it is clearly the path McCain wants to take. Why not try a different path? Try making history, instead of just researching it.

re: McCain Gets Wiki

JoanR — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:47:14 GMT

Its easy to see why so many Obama supporters are obsessed with Wikipedia.Its sort of like Obama himself.Not much substance and you can add to, subtract from and modify it everyday to suit your self

re: McCain Gets Wiki

jeff1791 — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 16:22:11 GMT

Thanks Joan. You just summed up the Republican party in one paragraph. McCain plagiarizes and you use it to attack Obama by saying he doesn't offer much substance. You should check Obama's 33 page blue print for change. It includes his plans for health care, Iraq, the economy and much more. What does the Rebublican party offer? Attacks. McCain is the one with little substance and the American people are on to it. McCain's plan for health care, Iraq, and the economy is called "statues quo". Here is the link to Obama's vague 33 plan.

http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/ObamaBlueprintForChange.pdf