John Sidney McCain III is living proof that torture works.
This morning on MSNBC.com……
Note the flowery praise of John McCain…
As Sen. Barack Obama tries to secure the Democratic presidential nomination and turn his attention to the presumptive GOP nominee, Sen. John McCain — a war hero who survived more than five years in enemy captivity —
Adding to Obama's challenge is the Republicans' selection of McCain, who with his ever-present Navy cap, military lineage and loyal following of fellow veterans exudes traditional notions of patriotism. A McCain-Obama race would present a contrast between a battle-scarred former fighter pilot who believes in seeing through the war in Iraq, and a man 25 years his junior whose half-Kenyan roots symbolize Americans' increasingly diverse origins, who did not serve in the military, and who argues that the country's values have been threatened, not upheld, by the Iraq war. Link
How could a snot nosed, whippersnapper, like Obama, MSNBC. com asks, have a chance against such a credentialed patriot and superfragilisticexpealidocious veteran like John McCain? That's MNBC.com's, I guess, serious question this morning.
And The Reverend has an answer…..
"McCain had a unique POW experience. Initially, he was taken to the infamous Hanoi Hilton prison camp, where he was interrogated. By McCain's own account, after three or four days he cracked. He promised his Vietnamese captors, "I'll give you military information if you will take me to the hospital …
"His Vietnamese captors soon realized their POW, John Sidney McCain III, came from a well-bred line in the American military elite. . .The Vietnamese realized, this poor stooge has propaganda value. The admiral's boy was used to special treatment, and his captors knew that. They were working him."
". . .two weeks into his stay at the Vietnamese hospital, the Hanoi press began quoting him. It was not 'name rank and serial number, or kill me'. as specified by the military code of conduct. McCain divulged specific military information: he gave the name of the aircraft carrier on which he was based, the number of U.S. pilots that had been lost, the number of aircraft in his flight formation, as well as information about the location of rescue ships."
"…McCain was held for five and half years. The first two weeks' behavior might have been pragmatism, but McCain soon became North Vietnam's go-to collaborator …..McCain cooperated with the North Vietnamese for a period of three years. His situation isn't as innocuous as that of the French barber who cuts the hair of the German occupier. McCain was repaying his captors for their kindness and mercy.
"This is the lesson of McCain's experience as a POW: a true politician, a hollow man, his only allegiance is to power. The Vietnamese, like McCain's campaign contributors today, protected and promoted him, and, in return, he danced to their tune. . ." Link
How do you think Americans would regard John McCain's patriotism if they knew about the extent of his collaboration with his captors, the North Vietnamese, during his captivity? Has collaboration with the enemy now become evidence of patriotism? When a captured U.S. soldier cooperates with his captors, America's enemy, how much cooperation with that enemy does it take before that soldier is no longer considered "a war hero who survived more than five years in enemy captivity –" or a veteran "who with his ever-present Navy cap, military lineage and loyal following of fellow veterans exudes traditional notions of patriotism."?
In teevee ads reminiscent of Captain Codpiece and Mission Accomplished, Americans have seen vintage POW McCain pictures, complete with a young McCain laying on a cot in North Vietnam. These images have been cherry picked for maximum patriotic emotional appeal…..suggesting that John McCain has given all for his country and so has demonstrated his patriotism to serve as president.
Has he?
I've always understood that cooperating with the enemy was more traitorous than patriotic. I think the American voters, if made privy to the truth of McCain's cooperation with the Viet Cong, might also see McCain's cooperation with the enemy as falling short of true patriotism. Americans might sympathize with McCain's failure under tremendous physical and mental torment….but they wouldn't regard it as a patriotic heroic performance. Cooperating with the enemies of America, usually, isn't considered to be stars and stripes patriotism.
But I have a solution to this potential Republican dilemma.
John McCain has voted against declaring waterboarding torture. He has also agreed with George W. Bush that the president, alone, should be the only person who can decide whether a detainee is to be tortured or not. John McCain states that it's fine with him if the CIA is exempt from the Army Field Manual restrictions against torturous tactics being performed on detainees. While making a show of being against torture…..John McCain has helped to institutionalize torture in the office of the presidency.
Perhaps then….the Republican machine can join these two "features" of John McCain's biography.
What do I mean?
John McCain can run for president on a platform of, "The president should not have his hands tied over torture. A true patriot, like me, knows that torture works, I'm the living proof." John McCain, you know, "who with his ever-present Navy cap, military lineage and loyal following of fellow veterans exudes traditional notions of patriotism"…..can run on his own cooperation with the North Vietnamese enemy back in the 70's. He can point to his collapse under torture, and his subsequent cooperation with the enemy, as positive proof that the Bush Doctrine, now McCain's Doctrine, of torturing Muslim detainees is the only safe way forward.
I can see the new skyscraper sized Mission Acomplished-like banners now.
"Vote McCain, Living Proof That Torture Works"
The "breaking news" teevee Knee Pad slurpers, like David Gregory and Tim Russert, can plumb the depths of their own profoundly serious and experienced minds to come up with "electability" questions like this one….
"Who's more patriotic? Someone who is living proof that torture works….or a guy who doesn't always wear a lapel flagpin?"
You know what's sad? I'm being completely serious.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Do you even watch MSNBC ?
If you did, I think you'd know that channel is frmly in Obama's corner.
How do you get everything SOOOO wrong ? It's incredible. I can't even get through 5 sentences of your bilge anymore without running into an obvious lie.
It's like Bizarro world on Seinfeld sometimes, King. It leads me to believe the Reverend on some level knows the truth, yet has a basic contrarian nature that forces him to contend the exact opposite.
I pray he somehow finds happiness along that rocky path.
Spreading lies about a former POW that was TORTURED?
Rev, this is low even for someone of your poor intelligence. You should seek out sources that contain some thread of truth, "thetruthseeker.com" is complete rubbish and you probably know it.
Wikipedia is a more credible source and this is what it says about John McCain's ordeal in Viet Nam;
"John McCain's capture and imprisonment began on October 26, 1967. He was flying his 23rd bombing mission over North Vietnam, when his A-4E Skyhawk was shot down by a missile over Hanoi. McCain fractured both arms and a leg, and then nearly drowned when he parachuted into Truc Bach Lake in Hanoi. After he regained consciousness, a mob attacked him, crushed his shoulder with a rifle butt, and bayoneted him; he was then transported to Hanoi's main Hoa Loa Prison, nicknamed the "Hanoi Hilton".
Although McCain was badly wounded, his captors refused to treat his injuries, instead beating and interrogating him to get information. Only when the North Vietnamese discovered that his father was a top admiral did they give him medical care and announce his capture. His status as a prisoner of war (POW) made the front pages of The New York Time and The Washington Post.
McCain spent six weeks in the Hoa Loa hospital, receiving marginal care. Now having lost 50 pounds (23 kg), in a chest cast, and with his hair turned white, McCain was sent to a different camp on the outskirts of Hanoi in December 1967, into a cell with two other Americans who did not expect him to live a week. In March 1968, McCain was put into solitary confinement, where he would remain for two years.
In July 1968, McCain's father was named commander of all U.S. forces in the Vietnam theater. McCain was immediately offered early release. The North Vietnamese wanted a worldwide propaganda coup by appearing merciful, and also wanted to show other POWs that elites like McCain were willing to be treated preferentially. McCain turned down the offer of repatriation; he would only accept the offer if every man taken in before him was released as well.
In August of 1968, a program of severe torture began on McCain, at the same time as he was suffering from dysentery, and McCain made an anti-American propaganda "confession". He has always felt that his statement was dishonorable, but as he would later write, "I had learned what we all learned over there: Every man has his breaking point. I had reached mine." His injuries left him permanently incapable of raising his arms above his head. He subsequently received two to three beatings per week because of his continued refusal to sign additional statements. Other American POWs were similarly tortured and maltreated in order to extract "confessions" and propaganda statements, with many enduring even worse treatment than McCain"
You should be ashamed of yourself for writing this post. Once again you have shown that you have no honor or integrity.
The Rev displayed two classes here, Roy.
Low class and no class.
McCain goes thru 5 1/2 years of hell and our pinhead Rev questions his patriotism. To call the Rev an idiot here would be an insult to idiots.
I had computer problems yesterday…..that's why I hadn't responded to the ridiculous comments here.
Roy is like Hillary…..going all "Shame on you".
That's what conservative wingers do when they have no answer.
All of what I said about McCain is factual. He broke under pressure of torture and cooperated with the North Vietnamese. That's not even arguable….and McShame admits it.
He also voted to keep the CIA waterboarding.
He also agrees with G.W. Bush that the president, alone, has the right to determine who gets tortured.
All of that is factual.
Speaking of factual…..in 2004, fat and sweaty GOP ladies at the Convention wore purple heart bandaids on their fat and sweaty jowls…..all in mockery of a decorated war hero, John Kerry. It was all fun and games back then. Smiling and yukking it up as if the Sh*tboaters for Truth had some truth, which they didn't.
But when FACTS are used to point out McShame's unqualified-to-be-president status, then I'm supposed to experience some form of guilt. It's all so ridiculous.
Bullying is all the Republican Party has ever known. Bullies, as many realize, are cowards in actuality. Bullying in an ignorant fashion, as the Sh*tboaters did, is perfectly acceptable to wingnut commenters. But if truth is used to criticize one of their wingnut candidates, in this case John McCain, then those who set forward the truth are told to be ashamed of themselves.
Here's the truth. McCain is not qualified to be president. He is dangerously close to some form of mental anguish derangement…..probably flowing from many abject failures in his life along with the torturing he received in Vietnam.
I respect his military service. Now it's time for him to go home to Arizona…..to one of his 8 houses…..and help Cindy spend that fortune.
John McCain will NEVER become president of the U.S.
I expect that the authentic shame being experienced by wingnuts these days has been caused by their bleak prospects in November…..all created by the GOP's abject failures….and because the GOP'ers are basically faith basers, never admitting to truth….they must project their humiliation and shame on those who are supporting the winning side this fall.
Silly wingnuts.
I thought we established months ago that the 'fat and sweaty' female types are almost always democrats, Reverend. Don't you remember Albright, Reno, etc., etc.?
Compare your quoted source with mine Rev and you will see the lies. You quote a bullshit source because you have no integrity. Is this supposed to be a response to some people's bandaids at the convention last year? Did John McCain have a bandaid on? Nope. In fact he stood up for John Kerry because he has integrity.
As for the shame on you comment. You are probably right. I don't have to put any shame on you because you bring it on yourself.
Reverend scumbag,
There is no McShame in breaking under the kind of severe torture John McCain endured, you idiotic twisted freak. You make me sick.