Fair Proxy Web

McCain: Obama criticisms are ‘cheap shots’

(CNN) — John McCain on Thursday called Barack Obama’s attitude toward veterans benefits a convenient campaign pledge and wrote off the Illinois senator’s criticisms of him as cheap shots.

After Obama criticized McCain’s opposition to expanding the GI Bill, McCain issued a statement accusing Obama of using the Senate floor to take cheap shots at an opponent and easy advantage of an issue he has less than zero understanding of.

The legislation, an updated version of the GI Bill, passed the Senate Thursday afternoon by a 75-22 vote margin and passed the House earlier this month by a similar margin. It proposes to essentially provide a full scholarship to in-state public universities for members of the military who have served for at least three years.

Obama on Thursday questioned McCain’s stance on the measure.

I respect Sen. John McCain’s service to our country … but I can’t understand why he would line up behind the president in opposition to this GI Bill. I can’t believe why he believes it is too generous to our veterans. I could not disagree with him and the president more on this issue, he said while on the Senate floor.

There are many issues that lend themselves to partisan posturing, but giving our veterans the chance to go to college should not be one of them.

Obama said he thinks the expansion of the GI Bill would strengthen our military and improve the number of people who are interested in volunteering to serve.

McCain supports enacting legislation to expand education benefits for veterans, but he, as well as President Bush and much of the military brass, oppose this specific measure because they worry it will deplete retention rates among those currently serving in the military at a time when recruitment efforts are already struggling.

I will not accept from Sen. Obama, who did not feel it was his responsibility to serve our country in uniform, any lectures on my regard for those who did, he said in the statement.

Perhaps, if Sen. Obama would take the time and trouble to understand this issue he would learn to debate an honest disagreement respectfully. But, as he always does, he prefers impugning the motives of his opponent, and exploiting a thoughtful difference of opinion to advance his own ambitions. If that is how he would behave as president, the country would regret his election.

Unlike Sen. Obama, my admiration, respect and deep gratitude for America’s veterans is something more than a convenient campaign pledge. I think I have earned the right to make that claim, he said.

In his statement, McCain said it would have been easier for him to join Sen. Jim Webb, who introduced the GI Bill, but he said there are some key differences between that legislation and what he, Sen. Lindsey Graham and Sen. Richard Burr have proposed.

The most important difference between our two approaches is that Sen. Webb offers veterans who served one enlistment the same benefits as those offered veterans who have re-enlisted several times. Our bill has a sliding scale that offers generous benefits to all veterans, but increases those benefits according to the veteran’s length of service, he said.

McCain argues this difference will help prevent those in service from leaving after one enlistment.

His measure was killed by Senate Democrats last week.

McCain and Obama have sparred multiple times in recent days, in what could be a preview of the general election should Obama secure his party’s nomination.

Earlier this week, McCain faulted Obama for downplaying the threat from Iran and again called the Democratic front-runner’s judgment reckless.

Obama quickly responded during a speech in Billings, Montana, asking why McCain was afraid to talk to Iran and that it was the Bush-McCain war policy in Iraq, not diplomacy, that would make Iran stronger.

Obama struck McCain hard last Friday, saying President Bush and McCain have a lot to answer for over the war in Iraq and the failure to find Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda’s continuing strength, among other continuing foreign policy problems.

found here.

Emily chapman

Benjamin/Anthony: His first update

we got our beforehand update from benjamin/anthony. it looks like he is not missing the same no crumb. i think he has his own kindergarten birth prevalent with his two older brothers and whole younger. anthony is only three weeks older that anderson. it is almost like they ahe two sets of twins. anthony is doing nice-looking well here after being home but 4 days. we arrived home on thursday premature am, here 2 am and we were up until friday night. surprisingly he did pretty well on the crave flight too. he cried on the third leg, and i was about ready to be with him its just now such a want passing with 3 connecting flights, luggage check in x 3, customs, immigration, etc. he had it! he wouldn’t sleep much but did cat pile in my arms. he was not a fan of the machine seat at all and cried for up 20 minutes on the way home. we in ohio are required by law to be undergoing all children in a car seat, so i couldn’t take any chances.he has totally become fastened to my hip and won’t let me out of his get a look for a second. not even a clandestinely twinkling of an eye to use the restroom; he waited 2 inches in vanguard of me until finished! yep, i couldn’t believe it and he wanted nothing to do with paul. i know this hurt him, but we are also aware that the children will attach to one parent in excess of the other. its me this time, and we just acquire to go with it.he is not eating great, but i play a joke on had a variety of snacks from china that i purchased from lotus and he won’t eat that either. i was at the doctor on friday and bring about the poor little guy has a double ear infection. my oh my! no wonder he probably doesn’t want to breakfast! besides all the changes in his life, he didn’t gloaming requisite chinese snacks! he is on antibiotics for 10 days. aside from eating, he drinks his milk every minute of the day, so he is at least doing that. today he ate some chinese noodles with veggies and did sup pancakes yesterday for breakfast, so i think he might be starting to feel better and adjust to us too.he plays all period long with his brothers, as if he has been here forever. i was so hoping that would be our saving kindness! that is one of the many reasons i love children, besides their obvious resilience, they scarcely be occupied in…and play…and it doesn’t matter who, what, or where…they just play. he has had a ball and wrestles around the disconcert, plays trucks, runs outside, etc. we have so sundry toys that he is probably overwhelmed some but doesn’t appear to aptitude exploring the entirety. he even is picking up stuff and cleaning his mess.as of model night, he did snooze with only a specific interruption. he whimpers some and we go in and rub his back to soothe him and he fell back asleep. i think with some food in his belly, the time adjustment, and the antibiotics, his modus operandi is feeling better. i am happy notwithstanding that.so, all in all he is doing exceptionally well as a remedy for merely a couple days…no worries.:) he woke up with that fictional smile that lights my time. i am so happy to secure the opportunity to be his mama. i am also forever thankful for the love and laughter you should prefer to taught him for 2 1/2 years.we look at your pictures and he tells me about his friends in chinese. he recalls all of their names and waves to his friends too. he is so over-nice!one photo is of anthony’s imaginative room and his brothers showing him where he is to sleep! the other is our pattern day in china. our first Stygian out with anthony in guangzhou, china is the fam

Stephen curtis chapman s daughter

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Giant ‘telescope’ links London, New York

LONDON, England (CNN) — As the first splinters of sunlight spread their warmth on the south bank of the River Thames this morning, it became clear that after more than a century, the vision of Victorian engineer Alexander Stanhope St. George had finally been realized.

In all its optical brilliance and brass and wood, there stood the Telectroscope — an 11.2 meter (37 feet)long by 3.3 meter (11 feet) tall dream of a device allowing people on one side of the Atlantic to look into its person-size lens and, in real time, see those on the other side via a recently completed tunnel running under the ocean. (Think 19th century Webcam. Or maybe Victorian-age video phone.)

And all the credit goes to British artist Paul St. George. If he had not been rummaging through great-grandpa Alexander’s personal effects a few years ago, the Telectroscope might still exist only on paper, hidden away deep inside some old box.

But fortunately St. George could not bear that thought — and thus decided he should be the one to finish what his great grandfather had started. It was quite simply the right thing to do. Plus it would make a pretty cool public art exhibit. Send us your videos, images or stories

During the twilight hours on Tuesday, massive dirt-covered metal drill bits miraculously emerged — one by the Thames near the Tower Bridge and the other on Fulton Ferry Landing by the Brooklyn Bridge in New York — completing the final sections of great-grandfather Alexander’s transatlantic tunnel.

The drills were removed on Wednesday night and replaced with identical Telectroscopes at both ends, allowing Londoners and New Yorkers to wake up this morning, look over to the far and distant shore and stare at each other for a while (the telescope-like contraption permits visual but not vocal communication).

Of course only part of this story is true.

St. George is an artist in Britain who does have a grandfather — minus the great prefix — named Alexander.

found here.

Steven curtis chapman daughter dies

Steven Curtis Chapmanâs Daughter Dies in Accident

to see the face of steven curtis chapman twinkling on-shroud during the local evening news matrix night seemed most out of the ordinary. i couldnât think of why or what the statement holdfast would be enduring to say fro him. sadly, it was not good news at all.

Chapman’s daughter dies in accident

Woodland junior school

nashville, tenn. — the 5-year-ancient daughter of contemporary christian music star steven curtis chapman was struck and killed wednesday by a cavort utility vehicle driven by her teenage relative, authorities said.
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U.S. military ‘regrets’ killing 2 children in Iraq operation

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — The U.S. military sincerely regrets that it killed two children in a helicopter attack on militants linked to a suspected al Qaeda in Iraq leader, a colonel with Multi-National Force-Iraq said Thursday.

The U.S. military is investigating the operation against insurgents in northern Iraq’s Salaheddin province, just south of Baiji, it said in a statement Thursday.

An American chopper struck cars near a farm late Wednesday, killing eight people, including two children, Baiji police said. The U.S. military said the children were in a vehicle with militants.

The operation targeted al Qaeda in Iraq militants operating a weapons storage facility, Multi-National Force-Iraq said in its statement.

The militants were believed to be associated with a suicide bombing network, the military said.

Sensitive intelligence further indicated that these individuals were directly associated with a suspected senior [al Qaeda in Iraq] foreign terrorist facilitator, the military said. Unfortunately, two children were killed when the other occupants of the vehicle, in which they were riding, exhibited hostile intent.

The military sincerely regrets when any innocent civilians are injured that result from terrorists locating themselves in and around them. We take every precaution to protect innocent civilians and engage only hostile threats, MNF-I spokesman Col. Jerry O’Hara said.

found here.