John McCain Needs to Lay Off the POW Talk

When John McCain revealed that he didn't know how many houses he and his wife currently own (they have at least eight properties), the Obama campaign pounced. They accused him of being elitist and disconnected and launched an ad within hours. The McCain campaign--realizing this was trouble--retorted the only way they knew how: With a truly stupefying response from McCain spokesman Brian Rogers:

"This is a guy who lived in one house for five and a half years -- in prison," referring to the prisoner of war camp that McCain was in during the Vietnam War.

Yes, you read that right. McCain justified not knowing how many houses he has by saying he was a POW in Vietnam, four decades ago. I have some things to say about this:

1. Being a POW is not an excuse for everything.

The bottom line is that we're sick of hearing about this as a justification for everything John McCain does or doesn't do. This instance is only the latest example, as others have noted.

The fact is, John McCain's service during Vietnam was honorable and he sacrificed a great deal. But his service to the country carries no more weight than that of any other POW. Likewise, while McCain has given so much to his country, thousands of veterans--past and present--have given as much or more. In this war alone, thousands of troops have lost limbs, been paralyzed, and been burned beyond recognition. So to see McCain resort to playing the POW card when answering legitimate questions, in my mind, cheapens that experience. And by cheapening his own experience in war, he degrades all of our experiences in war. He turns the horrific incidents we've all seen, touched, smelled, and felt into a lame excuse to earn political points. And it dishonors us all.

And while Spencer Ackerman is not a veteran himself, I think he sums up what many combat vets are feeling today after hearing the campaign's statement:

What McCain went through in the North Vietnamese POW camps is an unimaginable, unfathomable horror. The word "heroism" doesn't really capture it sufficiently. It is a singular experience, and it defies human nature to expect that it wouldn't have been the crucible through which McCain's essence was formed. But it's becoming a verbal tic, the equivalent of Rudy Giuliani's noun-verb-9/11. Does it honor or cheapen that experience to use it to bat away unrelated questions about, say, how many homes you own, or whether you truthfully entered a cone of debate-silence or what influences your musical taste? By bringing up the POW experience at opportunities like these, McCain is clearly trying to bait Obama into seeming to attack that experience. That's a really unfortunate move that's entirely beneath the character of a man who endured what McCain endured.

I agree. But there's also another issue here:

2. Thousands of veterans are homeless--that is, they have ZERO homes.

John McCain seems to forget that while he and his wife own at least eight houses, there are currently over 150,000 homeless vets on America's streets. The only "houses" they own are cardboard boxes under a bridge. Many of these vets served alongside John McCain in Vietnam. Some might have even been POWs. Either way, thousands of them have suffered immeasurably overseas, in the service of their country.

Therefore, to justify owning eight homes by saying he was a POW for five and a half years is disingenuous at best, outright repulsive at worst. If McCain thinks so highly of the wartime experience, perhaps he has some floor space to spare for a few homeless vets in a handful of his many homes.

John McCain owes troops and veterans more respect than he seems to be giving them. Whether it's cheapening the POW experience, opposing the Webb GI Bill, or blustering for more wars, he's doing a disservice to all veterans.

John McCain knows things about war that civilians can never know. He has sacrificed more and suffered more than most Americans ever will. John McCain is a war veteran. Just like the rest of us who've served in combat. He should get no special treatment and no free pass that any other veteran couldn't get. And he needs to lay off the POW talk.

Also available at VetVoice

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Comments

[Xenopus]

Thank you and well said. How many soldiers have lost their lives, their limbs, their mental health, lost all most everything? John McCain is out there saying in essence, "Hey everyone, look at me, I am special, you really do owe me, I was THE POW!!! John McCain gave a lot, but not nearly as much as some. Also, besides his POW years, John McCain has lead a life of abundance of riches. His experiences almost 40 years ago need to be honored but viewed proportionately in comparison to what he is trying to make it.....the answer to any and all criticism and the vehicle giving him experience on all things to be 'Commander in Chief'. That just isn't the case.....POW doesn't translate to President.

[libbygirl]

I've been driven to screaming and pulling my hair everytime I hear a McCain/POW reference. And while we're at it, can we get him to quit saying "my friends"?

[Bluesue]

the other myth is that he supports programs for veterans and that he supports the troops. People assume that because he was a POW and is a vet, he supports veterans and the troops.His voting record shows that he doesn't. He suppoprts war funding. Not programs or issues that help veternas or the troops.

This is from an article in Time on the Webb GI Bill (McCain had a competing bill and didn't bother to show up for the vote):

He's voted for veterans funding bills only 30% of the time, according to a scorecard of roll-call votes put out by the nonpartisan Disabled Americans for America. Under the same system Obama has a 90% rating
http://www.time.com/time/printout/0,8816,1808161,00.html

How many people know that McCain voted against a bill to fund body armor? How about against armored vehicles for Iraq and Afghanistan?

These and others were in Obama’s written response to McCain’s speech at the GI Forum in Denver on July 25 - surprisingly, they were published by Mark Halperin in his column in Time. In that speech McCain said:

http://thepage.time.com/obama-camp-response-to-mccain-gi-forum-speech/

A couple of other sources:

The Nation - McCain Sells Out Vets
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20080602/beutler

From the AFL-CIO - McCAIN HAS NOT DELIVERED ON HIS PROMISES TO VETERANS
http://www.aflcio.org/issues/politics/mccain_vets.cfm

[stsw531]

McCain's tiresome bleating of his POW experience is analogous to having your mom ALWAYS remind you how she was in labor for 36 hours when you were born, just to prove to you that no matter how grateful you are, it isn't good enough.

Yeah, we get it, John. You were a POW and had a bad time. Everyone respects that you persevered through that, but enough is enough. It was decades ago, so let's move on now.

[scooperss]

Take what a fellow House members said about john murtha,

"Don't talk to me about defense," Everett, who is retiring at the end of this term, said during a radio interview this week. "Cut-and-run John Murtha is in charge of the appropriations committee for defense and he is certainly no friend of the military.

"And don't talk to me about him being an ex-Marine.­**********­***** Lord, that was 40 years ago. A lot of stuff can happen in 40 years. Thank you for your service as being an ex-Marine but that doesn't mean you're (not) an idiot, and he is********­**********­," Everett said of Murtha."

change a few words and he could be speaking about mccain. If a fellow House member can call murtha an idiot then mccain is fair game also.

[jaglon]

McCain has used his POW status as if he were the only Vietnam vet to be a POW. He used it to get himself a rich wife who was able to use her connections to get him elected to congress. He uses it every chance he gets. He forgets (all the time, it turns out) that he was merely one of about 600 POWs, all of whom were decorated after their release just as he was. He stood out no more then the others in the heroism department. He did not do anything more extraordinary then any of the others. It in no way qualifies him for president. We also know, that being a POW is a terrible experince.

Does anyone think that there may be a connection to the Russia/Georgia conflict and one of McCain's campaign workers being a lobbyist for the Georgian government. Was the president of Georgia encouraged to start this futile invasion in order for McCain to milk a little policy cred from it? Am I being too cynical in thinking that the republicans would do such thing?

[Cramus]

I heard on NPR just a few days ago how a soldier serving in Iraq lost his home due to foreclosure. To me, this becomes even more shameful after this about McCain is revealed.

[charlietuna11]

does he remember how many times hes been married?

[realistxxx]

The dam has broken on his POW stories. He previously had tried never to make these so prominent. However, now that his campaign is run by Rove disciples it's really all they got.

Pretty sad,

[Ozarks]

With 70 days to election and McCain's present trajectory of gaffes and use of "PoW"-- the term PoW will be as big a joke by election time as mentioning WMD's as basis of the Iraq invasion. McCain will just keep up using PoW until it has no meaning or impact even with all his MSM buddies.

[ramper]

Your heading should read: " McCains Supporter's Need to Lay Off the POW Talk"

McCain is not going around thumping his chest about it. Now, if you feel he is advising his supporters to do it than state that. But, try to be accurate in your heading.

[parkerfly38]

McCain does it enough himself.

And if the guy wants to step up and assume accountability for the "free world," then accepting responsibility for the words of his mouthpieces, who liberally offer "POW" as the response to any critique, should be a no-brainer.

[ramper]

He has replied to questions about it. But are you saying he talks more about it than Obama does about his background and how it molded his character today? I don't think so.

[CharlesJ]

Amen, and DITTO is all I have to say. I am so over McCain. He just needs to wonder off into the sunset and go away.

[Ozarks]

Ok, if the world stipulates that being a PoW allows McCain to not know or remember: how many houses he owns, Czechoslovakia does not exist, there is no Iraq/Pakistan border. Al Qaeda Sunni and Iran are not allies but enemies, there was and is a major conflict in Afghanistan, Hawaii does not have any "private beaches", Obama is a patriot, Obama first stated the Iraq war was a mistake, the "surge" did not begin with a "counter-i­nsurgency" - see his Big Cheese Isle rambling, Obama not he said the Iraq war was a mistake, Obama not he said there should be a 16 month Timetable withdrawal, Obama not he said we should talk to Iran, Syria and North Korea, Obama not he said more troops should be deployed to Afghanistan, Obama not he said the US should conduct "strikes" against Al Qaeda hiding in Pakistan,-----will McCain stipulate that he has a bad memory and exhibited bad foreign policy decisions largely due to the 5 & 1/2 years as a POW ?

[sanang]

I just read about how McCain told the very same story told by Alexander Solzhenitsyn in 1973 about how a prison guard drew a cross in the dirt, very same thing happened to Solzhenitsyn, doesn't this seem suspicious? Since McCain has an old Karl Rove guy helping him in his campaign then watch for anything to happen. Do a Google search re Alexander Solzhenitsyn and read.

[Jamchinadian]

I agree with you that McCain needs to stop his tiresome invocation of his time spent as a guest of the Viet Cong as an excuse for everything.

What I find even more bothersome is Obama's unfailing praising of McCain as a "genuine war hero", that he "served honorably", on and on. Why does he feel the need to preface his rebuttals and critiques by this apologist blather?!!!

Obama unwittingly feeds in to the erroneous perception that that alone qualifies McCain to be president. What the heck is the matter with him (Obama)? I wish he would stop that.

[Bluesue]

I agree with you on Obama. It just reinforces McCain's story. I guess the campaign is gun shy about being accused of questioning a POW's integrity, policies, etc. Look what happened to General Clark when he made a very reasonable observation. He even prefaced it with words about honoring McCain's service.