McCain: Candidates Shouldn’t Talk About Their Vietnam Service
It seems that John McCain’s presidential campaign thinks that thus far they’ve “underused” the subject of McCain’s Vietnam service. Apparently, using it as a response to every criticism isn’t good enough so I guess that means they’ll be mentioning it in light of all McCain’s positive proposals, too. “I was held prisoner in Hanoi and tortured by Communists who wouldn’t approve of giant tax cuts slanted to the wealthiest citizens and that’s how I know that tax cuts for the rich is just what this country needs.” Or something. At any rate, once upon a time McCain was criticizing John Kerry for talking too much about Vietnam, saying he essentially invited the swift boat attacks by doing so:
McCain said that he urged Kerry sometime ago not to talk about Vietnam during his campaign. “I did advise John. I said, ‘Look, you shouldn’t talk about Vietnam because everybody else will. Let everybody else do it.’ His advisers figured that was probably not enough, that he had to emphasize that in his campaign. In my campaign, as you know, I didn’t talk about it because I didn’t need to.”
Now McCain talks about Vietnam when people ask why he can’t remember how many houses he owns, when they ask why he likes Abba, etc., etc., etc.
49 Responses to “McCain: Candidates Shouldn’t Talk About Their Vietnam Service”
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August 24th, 2008 at 8:18 pm
You don’t understand. Republicans are war heroes, even the ones who never went to war. By definition. Democrats are by definition traitorous pacifist arugula chomping elites, who should at best apologize for failing to either start the wars desired by Republicans or for failing to keep wars going forever.
How dare you question John Sobchak McCain’s integritude?
August 24th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
What’s amazing is how many times he talks about how he shuns talking about his time as a POW. Kinda like bragging about how humble you are, if you ask me.
August 24th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
It’s gonna be
Obama Biden ‘08!
vs.
McCain Trauma ‘08!
August 24th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
John McCain : POW :: Walter Sobchak : died face down in the muck
August 24th, 2008 at 8:43 pm
Hey guys did you know John McCain was a POW?
August 24th, 2008 at 9:18 pm
I’m sure he’s told Cindy (when he’s not calling her a trollop & other names), “I don’t have to put the lid down; when I was a POW for 5 1/2 years, I didn’t have a lid to put down.”
I see why he married her (youth, looks, money), but I’m not so sure why she married him.
August 24th, 2008 at 9:29 pm
He brags about how “courageous” he was in backing the surge too. He’s really an awful braggart
August 24th, 2008 at 9:43 pm
This is on the verge of flipping into a mainstream punchline. Just get him to go there in one more interview….but I think to really get Olbermann et al eyerolling it needs to be him and not his staff.
August 24th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
I keep on seeing all of these indications that McCain might hve been in the military in some capacity. It seems implausible, or he would have mentoned it by now, but there you are. Does anyone know whether McCain was in the military?
August 24th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
Who cares why McCain likes Abba? Who cares whether McCain likes Abba? Why should anyone care that McCain likes Abba?
August 24th, 2008 at 10:48 pm
Why should anyone care that McCain likes Abba?
I know damn well that if Obama was a fan of “Dancing Queen” he’d be the biggest, mincing, faggot of all time. It would be wall to wall, MSNBC, CNN, FOX, etc..
August 24th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
Did thinkprogress just eat my post because I used a slur to describe what Obama would be described as if he liked “Dancing Queen”?
August 24th, 2008 at 11:45 pm
Are you implying that John McCain, a former POW, is mentioning his military record too much?
August 24th, 2008 at 11:46 pm
No, the site has a little quirk. Once in a while, it doesn’t just grab the post and post it. It sort of ruminates on it for a bit, then posts it. I’m not sure why. There’s no links or anything (over two links triggers moderation). I’ve noticed it a couple times now.
August 24th, 2008 at 11:47 pm
MCCAIN FOR!! THIS IS EXCELLENT NEWS!!!
August 24th, 2008 at 11:55 pm
Here’s McCain on the new season of “Terminator”: “I sympathize with Derek Reese for hating Cameron. She brainwashed him at a Skynet POW camp, just like they brainwashed me in North Vietnam. Oh, wait…”
Terminator: Sarah Connor Chronicles Season 2 Teaser
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-s7yZNU4SGQ
August 25th, 2008 at 12:01 am
idiotic:
McCain really is going to go where Rudy dared to tread. Then again, McCain did hire some idiots from Rudy’s campaign.
August 25th, 2008 at 12:20 am
By October, I expect all of McCain’s ads to end with “I’m former POW John McCain, and I approve this message.”
I’m not much of a political strategist, but how can the McCain people think they need to use the POW thing more? How could any sentient voter not know by this point that John McCain was a POW?
August 25th, 2008 at 1:15 am
Tom Nawrocki, what in the world gave you the idea that the political advertising and sloganeering professionals, and especially those of the Rove/Schmidt persuasion, are seeking to appeal to sentient voters?
August 25th, 2008 at 3:18 am
Is there audio or transcript of what McPOW actually said when he consented to make propaganda for the North Vietnamese? Or is all this in the deep deep memory hole?
August 25th, 2008 at 3:51 am
I think that what really scares the McCain camp about the house issue isn’t (just) that it makes him seem out of touch, but it makes people think about why the man owns seven houses. If Democrats would start hitting McCain on the fact that he married into money, it would turn off a bunch of blue collar Americans. Let’s call it playing the golddigger card. Of course Obama can’t do it, but others can point out that McCain’s sugar mommy buys him nice houses (with butlers and maids) and pretty shoes while Obama worked his way up from a tough spot. Which of these things sounds more like the American dream you grew up with?
August 25th, 2008 at 5:40 am
The Dems should really start calling for a release of McCain’s military record.
August 25th, 2008 at 6:40 am
Sad to watch as John McCain morphs not into Bush 42, but into the King of the Hill character Cotton Hill, Hank’s irascible father. Cotton’s loss of both of his shins in the Pacific theatre fighting the “Tojos” becomes his Get of of Jail for Life Card, trumping all his sins during sixty years of toxic behavior (misogyny, bigotry, wrathfulness). In fact, check out pics of Cotton and McCain to notice the eerie “separated at birth” resemblance.
August 25th, 2008 at 8:04 am
Is McCain in the throes of Alzheimer’s? Some seem to think so.
“Such heart-warming news! High level Republican associates here are talking about the latest ploy on the part of the State of Israel to gain complete control of the United States government. Their idea is to offer the diseased McCain unlimited support from their papers and television stations in return for his putting Joe Lieberman on the ticket as vice president. As McCain is known to be seriously ill and will soon be unable to function, the plan will be for him to retire “for reasons of health” and then Joe Lieberman, loud and persistent Israeli supporter, will step into the Oval Office and America will have her first (unelected) Jewish president. And a firmly dedicated Zionist at that! Many GOP people say putting Lieberman on the ticket will ruin any chance McCain has at the White House. Why? His obvious mental confusion? No, the American public is becoming seriously anti-Semitic and anti-Israel and if McCain attempts to support a universal draft (as he is dead set on doing) and has a rabid Zionist as a running mate, his fall will be great and he will drag the shattered remnants of the Republican Party with him. Thank God!” TBRNews.org, Voice of the White House
Recent examples of McCain’s confusion — McCain recently talked at length about problems on the “Iraq/Pakistan border” – the countries are a thousand miles apart. Asked how to deal with Darfur, he mused about “bringing pressure on the government of Somalia”. Uh – it’s Sudan, Senator McCain. And he keeps expressing his desire to build up US relations with Czechoslovakia, a country that hasn’t existed for 15 years. ”
And, we all know by now McCain cannot remember how many houses he owns or even what kind of Car he Drives!
We, the American people, cannot afford to be fooled again with a President who does not have the intelligence and fortitude to shed light and bring real solutions to the many problems facing us today. We were fooled into a war which should have never been waged and will pay dearly for years to come. We have to be on guard this time and demand more, much more from our media, something they did not do after 911.
August 25th, 2008 at 8:27 am
How could any sentient voter not know by this point that John McCain was a POW?
The McCain people don’t bring up his captivity when they get tough questions to convince voters; they’re trying to guilt/bully the press. If you point out that he’s an old, deluded, out-of-touch warmonger, they’ll make it look like you’re picking on an honorable old man.
I don’t think the press likes it much anymore.
August 25th, 2008 at 8:35 am
– John McCain, 2004
August 25th, 2008 at 10:21 am
Somewhat OT:
Here is what fundamentalist nutcase James Dobson said about McCain in 2000:
Its just as relevant now as it was then. Dobson is perhaps the most influential evangelical nutcase of all. Obama ought to run an ad simply quoting Dobson and play it 24 hours a day in states where lots of evangelical nutcases live.
But of course Obama doesn’t have the balls to do something like that. If the roles were reversed, the Repubs would have 2000 GRP a week of it running in every swing state media market.
August 25th, 2008 at 10:28 am
Is McCain running for President because he cooperated with the North Vietnamese captors?
August 25th, 2008 at 10:35 am
John may have been a POW, but he WAS NOT tortured.
Seriously, just look at the defination of torture as defined by Bush’s John Yoo and David Addington.
August 25th, 2008 at 10:39 am
Fixed.
(at least, assuming the strikethrough tags work, since there’s no preview in this comment section)
August 25th, 2008 at 11:42 am
Given the fact that Kerry actually acted heroically on a couple of occasions, and that McCain’s heroism was of the “boy falling down a well” variety, you’d think McCain would be even more susceptible to swift-boating than Kerry.
August 25th, 2008 at 11:51 am
August 25th, 2008 at 11:52 am
you’d think McCain would be even more susceptible to swift-boating than Kerry.
Why swiftboat when the truth is enough?
August 25th, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Someone should make the point that there’s more to McCain’s military service than his time in Vietnam, but he doesn’t seem to want to let anyone know about that.
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