McCain: I'm Like Jack Bauer

In a recent interview with Marie Claire, Republican presidential nominee John McCain compared himself to Jack Bauer, the protagonist of "24." Fox's action series makes no apologies for wearing its conservative, pro-torture politics on its sleeve, which forced the former POW to backpedal slightly.

MC: You liken Obama to Britney in your famous ad, while portraying yourself as the more serious candidate. Which celebrity would you like to be compared to? Bob Dylan? Jack Nicholson?
JM: Kiefer Sutherland. [laughs, imitates a voice from the show 24] "It's Jack Bauer." We have a lot in common because he escapes all the time.



MC: Um, he's also a torturer.
JM: Yeah, that's right. That's where Jack and I disagree. He believes in torture, but I don't. He says, "Tell me where the weapons are." The person says, "I won't." Bam! "OK, I'll tell."

Click here to read the complete interview

Comments

[angryjim]

McCain's attempt to link himself with the Jack Bauer character played by Keifer Sutherland has a strange twist of irony to it. Keifer Sutherland comes from a well known left of centre political family in Canada. His grandfather, the late Tommy Douglas, was elected the head of the first social democratic government in Canada in 1944 in the province of Saskatchewan. His greatest legacy was the introduction in 1962 of a government run universal health care program that was eventually adopted by the rest of Canada. (My late family doctor, who had worked as a physician in the UK under their similar National Health program, was an advisor to Premier Douglas on this matter.)

In a poll conducted in Canada a few years back, Tommy Douglas was named the greatest Canadian of all time. Keifer's mother Shirley Douglas (former wife of actor Donald Sutherland) has spent much of her time as an unofficial spokesperson of Canada's health care system, speaking out against potential threats to dismantle her late father's accomplishments in this area. (Canadians are very willing to pay for health care in this matter through their tax dollars and would destroy at the polls any party that advocated a return to a US style system.)

Is McCain's affinity for the Jack Bauer/Keifer Sutherland persona mean that he is a closet supporter of a universal, single payer health care system? If we apply the warped Rovian logic that now infests the GOP's inner workings anything is possible.

[ConcernedAmerican]

Does the GOP even realize that 24 is a tv show and not an ongoing true documentary?

[jah2008]

'He says, "Tell me where the weapons are." The person says, "I won't." Bam! "OK, I'll tell."'

Oh my god. McCain replaying a scene from 24? That's just sad.

"We have a lot in common because he escapes all the time."

I think he means he escapes lies all the time.

[Jinxykb]

After reading this it is not hard to believe that McCain graduated at the bottom of his class and crashed his plane 5 times before being captured by the enemy.

[luvienne]

Jack Bauer is not a lying, lifeless, hateful ,greedy, deceitful, miscreant .The "24" show should sue him.

[LargeJ]

Does that mean he is Canadian now? First we were all Georgians? Now we're Canadians?

[Hailie]

I grew up in Regina, Saskatchewan, just down the street from the late TOMMY DOUGLAS, and as a Canadian, I can say that McCAIN is nothing like Tommy Douglas. I actually find it dispicable that some one that votes with George W. BUSH most of the time, compares himself to Tommy Douglas. One of my own parents worked with TOMMY DOUGLAS, and I was always told what an honorable person he was. I remember that he always had time for everyone, no matter how busy he was, or how small you were...in Tommy Douglas eyes you were important. I know times were different back then, but he showed by his actions that he cared about people. Not like today, where talk is cheap, and promises are always broken. McCAIN you need to grow up, you never knew Tommy Douglas, and you are nothing like him.

[BlackJAC]

So McCain's alienated his children, tortured his own brother, had a treasonous father, and is probably no more than eighteen seconds away from being shipped off to a nuthouse?

[Cy08]

McCain give me a break. Jack Bauer is a fictional character. In any case what Jack Bauer does you would not do. If you had to face a situation as portrayed by Kiefer Sutherland, YOU would run the other. When you had the chance you song like a bird, TRADER.

http://ktracy.com/?p=1785

[freedomisnotfree]

TRADER should be spelled TRAITOR. Also, a major talking point of people that support the continued banning of torture, is that it does't work because you can get anyone to say anything to stop the pain. That being said, McCain has bought into the Rovian image of national defender and will do anything and say anything to become president and McCain being president will be torture to me.

[newdreams]

Hmm. McCain already chose the call-name, 'Maverick', which begs the question - Where's 'Goose'???
But I do see him kind of like Tom Cruise - the crazy-esque Tom Cruise. Similar fits of anger making their behavior seem delusional, Rash decisions - making their behavior seem delusional, Well-thought out delusional decisions, obviously making them seem delusional..... I like the 'Maverick' call-name he gave himself better - kind of goes with the whole Tom Cruise alter-ego thing McCain's got going on.

[nubret2008]

Did someone mention to McSame that in '24' the black dude is the US president?

[tombollocks]

Which means you're nothing more than a made-for-tv character, huh Sydney?

[LillianB]

Jack Bauer is an action figure who:
*Does not oppose torture
*Shoots before he asks
*Breaks rules and sometimes has affairs with the women he suspects guilty of crimes

Is that the kind of president the US want?

[NJmikeV]

Who is Jack Bauer ?

[Tommygun264]

Another fictional creation totally devoid of originality.

[debrouillard]

The next thing you know Kieffer is out there to say to McCain,please ,do not compare me to you.lol