Posted by Damozel | The whole thing smacks (or smells to high heaven of) political theater, similar to Hillary's Bosnia story. Of course it does.
Conservative Obama supporter Andrew Sullivan explains why this story should matter (presumably he means to people who still think McCain has a shred of consistency or integrity left):
Used in a sermon as a way to talk about Christ's redeeming power is one thing. Actually saying it happened to you in a specific place and time is another.
And of course, none of this would be salient were it not for the obvious motive for coopting the story. McCain has never been a very devout man. He doesn't come across that way in his first account of the story; and he doesn't come across that way now. But as the Christianists took over the GOP, he must have understood that this was a problem - especially against Bush in 2000. So in 1999, the story, already poignant and true in its particulars, changes into a much more grandiloquent and sectarian affair, echoing deep evangelical themes and tropes.
And it would not be salient if McCain hadn't deployed the anecdote in his own words - with a misleading image - in a campaign ad, and used it again in front of an evangelical audience Saturday night. And it would not be salient if religious fanatics had not a strangle-hold on the Republican party, seeking doctrinal assurances and echoes of their own type of faith in political candidates. (The Daily Dish)
Note that a POW now "remembers" McCain telling him the story in 1971. And he may well thinks he that he does. Forgive me if I write this off as a false memory, both on McCain's part and on the part of the POW who remembers it. That's me extending as much Christian charity to both of them as I can muster. And maybe Mark Salter, "McCain's closest aide," remembers hearing that someone else heard it---whatever; I can't be bothered to read Byron York's "I just got off the phone" account. That's a bit more of a stretch, but okay. Sullivan explains here why Byron York's account ain't persuasive.
I don't care because I don't care. He's welcome to the Christianists, as Sullivan and Bill McKibben call them, and to The Church of the New Testament Without Christ, as I call them.
Sullivan sees this as a serious matter:
If McCain has fabricated a religious epiphany for political purposes, it is about as deep a betrayal of core integrity as one can imagine, and the latest example of how pernicious the religious domination of political life in America has become.
He then lists the "legitimate questions" for anyone concerned with proving that McCain is cynically flaunting his piety in the hope of drawing in the evangelicals. Look to him if you want to know what these are. McCain's previous changes in position to accommodate the far right---despite the fact that it was the Republican moderates who got him the nomination---tells me all I need to know about the state of his integrity.
I don't even recognize the man anymore. I kind of liked McCain, and I admired him for bucking some of his party's worst excesses, though I'd probably never in a million years have voted for him myself. I thought it was great when the moderate wing of his party preferred him to Romney, Giuliani, Huckabee, Brownback, etc., etc.
Now it's as if the Anti-McCain is running for president.
I am troubled by the increasingly frantic insistence of McCain's supporters that his POW experience vindicates everything McCain ever did in his life, before and after. Back in the day, I was upset and ashamed at the treatment accorded to Vietnam vets---and I still am. The government didn't do right by those men. They deserve to be honored.
Honored---but not worshipped. McCain got shot down and imprisoned. It's a harrowing and a heroic tale all right. It doesn't mean he's not answerable for his conduct afterward, and it's not a universal "get out of accountability free" card.
But just listen to Sean Hannity scream at Alan Colmes that---unlike John Edwards, who is not running for president---McCain and his adultery are not fair game for smirking and innuendo by the Fox News team.
In fact, I seem to recall some of the same people who treat criticism of McCain by Dems as blasphemy now being pretty rough on him back when the ol' [former] maverick looked as if he might take the nomination. Only since they realized they were stuck with him has his POW experience elevated him to Sainthood.
The Sideshow (in a piece called Did we mention that he was a POW?), writes:
McCain's lies, distortions, cheating, and dishonesty don't count. Nothing McCain does matters as long as he has that (R) after his name, and as long as he continues to be, as Atrios noted, "A Noun, A Verb, POW," a point starkly brought home by the McCain team's defense against the charges: "The insinuation from the Obama campaign that John McCain, a former prisoner of war, cheated is outrageous."
John Cole writes:
....I really don’t care about McCain’s war record anymore. His ideas suck. They would suck even if he had spent ten years in a prison camp and won the CMH.
TBogg says, regarding the allegations about the breach of "The Cone of Silence" at the Saddleback Forum:
I just want to point out that former prisoner of war, 109 year-old John McCain, a former prisoner of war who was beaten for five and a half years when he was a prisoner of war in a prison where they kept prisoners of war, could not have overheard Rick Warren's questions to Barack Obama because former prisoner of war John McCain left his radio back in the former prisoner of war's hotel room and there is no way it could have fit in the former prisoner of war's limo.
To suggest otherwise is (psst!...prisoner of war) dishonorable and insults all prisoners of war, like, you know, John McCain.
PS. Nice to see cheery neocon William Kristol admit that he isn't "a normal person." You might think this is an instance of "Pot, Meet Kettle." But as Robin noted, nothing's more unnatural than a cheerful, smiling, Eddie Haskell of a neocon.
PPS. Keating 5! Keating 5! KEATING 5!!! After he was redeemed and before he was redeemed again....
Memeorandum has commentary on Andrew Sullivan's piece here.
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POLITICAL POLICY TIP:John McCain has a hidden agenda he's planing to reinstate the selective service (the draft) do your homework before you vote. Think about your children,niece,nephew and grandchildren being force to go to war,or going to canada to dodge the military. My reference is a town hall meeting during the Q&A session aug.20th 2008. A lady ask if you are going to follow Bin Laiden to the gates of hell,our military is stretch too thin you will have to bring back the Draft. He agreed with her saying (and I quote) Miss I agree with you 100% on that Idea. I went to his website he is planing to beef up the military to a massive number without mentioning the word draft. MSNBC interviewed a retired military high officer and he said he believe thats his hidden plan.Here is a senator that was on trail on corruption with the Keating 5 with 4 other senators they all accept over $100,000 to defraud the Lincoln bank . There is a book coming out in Oct. 2008 titled John McCain Cover Up ,this is dealing with Jack Abramoff which is in jail for stealing money from the native american's land lease's money. J.McCain fail to bring out all the evidence to protect other fellow republican from being expose. I Don't Trust Him ,go back and check out that transcript or video of aug.20 2008 and think about the govt. forcing men and women to join his plan wars for Iran and Russia and so on, Just like G. Bush and McCain one month after 9/11 instead of going to Afganitan after Bin Laiden they had a pre-plan agenda to take over another country.J. McCain is a neocon(love to flex his military might)and is still is pissoff with the loss in the vietnam war .The Iroc invasion was plan before 9/11,the twin tower just gave the neocon's a reason to go after S. Hussain .Do your own research and Spread the WORD.
Posted by: rocky H. | September 10, 2008 at 12:54 PM