John Sidney McCain III is the son of a Navy Admiral and Grandson of a Navy Admiral. He was born into moderate wealth but great power and ultimately married into great wealth with his mistress-turned-second wife, Cindy.
According to Wikipedia:
“John McCain’s capture and imprisonment began on October 26, 1967. He was flying his 23rd bombing mission over North Vietnam, when his A-4E Skyhawk was shot down by a missile over Hanoi. McCain fractured both arms and a leg, and then nearly drowned when he parachuted into Truc Bach Lake in Hanoi. After he regained consciousness, a mob attacked him, crushed his shoulder with a rifle butt, and bayoneted him; he was then transported to Hanoi's main Hoa Loa Prison, nicknamed the "Hanoi Hilton".”
Wikipedia also notes this about John McCain’s time in the Hanoi Hilton:
“In August of 1968, a program of severe torture began on McCain, at the same time as he was suffering from dysentery, and McCain made an anti-American propaganda "confession". He has always felt that his statement was dishonorable, but as he would later write, "I had learned what we all learned over there: Every man has his breaking point. I had reached mine."”
What does being broken do to a person’s psyche? How long can the effects from a traumatic experience like that last? A lifetime? How much of John McCain’s infamously unstable temper comes from his experience as a victim of torture? Is that a person we really want with his finger of the nuclear button?
Ok, now I feel very bad for McCain and he has my deepest sympathies for what he experienced, but that does not qualify him for status of “hero”. Especially when McCain just recently voted against banning torture!
If we are supposed to consider John McCain a hero by virtue of him being held captive and tortured until he was broken then what are we supposed to think about all the people we are doing that to now? Are they also heroes? What does that say about us now that we are doing it to others?
Getting shot down, captured, and tortured and being broken both physically and mentally does not strike me as someone “blessed by the gods”. Neither does bombing runs on villages or creating propaganda videos for the enemy strike me as particularly “noble” and it certainly is not something I think should be regarded as a “model or ideal”.
Now lets look at the story of another Vietnam veteran who shares his first name, John Kerry. This is just one story of how he earned one of his medals in Vietnam. Also from Wikipedia.
“Eight days later, on February 28, 1969, came the events for which Kerry was awarded his Silver Star. On this occasion, Kerry was in tactical command of his Swift boat and two others. Their mission included bringing a demolition team and dozens of South Vietnamese soldiers to destroy enemy sampans, structures and bunkers. Running into an ambush, Kerry "directed the boats to turn to the beach and charge the Viet Cong positions" and he "expertly directed" his boat's fire and coordinated the deployment of the South Vietnamese troops, according to the original medal citation (signed by Admiral Zumwalt). Going a short distance farther, Kerry's boat was the target of an RPG round; as the boat beached at the site, a VC with a rocket launcher jumped and ran from a spider hole. While the boat's gunner opened fire, wounding the VC on the leg, and while the other boats approached and offered cover fire, Kerry jumped from the boat and chased the VC and killed him, capturing a loaded rocket launcher.”
So what I want to know is, if John Kerry’s war record was not above reproach, why do Democrats act as if John McCain’s is? The one thing that Karl Rove was right about was the tactic of taking your opponent’s strength and turning it into a liability. John McCain’s war record is his greatest strength and it is the reason the media is treating him with kid gloves. If Democrats want to win this they are going to have to take off the kid gloves and bring up the hypocrisy of someone who was broken by torture turning around and voting against banning the same behavior by Americans. They are going to have to bring up the fact McCain cooperated with the enemy and made anti-American propaganda for them.
John McCain’s low moral standards and questionable judgment have been repeatedly shown by his behavior. From the fact he was one of the infamous “Keating Five” to the fact he is breaking his own campaign finance laws right now by taking public financing and then going over the spending limits and by using his wife’s corporate jet for free, we have seen examples again and again of a man who is willing to sell out his principles for political convenience.
Hypocrisy is also a serious issue with John McCain. His record as a Senator shows a pattern of opposing Veteran and POW/MIA issues.
John Sidney McCain III opposed the Missing Personnel Act and the POW/MIA Rescue Act, which would have granted political asylum to any Southeast Asian national who brought a living American POW to freedom.
How can a former POW oppose that?
John McCain disagreed with the findings of the 1990 Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which concluded that our government had indeed abandoned some of our men when the war ended. John McCain then went on to single handedly undermine the Senate Select Committee created to investigate the issue.
“During the course of their several month-long investigations, they heard unbelievable testimony from hundreds of people. No less than four former Secretaries of Defense testified that men were left behind. National Security analysts testified that they tracked the movements of our men long after the war ended. Radio transcripts of American POWs being moved in Laos were recorded in the early 1980s:
There were satellite photos of pilot distress signals taken as recently as 1992, complete with pilot name and authenticator code numbers. Former Soviet Commanders testified that they debriefed our men in the Soviet Union, and even Boris Yeltsin admitted American POWs had been transferred there.
I am a classic Gen x'er with a short attention span, high intelligence, low motivation and an overabundance of cynicism that the world just keeps re-justifying. At various points in my life I have been a Journalist, a Personal Trainer, a D.J., a Photographer, a Paralegal, a Waiter, a Pizza Deliverator and a Network Engineer...among other things.
Good article. Calling McCain a war hero is simply a political slogan. Being a prisoner of war and being tortured is really terrible; but that does not make one a hero.
by
Philip Pease (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 141 comments)
on Tuesday, May 6, 2008 at 10:57:22 AM
McCain may get in simply due to Democrat stupidity
This is not a negative comment about anything regarding what you (the author) wrote. It is a sad commentary I would like to add to the discussion:
I can't believe that Democrats have become so stupid as to let their party be this divided and almost guaranteeing that John McCain will get into the White House! Democrats have pitched a tizzy fit for the last almost eight years on how SICK they're supposed to be of Bush and the Republicans, but here is their big chance to change things and for the first time in more than a decade to actually put a Democrat in the White House and move Congress toward a rational majority, and what do they do? 38 percent, according to the Tokyo Rose Mainstream Media pundit, Matt Lauer, 38 percent of Democrats say they will vote for John McCain if their choice of nominee doesn't make it to the Democratic nomination. I mean, how STUPID is that? I guess they're not sick enough of mortgage foreclosures, sky-high gas and oil prices, food inflation, corruption in government, the Iraq war and a decaying infrastructure and youth violence and ethics that are going to he[[ to consider putting aside petty differences in order to get a Democrat in to start dealing with urgent national problems. Instead, like babies in a playpen, they fight and scream because they don't get their own way; stomp and get red in the face like three-year-olds and will end up putting a clone of George W. Bush and his failed policies BACK into the White House. Can you spell the word S-T-U-P-I-D for me?
by
JOHN LORENZ (17 articles, 89 quicklinks, 63 diaries, 211 comments)
on Tuesday, May 6, 2008 at 11:39:42 AM
I agree but we could have said same thing about W.
He was a victim of a world he hadn't built and was molded like a boy under electroshock therapy into a a being that functioned but could only barely comprehend reality--that is, he has been left unfeeling like an autistic to the other.
That also comes from hanging around Dick Cheney.
by
ALONE (148 articles, 1 quicklinks, 4 diaries, 319 comments)
on Tuesday, May 6, 2008 at 11:59:09 AM
Oh please, this is not the direction to head. This is Lee Atwater in Democratic drag. John McCain is a real hero. You need to go back are read about how he stood up to the North Vietnamese. How he refused to give in and how he did not barter his way out of captivity to save himself. He still suffers the scars of that treatment.Look closely at how he holds himself and at his jaw.
John McCain IS a man of high moral principles who has fought earmarks in Congress and supports responsible, open, accountable government. Whether you agree with McCain's political philosophy or not, don't denigrate a man who is basically an honorable person. If you oppose him, make his policy differences the basis for that decision, not innuendo, dirt and mud. We're all sick of that kind of politics. McCain doesn't endorse it. Obama doesn't endorse it and neither should the American public. One honorable person is worth a truckload of political opportunists who care more about power, control and opportunity than policy, principle or standards.
There is ABSOLUTELY no reason to embrace mud, dirt and garbage throwing to win a Presidential election. If that is what people think politics should be about, heaven help us all. The “whatever it takes” type of attitude, that reliance on the negative has a pervasive influence on the whole political process. Compromise your values to win and you will not hesitate to compromise them later when faced with other difficult decisions. It becomes all about winning and no longer about the process, standards and values that define the proper goals. Why base any decision on reason or logic, when you can win what you want by virtue of throwing dirt and mud? What you "want" is all that matters., right?
It is the very reason Bush has failed the US. It was always about winning. It was always about coming out on top. It was never about principle, standards, or values with Bush/Cheney.It was always about “whatever it takes”. Lie, cheat, break laws, abuse power, anything goes because that is the legacy of this philosophy. That is where that path in life takes you. You want more of the same?
Let’s end the tabloid politics of right wing conservatives who think life is about what they want, not what America wants or needs. Let’s end the fear mongering, race baiting, divisive, Lee Atwater politics of the past. If you can’t convince the American people, if your candidate cannot convince the American people they are the best person to be President they should lose. Let’s not allow mud and dirt to be used to help them win. Does it matter whether they are running for President, Senator, Governor or any other elected official?We want the best people, not the ones who know how to fight the dirtiest.
Let’s devote our energy to ending this kind of garbage. Let’s jump on every negative campaign effort that relies on it and let people know exactly why it is being used and exactly what it means when people depend on it. Let’s get people angry at anyone who would employ such actions to tip an election. Let’s turn the public against these tactics instead of simply being complacent about them and marvel at their effectiveness to the point people feel they are a necessary element to winning.
These efforts work only because people don’t attack them aggressively for what they are. These are efforts to compensate for a weak candidate. These are efforts to make up for a candidate’s inability to compete on a level playing field. They are efforts to win the only way some people know how, by fighting dirty, by sacrificing principles and values because they are afraid they will lose through an honest and open process. They are used by those who are AFRAID their values and their principles are insufficient to sway voters to support them.
Until we attack negative campaign efforts. Until we denounce them for what they really are and why they are used, people will think they are okay.Politicians and advisors will continue to use them and declare all the while "hey that's politics." No, it’s garbage. It's compensating for a weak candidate. It's detrimental to our entire political process. In a society where we seek out the best leaders, this provides us with the worst. It isn't about who you, I or anyone else wants to win. It is about what the American people want and I trust collectively they will make the correct decision. But, they need to make that decision without dealling with a tainted race. They will never have a chance to make an informed decision if our political process is smeared with so much dirt no one can see the real differences, know the real issues or know the real people they are voting on in an election. This must stop, NOW. Let's end it FOREVER.
by
Peter Wedlund (3 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 183 comments)
on Tuesday, May 6, 2008 at 1:22:30 PM
Framing a candidate on your own, as long as it isn't false or distorted, is simply not buying the propaganda.
I have no idea if these claims are true, but if they are, it would be better for Democrats to speak from this context: "torture victim" not "war hero." That woudln't be false, and it wouldn't be distorting; it would be another way of seeing the truth (if it is the truth.)
I quite agree that Democrats have been easily manipulated by Republicans, and I think that simply accepting their frame of reference as a given is and has been a losing game.
Since McCain's election would be a pure disaster, for this country and this planet, bringing a little "real" straight talk into the election dialogue wouldn't be a bad thing at all. I do know that a lot of people do revere McCain as a hero. So, if he really isn't, that's important, and it doesn't have to be a smear to point it out, oh so gently.
Frankly, Democrats haven't been hugely ethical all the time, either, but the author's point on framing is true: Democrats have been lousy at it, and Republicans have been good at it; that's not the dirty politics part, that's the CAMPAIGN part.
by
Douglas Smyth (21 articles, 5 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 68 comments)
on Tuesday, May 6, 2008 at 7:10:29 PM
I am not a McCain supporter or a Republican. However, I can tell you this much, McCain did not spend his days in the Hanoi Hilton, relaxing and enjoying the creature comforts of home. He was tortured. He was beaten. He was abused by his captors. When McCain says something is torture, you can take it to the bank, he knows what torture is. He lived it. Some US soldiers broke under this treatment. McCain did not break. McCain never gave in to the Vietnamese. Yeah, I would call him a hero. He has stood his ground, defended his principles, fought for what he has felt was right.
You don't have to agree with the policies of someone, their political inclinations to respect them for who and what they are. It is time campaigns got past the Willie Horton leaves, the Swift boat veterans, the Rev. Wright smears and other seedy efforts to distract, scare or frighten voters from looking at a candidate.
I don't think it is bad the Democrats haven't been good at these efforts. I hope they never do. It is a sorry day for America when winning is based on how effectively one runs negative campaigns rather than campaigns that deal with issues. I think it is the public which must demand a higher standard in politics. We accept this crap from politicians we elect and that is all they will ever provide us.
People make their best decisions when presented with rational information and facts. Good decisions are never made based on lies, inuendo and misleading information. That is garbage, pure and simple. There is a well known scientific study that shows the collective wisdom of people is always better than the smartest person in a group. That is, collectively people will make better decisions than the smartest person you can find. However, their decisions must be based on good information, not misleading information.
If we want to improve the political process we must demand an END to the policy of negative campaigning. It serves no purpose other than to confuse voters and provide an unfair advantage to a candidate who is otherwise weak. It's purpose is to distract and not enlighten voters. If the public would ban together and attack those who engage in these practices and explain why they are used perhaps the public will wise up and rebel against their use. I would love nother more than for the candidate who decides to fight dirty to be punished in the voting booth. It would send a strong signal to future politicians this type of behavior will not be tolerated. The public is not so stupid they can't grasp the purpose of negative campaigning.
by
Peter Wedlund (3 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 183 comments)
on Tuesday, May 6, 2008 at 11:04:52 PM
It is not "negative campaigning" to point out the facts of what happened to McCain and the hypocrisy of someone who was himself broken by torture to turn around and support torture by the United States now. The facts are the facts and John McCain voted against banning torture by the United States. That makes his story of being tortured fair game for Democrats to bring up and talk about from the frame of hypocrisy.
The point is not simply attacking McCain.
The point is to stop accepting whatever frame John McCain wants to put on himself (war "hero") and start framing him ourselves (victim of torture).
If we are too worried about being percieved as "mean" we WILL LOSE in November.
by
kpominville (16 articles, 0 quicklinks, 6 diaries, 14 comments)
on Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at 9:01:24 AM
I say don't play up his war prisoner record, play up his ideals or lack of ideals. McCain is just like George Bush in the fact his only purpose is to look out for the interests of big corporations. The rural people that always vote republican need to be made aware of the fact that he believes in a free market that will continue to drive down their wages, continue rising gas prices, continue the war in Iraq for the sake of defense companies, continue the outsourcing of every kind of American job, an unlimited visa worker program to displace those who's job just cant be moved offshore, and last but not least amnesty for illegal immigrants so they can undercut wages and put Americans out of work.
What rural America needs to realize is that McCain and the Republican party are their worst nightmare. I told this to some rural Republicans and their response was The Democratic party has given me plenty of nightmares. I didn't have much to refute his claim. Democrats need to demonstrate action to win back rural America. Image building will also help, nascar and country music are things they identify with and trust can be gained through these venues. Republicans are all ready using these two items.
by
Gary Denson (2 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 247 comments)
on Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at 6:07:29 PM
12 comments
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