Dowd: McCain "Cheapening" POW Experience

NY Times:

My mom did not approve of men who cheated on their wives. She called them "long-tailed rats."

During the 2000 race, she listened to news reports about John McCain confessing to dalliances that caused his first marriage to fall apart after he came back from his stint as a P.O.W. in Vietnam.

I figured, given her stringent moral standards, that her great affection for McCain would be dimmed.

"So," I asked her, "what do you think of that?"

"A man who lives in a box for five years can do whatever he wants," she replied matter-of-factly.

I was startled, but it brought home to me what a powerful get-out-of-jail-free card McCain had earned by not getting out of jail free. ...

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.

Read the whole story: NY Times

Comments

[mouselion]

Cowardly. Use your POW status as a shield to criticism. Would that be his operational approach in the White House? Four years of being reminded of the McCain in the Little Big House every time there's any reproach of the White House? Yuck! No cottage cheese for me!

[darthdarcy]

Why aren't those who were also POWS with McCain supporting his presidency, and why did they call him "Songbird.­.?"

[mouselion]

Let's hope there's some kapow value from the POWs on this. . .

[abby4ever]

Let him overplay it, it will be his undoing.

[personalpolitical]

Go Dowd!

Noun, Verb, POW!

[fudgebuster]

McCain loves freedom. That's all I have to say 'cept for ... Why does Obama hate the USA?

[RustyGranite]

Don't you have fudge to bust?

[MajorKong]

You're either a really good satirist or a really bad propagandist.

[IzzyCA]

Why do you think Obama hates the USA? Did Rush Limbaugh tell you that?

[bygollymissmolly]

It's ok c u p c a k e. The next 8 years are going to be tough on you, but you will survive. We survived B'ush (barely).

[wm1066]

Ummm... alot of people didn't survive bush.

[Eoin45]

We all know that's all you have to say and it ain't much.

[kentuck]

Where's General Clark?? He said point blank and truthfully that being a POW does not automatically qualify anyone to be President and that McCain was not qualified to be President because of those experiences. Perhaps it was not politically correct to say it, but it was the truth.

If the McCain campaign was so secure in their position on POWs, then why did they feel the need to lash out at General Clark? Could it be that they know this is all McCain has going for him and that would have been the end of his campaign if that truth was exposed? But they continue to play the game.

And the media goes along with the "maverick" and the "straight shooter", knowing full well they are scamming the political process with this issue. It seems to me it would have been more honorable and respected if he did not bring it up. Let others talk about it. It just doesn't sound right ...

[Yasmine]

GENERAL CLARKE SPOKE THE ABSOLUTE TRUTH :

GEMERAL CLARKE WAS COURAGEOUS AND UNFORTUNATELY THE DEMS DID NOT HAVE THE COURAGE TO SUPPORT HIM.
I hope he is chosen for the Pentagon

[BARRY08]

ONe of McVain's POW buddies ( having spent 8 yrs against 5 of McBush )
states that in Vietnam they were all offered early release and their duty was to refuse it base on the fact that it could be used as 'propaganda' ( in case what you do not know what propaganda is , just see what Fox News has been up to for the past 8 yrs with present administration)

This POW also states that McCain was not tortured for as long as he says he was
and that things were very different after two years because the administration changed
they use to escape - at McCain's prompting - to have a beer and then come back later to their cells

so I ask you , does your mother know he was out ?? does she know he did not spend all the time inside a box ??? and does she understand that being in a box - free or not - is what we all are when we are lacking of means to survive

McCAIN IS NOT IN TOUCH WITH THE WORKING PEOPLE
HE HAS NO IDEA WHAT PEOPLE ARE GOING THROUGH

HOW COULD HE ???
WHY WOULD HE ???

HE IS NOT READY TO LEAD
AND HE IS NOT ALL UP THERE !

[fudgebuster]

McCain loves God, Freedom, and the USA!

[abigail1]

is that a snark?

[TheHandyman]

Just like he did his first wife but was willing to desert her when something better came along!

[IzzyCA]

So does Obama! This, they have in common

[SeaBoatbuilder]

That's great. Now what's he going to do to fix the mess this country has become in the last 8 years? So far, all I hear is more of the same, and I doubt it's going to help.

[BARRY08]

Is McCain Now Copying Solzhenitsyn?
By Taegan Goddard | August 17, 2008 8:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (21)

Last week, a speech by Sen. John McCain had phrases that were likely lifted directly from Wikipedia.

Now it seems McCain may have lifted another story last night at megachurch pastor Rick Warren's Faith Forum. According to a very persuasive Daily Kos diary, the anecdote McCain told about a North Vietnamese prison guard making a cross in the dirt as a sign of solidarity -- or as he said, "just two Christians worshiping together" -- is very similar to a story about Alexander Solzhenitsyn and his times in the Soviet Gulags.

"As Solzhenitsyn stared at the Cross drawn in the dirt his entire perspective changed. He knew he was only one man against the all-powerful Soviet empire. Yet he knew there was something greater than the evil he saw in the prison camp, something greater than the Soviet Union. He knew that hope for all people was represented by that simple Cross. Through the power of the Cross, anything was possible."

Steven Waldman notes that McCain's recounting of this story has changed over the years and "has gradually morphed from being about the humanity of the guard to being about the Christian faith of the guard and John McCain."

Andrew Sullivan says that McCain's early accounts of his years as a POW do not even include this story.

[andvoodoo2]

McCain is making it up as he goes along. He probably doesn't even remember what really happened. Only the stupid die-hard repugs could find this admirable in a man running for POTUS.

[WFV]

I think it is degrading to other veterans when McC continuously blames everything on his days as a pow. If we are to believe this repeated justification for all of his shortcomings, won't the abuse he suffered become a reason that he is unfit to serve as president?

[ruffmama]

elect McCain and we will all be POWs.

[TheRebel82]

A noun, a verb, and POW.

[theone718]

Biden will come up with something as good as that soon enough. Bank on it.

[bygollymissmolly]

That's rich. The queen of "cheap" is calling McBush cheap. I detest Maureen Dowd. She is a harpy and she rarely has anything to contribute to true discourse.

God I miss Molly Ivins. She would have loved this campaign and her wit and humor would have been welcome.

[toochie]

Agreed. She cheapens red hair dye

[FdeBear]

I liked Molly too, but now she's in heaven. But no matter how you feel about Ms, Dowd, she's not the topic of her essay - McCain is and either you think she's making a valid point or you don't. Are you shooting the messenger?

[bison1]

Thank you. By politicizing his POW experience, Mc Cain does a disservice to other POWs.

[CharlesJ]

Well if the Republicans do not think a mans service record counts then McCains record does not count. Thats all I have to say about that. One thing for sure, McCain is not worth a grain of salt in my book and I can say that as I am a retired Vietnam vet, I spent 21+ years active duty in the Army. Any one that continuously calls upon his war record, POW status using them as an excuse for all the mistakes, gaffs, lies, omissions of facts... well there is more to hide than we know. I personally know a few POW's and they spend more time advoiding the topic then talking about it. McCain needs to either start answering questions being 100% honest or get out of the race. His behavior is in my opinion becoming more child like and his elitist I dont have to tell you anything or it's none of your business is becoming very boring. Sorry you were a POW MR McCain but that excuse no longer flies in my book, you used that for the last time as far as I am concerned.

[JenMI]

Ms. Dowd:
Excellent article!!