McCain's secrecy over Navy records raises questions
By SilentPatriot Tuesday Jun 17, 2008 3:10pm
Let me first start off by making absolutely clear that this is not intended in any way to be a "swift boat"-style attack on John McCain and his service. Despite what you may think of him as a Senator or Presidential candidate, there is no denying the fact that he served his country in ways that most of us could never even imagine. For that he deserves our utmost respect and appreciation. But that doesn't mean, however, that all claims about his service should be blindly accepted without scrutiny.
Indeed, investigative reporter Jeffrey Klein has uncovered what appear to be serious gaps in Senator McCain's military records. What Klein has discovered strongly suggests that the McCain campaign is deliberately trying to exaggerate the circumstances surrounding a promotion McCain turned down in order to serve in public life. As Klein notes, the timing -- along with McCain's lackluster academics and poor piloting skills, among other things-- would seem to disqualify him for the promotion in which the campaign now claims he rejected. What's more, McCain's refusal to publicly release his entire Navy record -- something John Kerry did after his record came under scrutiny -- only fuels speculation that he is tying to hide something.
Is McCain now getting away with more by hiding his official history and by having his national security adviser inflate McCain's resume with a bogus promotion to admiral humbly declined? If so, McCain may be attempting to hide why the Navy was in fact slow to promote him upwards despite his suffering as a POW and his distinguished naval heritage.
The entire article is worth the read, as it meticulously documents the serious gaps in question. Again, this is in no way intended to impugn McCain's military service or the years of torture he endured at the hands of his barbaric captors. Instead, the point is to evaluate the veracity of the claims his campaign is now making in order to help him get elected, and to also challenge him to live up to his promise of open government by fully disclosing his service record.
Just like we are all obligated to honor his heroic service, I think the American people deserve the right to evaluate the official record.
Login or Register to post comments.
Speaking of McCain, the LA Times is reporting that Obama leads in 3 key states: "According to the polls posted on the university's website, Obama is ahead 47% to 43% in Florida, 48% to 42% in Ohio and 52% to 40% in Pennsylvania."
So now let's see if that toxic fungus called Pat Buchanan, Wolf Blizter, the CORPORATE PIMP called Chistina Matthews, the entire Fox Propaganda channel, the KEN DOLL that is really a corporate robot called Brian Williams, all the right wing radio talk freaks like Limbaugh, etc, etc, etc now do a 24/7 to have McBush's full milatary records released as they did to Kerry .. who wants to take bets ?
mccain: in vietnam we "frustratingly limited bombing targets", damn civilians... some hero
i reject the meme of his hero status.
"Just like we are all obligated to honor his heroic service, I think the American people deserve the right to evaluate the official record."
I do not feel that I am "obligated" in any way to honor his "heroic" service. What is heroic about being shot down and then spending five years in captivity, some of it spent collaborating with the enemy? Puh-leeze. If anybody needed to be swiftboated in the most severe way, it's this piece of shit, that supposedly was tortured during those five years but now thinks torture is just fine. The guy's a complete dick and needs to be flayed alive.
WTF? Who gives a rats ass?
McCain is wrong in soooo many ways. Nitpicking his service record is not a big-ticket item.
Move ALONG!
I'm positive that McBush is hiding a lot of incriminating stuff. Afterall he just another Reslug liar.
and that is not 'swiftboating' him, that a quote from mccain (to my #3 post)
here's another mccain-vietnam quote:
"I do believe that had we taken the war to the North and made full, consistent use of air power in the North, we ultimately would have prevailed."
I'm not sure I understand how somone who graduated so low in his class got into flight school and then into the seat of a fighter bomber over Vietnam. Were they so desperate for pilots that they were taking anyone who had two arms and two legs? Or did Dad use some pull to get him in? I would also be interested in knowing the circumstances of his shootdown. How many SAMs were fired at him in that incident? I think that, considering the scrutiny under which the medals Kerry earned was so detailed, it would only be fair to know whether McCain should have been flying sorties over N. Vietnam in the first place.
So often it's not what you know that nearly gets you killed and loses a 10 million dollar jet. It's who you know.
In 2000 when McCain ran for President it was reported by his fellow soldiers he didn't tell the truth about his time as a POW.
McCain was scared and talked and was given special treatment by using his Father's status in the Military. Now yes the old man was hurt but he was given medical treatment as others were not. McCain is a proven user and liar. Example his first wife. He dumped her when recovering in the hospital and didn't care about his kids. Yes he saw money bucks Cindy and she brought him. McCain has told so many lies over the years he can't remember them any more. None of his fellow soldiers speak to him and that says it all. McCain made up a story that the press would feed to the public as a hero while he was no better then Bush/Cheney/Rummy all girly boys.
I'm getting very tired of McSame hiding behind his POW status whenever someone dares to question his motives.
"Despite what you may think of him as a Senator or Presidential candidate, there is no denying the fact that he served his country in ways that most of us could never even imagine."
There is no denying that he suffered and survived, which deserves respect. However, I don't think it is clear that the country benefited from (that is, was served by) McCain's time in the Navy.
Samson- @ 7:
drat, should read: "that IS a quote from mccain"
apologies
Might have extended time spent as a POW in Vietnam been an automatic career ender?
It is nonsense that his service record is out of bounds. If John Kerry’s record had to go under the microscope then surely McGrnapa should have his record examined. And why would he not want it to be examined? My hope is that is gets examined and that he passes with flying colors but if there is something there that he is trying to hide I also think we should know about it. It is only fair. I can only imagine that EVERYBODY on the right would like to know as well. ;^)
most of us believe in privacy.........but this is the most powerful position in the land(at least we think so) anyways if you have nothing to hide open up your file(s)...i'm trying not to pass judgement but mccain might be suspect....this is a continuation of bush's...secrecy can't be tolerated by the public anymore......he has been in the government his entire life......of course they will say it's an attack of a war hero.....i can hear/smell hannity already
Samson- @ 7:
Sure, all we had to do was KILL EVERY LIVING THING in North Vietnam, then we could've "democratized" them.
Just like we're doing so successfully in Iraq.
How did McCain get 100 percent disability? Was he diagnosed as mentally unfit or unstable to hold a job???
Did he have a nervous breakdown????
Matt in Texas @ 16:
exactly
this is the *kill 'em all and let gahd sort'em out* (il)logic
Janet @ 17:
Apparently, the GOP looks at "mentally unfit" as a requirement for their presidential nominees.
McCain's economic policies will make a bad situation worse--Winning issue
McCain wants to go war with Iran--Winning issue
McCain wants to "stay the course" in Iraq--Winning issue
McCain is a flip-flopper (See Jerry Falwell and the tax cuts)--Winning issue
McCain is a 3rd Bush term--Winning issue
McCain's war record--Losing issue
This is a diversion, folks, and it does nothing but help McCain and the GOP. It may not be fair, but the media will rush to defend McCain if his military record becomes an issue, unlike their performance with Kerry in 2004. McCain is salivating for the Dems and liberal blogs to make Vietnam a campaign issue--that's about all he has.
Plus, how does making McCain's service contribute to changing the political climate and getting this country away from the goddamn culture wars ushered in by the Sixties? The GOP has thrived on the "us vs. them," "we're patriotic, they're not" politics of the 1960s and 1970s. We've had enough that and we've had enough of them. Please C&L, don't add fuel to their poisionous and disastrous fire!!
While I was civilian flight instructor, I found that a certain personality type seemed more inclined to have accidents than others, including several instructors I knew. The latest and lamest FAA "Aviation Instructor's Handbook" might suggest McBush’s several crashes due to Macho hazardous attitude. It’d be fun to read his instructor pilots notations when he was a student pilot.
The parallel between Bush and McBush regarding privilege, academics, and approach to military service are interesting. At least McBush put his butt on the line in Vietnam.
Does nobody remember the insulting way John Kerry was treated in the '04 election?
This just goes to prove that the Left is no higher above the scum than is the Right.
Here's a fact. While McCain was getting the crap kicked out of him in Viet Nam
honoring the orders of a Democratic President, Obama was still dragging on the
teat and the Clintons were reading Nietsche and smoking weed.
If you want to criticize McCain's ideas, policies, his voting record, fine.
But, don't suppose that you know anything about his military service
or that you're in a position to judge any aspect of it.
If anything, the very fact that he was willing to go to Viet Nam
gives me more inclination to vote for him, and I've never voted
Republican in my life...not once.
Jackie @ 9:
After reading the article at Huff, it seems to me that McCain's own words in his book debunk the story about his being offered the admiral honor. I think his PR guy just fudged the story to make him look good.
What is interesting is that after reading that article, the question came to my mind, what has McCain ever been good at doing? What is his claim to fame? His history that we know of in the Navy was nothing to brag about. A lot of men were taken prisoner during that war and they too survived without telling the enemy anything. But seriously what has he accomplished besides being a Senator? He talks about Senator Obama having no experience, well, what exactly is his?
Let's Not Go Down This Road @ 20:
i think your correct it's almost a trap......but it shouldn't and i think you would agree....someone said it earlier we have to move on.....the right will use this against and rally the haters.....while we take our eyes off the big prize
He should open his entire record.McCain was isolated from other Americans for 22 months.See: http://www.vietnamveteransagainstjohnmccain.com/cin_tedmancurin.htm
He received help at a price...most wounded didn't make it.
He Recieved 28 medals for 20 hours of combat flying. Nepotism at its best?
i don't buy into the ridiculous (mainstream) notion that because McBane was in the service, we need to bend over backwards with caveats before being critical of him. i'm sure the military is rife with cretins like the rest of society.
The hidden record wouldn't have anything to do with the horrible fire on the USS Forrestal now would it?
Nah, they wouldn't cover up for the son/grandson of US Navy Admirals. That doesn't happen.
I wonder how many middle-aged north Vietnamese live with the permanent reminders of McCain's 'service'?
McCain himself characterized his 'service' as that of a 'war criminal'.
OK, it's not an easy thing for military people to buck the system and refuse to participate in the crimes their superiors dream up.
But let's not get carried away about this 'service' thing.
I think the media looks at McCain as the pitiful elderly ex POW and they are afraid if they say anything negative they will look like they are being disrespectful of him.
McCain was also still an active-duty Navy Captain while having his extra-marital affair with Cindy in 1980, which is a crime under the Uniform Code of Military Justice (Article 134-2, "Adultery").
I think this should be left alone. McCain was a real asshole in his actions regarding the Swift Boat Liars and Kerry. There is no reason to invalidate the conventional wisdom that its the GOP'ers that do this stuff with a mini swift boating done on Mccain by the Left. Folks, its his military service you ARE talking about ( no matter how much you preface it with HE is a hero camp) and it should be droped right now. Its a cheap shot and Obama has based his campaign on change from this.
we know from past history extremist's sometimes wear the uniform.....don't make any mistake about it this is a third bush term...he will try to carry the torch of the NEOCON beliefs at all cost
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=9341
Richard @ 31:
I strongly agree. No good can come of this.
OneTrickPony @ 22:
Actually, I'd rather have a well-read president than the eager-to-go-to-war president any day. Performance in military service is as up for scrutiny as performance in any other line of work. McCain being a bad pilot doesn't affect my vote one iota, but Republicans opened this can of worms when they started smearing Kerry with a bunch of lies and after the way they clamored for Kerry to release his full military records, it is absolutely fair to remind them their candidate should be held to the same standard.
In view of the fact that Kerry released his entire military record, we should accept nothing less from McSame.
Fork it over Gramps.
*
And while I am at it let me translate the nauseating phrase " it raises questions". The purpose of that psycho-babble is to PLANT questions and TO RAISE questions when in fact they are not there. One might ask: Does McCain have a military problem? Again, the purpose here is to assert that he does rather than ask a legitimate question. We can go on and on with this but to sum it up tersely: is there a fucking reason to use every journalistic scam there is on a site that purports to exist only to expose such scams?
The "official record" is the only one of consequence. sunlight and the radiation of heat.
D @ 30:
OUCH! The whold cheating topic is a much better angle than swiftboating because it demotivates his base instead of getting them fired up.
Sven @ 33:
i totally understand but i don't feel it's cheap but a mistake....
Obama will be swift boated instead. That's how it works in this country.
McPug is running for the highest government position in america. The president represents the people. Therefore, the people have a right to know what McPug is all about! His military records would help reveal the true man under the facade he exposes to the media.
How many planes did Mccrazy crash during his career? and what happened on the Forestal? He is a war hero for what side?
Between the two Kerry or Mccrazy I would say Kerry is more of a hero.
Truth B Told @ 27:
I've read many stories that blame McCain for that fire, but they all track bak to one single story which doesn't name the person(s) who made the accusations.
These accusations must have come from a survivor of that fire. It's been over thirty years since the USS Forrestal burned, and no one has publically admitted to seeing McCain "wet start" his aircraft (I have read many accounts that many who served with McCain considered him a gaping asshole, however). Until I see signed affidavits from witnesses, I'm not buying it at all.
annoyed @ 40:
exactly and that won't be considered cheap but accepted scrutiny.......your running for office everything should open civilian or military.....seems like the unfair advantage deal to me but i willsay were better getting on other issues since this will used against our party
Charles @ 13:
Well I certainly agree that there's NO APPARENT REASON why this automatically QUALIFIES him for president. And I'm sick of people making THAT assumption.
He served. Lots of people served. We can't make them ALL president. I don't care if McSame DOES think it's his term. Let him and Dole go have a good old-fashioned drunken binge over it and be done with it.
*
I guess while it is questionable how much benefit the U.S. got from McCain's time in the Navy, there's no denying how much mileage he's gotten out of it.
John Kerry has never released all his records. There are something like 100 pages still withheld, and - wonder of wonders - they include the circumstances of his "honorable" discharge, which came years after he had finished serving, about the time of Jimmy Carter's general amnesty.
I appreciate your effort to separate John McCain's heroic service from the suspicions you raise. But don't you think there should be more than just suspicions if you're going to raise them about McCain?
Richard @ 31:
Exactly. Kind of hard to talk about "Change We Can Believe In" if we're doing the same as the Rethugs. If we want to dip into McCain's past, there's plenty to talk about without bringing up Vietnam (Keating Five; flip-flopping on the Religious Right, torture, and taxes; bad policies in general, etc.). It's not only contradictory to the new kind of politics represented by Obama, but it's a political disaster for our side.
Remember this--The Hanoi Hilton is McCain's trump card. As long as we make sure that the key issues are the economy, Iraq, and his 90+% support for Bush policies, we win. If we give him the chance to bring up being abused by the North Vietnamese, he wins sympathy for his cause and pulls many of his independent and GOP opponents over to his side.
Don't get me wrong, it frustrates the hell out of me that the media and more Americans didn't rush to Kerry's defense after the Swift-Boat Scumbags attacked his service, especially considering that Bush was busy getting wasted and chasing cougars in Alabam. Hell, it frustrated me that Kerry waited so long to defend himself! But, we have to be real. McCain wants us to talk about Vietnam. Once again, it's his only hope.
he didn't get promoted b/c hmmmm let's see...
he's an idiot
Was he a naval academy grad? that has something to do with it big time if not...especially to Admiral back then
pissed off patricia @ 29:
They look at him the same way they look at Karl Rove; as a master of the game. They respect people who can play the system. One look at the way our media treats vets who are critical of Bush will show you how much inherent respect they hold for military service.
It's McCain's shameless-- yet effective-- exploitation of his military service that they respect. It's not his "moderate" politics they like (he's no moderate). It's the way he's managed to project that illusion and use it to wield more political influence.
so are people really saying that mccain's vietnam record, views on vietnam and the conduct of the vietnam war is not a legitimate line of inquiry?
i TOTALLY understand the hesitancy to make this an issue in the campaign, as it surely will backfire on the dems. but, to say that it is none of our business, or that, somehow, mccain's service is not important is, to me, ludicrous.
in other words: mccain can be destroyed on the economic and foreign policy issues, and this is what the campaign against him should be based on. BUT, as voting citizens, it is our solemn responsibility to understand the underlying ideology, in regards to mccain's views on war, civilian deaths, etc. and, also, comparing an honest look into mccain's past is WHOLLY different from the swiftboat campaign, which was based on dishonesty.
Shouldn't that first line read,
"Let me make this perfectly clear..."
in the government his entire life.........should have seen his face when asked why is government healthcare good enough for you but not me type question.........it was that look of i'm entitled...maybe he is and maybe he isn't the public has paid his way and we want to know what we paid for.........
The "official record" is the only one of consequence. sunlight and the radiation of heat.
If McCain was brainwashed, it should be investigated. He should have to undergo rigorous psychological and physical testing to determine if he is stable enough to be considered a candidate. This would be demanded of anyone on the democratic side trying for such a job. In fact, they would be claiming the democrat is lying, infirm, unconscious, irritable, prone to anger and the enemy.
If you think it best left alone, you have a lot of problems with the reality of the dirt that is the GOP and their slime machine. It is time to expose the truth that they do not want anyone to see. It is hard to believe people wanting "not to go there" when it comes to exposing the inherent criminal behavior of the people that have almost killed this country in 8 years. Please come to your senses.
Being captured doesn't make you a hero. It makes you a POW. There were POWs who were heros -- and Grandpa McCain was not one of them.
"I am a war criminal," McCain said on "60 Minutes" in 1997. "I bombed innocent women and children."
After he was shot down by his fellow sailors, and his napalm killed 132 Americans, he said :
"Now that I've seen what the bombs and the napalm did to the people on our ship, I'm not so sure that I want to drop any more of that stuff on North Vietnam."
But he did.
Back when the swift boaters were attacking Kerry, the media ate it up. They showed their ads for free as often as they could. Had they, the media, not abetted the swift boaters as much as they did, I don't believe their ads would have had the impact that they did.
Naval officer promotions are determined by promotion boards, one board for each rank. Officers are selected by the board for pormotion for a particular rank, and the board also determines the date at which the promotion becomes effective. When you become eligible for consideration, it's called "coming into the zone". Nobody knows who's been selected for promotion until the board announces its results.
It's easy enough to find out if McCain was selected for admiral but later turned it down after the board's selections were announced. Just check through archived issues of The Navy Times of that period. If he had been selected for admiral, it would have been announced, as were the selections for every officer selected for promotion to that rank, together with the date at which the promotion would have become effective. If no announcement of selection for O-7 in the Navy Times, then he wasn't selected. And the boards are under penalty of "vigorous interrrogation" followed by death to them and their family pets if any of their deliberations are ever leaked prior to the announcements.
McCain claims he was tortured. How do we know that is true? He has a proclivity to make it up as he goes along, so we need to really
know more about this chronic liar. If he did serve, so what anyway? He is now a pathological liar and would eagerly start another war to get elected or stay in power. That creep needs to retire and leave the future to us. Screw him!!!
Too many "we luvs the militaryz" disclaimers in your piece, SilentPatriot. Let's call it what it is: McCain was a legacy/affirmative action hire who wrecked more planes than he actually landed safely. Like Bush, he went into his daddy's business. And like Bush, he sucked at it.
But that doesn't mean we should go after McCain's spotty record of achievement: Those who believe that McCain's a hero, rather than a survivor, won't have their belief shaken by oppo press.
There's enough other stuff to pin on ol' T-Rex Arms McCain without having to judge qualitatively his "service" to the Motherland. But, man, was he a shitty flyer.
ps: McCain finished in the bottom 10% of his class in HS and at Annapolis. Shit, it's a wonder anybody let him near a box-kite, let alone a carrier-based aircraft.
Let's see . . .
Privileged upbringing, mediocre (at best) academic record, attitude problems, military promotions facilitated by family influence, poor record as pilot, reputation as a hellraiser . . .
Sounds all too familiar.
Nope, I strongly disagree. What you're suggesting is similar to what Kerry decided to do when the Repugs swift-boated him. His failure to respond forcefully to their attacks on his military record when he ran for president in 2004 contributed to his defeat.
Why is it off limits to discuss the fact that McCain made lots of recorded propaganda that was then broadcast for other US soldiers to hear? Why is it off limits to discuss that McCain did this? McCain says that he made those tapes because of torture (a claim that has been repudiated by others who were there, but let's take McCain at his word for sake of argument) - implying that he didn't agree with them, but did them because he was forced to by use of torture... but now McCain is pro-torture?
Why is this off limits?
Samson- @ 3:
Extremely well said. One finds it bizarre why [so-called] liberals feel the need to wave the flag just as vigorously as their conservative colleagues. There is absolutely nothing heroic about McCain or any other American dropping napalm on civilians from 35,000 feet in the air. McCain said the very same thing in a 60 Minutes interview in the 1990s. This then begs the question why McCain has not been prosecuted for war crimes for incinerating civilians who never threatened anyone in these United States. Perhaps this explains the reason why the United States has decided not the join the International Criminal Court. American Exceptionalism at its finest [or worst].
Epinnoia @ 55:
You said it. Nail on the head.
McCain has been well paid for his service. He's lived at the top in the lap of luxury ever since. He's cheapening his war experience for votes. Please don't further reward him with the presidency.
Let's remember this--the most important thing in this election is defeating McCain.
We may not like it, but this is the hand we've been dealt: Dems bring up McCain's service and we're unpatriotic, America haters who don't understand "average" Americans who proudly served their country (although as someone pointed out earlier, a legacy son of Navy admirals isn't exactly "average"). The message gets repeated throughout the MSM and Obama loses. John W. McBush enters the White House on Jan. 20, 2009. Not exactly the way I want to start off the New Year.
In short, stay away from Vietnam and stick to the winning script: 1) McCain is a 3rd term for W. 2) Show the photograph of McCain hugging Bush. 3) Show the McCain clip from "Meet the Press" when he says he stands firmly with Bush on the "transcendent" issues of our time. 4) REPEAT
Hell, we're holding people as prisoners at gitmo for five to six years and some of them are innocent as hell. They have been tortured too. You would think McCain would be all about understanding what these people are going through and getting the innocent ones out as soon as possible.
Let's Not Go Down This Road @ 68:
Yes, I remember how those dynamics operated in 2004, when the whole Swiftboat thing backfired and Kerry beat the shit out of Bush in November.
Rusty The Dap of Death Shackleford @ 70:
The point is that, unlike Kerry, the MSM will come to McBush's defense. It's hypocritical. It's inconsistent. It's not right. But that's the way it is and we have to account for that fact when choosing to make/not make this an issue.
McCain has so many negatives that, if we stick to the winning strategy, then we send his ass back to Arizona and prevent 4 more years of neo-con artist policies. If we get off-track with Vietnam, then we shoot ourselves in the foot.
I just want to win!!!
SilentPatriot @ top
"Let me first start off by making absolutely clear that this is not intended in any way to be a “swift boat”-style attack on John McCain and his service."
Oh i wouldn't worry about any such *intent*. Haven't you heard? It's ok for us to do it now as long as the Republicans did it _first_. We've already started doing it – check it out:
"Let me say for the record that I am not particularly enamored of this line of questioning...
However, since the Republicans crossed this threshold during the Clinton administration..."
-Nicole Belle
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/06/04/mccains-past-infidelities-come-...
"Now, I should clarify that as far as I’m concerned, McCain’s marital difficulties and adultery aren’t especially significant in this campaign...
But therein lies the point: if Clinton’s personal history was a matter of tremendous national significance as a candidate and as a president..."
-Steve Benen
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/06/10/meet-john-mccains-wife-no-not-t...
Of course the Republicans are going to keep on doing stuff like this, but if you look closely there are warning signs. Here's one:
http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/06/11/gop-game-plan-when-in-doubt-go-...
Why stand on principles when hypocrisy is so much easier?
The sad thing is, there are still clowns on the networks that continue to spread the myth that he has some special sort of
national security chops. In reality he appears clueless about both the MidEast, and for that matter what he said a day or two ago, let alone a couple of years ago.
negativnein @ 26:
Absolutely I agree.
Uncle Sam @ 74:
Mostly cretins I'm afraid, and lots of creeps that see that $60,000 signing bonus and decide that killing is not such a bad thing after all.
McCain is USING his Military Service to promote his bid for the Presidency. So the voters need to see the entire record. Why withhold it when it is entirely honorable and couragous?
"What’s more, McCain’s refusal to publicly release his entire Navy record — something John Kerry did after his record came under scrutiny...."
That's right, SilentP, John Kerry did release his entire record. But not until after the election and months after the SwiftBoat attacks. So please don't try to use Kerry's actions to justify a demand that McCain release his records now. BS arguments of that sort do "our" side no good at all.
Rusty The Dap of Death Shackleford @ 70:
Amusing, but I wonder how effective the SwiftBoaters would have been if Kerry had released all his records immediately. Documents are a much better reply than words.
JTM @ 78:
We all wonder, don't we?
Exotic Blue Lensman @ 38:
Repugnantcons spent years destroying Bill Clinton for sex. Turnabout is fair play.
This article starts off saying: "Let me first start off by making absolutely clear that this is not intended in any way to be a “swift boat”-style attack on John McCain and his service. Despite what you may think of him as a Senator or Presidential candidate, there is no denying the fact that he served his country in ways that most of us could never even imagine. For that he deserves our utmost respect and appreciation."
Oh, really? I disagree. Just because your job is in the military does not make you an automatic "hero." When you fail in your mission and lose your multi-million dollar aircraft and wind up a POW, you are not automatically a hero. You are just out of the game.
The heroes of the day were the ones who successfully completed their missions and returned their aircraft, in the face of enemy fire or missiles, or bad weather, or whatever. Look at his flying record and note how many of the taxpayer's airplanes he was personally responsible for destroying. Do we consider all the NVA and VC prisoners WE held in OUR POW camps heroes? Really? Why not?!? Puh-leeeeze.
I have only little to say about this. Here in AZ there are a number of Vietnam vets I know who get awfully angry if you bring up McCain's heroism. I'll let the vets police their own.www.vietnamveteransagainstjohnmccain.com is an example of which I speak...