The Turning Worm: The Overplayed POW-Card

[tekisui]

Jake Tapper, ABC News:

A meme has developed among some bloggers and commentators that McCain is citing those grisly five and a half years too often.

Among them one-time McCain admirer Andrew Sullivan, who sees it cropping up in McCain comments so often it's becoming even mockable, despite how horrific it was, in the same way Sen. Joe Biden, D-Del., felt able to mock former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani's invocation of September 11.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/08/the-pow-card.html

Maureen Dowd, NYT:

The ordeal also gave a more sympathetic cast to his carousing. As Robert Timberg wrote in “John McCain: An American Odyssey,” “What is true is that a number of P.O.W.’s, in those first few years after their release, often acted erratically, their lives pockmarked by drastic mood swings and uncharacteristic behavior before achieving a more mellow equilibrium.” Timberg said Hemingway’s line that people were stronger in the broken places was not always right.

So it’s hard to believe that John McCain is now in danger of exceeding his credit limit on the equivalent of an American Express black card. His campaign is cheapening his greatest strength — and making a mockery of his already dubious claim that he’s reticent to talk about his P.O.W. experience — by flashing the P.O.W. card to rebut any criticism, no matter how unrelated. The captivity is already amply displayed in posters and TV advertisements.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/24/opinion/24dowd.html?_r=1&em&oref=slogin

Steve Benen, The Washington Monthly:

After the McCain campaign responded to yesterday's flap over the senator's untold number of homes by emphasizing his background as a former prisoner of war, I started wondering just how often Team McCain plays this card.

Perusing the last couple of weeks, I found four examples: 1) in response to questions about McCain's marital infidelities; 2) in response to criticism of McCain's healthcare plan; 3) in response to a question about the first thing that comes to his mind when he thinks of Pittsburgh; and 4) in response to allegations he may have heard the questions in advance of Rick Warren's recent candidate forum.

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2008_08/014373.php

Anna Marie Cox, TIME:

The McCain campaign's constant invocation of the candidate's POW past is weird bordering on irrational: yesterday, Nicolle Wallace used it as evidence that McCain didn't "cheat" at Saddleback. By a VERY generous interpretation, she could have meant that POWs don't cheat. Or that once you've been a POW, you've been through so much you're above cheating. Or maybe you can't accuse a POW of cheating unless you're a POW.
http://www.time-blog.com/swampland/2008/08/in_his_house_there_are_many_ma.html

Sam Stein, Huffington Post

Once a remarkable and respected aspect of his biography, John McCain stands on the brink of "trivializing" his past as a prisoner of war, which has become a "crutch in the campaign,"

Newsweek's Howard Fineman declared Thursday, "I think they are going to it way too many times..."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/08/21/fineman-mccain-is-trivial_n_120511.html


These and more, yet, the Mccain campaign says they are prepared to use it more. They believe they have "underplayed" it, and will continue to roll it out as an excuse and a crutch. This just shows, again, how Out-of-Touch they really are.

A noun, a verb, a POW and lingering thoughts of PTSD are all they have.

[BeyondGeography]

1. Great post

K&R

[C_U_L8R]

2. McCain has made a self-serving mockery of himself

And everyone sees it.

[Motown_Johnny]

3. and ya just know they are going to go to this well throughout their convention, to late to change

plans now


This is going to be a punch line in ten days or less

[tekisui]

5. I can hear Letterman now......

[sarge43]

6. Whatever else, during the Repug yawn fest, don't start a drinking game with Noun Verb POW.

It'll take months to dry out and the credit card will be max'ed with liquor store runs.

[Triana]

4. NO Republican is above cheating (obviously). And regarding "uncharacteristic behavior"

McHothead has a notoriously irrational temper. I do NOT want someone who STILL has those erratic mood swings in the White House. I'd have concerns about THAT even if he was a Dem.

Hell to the NO!

Give me No Drama Obama, thankyouverymuch. I don't want any freaked-out, mentally unstable POW up there with his hand on the red button every time someone pisses him off (minutely).

[Jennicut]

7. This is so reminiscent of Guliani its not funny

Personal tragedy only works to humanize you if you don't mention it too often. Remember when Al Gore told that heartbreaking story of his son being in a near-death car accident at the 92 convention? It was moving because he hardly ever talked about it before and he did not dwell on it any time anyone asked him a difficult question. It was not used as an excuse or crutch for bad behavior. Same with Joe Biden. He has never exploited his personal tragedy of losing his first wife and daughter in a terrible car accident. He rarely talks about it and not in major detail. When he did talk about it to ABC news during the primaries it was powerful because of that. Guliani was the worsst, using OTHER people's pain and suffering as a constant crutch for his shortcomings. McCain needs to realize that being a POW means nothing if you don't conduct your life with grace and courage. He could explain that being a POW changed his outlook on life and made him sympathize with others who are in pain but its all about him. I have diabetes but I don't tell everyone that any bad day I have or mood swing or mistake is because of the stress of giving yourself shots everyday. McCain is pushing the limit and it could backfire if it has not already. A noun, a verb, and POW indeed.

[JerseygirlCT]

8. I'm hoping Biden comes up with another zinger akin to the

noun, verb 9-11 thing.

And unleashes it in his speech, maybe.

Am I the only one who remembers McCain steadfastly refusing to use this story during 2000? Now, suddenly, he's all Rove, all the time, and he can't pimp himself enough.

[yellowcanine]

9. McCain IS using it too often but Biden and Obama should leave it alone. It would only backfire and

in fact, no comment is needed. McCain jumped the shark on it by his downright weird use of it in response to the "how many houses?" question. That will come back to bite him again and again with no help from Biden or Obama.

[tekisui]

11. I agree that Obama and Biden don't need to use it. But, we

can and the media can dismiss it.

[RoadRage]

10. My mom is a Therapist... with many PTSD clients..

PSTD is a horrific affliction. It can creep up and strike at unpredictable times, and has a huge effect on those who have it.

I also don't know if someone with serious PTSD should run for president. And, I think that once more voters find out about what PTSD is, and how it could affect McCain during his years in office.

So, frankly - i'd like to see them continue to throw out the POW / PTSD card, and give undecided voters a reason to really question if McCain will EVER be ready to lead the country.

[tekisui]

13. I would like for every time he mentions his POWness

that PTSD is raised in the minds of every voter.

[SoCalDem]

12. From revered war-hero to