The "P" in "POW" Does Not Stand for "President"

If the Republican National Convention revealed anything it’s that John McCain is hellbent on overplaying his POW card to the bitter end.  In the last few months alone we’ve seen the McCain campaign overuse McCain’s POW story to justify everything from his healthcare policy to forgetting how many houses he owns, from cheating at the Saddleback forum to his love of ABBA.  Each time McCain and the GOP invoke his past in vain they diminish the story’s potency and cheapen its respectability.  Such a political ploy compelled fellow former POWs like Dr. Phillip Butler to come forward and declare that this experience does not qualify McCain to lead, which Brave New PAC featured in its recent video that received over 190,000 views in the last few days.

Even the corporate media have grown weary of McCain trotting out his POW story. Andrew Sullivan channeled Joe Biden to dub McCain, “A noun, a verb, and POW.”  And Newsweek’s Howard Fineman said, “I think they are going to it way too many times.”  These pronouncements ought to have served as a cautionary sign for the McCain campaign, considering how deeply enamored the media has been with McCain throughout this election.  But judging from the RNC this week, McCain and the GOP just can’t help themselves.

While the Democrats made economic populism the central theme of their convention, the Republicans used their convention primarily to pay tribute to McCain’s military record.  On Tuesday night, the single charged moment in President Bush’s otherwise uninspired, unconvincing televised speech came when he referred to McCain’s POW past.  “Fellow citizens,” Bush said. “If the Hanoi Hilton could not break John McCain’s resolve to do what is best for his country, you can be sure the angry left never will.”  

When the crowd applauded, two things became clear: 1) Republicans are willing to stoop so low as to depict the left as merciless Vietcong captors (ironic, considering it was Republicans like Bush and McCain who approved of torturing suspected terrorists); and 2) The Republicans can’t make this race about issues because they would lose.

A raging class war?  Rising unemployment?  Soaring gas prices?  Unaffordable healthcare?  A recession brought on by an unpopular war?  These are all crises courtesy of Bush and backed by McCain, who has virtually voted lockstep with the president.  Why bring up these subjects when you could be playing on your audience’s sympathies by touting your nominee’s time in a Vietnamese prison over thirty years ago?

For all the talk of candidates needing “experience” in this election, the only real experience the GOP is concerned with is McCain’s POW past.   That’s why Sarah Palin made the ludicrous claim that “there’s only one man who’s ever really fought for you,” and that it’s a long way from “a six-by-four cell in Hanoi to the Oval Office.”  That’s why John McCain devoted most of his speech last night to recounting his tale of woe, which we already heard during the video tribute that played only ten minutes earlier.  And that’s why McCain drew the rather obvious comparison that Obama doesn’t have “the scars” that he has.  

The reality is that as terrible as McCain’s experience may have been, that alone does not qualify him to be president.  As Dr. Butler says, “The prisoner of war experience is not a good prerequisite for a president of the United States.”  And by telling and retelling his POW story, by exploiting it for political gain, McCain dishonors those who have served our country and renders his own experience meaningless.

Comments

[Alvarask]

The P in POW may not stand for "President" but the W needs to be pronounced "Dubya".

[joebiz]

Let's play the POW "P" game.

McCain wants the nation to make him "POTUS" because he's "Paid-his-dues";
McCain is but a deluded, self appointed "Panjandrum," however he's a tooth-less "Paper-Tiger" that leaves the task of his election to "Pitbull Pummelin' Palin" by using Phillipics of the pissing-post, "pointing with pride," and "Polarizing Pinko" baiting. His "Paternalism" has been dubbed as that of the "Party-Elder" and the "Pitiless" Great White Father.

Let's send him a powerful message and send 'em packing

[sallys]

I think McCain's constant reliance on his POW history is repulsive. I was pleased to view the Dr. Butler video on YouTube. I am truly scared by McCain's temper. He seems like the typical road-rage hot-head... It was so ironic as Cindy McCain in her speech and the RNC claimed that we should feel "safe" with his hand on the wheel. NOT me.

Some examples of McCain's temper that conservative have found: http://blog.case.edu/conservativemovement/2008/01/29/john_mccains_top_ten_temper_explosions

As Pat Buchanon said. "McCain would be a war president."

Very Scary.

[jazzman]

Fun facts:

The two greatest Commanders in Chief in our nation's history, Abraham Lincoln and FDR, never served in the military.

The greatest war hero of all time, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the man who saved the world from Hitler, never mentioned his war record when he was campaigning for the Presidency.

How does McCain stack up to these giants?

[BabsfromKansas]

Thank you for sharing this important information.

[patianneb]

Thank you!

[Kimberly46]

Finally someone is talking about this. I'm disgusted with this POW story. I have much more respect for that man in the video. I have no respect for McCain at all. He just killed it in me. Him and his fanatics. Why is it that some think this will make him a good president??

Thank you ZP for an awesome piece. I just wish more would see that video.

[dkerrice2861]

I would like to thank Dr. Butler for coming out with his story! McCain is truly exploiting his POW experience to gain sympathy votes! It sounds bad, but sadly, it's true. As far as his temperment goes,I don't even know McCain and can tell he is a hot head. This is really scary! Then he goes and picks Palin as his VP, which made it really frightening! The Reps are saying we are ragging on her because we are scared... You're damn straight I'm scared, but not for the reasons they think. She claims she is a Christian and stands up at the podium and spits fire like the devil, THAT is scary! I have never seen a true Christian who is so mean-spirited. The so-called Christians that applaud this behavior have sold their souls to the devil, because God definetly would not approve of it!!

[Antifascist-08]

John McCain said in 1998

“Why is Chelsea so ugly? Because Janet Reno is her father.”

My kind of guy.

Only in America could this Jr. High production of Cinderella actually be a presidential election. Its called the Willing Suspension of Disbelief, or how many ways can you come up with to not vote for a black man and still not feel guilty about it.

Code word: "Comfortable," as in "I'm just not comfortable with him."

Variation : She has more experience than Obama.

Variation: Isn't she great!

The Emperor has no clothes and neither does the Empress.

[Manx]

The best response I've read to McCain's excessive use of his POW story is in a letter to the editor of the N.Y. Times, Sat., Sept. 6th., under the head, "MCCAIN MAKES HIS PITCH TO AMERICA.":

"John McCain's speech was tired, platitudinous and short on specifics. The exploitation of his P.O.W. experiences for political purposes was embarassing.

Of course, his service to his country was honorable and is appreciated by Americans - that is a given. But his chest beating on the subject made me think of my brother-in-law, who was a hero in World War II.

His aircraft carrier was hit by a kamikaze that killed more than 300 fellow sailors. After the war, he was reticent and hardly ever talked about it. I learned from him that the sincerest form of patriotism is the quiet kind and that the noblest form of heroism is unspoken."

[dadw5boys]

MC CAIN PLAYED THE ""SYMPATHY CARD"" TO GET THE OLDER WHITE CHRISTIAN WOMENS VOTE !!!!!!!!!!!!!

THEY ARE SUCKERS FOR A SOB STORY!!!!!!!!!

[donkat]

While on huffpost today, someone posted this site - thank you! I'm sorry I can't find your post. In it is a 5 part interview with Colonel Earl Hopper - McPOW is not only a coward, he is a traitor. What gives his statement the most weight for me is the fact that McPOW was never promoted to a higher rank - when it seems it is automatic military procedure, even when one is being held in a POW camp. McPOW never was promoted, even though, with his connections he should have achieved a much higher rank.

http://www.vietnamveteransagainstjohnmccain.com/cin_hopper_video2.htm

I've passed this around to everyone I know.

[BachelorJohnnyCool]

What? You're saying John McCain was a POW? I had absolutely no idea! I wonder why he never mentions it?