Obama voted against priority for flood control

This past Saturday, Barack Obama, who supposedly is all "positive", and all "bringing us together", tried to blame John McCain for the midwest flooding. He claimed that McCain opposed spending for the levies.

But the facts tell a different story. From an unlikely source, the Hillary Clinton forums:

6/21/08 Obama Blames McCain for Iowa Floods, Yet Obama Voted Against the Levees (Politico)

In a Florida speech today, Obama links McCain's conservatism to the Iowa floods:

"Just the other day, Senator McCain traveled to Iowa to express his sympathies for the victims of the recent flooding. I’m sure they appreciated the sentiment, but they probably would have appreciated it more if he hadn’t opposed legislation to fund levees and flood control programs, which he seems to consider pork. Well, we do have to reform budget earmarks, cut genuine pork, and dispense with unnecessary spending, as we confront a budget crisis left by the most fiscally irresponsible administration in modern times."

McCain spokesman Tucker Bounds responds: “Barack Obama opposed and voted against the bipartisan effort by John McCain, Russ Feingold and Claire McCaskill to assure that lifesaving levees like those that so tragically failed in Iowa and Missouri are given the highest priority and fixed first. It is beyond the pale that Barack Obama would attack John McCain for actually trying to fix the problem and change the way Washington works. Barack Obama’s willingness to continue the status quo pork-barrel politics in Washington, and then engage in political attacks that entirely disregard the facts, once again fundamentally shows that he’s nothing more than a typical politician.”

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmi...g_on_Iowa.html

And, it turns out, the bill passed. Further, Obama did not vote for the bill, he was absent (so was John McCain). However, Claire McCaskill (an Obama supporter) actually DID vote against the bill.

So, pretty much everything Obama said was false or misleading.

BTW, if I had written that quote from Obama in my local column, it would have been pulled by the editor because I couldn't have backed it up with evidence.

It's looking more like Obama thinks he can only win if he lies about John McCain, and if his claims of racism protect him from being called on his lies.