Great history lesson on McCain

[central scrutinizer]

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/21470

From New York Review of Books

It is little remembered today that the political career of John Sidney McCain III, a career now thoroughly laundered in mythology, began with the help of several fortuities. In 1973 he returned from his five and a half years of captivity in North Vietnam to Washington, or technically Arlington, Virginia, which had been his childhood home for more years than any other single place as he followed his father, a celebrated four-star admiral, on the elder McCain's naval assignments. He was one of 591 prisoners of war repatriated early that year as a result of Operation Homecoming, and was selected by the editors of US News & World Report as the one returning POW who would be given a thirteen-page spread in the magazine to describe his ordeal (having a famous father never hurts), which brought him the same kind of attention and acclaim that had earlier, for different purposes, been showered upon the young Hillary Diane Rodham and the young John Forbes Kerry.

much much more at link

[still_one]

1. and his voting record is even more telling

http://www.ontheissues.org/Senate/John_McCain.htm


Iraq Withdrawal Amendment - John McCain Voted Yes
Eliminate the timetable for the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq. 2007.

Flag Desecration Constitutional Amendment - John McCain Voted Yes
Proposing a constitutional amendment that authorized Congress to ban physical desecration of the U.S. flag. 2006.

Hate Crimes Amendment - John McCain Voted No
Expands hate crime definitions and enhances the federal government's ability to investigate and prosecute hate crimes. 2000.

Teen Pregnancy Education Amendment - John McCain Voted No
Authorizes grants for sexual education programs dealing with contraceptives and abstinence for the prevention of teen pregnancy and sexual transmitted diseases. 2006.

http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/meet-the-real-mccain/mccain_on_the_issues.html

mccain is for the troops as long as it doesn't cost money:

– Voted AGAINST an amendment providing $20 billion to the VA’s medical facilities. <5/4/06>

– Voted AGAINST providing $430 million to the VA for outpatient care “and treatment for veterans,” one of only 13 senators to do so. <4/26/06>

– Voted AGAINST increasing VA funding by $1.5 billion by closing corporate loopholes. <3/14/06>

– Voted AGAINST increasing VA funding by $1.8 billion by ending “abusive tax loopholes.” <3/10/04>

and frankly when John McCain voted against establishing a national holiday in honor of Dr. Martin, which he now says is a mistake, is BS. There was NO justification to vote against that holiday except to either appeal to the racist vote, or that he himself has racist tendencies

[KharmaTrain]

2. He's Led A Fascinating Life...

The other day I caught shit out here for bringing up the Forestall incident, but also that I honored his time in captivity. While it appears like a dream now, I was a strong supporter of McCain-Feingold...and at one time, the man did show some rare independence, but that was then and this is now.

The GOOP wants to focus on the past...try to make this election into a popularity contest because the metrics on the issues is so stacked against them. They can't run on, they're going to run from...and Gramps bio is going to be their shield. We saw it already used on Obama last week when Gramps attacked him for not having "served". I expect the GOOP convention to be a non-stop Gramps highlight reel.

The one thing in that bio is Gramps inability to work well with others...and this has and will hurt his campaign.

Cheers...

Now is it the Red Zone is for loading and unloading only? I'm off to Joe's Garage...

[ColbertWatcher]

3. McCain has a habit of reminding people...

...at the most peculiar times that he was a POW.

According to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_mccain#U.S._Congressman_and_a_growing_family">Wikip*dia, McCain used the "I'm a POW" argument to silence people who called him a carpetbagger when he first ran for Congress in Arizona:

Listen, pal. I spent 22 years in the Navy. My father was in the Navy. My grandfather was in the Navy. We in the military service tend to move a lot. We have to live in all parts of the country, all parts of the world. I wish I could have had the luxury, like you, of growing up and living and spending my entire life in a nice place like the First District of Arizona, but I was doing other things. As a matter of fact, when I think about it now, the place I lived longest in my life was Hanoi.

It seems that McCain will use the "I'm a POW" whenever he wants people to stop scrutinizing him about anything.

It seems that instead of Godwinning a conversation by bringing up Hitler (oops) McCain will Hanoi a conversation by bringing up his experience as a POW. Unlike John Edwards who was always laughed at for bringing up the fact that his father was a mill worker...



...McCain seems to be let off the hook (surprise) every time he brings up his experience as a POW. Like the time he said:

"...I did have a period of time where I didn’t have very good healthcare, I had it from another government. Look, I know what it’s like not to have healthcare."

--http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/mccain-elizabeth-edwards-claim-a-cheap-shot-2008-04-20.html">TheHill.com

...when responding to a comment by Elizabeth Edwards paraphrased in an interview with George Hannity Stephanopoulos about how everyone should have good healthcare like the kind Congresscritters have.

Maybe McCain is hoping no one will compare him to his own father (or grandfather) or maybe he hopes no one will remember http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Stockdale#Prisoner_of_war">James Stockdale?

Or that diplomacy get him released?