Reading The Pictures: McCharacter

"The breakup of our marriage was not caused by my accident or Vietnam or any of those things. I don't know that it might not have happened if John had never been gone. I attribute it more to John turning 40 and wanting to be 25 again than I do to anything else."

--Carol McCain

"Sound marriages can be hard to recover after great time and distance have separated a husband and wife. We are different people when we reunite," McCain wrote. "But my marriage's collapse was attributable to my own selfishness and immaturity more than it was to Vietnam, and I cannot escape blame by pointing a finger at the war. The blame was entirely mine."

-- John McCain

It's curious how, in the three days since Carol McCain gave an interview to the London Daily Mail ("The wife U.S. Republican John McCain callously left behind"), elaborating on her debilitating accident and how her playboy husband left her her for a much younger, rich, healthy and attractive woman, the American media hasn't touched the story.

The photo was taken on St. Patrick's Day -- March 18, 1973 -- upon the couple's reunion at Jacksonville Air Force Base. Carol's posture reveals what Robert Timberg, McCain's biographer called "the deep dip in her gait" from the car accident that left her severely crippled. As an image that turns up repeatedly, it is used as a cornerstone to frame McCain as a returning hero. With Carol clearly in the background and son Doug in a disconnected profile, however, it does a more brilliant job setting the stage for McCain's big ambitions.

I was also interested in this photo from Timberg's sanctioned biography of the candidate: John McCain: An American Odyssey:

Besides representing the home front before Carol's accident and while McCain was still in captivity, would you say the editorial choice here -- the one shot selected to depict John's first family -- might convey just a little guilt?

Arizona, the early years (The Arizona Republic)
Different hero, different war (Salon)
With "pro-family" reference to McCain, CNN's Costello continued CNN pattern of equating conservatives with "family" and "values" (Media Matters)

(image 1: AP. image 2: Office of Senator John McCain)

Comments

[longislandlol]

This whole McCain as war hero, etc.. has me worried and more convinced as time goes by that Obama needs to rethink his Pres. V.P. choice very carefully-- it should be a military guy with no skeletons, no ex's -- but can someone like that be found? Does Webb have 2 ex's? A General like James Jones perhaps?

[Cathexis]

Won't matter. Remember that John Kerry was a war hero.

What the Republican Attack Teams (RATs) can't spin, they will make up or lie about.

[JimR]

I'm sorry, but this is a sleazy, Swift-boat style attack. There are many reasons McCain should not be president, but to launch an attack on his personal life from more than 30 years ago? That's Karl Rove territory.

[franksters]

Nope--The background story of his first marriage tells alot about his character--ruthless and sleazy. I believe that the Republicans have put forth another extremely flawed candidate. Like George W. Bush with his history of alcoholism and extreme immaturity (he was sloshed for 20 years while the rest of us were maturing), McCain appears to have a similar background sans the alcohol problem. Can't they do any better???

[JimR]

He's been married for 28 years to the same woman. All you want to do is dredge up sordid details from his past and roll around in the filth.

[Grijpstra]

Your point being?

[XME]

Unfortunately the problem that Obama is now facing is that he's running a guess a "war hero", and here in America, we, and especially the media, act like it's sin to say ANYTHING bad about a war vet!

Problem is that there's a LOT about McCain that we should all be seriously concerned about. No one said it better than my father...a lifelong officer in the Air Force who retired as a colonel after 25-years of service (in war planning!).

"Having suffered thru and experienced first hand Viet Nam and all that went with that war, this one is very similar. War, no matter what caused it, is not a good thing. Those that go there and fight the good fight are often so soon forgotten. It pains me beyond words."

He absolutely doesn't like or trust McCain to handle this war and feels strongly that he worries only about "winning", getting troops to reinlist again and again, and seems to have little concern for these troops when they come home facing PTSD, missing limbs, etc.

Sadly, BECAUSE McCain is a war vet, any attacks against him, or even questions about him, are looked at as "unpatriotic" and slanderous. What are you supposed to do when those questions are legit but your opponent is a war hero!?

[TonalCrow]

Quote:
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Unfortunately the problem that Obama is now facing is that he's running a guess a "war hero", and here in America, we, and especially the media, act like it's sin to say ANYTHING bad about a war vet!
------

No. It's a "sin to say ANYTHING bad about a war vet" who's a member of the GOP. For Democrats (e.g., Max Cleland (3 limbs lost in 'Nam)) it's a sacrament to say bad things about them (e.g., to morph their faces into bin Laden's face).

Our media bite like starving vampires.

[XME]

You got me there...after all they did completely smear Kerry.

[franksters]

Interesting, though, isn't it, how similar attacks upon John Kerry, who also served in Vietnam, appeared to have been greeted with glee (and in fact, instigated by), the Republicans? Guess a Republican war hero is acceptable whereas a Democratic war hero is not.

[gonavy]

So, you just gloss over the fact that John McCain took full responsibility for his marriage failing. And to all of you that means nothing? McCain has never claimed to be a perfect man or a perfect anything. A decent man admits when he is wrong and tries to do better. That is what he has done.

Does it not mean anything that Carol still thinks of him as a friend? And supports his candidacy?

The media has not picked up on this article because the author exploited Carol McCain. They misrepresented what the article was to be about.

[IndependentMynd]

>McCain has never claimed to be a perfect man or a perfect anything. A decent man admits when he is wrong and tries to do better. That is what he has done.<

I hope you apply this sentiment to Barack Obama as well.

[TonalCrow]

Quote:
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So, you just gloss over the fact that John McCain took full responsibility for his marriage failing.
------

"Full responsibility" is not something that can be discharged merely by mouthing the words "[I take] Full responsibility", much as the GOP desires that. "Full responsibility" in the political realm includes taking criticism for the transgressions that precipitated the mouthing, and possibly losing elections in consequence.

Furthermore, what's good for the goose (e.g., raising Rev. Wright's speeches against Obama) is good for the gander (e.g., raising John McCain's *own decisions* against him).

[franksters]

He sure did do better, didn't he? Better looking wife, with a very large pocketbook to boot! He figured out how to upsize.

[MajorKong]

Is this that family values stuff I've been hearing about all these years?

[TheEmptinessOfTruthiness]

Haha. Family "value" like everything else GOP these days, is measured in $$$.

[auntiecairo]

I guess it hasn't been reported for the same reasons the Swift Boating of John Kerry was allowed to occur even though neither Bush, Cheney or Rumsfeld went to Vietnam and Bush even shirked his duties. And why everyone acts like McCain is the biggest war hero ever - even though he wasn't in the line of fire. Was he brave? Sure - but his risks were different than those on the frontlines. Jim Webb was a true hero - throwing himself on grenades to protect fellow soldiers. Guess the Republicans would character Webb as being too reckless! Hopefully if the Republicans keep attacking Obama the media might bring up the fact that the current McCain's marriage resulted from an adulterous affair. . .

[Colmore]

Personally, I think Carol was the lucky one, to be rid of him. He has not changed, still chasing other women. He had no morals then, and he doesn't today. Nothing but an opportunist. One thing I wonder about, what did Cindy see in him? He was a lot older, not good looking. Was it the uniform? Given her penchant for prescription pills, maybe they recognised the flaws in each other, and decided it was a match made in heaven. She never looks happy in her photos, just like a robot. Another Laura Bush.

[Dachozen1]

The media has done a poor job of refereeing. In fact, they abondoned reporting and now they are in the influencing business.

[TonalCrow]

If the GOP had not been undermining Democrats with this kind of crap since before Clinton's impeachment, I'd say that we shouldn't touch it. But to refrain now would be to give the GOP an unfair rhetorical advantage. We cannot afford that, because they have already a huge rhetorical advantage, one that we can never match, and that is that they are willing to lie.

Intuition says that the truth is the most powerful rhetoric, but that's incorrect. Lies are the most powerful rhetoric, because lies are multitudinous and infinitely flexible, while the truth is singular and rigid. If one lie doesn't work, there's always a different one. Refuting them is a never-ending game of whack-a-mole that, alas, we are doomed to play against the GOP and their fellow travellers. We cannot supplement this essential philosophical disadvantage with unilateral disarmament on "character issues". We must fight -- using only the truth, mind you -- but not refraining from rhetorically-useful truths simply because we want to avoid "slime" or because we wish to raise political standards. The GOP doesn't care about political standards, and revels in slime, and that's never going to change.

So, yes, McCain's divorce is fair game.

[JimR]

So Democrats should be just as slimy and underhanded as Republicans... giving some people reason to wonder what exactly it is that makes them better.

[TonalCrow]

No. We should stick to the truth. That's a huge distinction.

[demfriend]

I have mentioned the story to several friend who were shocked that McCain was married before which made me wonder how old I was to have remembered he was before the story reminded me of the details. We must remember that the GOP has friends and member who own the majority of MSM now day so if we get any piece of real news which we might need to know we have to go to other countries news. After all it was a UK news interview which brought this up.....

[JohnnieP]

That McCain dropped his 1st wife, who waited for him throughout his captivity in Viet Nam ,after she was hurt in an automobile accident so he could run off and marry a much younger, wealthier and more glamorous woman can best be summed up as being par for the course.

[Krikkit]

Call in to Rush with the news.....

[Krikkit]

One more example of why the MSM is losing all credibility.

Or maybe they didn't get the email?

[longislandlol]

Time to round-up the usual loud mouth media-- but you already bottomlined this one--- they've been told to be discreet or else all of their skeletons will come tumblin out..

[monty]

Isn't it interesting how "Family Values" are SOOOO important to Repuglicans only when it comes to Democrats. What a bunch of hypocrites!