I don't know about you, but I respect John McCain as a soldier but not as a politician.

[Colobo]

I respect his military service and his sacrifice for his country. I just think that his political views are dangerous for the future of this country, that his campaign is filthy and so are the Republican talking heads who are rooting for McCain in the media, that his pick of Sarah Palin for VP is an insult to the intelligence of every rational American. He's a continuation of GWB, and we can't afford 4 more years of economic disaster and of decline of our international standing.

For that reason, I want to see John McCain, Sarah Palin and the GOP brutally defeated on November 4th. I've done my part (monthly donating, early voting).

Do you feel the same way?

[soleft]

1. Have you read the Tim Dickinson article in Rolling Stone

Pretty scathing about even his military service. Don't know what to make of it.

[Syrinx]

2. he was a terrible pilot

[tularetom]

3. I have no respect for him as a human being

He has allowed his ambition to override his integrity, dignity, honor and humanity.

He refused to stand up to those who abused his wife and family. In fact he embraced them.

He dumped his injured but loyal first wife for a younger and richer woman.

He participated in a bribery scheme while serving in the US Senate and then lied about it,

Even his military career was rife with nepotism and favoritism.

This is not an honorable man. I'm not sure I'd even call him a "man".

I don't know how he can look at himself in the mirror without shame.

[iceman66]

5. That's McCain in a nutshell.

Great post!

[ogneopasno]

4. Really? I don't respect someone who fires on civilians to deal with his own daddy issues.

Or someone who's such a failure that he loses five planes. I don't respect his service at all.

[trof]

6. Sorry, I don't.

As far as joining the navy, it was the family 'business'.
I don't think he really had much choice.
He graduated from Annapolis at nearly the bottom of his class.
If his name was John Sidney Johnson he probably would have washed out of flight school.
And I say that as a military pilot.

You can read about his military career here:
http://www.vietnamveteransagainstjohnmccain.com/cin_mccain_lost_five_u.htm

[redstate_democrat]

7. Really? I bet you find him funny too.

Two days before the most important election, and we're on DU discussing how likable McCain is. How we "respect" him, in any way.

While he, at the same time, is running down our candidate in the most despicable ways. Wow.

[ecstatic]

8. He was a legacy officer. No one else could crash 5 planes

and still be allowed the chance to crash more.

[Clio the Leo]

9. My wounded Vietnam Vet Master Sergeant uncle said today....

.... that he didn't get the big deal about McCain. "He was on a ship! He flew his mission and then came back to the ship and slept in a bed! I slept in the mud! There was a greater risk of me being captured than him! I never got caught!"

"Am I not a hero too!!!" he asked.

"Of course you are!" we all agreed.

"Did you have a table?" I asked

"Am I not qualifed to be president too?"

"Um.... no!" we all laughed.

[bluedawg12]

20. I have read other viet vets say that served longer

and not being a son and grandson of an damiral they didn't get a medal for every hour they spent in combat.

[bluedawg12]

21. Here's a copy of his statement

http://www.vietnamveteransagainstjohnmccain.com/declassified_nhan_dan_interview_11_09_1967.pdf

[Erin Elizabeth]

10. Mmmm, no, from what I understand he enjoyed a lot of

privileges from being the grandson of an admiral. Privileges others were not granted. Yes, he was a POW, but I believe he's milked that for all it's worth now.

[ObamaKerryDem]

11. I can go for that.

I don't really feel comfortable with dissecting his military service (though I am, frankly, annoyed at all the lectures we seem to get on this from some of his supporters, many of which were all too happy to discredit John Kerry's service and sacrifice 4 years ago...but I suppose 'two wrongs don't make a right'..) but I also feel that it alone does not make him best suited for this job, the way a lot of his supporters seem to suggest. A lot of them act like you are somehow automatically disrespecting that if you don't vote for him, which is complete bullshit, especially coming from the crowd who all too happily rejected and denounced another war hero like Kerry in favor of a spoiled brat, deserter (not a conscientious objector, but a war hawk who is content to talk the talk yet not walk the walk..) like Bush..guess you're only a war hero or a patriot to a lot of them if you are a Republican..nice. :eyes:

War hero? Yes. President? Hell no.

[Lumpsum]

12. Hm.

I'm not sure why dropping bombs on innocent civilians is honorable.

[EFerrari]

13. I have no evidence that John McCain served his country and not himself.

He was a terrible student, a terrible pilot and his dealings while a prisoner are hidden and suspect.

Who is John McCain? I don't think we know enough about him to elect him President.

Has he ever been clean? His first wife, Keating and Abramoff only know. Oh, Mr. Pinochet might have known, too.

It's ironic. All the charges he's leveled at Obama are more true of himself. Unpatriotic, palling around with corruption, full of wind, no stable leadership visible.

[KingFlorez]

14. His character is why I don't respect him period

He's bitter and divisive and has made no attempt to hide that. There are plenty of Republicans I respect, but disagree with, but McCain is not one of them.

[SuperTrouper]

15. he was a terrible soldier, a reckless pilot and made up his "sacrifice" for convenience

he is a despicable human being and I am counting the minutes until this human piece of trash is off my TV screens and out of the national psyche. he makes me vomit! :puke:

[FLyellowdog]

16. No way to document this but

one of the volunteers I've been working with said her husband knew McCain during the Viet Nam War and that he's nothing to be proud of. The other guys didn't like him and didn't trust him. Of course she could have been making this up, but I don't see why she would have to just impress me. I never liked the guy in the first place. :shrug:

[bluedawg12]

17. I am sorry, I might have agreed in the past

but not after reading what fellow vets say about him and reading his record.

I am not denying he suffered, but so did others, and did they all sing?

http://www.vietnamveteransagainstjohnmccain.com/

His conduct is always mentioned, but never examined.

These guys claim to be viet vets and they are angry.

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

Just saying, this has never been discussed during the campaign, or ever, as far as I recall. Not saying it should be our candidate who discusses this, but, voters have a right to know. He is riding this issue all of the time.

http://www.redpills.org/?p=782

Vets Against McCain

guess I never thought past the obvious on McCain. I mean it was always how he stayed behind with the other POWs in Vietnam rather than get an early release. I figured he had over the years in Washington just morphed into the slimy, slippery, and sleazy that he is now. I figured Washington corrupted him.

Then I ran across this video made by the Vets Against McCain and just posted on YouTube. They claim to tell the real story regarding McCain’s years in Hanoi and his efforts to block release of information on the our MIAs.

Now these Vets Against McCain are not just Sgt. Bilko and his buddies. They include Senator Bob Smith (R-NH), Dr. Joseph Douglass, Jr. (author of “Betrayed: America’s Missing POWs“), Tracy Usry (U.S. Senate Minority Staff), Dolores Alfond (Chairperson; National Alliance of Families), Al Santoli (former Congressional Chief of Staff), Representative Bob Dornan (R-CA), Cpl. Bob Dumas (U.S. Army, (Ret)), Dr. James Lucier (former U.S. Senate Chief of Staff).

So rather than Washington corrupting John, John was already corrupted and the nice little story we are told about his POW years is a whitewash.

[PatSeg]

33. The way he treated family members of MIA/POWs

was absolutely disgraceful, but for the most part, people are reluctant to go there. It is highly probable that men got left behind and McCain shut the door on them forever. How low can a man go?

[Vinca]

18. Given the way I felt about the Vietnam War, it's hard to have respect

for someone who killed innocent civilians, crashed 5 planes and dumped the wife who waited for him.

[iamthebandfanman]

19. 8 years ago, maybe. n/t

[GoneOffShore]

22. No and yes and no and yes.

[moondust]

23. I don't see him so much as a war hero as

a gung ho ass who somehow managed to survive his own mistakes. I have heard the army has billed some soldiers apparently for equipment they lost while on combat duty in Iraq. Perhaps the taxpayer should bill McNosedive for the taxpayers' airplanes he crashed and burned. He can afford it now.

During that 5-1/2 years in a POW cell other Americans were dodging bullets and booby traps and losing their limbs and lives--involuntarily. Other former POWs have not shamelessly exploited their horror stories for personal gain again and again and again for the past 40 years.

Republicans deserve a sound stomping but that will never make up for the millions of victims they have created needlessly.

[bluedawg12]

25. Collaboration is human, but is it heroic?

This has never been brought out in public, yet he runs on the issue of his service.

http://74.6.239.67/search/cache?ei=UTF-8&p=John+McCains+military+record&fr=slv8-tyc7&u=www.vietnamveteransagainstjohnmccain.com/mccain_post_card_word%255B1%255D.pdf&w=john+mccains+mccain%27s+military+record&d=FOxZWULURpBY&icp=1&.intl=us

FACT SHEET: Military record of John Sidney McCain III

...........

Also watch the video about mclame's efforts to prevent MIA doc's to get out.

http://www.redpills.org/?p=782

.......

Is this true? Not sure. But we should have had more scrutiny about these alllegations.

[moondust]

29. True.

"This has never been brought out in public, yet he runs on the issue of his service."

And the feeble-minded Pukes cry media bias.

Thanks for the links.

[bluedawg12]

32. People are fearful and this is an ugly issue

so it's a hot potato, but, no one was too afraid to swiftyboatliar poor kerry.

You are welcome.

[seabeyond]

24. i understand he wasnt a very good soldier, but i do respect the time he put the

sacrifice and pain he endured

[Waiting For Everyman]

26. Sorry, I don't respect him as anything.

The more you learn about him, the less you'll feel that way.

[bluedawg12]

27. Have we ever heard the myth probed?

http://www.usvetdsp.com/jan07/mccain_myth.htm

[Doityourself]

28. Screw McLama....all the way around..he gets no respect! n/t

[DainBramaged]

30. ........................

:puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke:
:puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke:
:puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke:
:puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke:

[crossroads]

31. I do not respect him for anything!

First: the way he treated his first wife and you just might wish to read this site:
http://www.vietnamveteransagainstjohnmccain.com/
He's never been anything but a selfish egotistical screw up imo!
CR

[Orsino]

34. Sailor, please.

Specifically, a Naval aviator, in which role he spent a lot of time bombing Vietnamese civilians.

[Jed Dilligan]

35. His service record wasn't so hot, I've heard.

I'm not one to applaud someone simply for serving in the military. I think he went through something terrible, but that doesn't make him exemplary.