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First Read is an analysis of the day's political news, from the NBC News political unit. First Read is updated throughout the day, so check back often.

Chuck Todd, NBC Political Director

Mark Murray, NBC Deputy Political Director

Domenico Montanaro, NBC Political Researcher



McCain wraps up overseas trip in Paris

Posted: Friday, March 21, 2008 3:50 PM by Chuck Todd

From NBC's Bethany Thomas
PARIS -- John McCain wrapped up his five-country swing to the Middle East and Europe by meeting with two familiar faces- one old and one new.  In London this morning, former Prime Minister Tony Blair and McCain had breakfast together at the swanky Mandarin Oriental hotel.  A quick photo-op for reporters before the official visit quickly became a reflection of McCain's recent travels.  On the friendship with Britain, McCain said, "What I've learned from our trip is that our alliance and our relationship is still strong. There are areas such as climate change, transparency of international financial institutions, Israeli-Palestinian peace process and others that we need to work with more closely together."

Throughout the entire week, McCain has been careful to distinguish this trip as a Congressional fact-finding mission that he's leading as the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee.  Nevertheless, questions on the election and McCain's candidacy have followed him and various world leaders at every country's stop.  This morning Mr. Blair tried to deflect the question, but when asked if he was interested in the race, he said, "I think there's great interest in the election everywhere."

Across the English Channel, McCain stopped at the Elysee Palace to greet the new president of France, Nicolas Sarkozy.  The senator regularly praises Sarkozy on the stump for his forward thinking on green technology and for his choice of vacationing in New Hampshire.  He likes to tell the joke to audiences back in the US, "In case you haven't noticed, France elected a very pro-American president, which means if you live long enough, anything can happen!" 

After a private meeting, McCain spoke to a gathering of mostly French journalists. Before news had hit on the breach of McCain's passport, one reporter asked about Obama's breach.  He said, "If anyone's  privacy is breached they deserve an apology and a complete investigation I believe that will take place. The U.S. values everyone's privacy  and corrective action should be taken." 

Minutes later in the car, McCain was informed that his privacy had also been compromised.  Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice
called McCain in Paris with the news.

The campaign plans to compile the trip findings from the overseas tour in a foreign policy speech next week.

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MSNBC, you guys are so far in the tank for Obama it is ridiculous.  How you can honestly run a headline that says "A Bad Week for Everyone" only to put in smaller font in the middle of the article that "hands down, no one had a tougher week than Obama".  (Reference previous article).  You might as well be asking Michelle to slide over so you can spoon with Obama a little more!  You may say that it is a "bad week for everyone" but the American people say that it has been a bad week just for Obama... and the recent polling trends provide the data to support this notion.

So the reality is that a bad week for Obama equals a bad week for MSNBC... and you guys are desperately trying to save a little face.
wow - France is "accross the Thames river" from the UK?!
wow, France is "across the Thames river" from the UK is it?
McCain insists Parisians change the name of their country to Freedom and mistakes Eifel tower for Washington Monument.

Joe leads him back onto plane for flight home.
I'm so glad we payed for that trip so he can make a foreign policy speech next week.
Lincoln Returns in '08 to keep America whole! Obama '08
Can anyone tell me what gives with Joe Lieberman as McCain's everpresent sidekick?  Don't you think it's a little strange?  It's as if McCain needs a "keeper"..Which one is running for President, anyway?
If the race were between McCain and Hillary I'd still vote Dem but McCain is probably one of the more likeable Republicans. Ron Paul being another. I don't just go down party lines but if he weren't joined at the hip with the Worst President ever I'd consider him over Hillary any day.

I see why people don't like her. That camp is too much like Bush.
HRC is still in the red.
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/03/21/clintons-february-fec-filings/#comment-786594

See the Rev. Wright videos in their entirety for yourselves.
http://www.youtube.com/user/TRINITYCHGO

Shame on the "journalists" in this country. This kind of complacent incompetence is EXACTLY how we got ourselves into Iraq. The Journalists are supposed to be the citizen's defense in the great spirit of free speech. All too often they abuse that AMAZING right to go along with the crowd.

Shame.
I will concede that hope, change, and unity and everything else Obama promotes are unquestionably important to the advancement of our country. BUT, we have to be careful about how we implement those things. We can’t assume that a presidential election is going to be just the right catalyst for those things to take place. The President is NOT a king. The President cannot pass laws or affect the quality of living for the general public. Only Congress can do that. And I think people get so swept up in good rhetoric that they forget to analyze the presidency for what it is. The number one priority of the President, as outlined by the founders of this country, is to be commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

And yes, I know Obama has a grand strategy for getting out of Iraq, reallocating funds, and this and that and the other, but we have to think beyond conflict in Iraq. I know it’s hard because of the embarrassment that is the American media, but the world is, as it has always been, a shifty place.

--For more than a decade, defense budget spending in China has risen by at least double digit percentages ANNUALLY. It’s still dwarfed by ours, but it doesn’t take much to understand the concept of exponential growth.

--Putin and his lackeys have assured future terms for their party, which has established as one if its primary goals reasserting Russia’s status as a global military power, including developing strategies specifically for dealing with the American military.

--At the rate South American countries are ripping at each other’s throats, Venezuela and Colombia are each on a high-speed train toward military conflict.

I won’t enumerate others because none of these immediately impact United States security, but I will say that the most devastating attacks America has ever received have almost come out of left field, out of nowhere, and it has been America’s priority to be able to respond quickly. Obama wants to withdraw from Iraq. The problems that would create for the region set aside, he also wants to admittedly cut 10s of billions from defense spending, particularly in the area of missile defense, which puts our citizens directly in harm’s way and makes service members’ lives the first line of “defense.” Obama has zero military experience and zero real-world understanding of being in charge of a militarized force. And if conventional war breaks out somewhere in the world against us or an ally, or even a defenseless country that can’t defend itself, we need to be ready because it’ll already be too late to talk it over.

McCain is the only candidate qualified to be commander-in-chief of the armed forces. 100 years in Iraq means a partnership, like in Japan, not an occupation. You don’t like his views on Iran? Fine, elect a Congress that will use CHECKS (as in checks and balances simple enough for a 6th grader to understand) to keep the situation under control. Because if Iraq suddenly becomes the SECOND most important current American war, do you want a lawyer to fight it, or a warrior? That’s when you people will realize how much you need the "war mongers" you hate so much.

Checks and Balances: The President is only as misguided as Congress allows him to be, and Congress is only as useless as the electorate ALLOWS it to be.
http://twocanpete.blogspot.com/
More straight talk from Juan McCain. No folks that is not rain you feel trickling down your backsid.
Every TV producer at the main morning and evening TV shows should have their picture plastered on the Internet and should have to take responsibility for the poison they have poured on the American people the past week.  Wright's comments were news for the first 2 days.   The fact that these producers have continued to play these tapes over and over again is toxic to our public conversation and the height of journalistic irresponsibility.  They should come out from behind the camera and be called on their decision.
John McCain's trip is a political photo op and nothing more. Of course while the democrats are duking it out it's a savvy ploy. How much easier to swallow had his Republican friends paid for it and called it what it was: a look at me, I'm being presidential. It will now be called using taxpayer money for political purposes and a man who isn't quite sure who we're supposed to be fighting.
Hillary Clinton's passport files was still accessed.

It doesn't matter whether it was a trainee or no trainee!!!
The thing that bothers me about this is that McCain and his people think we are all stupid enough to think this was a Congressional fact finding mission rather then what it really was....a campaign stunt to promote his candidacy as the foreign policy / commander and chief candidate. When are politicians going to stop playing the Amercian people like idiots. When they do this we need to vote them out or never vote them in. But I suppose if we did that then no politician would ever get elected. Washington would be a ghost town and Obama would have to try and manage the entire federal government on his own.
In this country, our most basic right is the freedom of speech. That freedom is also our most basic defense. The media followed along in the lead up to the Iraq War and now they've followed along in an attempt to destroy Senator Obama. The press is supposed to be our defense against the government by using their unique ability to shine lights on the truth, not by perpetuating lies.

See for yourselves what wasn't reported by the "journalists" in our country.

http://www.youtube.com/user/TRINITYCHGO

You'll find every Rev. Wright video in question in their entire context. These are videos that are readily available and easy to find using a simple google search.

Obama calls on us to make our own change. One way to do that is by making our own judgements. See for yourselves and help others see for themselves.

Thanks.
" In London this morning, former Prime Minister Tony Blair and McCain had breakfast together at the swanky Mandarin Oriental hotel ....  On the friendship with Britain, McCain said, 'What I've learned from our trip is that our alliance and our relationship is still strong.'"

This whole trip has proven that you don't know much, Senator McCain.  Didn't Joe Lieberman tell you that Tony Blair is no longer Prime Minister?  

John McCain is the one who should--as he said about his critics re: "Bomb-bomb-bomb Iran"-- "Get a life." What a cop out of a response. John McCain is a dinosaur. John McCain is out of touch. John McCain is stuck in his Viet Nam era politics. John. McCain. Is. Too. Old.
The sooner he gets back the better. The last thing this country needs is our senile going to the middle east and confusing the problems.
It's time for the Democrats to realize that McCain is eating their lunch. It is fun and lucrative for the media to play along with Clinton on life support, but the superdelegates should stop the mortal bleeding of the party NOW.

Otherwise, there will be no end after PA and everything will go until June - by which time Obama will be in the lead in every category and the party will be broken.

If there is one thing I expect from a superdelegate, then it is that they should be able to make decisions.
Unfortunately McCain is as much a dupe of the Zionists as Bush.
I thought McCain was toast in this election because the number of Al Qaeda being housed in Iran didn't meet the minimum number required by democrats? Is that number more than 19? We know they don't think there is enough in Iraq to matter.
Bethany - I suggest you brush up on your geography.   I  think you mean 'across the Channel' not 'Across the Thames River'.  The Thames is the river that runs through London. The Channel is the body of water between the UK and France.
As Obama says, McCain deserves respect for the half century of service he gave to America. His prisoner of war experience, courage, and selfless loyalty to his fellow captives deserve our compassion and highest respect. But - he is not the man to lead this country - at home or abroad. We shouldn't forget his 2000 campaign, destroyed by Rove for Bush, but we shouldn't overlook how he fawned over the Bush agenda, and failed to stand up in the end for issues such as torture. You can't trust the integrity of a man who suffered years of torture, and spoke out against waterboarding, who in the end failed to vote against torture - to protect support of Republicans.
We owe our respect, but not our vote.
Foreign Policy speech in Paris. Yeh, Right! I say that President Obama should give his 'State of the Union Address' at the 2009 Super Bowl.
Hi Chuck,

Guess you try to make this happen ...how HardBall-Update  at 7pmET instead of a re-run (atleast for this election season)?
WHY ARE YOU PEOPLE ACTING LIKE JOHN MCSAME IS THE PRESIDENT?  PLEASE TELL US WHY???
obama being silly and funny, and all the cable netwroks are working for him to support his nomination.  i  can not believe that obama campaign and other cable networks calling Clinton behind that... what a nonsense!!!
This is to people who think they have a right to judge who are to judge people? Do we know our sins first can ask God to forgive our sins?
To people who value they are race more that other races.
A 5 years old white introduce a 3 years black child to an Indian friend that is my sister, the mother said “ Don’t lie it is your friend (referring to the black child)”. The mother said that you have different mother and father.
The white replies “But mother (her biological father) has got other children (from a different woman) but there my sisters”.

This is 5 years old child cannot pick her sisters because of colors. Don’t think that how God sees us without colors but His children.

Why don’t we start behaving this 5 years white child?
God bless America.
The black child is my child, and believe that God blesses us with that message on that day.
No earmarks, but taxpayer paid campaign trips?  Thanks for no earmarks, Senator!
This is to people who think they have a right to judge who are to judge people? Do we know our sins first can ask God to forgive our sins?
To people who value they are race more that other races.
A 5 years old white introduce a 3 years black child to an Indian friend that is my sister, the mother said “ Don’t lie it is your friend (referring to the black child)”. The mother said that you have different mother and father.
The white replies “But mother (her biological father) has got other children (from a different woman) but there my sisters”.

This is 5 years old child cannot pick her sisters because of colors. Don’t think that how God sees us without colors but His children.

Why don’t we start behaving this 5 years white child?
God bless America.
The black child is my child, and believe that God blesses us with that message on that day.
Bill Clinton should be on the Obama Bashing Fox news payroll. Is there no bottom to the Clinton mud pit?
Since Hillary is the only candidate that don't have a crazy pastor or pastor advisor, this helps Hillary

Both McCain and Obama are associated with Pastors who are crazy.
Fact finding tour....yeah right. I hope he uncovered some facts, maybe even some lieberman didn't have to whisper in his ear. The fact is, it was a pork barrel campaign photo op at the taxpayers expense!
He says that he learned a lot during his time outside the U.S. Anyone want to wager how long he will remember what he learned? He may or may not have learned the difference between the Suuni and the AlQaeda network. He may have gathered enough from Ind.Joe Liberman where the perfect place would be in Iran to drop the first bomb. He now probably understands how important it is for him to make sure he has a ventriloquist with when he opens his mouth. Is this guy the BEST the G.O.P. could come up with as a presidential candidate? Seriously?
This reminds me of Eva Peron's Rainbow Tour (from Evita phame)...not sure why...

Obama 08
Well as long as mcsame got out of dodge without starting a war or offending anymore allies...say, do you think he is taking his cues from pastor hagee anymore?
I am frustrated that John McCain 'represented' American abroad - he is NOT the president-elect, only the nominee of his party, and this thinly-veiled Congressional trip is maddening.

This is clearly to 'look presidential' but I feel it is tax dollars unwisely spent.  Also, he made so many goofs and gaffes - how could the Bush Administration do this - of course, the usual unilateral behavior.

I and many others in this country resent this use of taxpayers money in the pursuit of a Republican ticket.
If anyone wants to know who will win the democrat nomination should listen to teo political analysts:

Pat Buchanan
Chuck Todd
http://twocanpete.blogspot.com/
McCain was undoubtedly able to line up quite a few more U.S. military contracts for the Europeans.
One plausible reason that all the candidates privacy was breached would be to obscure the actual target of the perpetrators.
Bill Clinton has simply become a toxic influence on the politics and really a cancer on the Democratic party.  He is now practicing all of the foul politics that were practiced on him.  It's analogous to the abused child who grows up and has kids and abuses them; Bill is trashing a fellow Democratic who is likely to be the Democratic nominee but doing it in a way where he can later pretend he is being misquoted or taken out of context.  How dumb does he think we are?  We can see through his innuendo, just as we could see through his ridiculous comparison of Obama to Jesse Jackson.

Voters of Pa., you can help the Dem party come together more quickly, and increase our chances of defeating McCain, by rejecting the Clintons and embracing Obama.
Will he be able to remember where he went?
I am a Democrat and this is for any Republican that reads this comment, if yall don't won't McCain we'll accept McCain as an honorary Democrat if Obama defeats Hillary. We don't need another underhanded manipulater in the White House! Nader is even better than Obama. I don't want Pastor Wright anywhere near the White House!
McCAIN'S  INTEGRITY

It’s good to see a candidate running for any office not flip daily with fluctuations of polls.

http://pacificgatepost.blogspot.com/2008/03/john-mccain-concept-of-courage.html

Now about that perception on Iraq.....
"Across the Thames river"? Gee, I didn't know France was on the other side of the river. Sure you didn't mean the English Channel?
http://twocanpete.blogspot.com/
Merci Beaucoup Juan McCain! The French thank you!
To my fellow bloggers,

Would you please stop referring to the 30 seconds of sound bytes that Fox News so artfully extracted from 30 years worth of sermons AND LISTEN TO THE ACTUAL SERMON! You've been lied to. It's not hate speech and it will only take about six minutes of your time. The important part is about three minutes into the clip.

The YouTube clip of the sermon

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOdlnzkeoyQ

=====================

Meet The (White) Man Who Inspired Wright's Controversial Sermon
By Sam Stein.
March 21, 2008 02:00 PM

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/03/21/meet-the-white-man-who-_n_92793.html

======================

The transcript from Edward Peck's interview on FOX NEWS

http://thinkonthesethings.wordpress.com/2008/03/20/video-jeremiah-wright-chickens-coming-home-to-roost-september-11-full-sermon/#more-2653

======================
Wow, who knew the Elysee Palace was just across the Thames. I would have thought it would be in a whole different country. The world really is getting smaller.


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