Graham rips McCain on the Glades

Playing attack dog for the Barack Obama campaign just three days after he came off the sidelines: former U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, who chided John McCain for his "ill-advised" support of the president's veto of Everglades funding last year.

McCain opposed the funding because it was part of a $23 billion package that he said would lead to wasteful, unorganized spending on water-related projects. His campaign noted this morning that Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri, a national co-chair of Obama's campaign, also voted against the legislation.

Graham argued that the bill did not appropriate the money; it only authorized it. "This has serious consequences. We're already seven years delayed in getting some of the most critical early projects authorized," he said.

Minutes later, Republican U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart of Miami got on the horn with reporters to defend McCain, even though they were on different sides of the Everglades vote.

"To say that (vote) means Sen. McCain doesn't support Everglades restoration is an outright distortion,'' Diaz-Balart said.

Comments

[R B Quinn]

Mario Diaz is looking for a job in the not to be McBush Administration!

[M Pendas]

And Graham is looking for a job in the not to be Obama administration.

[Brien]

Diaz-Balart is an ass.

[Brien]

""To say that (vote) means Sen. McCain doesn't support Everglades restoration is an outright distortion,'' Diaz-Balart said. "

It just means he doesn't support funding Everglades restoration.

What an armchair response.

[Tom Cooper]

Forget the spin and rationalizing. McCain has morphed into an Old School or Bush School Republican who opposes aid for anything but war.

It really is that simple, people.

[John the Baptist]

Umm funny how the GOP isn't always eco-friendly. McBush is considered a nemesis to enviromentalist.

[a solution]

If he doesnt support it then propose an alternative. Mcbush is a fool

[Todd and in Charge]

So McCain thinks the Everglades is not worth two months of our spending in Iraq? What a fool.

[Get the facts Right]

I love the oversimplification. Don't you ever wonder why something is done or you just ASS-ume you know? Then again, many on this board seem to like to ASS-ume. I guess this clues us in to your party affiliation.

[Maria C. Regalado]

Our vote does not count neither does our environment. God Save the Everglades.

[SWLiP]

Let's see -- Local hack and Democratic partisan Beth Reinhard has been flogging this story for three days in a row, but doesn't bother reporting the simple and important context: McCain is a fiscal conservative, and is rightfully suspicious of federal spending boondoggles. That doesn't mean that he hates the Everglades.

[DSKZ]

Diaz Balart drinks McCain's milkshake.

[StevenLeonard]

Not one of the politicians that I have seen have any real concern about the blackwater running out of the everglades. I think the only one who cares about it is Hon. Judge Hoolever, because he resided over the case and order the government and big sugar to clean up our reserve. What Mario Diaz-Balart, and the rest of our congressional representatives including Presidential runner Mcain, and aling Gov. Crist have done, is jump into the pockets of big sugar, and wipe their buts with our complaint's. They should all be held fully accountable under the law. This isn't good government. It is an ego manic government. Their all full of crap.

[a.j. mauro]

The Everglades are perhaps the most distinguishable feature of South Florida. These reckless decisions against funding to help protect this vital natural resource shows a blatant disregard of our environment by both parties.

[jaguar]

Graham knows authorizing money is the first step to appropriating it. And if the bill is bloated with earmarks, then the principled vote is to kill the bill and propose another without the unnecessary spending. Bravo for McCain and shame on Graham (who should have prevented the backlog of Everglades funded when he was Senator.)
Graham just doesn't do "attack dog" very well, does he?
And shame on the media, for relentlessly smearing McCain on this issue. The media knows better also, but apparently can't help distorting the issue to sell more papers.