CNN airs McCain ad attacking Obama over troop funding vote, but ignores McCain's own record

Summary: CNN aired clips of what correspondent Jim Acosta called a "new ad from John McCain" that "makes one of the most explosive charges of the campaign, accusing Barack Obama of endangering American soldiers by voting to cut off funds for the war." Despite mentioning that Obama said in the September 26 presidential debate that "he opposed that bill because it lacked a timeline for troop withdrawal," Acosta failed to note Obama also pointed out that McCain himself has voted against legislation to fund the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

During the September 27 edition of CNN Newsroom, CNN correspondent Jim Acosta reported that a "new ad from John McCain, picking up on the debate's heated exchange over Iraq ... makes one of the most explosive charges of the campaign, accusing Barack Obama of endangering American soldiers by voting to cut off funds for the war," and aired clips of McCain's ad. But, while Acosta pointed out that Obama "says he opposed that bill because it lacked a timeline for troop withdrawal," he did not note that during the "debate's heated exchange over Iraq," Obama also pointed out that McCain himself has voted against legislation to fund the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

During the September 26 presidential debate, after McCain claimed Obama "vot[ed] to cut off the funds for the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan," Obama stated: "John always brings this up. ... Senator McCain opposed funding for troops in legislation that had a timetable, because he didn't believe in a timetable. I opposed funding a mission that had no timetable, and was open-ended, giving a blank check to George Bush. We had a difference on the timetable."

As the Associated Press reported on September 27: "Despite opposing the war, Obama has, with one exception, voted for Iraq troop financing. In 2007, he voted against a troop funding bill because it did not contain language calling for a troop withdrawal. The Illinois senator backed another bill that had such language -- and money for the troops."

Media Matters for America noted that in a September 27 article about the presidential debate, Politico reporters Ben Smith and Jonathan Martin also reported McCain's attack on Obama's voting record on troop funding without noting that McCain voted against legislation to fund the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

From the September 26 debate:

McCAIN: It was a stratagem. And that same strategy will be employed in Afghanistan by this great general. And Senator Obama, who after promising not to vote to cut off funds for the troops, did the incredible thing of voting to cut off the funds for the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.

OBAMA: [Moderator] Jim [Lehrer], there are a whole bunch of things we have got to answer. First of all, let's talk about this troop funding issue because John always brings this up. Senator McCain cut -- Senator McCain opposed funding for troops in legislation that had a timetable, because he didn't believe in a timetable.

I opposed funding a mission that had no timetable and was open-ended, giving a blank check to George Bush. We had a difference on the timetable. We didn't have a difference on whether or not we were going to be funding troops.

From the 5 p.m. ET hour of the September 27 edition of CNN Newsroom:

ACOSTA: The first debate is over, but the fight is nowhere near finished.

NARRATOR [video clip of McCain ad]: Senator Obama voted to cut off funding for our troops.

ACOSTA: Take this new ad from John McCain. Picking up on the debate's heated exchange over Iraq, it makes one of the most explosive charges of the campaign, accusing Barack Obama of endangering American soldiers by voting to cut off funds for the war.

NARRATOR [video clip of McCain ad]: Playing politics. Risking lives.

OBAMA [video clip]: He didn't believe in a timetable.

ACOSTA: Obama, who says he opposed that bill because it lacked a timeline for troop withdrawal, gets tough in his own new spot that zeroes in on the economy.

—M.W.