We posted a story over at Military.com this morning based on an interview your favorite DT poster, Ward Carroll, conducted with Sen. John McCain yesterday afternoon. Id recommend giving the story a read and listening to the interview, which we posted as a Podcast last night.
McCain is fighting an uphill battle in his quest for the Republican presidential nomination, championing a war the general public is sick of talking about. The fact that a man who was a prisoner of war in Vietnam for five and a half years told us hes as convinced the U.S. is winning in Iraq “as anything I have been convinced of in my life” is saying something. His campaign may have lost its “straight talk express” luster among the political media and pundits, but hes still a remarkable man with firm convictions.
Heres Wards editorial on the McCain story…
I had a chance to chat with Senator John McCain yesterday as part of my weekly “The Editor’s Desk” podcast at Military.com. Check it out here.
Regardless of your politics, you should be aware of (if not respectful of) what this man has done in his life. Never mind what he’s accomplished as a lawmaker. His career as a naval aviator is more impressive, in my book. Few know that he was aboard the USS Forrestal (CV 59) when a Zuni rocket inadvertantly fired across the flightdeck, setting off a massive fire that killed scores of men and destroyed dozens of aircraft. Here’s the video:
McCain was in the cockpit of an A-4 waiting to launch, parked on the port side aft,
right next to the A-4 that. His jet was hit by the rocket. Once he realized how bad the situation was, heejected out of his burning jet and parachuted into the water behind the carrierescaped by climbing out of the cockpit, walking down the nose and jumping off the refueling probe.Some months later his jet was hit by a SAM over Hanoi during a bombing run.
Againhe ejected, this time at high speed. The wind blast broke both arms and his right leg. He landed in a lake in the middle of Hanoi, unconscious. He came to and fought to get to the surface but sank again. He finally located his lift preserver and floated to the top of the lake only to be greeted by an enraged mob. Soldiers had to intervene to keep him from being killed by the locals.McCain was taken to Hoa Lo prison and immediately worked over for information by his captors. Soon the Vietnamese found out he was a four-star admiral’s son, so they nursed him to health and took him to “the Plantation” for propaganda purposes. He spent two years in solitary.
When McCain’s father took the CINCPAC job, the Vietnamese tried to get him to accept early release. In spite of his health and frequent torture sessions, he refused.
Here’s an except from Honor Bound (USNI Press), a wonderful book about American POWs in Vietnam:
“Cat [one of the guards] made the PW pay for denying them their coup, singling him out for what was probably the harshest sustained persecution of any prisoner at the Plantation, lasting over a year, including an episode in September 1968 when over a span of four days his left arm was rebroken, he was trussed in ropes, and he was beaten ‘every two to three hours’ until he signed a confession of criminal wrongdoing and apology.
“That statement was about all they got out of the ‘crown prince.’ He fended off pressure to meet with the delegations. He diverted interrogators with useless information, once listing the offensive line of the Green Bay Packers as the members of his squadron.”
Too often the political spectacle in this country blurs what great men did during their time in uniform. Remember the late, great Medal of Honor winner James B. Stockdale’s 15 minutes in the political spotlight? Here’s a reminder:
I got to know Admiral Stockdale in the early ‘90s when I was a Navy lieutenant working as the editor of Approach magazine (and flying with the aggressor squadron at NAS Oceana — not a bad gig). Not only had Stockdale proved himself as the senior ranking officer during seven years in the crucible of a Hanoi prison, once he was repatriated he dedicated himself to the life of the mind. In the final decade-plus of his life he was as close to a true, credible philosopher as this nation has ever produced.(Check out his book Thoughts of a Philosophical Fighter Pilot for proof of this.) So how is it that this man is perceived by the American public for even a second as other than the hero he is? And what is it about the campaign process that we’ve allowed ourselves to be co-opted by those who, say, think nothing of a $1,000 haircut?
The bottom line: Success in politics has little to do with demonstrated character, and we seldom demand demonstrated character from our politicians. What does that say about us?
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m not sure McCain ejected during the Forrestal fire. IIRC, he popped the canopy and ran down the nose and refueling probe to jump to the deck. There’s some pretty good footage of it somewhere — a real life high wire act. If you can find it, do yourself a favor and check it out.
HAHA! Did you see the way Stockdale lost his train of thought and had to pause to think of what to say next? That has never happened to anyone! All my friends with ADD and I don’t want a representative like that. Gives us a man with a planned response to everything that may be asked of him. I need soundbites to decide who to vote for, dammit!
/sarc off
McCain’s personal service and opinions on Iraq reveals that there is a minimal relationship between a man’s courage and his wisdom
You’re right, Demophilus. Thanks for the correction. I’d been walking around with bad gouge for a number of years.
No question, McCain’s service to this country is exemplary and he has more experience in govt than the whole Republican field combined (I don’t say that is an advantage).
However, Senator McCain should apologize to the employees of the CIA for some of the remarks he has made about them and the subject of the terrorist rendition program. The rank and file at the CIA are also patriots that have worked ceaslessly to protect American lives and this program, started during the Clinton administration, has made Americans safer, yet McCain disparaged the CIA for running a legal program and taking orders from the WH, as if it was some rogue operation from the ’50′s.
He needs to reconsider the effect this has on the morale of this organization and the damage done to the CIA’s image (as if they don’t have enough on their plate). Rendition of terrorist suspects works.The CIA has had the legal authorities to conduct these operations for over a decade. Some of the most dangerous enemies of the US are behind bars because of it. European governments have been well aware of the program and have provided support and logisitics for it for years, despite the need to maintain plausible deniability. McCain’s comments have contributed to the tainted image of the CIA and America abroad, despite his otherwise considerable contributions to our nation
I was in Hanoi in October last year and took a walk along Truc Bach lake and Hoan Kiem…I couldn’t remember which lake he parachuted into, but it must have been frightening as hell. This is a densely populated area next to the river and to think what it must have been like to come down in that hornet’s nest after an attack run is unimaginable.
If you ever have the opportunity to go there, go to the Army Museum on Dien Bien Phu.
Check out the picture of John Kerry and his ‘Vietnam Vets Against the War’ buddies protesting the war and the caption below it proclaiming the moral support the ‘American progressives’ gave to the Communist’s ultimate victory.
He doesn’t even deserve to stand on the same stage as McCain…
Although I think the popularity of some candidates has been effected by their positions on Iraq, I think McCain’s diminishing popularity has less to do with Iraq and more to do with his views on immigration.
Many people I’ve talked to say that immigration issues are of more immediate importance to them than Iraq, dispite the candidates pushing Iraq right now. Perceptually immigration effects every individual where they live more vividly than Iraq. For them, Iraq is a somewhat diminished when, in their minds, they are faced with the prospect of loosing control of their county.
So how is it that this man is perceived by the American public for even a second as other than the hero he is? And what is it about the campaign process that we’ve allowed ourselves to be co-opted by those who, say, think nothing of a $1,000 haircut?
Well, gosh. Maybe because he caved in on a bill that would allow his own country to torture its prisoners, in pretty much the same way that he was himself tortured? Not the act of a hero. Maybe because he’s backing an ill-judged war in Iraq and another one (potentially) in Iran? Not the act of a very bright individual. I reckon the pensions to the troops who lose legs in that war – if McCain gets his way – might go a bit over $1000. What do you think?
(Incidentally, McCain’s television makeup cost $75 per session. He got it done by Ariana Franggos in Manchester NH. That’s got to be a fairly hefty tab for blusher and foundation, the amount of TV he does.)
It’s really important not to let a good war record serve as a sign of a good politician. David Stirling had an excellent war record – he founded the SAS – but it didn’t stop him plotting a military coup. Marshal Petain had a stellar war record. Didn’t stop him caving in to the Nazis. Hell, Hermann Goering was a decorated fighter ace.
This is a densely populated area next to the river and to think what it must have been like to come down in that hornet’s nest after an attack run is unimaginable.
True. Imagine what it must have been like living there while the USAF dropped bombs on your house.
McCain has spent the last 7 years (at least) urinating in the face of the conervatives, and now he wants their votes? Forget it. If McCain gets the nomination, I stay home.
David Stirling had an excellent war record – he founded the SAS – but it didn’t stop him plotting a military coup. — this is balderdash.
ajay said:
Well, gosh. Maybe because he caved in on a bill that would allow his own country to torture its prisoners, in pretty much the same way that he was himself tortured? Not the act of a hero.
end ajay
Exactly. Any respect I had for this man went right out the window when he supported that bill. Seems that his desire to appeal to voters and appear “hard on terrorism” overrode his own personal experiences and morals.
Yeah, I was bummed out by that. I admire his great breadth of experience, and I used to admire his willingness to be at odds with his own party for integrity’s sake. But now he does seem willing to compromise. I’m not about to vote Republican, but I do think he’d make a better president than almost any other candidate they have to offer. That actor Fred Thompson is considered a more likely pick than a guy like John McCain is a real shame.
Ajay,
What is most remarkable is that nearly all of the french clolonial buildings and trees planted along the streets of Hanoi prior to the Vietnam war remain.
I don’t doubt people had their houses flattened and civilians were killed, but these were no 1000 plane WW2 style raids.
When you hear ‘bombing of Hanoi’ or ‘Bombing of Baghdad’ it conjures images of Dresden, when in fact bombing was limited to military targets (albeit not near as precise as Iraq)
John Mcains excellent war service should never be forgotten or diminished.
His use of his war record as a POW to provide cover for the administrations torture and rendition render him a dipshit.
And why the media pretends that someone’s willingness to drop his supposedly deeply held convictions when its politically expediant to do so renders him a ‘maverick’ and an ‘independant thinker’ rather then as a principal less flip flopper is beyond me.
Hey remember when he used to call the religious right the ‘crazies’. now he panders to them.
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