McCain in Vietnam

1. 88

   Paragliderposted 15 years ago

   This clip is quite interesting
   
   http://english.aljazeera.net//news/asia … 36664.html

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2. 60

   knolyourselfposted 15 years ago

   Or this:
   "A couple of years later he was interviewed in prison camp by Fernando Barral, a Spanish psychiatrist living in Cuba. The interview appeared in Granma on January 24, 1970.
   
   McCain's fragile psyche runs on what Barral described "the personality of the prisoner who is responsible for many criminal bombings of the people." Barral went on, "He (McCain) showed himself to be intellectually alert during the interview. From a morale point of view he is not in traumatic shock. He was able to be sarcastic, and even humorous, indicative of psychic equilibrium. From the moral and ideological point of view he showed us he is an insensitive individual without human depth, who does not show the slightest concern, who does not appear to have thought about the criminal acts he committed against a population from the absolute impunity of his airplane, and that nevertheless those people saved his life, fed him, and looked after his health and he is now healthy and strong. I believe that he has bombed densely populated places for sport. I noted that he was hardened, that he spoke of banal things as if her were at a cocktail party."

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3. 88

   Paragliderposted 15 years ago

   I've no doubt he did what was required of him by the military, but so did many others who make no such 'war hero' claims.

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4. 0

   thegeckoposted 15 years ago

   All respect to McCain... but if the GOP keeps pushing his POW past as his biggest qualifications... I must ask...
   
   Is being tortured a qualification to be president?

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5. 79

   Shadesbreathposted 15 years ago

   I've never heard him call himself a war hero.  And when he talks about his experience, he explains how it shaped his attitudes.  I've heard Barrak Obama talk about his past experiences and how they shape his attitudes as well.  I think people just really hate the powerfully compelling nature of McCain's story because it is so frightening and moving to hear.  His experience is not a "qualification;" it's an explanation of how his character was formed and what shaped his resolve, particularly in understanding what is at stake in a war.  To pretend that the GOP is saying something as simple as "He was tortured, so he is qualified to be president" suggests that you aren't actually grasping what's being said.  You either miss the point on purpose because you've decided who you are voting for, or you miss the point because it is too complicated.  Not sure which.  His experience in Vietnam do not qualify him to be president, but they do inform his attitudes and personality, which then have an impact on who he is as a candidate.

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      B.T. Evilpantsposted 15 years agoin reply to this

      With so many people trivializing the accomplishments of both candidates in the interest of furthering their own party, it's nice to see that someone can read the real story. Also, being a veteran myself, I would never say that bombing the people who are trying to kill you is a criminal act. I may not be McCain's biggest fan, but you have to respect the resolve it takes to come out of a pow camp with your life and sanity intact.

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6. 87

   livelongerposted 15 years ago

   Yes, they do, and not a single person on the planet has had a quibble with that.
   
   The thing that most people take issue with is how often he deflects any and all questions about how he would govern by pointing to his POW experience. That begs the question: is there anything *else* that would make you a better president?

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7. 79

   Shadesbreathposted 15 years ago

   You must be living in a parallel universe to the one I live in.  I haven't even decided who I'm voting for yet, been leaning Obama for the last month or so, and even with that mind set, haven't seen what you've seen at all.  I guess we see what we want to see and filter out the rest.

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8. 0

   thegeckoposted 15 years ago

   I was hitting below the belt there and being sarcastic.
   
   But I don't think military service is enough of a qualification, and that's what his supporters and even Palin keep talking about when discussing McCain's ability to lead.

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9. 60

   knolyourselfposted 15 years ago

   "I would never say that bombing the people who are trying to kill you is a criminal act." How 'bout when you are in their country,
   what some 3,000 thousands miles away, killing them for what -
   was it the 'domino theory'.

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