People & Power - Island of protest - 22 Nov 08

2008-11-28T00:57:34Z

The pacific island of Okinawa, situated some 500 miles from the Japanese mainland has a rich unique culture. But a bloody historical legacy has dictated that since 1945 the people of Okinawa have had to share their island with 50,000 US servicemen. Phil Cox investigates the long standing tensions between the two communities.

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John McCain: Town Hall Meeting 12/08/07

2008-10-27T03:30:47Z

John McCain
Town Hall
Nashua, NH 12/08/07

TRANSCRIPT:
QUESTIONER: Last night, I taped your town hall meeting there, and there was a young lady in the audience, a veteran, who brought up a poll that was taken of military families and active military personal in Iraq. And you poo-poo'd the results of the poll. And you said, that you knew the answer, that you visited American troops on Thanksgiving in Iraq, and they supported our mission there. I would like to make their point, that those soldiers are not going to look an American legend, like you, in the eye and not tell you that. I'm sure for a great many of them, you are a personal hero of theirs. I went home last night, and I got on the internet, and I found the poll. I believe it's the poll, in the LA Times. And I'd like to give you a copy of that article so that you can inform yourself. And also to tell you that tomorrow, here in Nashua, at 3:00 in the afternoon there's going to be a forum at the church just blocks from here, where there's going to be a NH National Guardsman speak about his experiences in Iraq, and the mother of a marine who served in Iraq are going to speak. So I'd like to pass this up to you if you don't mind.

MCCAIN: Send it to one of my staffers there. Can I just respond to that one real quick. It all depends on the question and the way it's asked. OK? Now, of course you're frustrated. I'm frustrated. You're frustrated about the war in Iraq. I know of no one, hardly, who's not frustrated because of the failures in Iraq.

"But I will suggest to you again, I could ask you a ques--ask them a question, 'Do you believe that you're succeeding in Iraq, and the overwhelming majority of them will say, 'Yes.' And I am confident of that. And I've seen other polling data that indicates that.

"So it depends on how the question is asked and who it's asked by. If you asked Ted Williams, whether Ted Williams was happy about going to Korea and leaving the Boston Red Sox, he would have probably said no. In fact I know he would have said no. But he was willing to serve his country for a worthy cause. So the thrust of the woman's question is, where I disagreed with and that is that the servicemen and women who are serving somehow don't want us to continue in Iraq. And that was the implication in her remarks.

"And my view is, they don't like it there. They want to be home with their families. They're normal human beings.

"But they know now. They know that we've got the right strategy, they've got the right leader and that they are succeeding, and that, if they fail, that they will be fighting and dying there or someplace else in the world. And that's what I believe the overwhelming majority of opinion of the men and women who are serving, and I don't ask for their opinions. They send them to me.

"They send them to me because they're proud of what they're succeeding now. So I still have an honest [...] difference of opinion with the young lady as to the thrust of her use of this poll.

"I hope that clears that up; and I did not mean to be disrespectful to her in anyway, and I didn't mean to."

LABEL: JM NH 12-8 (BH#23) AHKDE - ClipB

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Friend or Foe - 05 Jan 08 - Part 2

2008-10-17T09:31:06Z

Investigating the controversial 'friendly fire' deaths of coalition servicemen.

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Friend or Foe - 05 Jan 08 - Part 1

2008-10-17T09:31:05Z

Investigating the controversial 'friendly fire' deaths of coalition servicemen.

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servicemen at Brave New Films

People & Power - Island of protest - 22 Nov 08

John McCain: Town Hall Meeting 12/08/07

Friend or Foe - 05 Jan 08 - Part 2

Friend or Foe - 05 Jan 08 - Part 1