CommonDreams: Is John McCain Still Trapped in Vietnam?

[marmar]

Published on Monday, October 13, 2008 by CommonDreams.org
Is John McCain Still Trapped in Vietnam?
by Mary Shaw


Senator John McCain has become notorious for playing the POW card in his campaign for the presidency, as if that somehow qualifies him for the job. But, in McCain's case, I think his status as a former POW would actually detract from his ability to lead this nation effectively.

You see, he doesn't seem to have recovered from his POW experience, or the Vietnam war in general. He seems to be lacking closure. And this appears to be affecting his foreign policy.

What else could so clearly explain his desire to remain in Iraq for 100 years or more, if that's what it takes to "win" an unwinnable occupation? He needs to take care of the unfinished business in his psyche. He needs to win Vietnam, even if it's in Iraq.

What else could so clearly explain his eagerness to "bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran"? He needs to take care of the unfinished business in his psyche. He is still in a cage and he needs to lash out. He needs to keep fighting.

What else could so clearly explain his recent claim of "I know how to win wars"? After all, we did not win the Vietnam war. But maybe he hasn't gotten there yet. He needs to take care of the unfinished business in his psyche. To McCain, the Vietnam war is not over. He needs to win it -- even if it is a proxy war -- or else be a failure in his own mind.

What else could so clearly explain why he recently addressed an audience not as "my friends", as usual, or "my fellow citizens", but rather as "my fellow prisoners"? He has a way to go to take care of the unfinished business in his psyche. On some level, he is still at the Hanoi Hilton. And we're all there with him. ......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.commondreams.org/view/2008/10/13-0

[intheozone]

1. I have said pretty much the same things to my husband many times this year. nt

[Raster]

2. Response from Nate W. on Common Dreams

"It is well past time that someone mention another elephant in the room: the cultural debris from the Vietnam debacle. Boomers and older types are still obsessed about it, and McCain is reflective of the right wing portion of his generation who still cling to the utter fantasy that it was a winnable war. Obama is of the post-Boomer generation that does not have that baggage and would rather that it go off into the debates at the local old person's home and off the front page. It is well past time that the battles of the Boomers move from the scene and that the political class worry instead about current and future problems: the past generations have stuck Generation X, Y, and the Millenials with plenty of them to clean up."
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I was watching on television when he made this gaff. I thought then that it was a clear manifestation of unresolved issues. Instead of being an innocent slip of the tongue, this is yet another view into the man's psyche. John McCain, bless his heart, his not a well man, physically nor mentally. He is not qualified for the job of President of the United States. And Sarah Palin...well, that's another matter all together. She is certifiable.

Wake Up, America!:kick:We Can Do Better!