Team Obama’s latest excuse for blowing off the wounded soldiers at Ramstein and Landstuhl just doesn’t add up. The campaign claims that Barack Obama’s visit to the troops would’ve violated the Pentagon’s regulations and would be seen as a campaign event:

In a briefing aboard the flight to Paris today, Robert Gibbs, a senior strategist for the Obama campaign, came to the back of the plane at least three separate times to explain to reporters that the decision to cancel the senator’s trip to Ramstein and Landstuhl came after word from the Pentagon that it would violate Defense Department regulations…

“The statement that I sent out and the statement that Gen. Gration sent out are consistent in that what Gen. Gration learned from the Pentagon that the trip to Ramstein and Landstuhl will be viewed as a campaign stop,” Gibbs said. “The decision that Sen. Obama made with that information was that we would not put our warriors in the position of being involved in a campaign stop. Therefore, he made the decision not to make the stop.”

Gibbs explained it was the use of the campaign plane and staffers that would have violated the rules. “He could go as a United States senator, but it was pretty clear from the guidance that we received from the Pentagon that the trip would be viewed as a campaign stop,” he said. “Given the information that we had received, Sen. Obama made the decision that we were not gonna have wounded men and women become involved in a campaign event or what would be perceived as a campaign event.”

Too bad no one filled in the Pentagon on what it allegedly told Team Obama.

Did the Pentagon discourage Obama from visiting Landstuhl? “No,” says Pentagon spokesperson Bryan Whitman.

Did the Pentagon tell Senator Obama that it was inappropriate for him to visit because he is on a campaign trip? “No. That’s inaccurate,” Whitman said.

Was Obama’s Senate office told that he and his Senate staff could visit the facility? “Absolutely.”

In fact, the Pentagon says Obama is welcome to visit the troops whenever he’d like. Except that Obama wouldn’t have been allowed to bring the press corps with him.

“Obama could not bring any media. Only military photographers would be permitted to record Obama’s visit.”

The official said “We didn’t know why” the request to visit the wounded troops was withdrawn. “He (Obama) was more than welcome. We were all ready for him.”

Why did he blow it off? For that exact reason. He wasn’t discouraged and his visit wouldn’t have been seen as a campaign event, except that he wanted to bring photographers and news crews with him. Once he learned that he couldn’t bring the media along, so long wounded soldier visit.