OK, McCain was a war hero and a POW. That does not mean he is not an Idiot!

[KansasVoter]

Anyone else sick of the requirement, that every complaint about McCain, has to start with a disclaimer that he is a hero?? I am sure there are many war heros and many ex-pows that are not qualified to run this country. McCain is one of them.

Being a war hero and Ex-POW does not mean anything in this election. Sure he loves his country. So does Obama and Hillary.

He deserves respect that he served his country but that is it. There are 1000s of vets who HATE this war and their opinion means just as much as McCains.

[Nitrogenica]

1. Being a war hero and a POW he allowed us to lie our way into a war and torture.

Great Job!

[anonymous171]

2. When my repug friends bring up his service all I say is "Why didn't Kerry's service matter then?"

It shuts them up real nice.

[galaxy21]

3. The only thing that stops me totally hating him is that he has kids in Iraq

It's one thing to send out other people's kids to war, like Bush and Cheney, but sending your own? He probably does think the war is the right thing and it worthwhile.

But, yeah, he's still crazy.

[theoldman]

4. Being a POW does not make a person a hero.

A POW is an unlucky person. You do not have to be smart to be a POW.

[KansasVoter]

6. True, but I was giving him the benefit of the doubt!

[cliffordu]

20. And you are a fucking idiot.

[TexasProgresive]

5. He was a real fighter pilot which makes him scarier

than the faux fighter pilot currently in the WH.

[KansasVoter]

7. Who was MAD he could not not bomb russian supply ships. Wow!

[KansasVoter]

8. Who was MAD he could not not bomb russian supply ships. Wow!

[BlueIdaho]

12. Well...

He was a real bad fighter pilot that managed to crash 5 - yes 5 jets. These jets were not shot down by the enemy these jets were flown into the ground here in the states by Pilot McCain. I'm not sure that is any kind of an improvement on the current Craphead in Chief.

[KansasVoter]

18. I didn't know that!

[WhiteTara]

9. I forget, what did he do heroic? n/t

[galaxy21]

11. Look, it could have been worse: Huckabee or Guiliani could have won

Huckabee was terrifying because he was basically more of a religious nut than Bush. And Guilani would have been much harder to beat as the nominee.

Mitt Romney didn't stand a chance anyway. The Mormonism was always going to work against him with a lot of people.

[WhiteTara]

14. yes, I know...but what was his heroic act?

I really don't know...just hear that he was. I thought he was a bomber?

[cliffordu]

19. I'll tell you what it was:

He was shattered physically after he was shot down. When the Vietnamese found out he was a VIP's son, they offered to let him out of the Hanoi Hilton to go home, giving them the opportunity for a nice photo op.

McCain refused to leave without the other Americans. After that, they really fucked him up.

I'd like to have that kind of courage in my friends. There are few who could cut it.

That being said, I'm sorry he went crazy and now loves and emulates the very man who's campaign smeared him so egregiously during the presidential campaign 7 years ago.

He is a now a shell of that very truly heroic man.

And he has NO business being a Nuclear Warlord. Or even a veep.

:patriot:

[Arkansas Granny]

10. I haven't seen that making a disclaimer about McCain is required before you can criticize him, but

if I hear anyone trying to do to him what was done to John Kerry and Max Cleland I will defend him. I could never vote for McCain and I certainly don't accept his political stance, but I do honor his military service.

[galaxy21]

13. Before, I may have tolerated a Mccain presidency but now he's just become Bush lite

Remember when you had princples and convictions, John?

[rasputin1952]

17. I admire anyone who serves the nation...as a vet I know what it

can be like.

I take offense to the word hero when hearing of McCain's service. I have known far too many
genuinely heroic people that I've served with. Many lie under marble or bronze markers, many others are still in underfunded and neglected VA system.

I have personally met two awardees of the Medal of Honor, Bob Kerrey, former D NE Governor and Senator, and one remarkable man named Roy Benevidez who passed away some years ago. What these men did, was beyond the scope of normal understanding.

McCain was shot down, ejected from his plane breaking both of his arms in the process. He went into the drink and was fished out by some locals. He was severely mistreated and tortured, (which somewhat baffles me on why he might even think that torture is in any way "good"), and he held out even when offered preferred treatment because of a list of Admirals in his family.

If he had tunneled out of the "Hanoi Hilton" and taken other POW's w/him, he would most certainly be warded "hero" status. But that is not a part of the story. He sat it out, was repatriated and returned to the US. While integrity and bravery were certainly apparent...it is far from "heroic".

After seeing what the GOP machine did to John Kerry, Max Cleland, and Bob Kerrey, (who only mentioned the possibility of running in 2000)...I think they have to dig pretty darn deep to find a "hero". The closest they can come to is a guy who thinks like bush. At least McCain showed up for duty!

[burythehatchet]

15. I Disagree. It takes a lot of skill and brainpower to lose 5 planes get show down and tortured.

Yeah. Not many people can claim that.

[New Dawn]

16. People who bomb Third World countries are not my heroes.

Vietnam was just trying to free itself from colonialism (first against the French, and then the US). Vietnam was a war that never should have happened. George Washington certainly would not have supported it!