McCain Backs Up Trump And Blames Media For Backlash To PTSD Comments

[DonViejo]

Source: Talking Points Memo

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) defended Donald Trump on Tuesday against accusations that the Republican nominee implied some military veterans were not “strong” enough to deal with post-traumatic stress disorder.

"The bias that is in the media. What he is saying is that some people, for whatever reason, and we really don’t understand why, suffer from PTSD, and others don’t," McCain told the Arizona Daily Star's editorial board.

“I know people who have suffered from PTSD,” McCain continued. “I never have. I have never had a flashback. I never had a bad memory; I never had anything but the greatest gratitude for the honor of serving in the company of heroes.”

On Monday, Trump called for robust mental healthcare for veterans, saying to a gathering of the Retired American Warriors PAC, "When you talk about the mental health problems, when people come back from war and combat, they see things that maybe a lot of folks in this room have seen many times over. And you’re strong and you can handle it, but a lot of people can’t handle it.”

-snip-

Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/mccain-defends-trump-ptsd-gaffe

[stopbush]

1. Asshole.

“I know people who have suffered from PTSD,” McCain continued. “I never have. I have never had a flashback. I never had a bad memory; I never had anything but the greatest gratitude for the honor of serving in the company of heroes.”

This is the kind of Neanderthal thinking about mental health issues that holds us back as a species.

[niyad]

6. soooo, grumpy--you were a pow for five years, and you have no bad memories, no nothing?

seriously, either you are a liar par excellence, a pandering asshole, or you are so checked out of humanity that nothing that happened touched your psyche at all? reallllly? which is it, grumpy?

[niyad]

8. I know plenty of people who have suffered from ptsd, you pandering, hateful jackass. I have

lived with the consequences of it nearly my whole life. and you sit there so damned smug it makes me sick. you are either a liar, or so clueless that you do not even deserve to be called human.

[Wounded Bear]

9. A lot of people with PTSD...

either don't know, or won't admit that they do suffer from it.

It's a big part of the problem, that neither Trump, nor McCain understand.

[Coyotl]

42. ... got it watching Trump on T-V.

[chillfactor]

2. not going to help the asshat...

in his bid for re-election.

[yallerdawg]

3. Someone's going to burn in hell for all eternity.

Talk about selling your soul to stay in power.

Pandering to Trump voters is as low as you can go.

[texasleo]

4. McCain really is the saddest part of this election.

[anamandujano]

5. Why do people have to explain everything Trump meant? We need someone at the helm who

can speak so that everyone understands without endless interpreters, someone like Hillary for instance.

[awoke_in_2003]

34. "He says what he means"

except when he doesn't

[SunSeeker]

7. McCain has lost his soul.

[Wounded Bear]

10. Happened many years ago...nt

[SunSeeker]

23. Yep. nt

[hamsterjill]

11. Absolutely!

After the way that Trump treated McCain, that's a sure thing. McCain could have, after all, just kept his mouth shut if he truly believed that the media was taking advantage of little Donnie. But he speaks up to gain attention for himself.

[TexasBushwhacker]

39. He buddied up to Bush even though Karl Rove

had push polled him in North Carolina in 2000. Asked people if would bother them if they knew that McCain had fathered a black child. That was unforgivable.

[geek tragedy]

12. When does he give Trump the sweaty, floppy hug? nt

[C Moon]

17. :D

[hibbing]

13. Uh...I saw it

Just like everything the nominee of the Republican party says and then they try to walk it back or redefine what he said. I'm no rocket surgeon, but it was pretty clear to me.


Peace

[Old Vet]

14. As a Vietnam veteran all I can say is Sen. McCain does a GREAT dis-service....................

To spew the bullshit about whether or not PTSD comes down to being strong enough to handle. Is this a ploy to stay in good graces with the republican base, He should know better then anyone being threw the hell he was.

[Old Vet]

15. Why for the life of me hes not a strong advocate for us who wore the VSM......

makes no sense at all, When youd think he would be the biggest advocate.

[PatSeg]

16. Wow

He doubled down on what Trump said. Unbelievable. What next? Is he going to advocate water-boarding?

[C Moon]

18. McCain's still bitter about losing to Obama. Thanks go to all the gods, for that. Whew!

[haele]

19. Time to look for a new dementia doctor for Sen. McCain.

He should try the VA in San Diego instead of some of those private practice Phoenix doctors.
They're hooked up with all the cutting-edge geriatric studies (including two major Alzheimer's studies) and a lot of bio-med firms in the area, so their clinicians are some of the best in the country.

Nice that he can forget 5 years in a POW camp, as well as the horrific fire that killed over a hundred sailors, including pretty much the entire deck crew, that he was distinctly involved with. I've seen the film several times as part of safety and shipboard firefighting training, saw the part where the deck camera showed him jumping off his plane as the flames surrounded him.
If he isn't affected by any of that, then he's a psychopath, has nothing between the ears, or he's forgot the entirety of a 10-year span of his life from the 1960's to mid 1970's.

Haele

[Old Vet]

22. WOW, Your right haele, I had forgotten about alot of those incidents....sigh

[Nitram]

20. Whatever respect I had for McCain's service and his suffering as a POW is now gone forever.

Faithless political whore.

[LiberalLovinLug]

21. Always astounded at McCain, and Republicans politicians in general, penchant for flagellation

Rove, working for W, engineers a rumour for the deplorables about McCain having an illegitimate black baby and thus making sure he loses the primary.

Next thing you know McCain is giving W a big hug and congratulations on the win.


Trump basically calls him a coward for being a prisoner of war.
And now scoffs at PTSD, its like McCain was just waiting for the right opportunity (the next Trump stumbles with the military) to jump in to defend his abuser.

pathetic. They have no morals, or self respect.

[Astraea]

24. Another piece of trash who needs to go

this November.

Go Ann Kirkpatrick!

[WhiteHat]

25. The real problem here is how easily Republicans put Americans in harm's way

No war, no PTSD, less demands on the VA and all the other support services required to help OUR OWN VICTIMS OF WAR, no matter who "won."

Electing to go to war is a crime, not just "technically" in international courts but for humanity in general.

[Siwsan]

26. Being a Senator is pretty much McCain's 'raison de vivre'

It's all he has and he will do and say anything he thinks will help him to hold on to that job.

Should he lose, I suspect we will see him rapidly decline.

[MattP]

27. McCain has Stockholm syndrome for sure

[Yavin4]

28. McCain has no honor at all.

Shame on him.

[matt819]

29. What a shame

This man is a shadow of his former self. Notwithstanding his POW years and his role as a "maverick" in Congress, his obituary will lead with Sarah Palin and his utterly craven and shameful support of a man who mocked him for being a POW. Have you no shame, Sen. McCain? Apparently not.

[BlueStater]

30. McCain hasn't had anything close to honor in a long time.

He stuck his face in Bush's armpit in 2004 and it's been all downhill ever since.

[Hugin]

31. I guess they're figuring out how much this hurt The Donatang's campaign and holding the Senate.

Every single stand alone Trumppoodle sign on public right-of-ways in the very red town I live in has been quite literally torn down over the past three days.

Wow, the soft peddling in that fourth paragraph is incredible.

[onecaliberal]

32. I hope Arizona finally sends that guy packing.... He just needs to go home and STFU

[Rex]

33. Wow how humiliating for McCain, does he have no personal integrity?

I hope he loses his seat and realizes it is because people view him as easily led around by the nose.

[kacekwl]

35. Liar n/t

[roamer65]

36. Time to boot this moron out of the Senate, AZ. N/t

[joeybee12]

37. He truly scum. nt

[dawn frenzy adams]

38. God I hope...

that Arizona will finally throw him out of office. He has a terrible record with veterans.

[yellowcanine]

40. Grumpy is selling his soul for Trump supporter votes.

Shameful.

[Coyotl]

41. Looks like McCain wants to retire. AZ just turned blue and he props up Trump?