DEBATE FACT #7: BARACK OBAMA VOTED WITH BUSH "FOR THE MOST PART"

~Snooper~

Summary

Why is it that Barack Obama says he voted with President Bush "for the most part"?

The Facts:

"Factually Inaccurate" To Say McCain Is Like President Bush

· The New York Times' David Brooks: Democrats Saying McCain Represents The Third Bush Term Are "Just Factually Inaccurate." "Finally, the Obama people are too convinced that they can define McCain as Bush III. The case is just factually inaccurate. McCain will be able to pull out dozens of instances, from torture to global warming to spending, in which he broke with his party, as Rush Limbaugh will tell you." (David Brooks, Op-Ed, "Calling Dr. Doom," The New York Times, 6/3/08)

· Seattle Times' Danny Westneat: "This Guy Ain't Bush, Folks." "I have been feeling out of step lately with my fellow Seattle liberals. The reason is that when politics comes up, the knee-jerk gist of the conversation is that John McCain equals George W. Bush. This guy ain't Bush, folks. No matter how many times you say it. (And it is said incessantly by Democratic groups.)" (Danny Westneat, Op-Ed, "Beyond The Bush Formula," The Seattle Times, 5/14/08)

Barack Obama Says He Voted With President Bush "For The Most Part"

· Barack Obama Says He Voted With President Bush "For The Most Part." REPORTER: "For a cou ple of days, they've been saying you voted to raise taxes something like 94 times. That seems to be the drumbeat that's going to happen during this campaign. Are you going to raise taxes in a big way for average Americans?" OBAMA: "I mean this is the standard fare of politics. And the truth of the matter is that the only bills that I voted for, for the most part, since I've been in the Senate were introduced by Republicans with George Bush. You know, they were the majority for a big chunk of the time I was there." (KMOV [St. Louis, MO], 6/10/08)

· Watch: Barack Obama's KMOV Interview

In 2004, Barack Obama Said There Wasn't Much Difference Between His Iraq Position And President Bush's

· In 2004, Barack Obama Said There Was Not Much Of A Difference Between His Position And The President's Position On Iraq. "'On Iraq, on paper, there's not as much difference, I think, between the Bush administration and a Kerry administration as there would have been a year ago,' Obama said. 'There's not much of a difference between my position and George Bush's position at this stage.'" (John Kass, "Obama's A Star Who Doesn't Stick To The Script," Chicago Tribune, 7/27/04)

In 2005, Barack Obama Joined With President Bush To Pass The Bush-Cheney Energy Bill Giving The Oil Companies $2.8 Billion In Taxpayer Money:

· Barack Obama Voted For The 2005 Bush-Cheney Energy Bill. (H.R. 6, CQ Vote #152: Motion Agreed To 92-4: R 53-1; D 38-3; I 1-0, 6/23/05, Obama Voted Yea; H.R. 6, CQ Vote #158: Passed 85-12: R 49-5; D 35-7; I 1-0, 6/28/05, Obama Voted Yea; H.R. 6, CQ Vote #213: Adopted 74-26: R 49-6; D 25-19; I 0-1, 7/29/05, Obama Voted Yea)

· The 2005 Energy Bill Included $2.8 Billion In Subsidies For Oil And Natural Gas Production. "The conference agreement provides for $14.6 billion in tax breaks and credits between 2005 and 2015, including: -- $2.8 billion for fossil fuel production..." (Toni Johnson, "CQ Bill Analysis: HR 6," Congressional Quarterly's "CQ Bill Analysis, 7/14/08)