U.S. Politics Online: A Political Discussion Forum - View Single Post - Right Wing Media Myth #2: John McCain has Military Experience

Imperator · #19 (**permalink**) 06-24-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by CorpMediaSux

People are using his military experience in Vietnam as a justification that he's better on national security issues. The question then has to become, does he have any experience LEADING military operations. No. Does he have experience formulating national security policy. No. So in and of itself "experience" can't be used as an argument for McCain on national security. The media and National Security Voters should be challenging McCain on the rationale behind his national security platform rather than merely accepting because he was in the military and was tortured that somehow means he knows anything about the military.

He has flip flopped on torture and presently is in favor of Bush Administration interrogation tactics. I know it's hard to keep up with the guys flip flops, but yup, that's another one.

Not sure how Kerry became part of this discussion. However, if you think that anyone was thinking about John Kerry and the Winter soldier hearings during the swift boat controversy you are sorely mistaken. Those guys flat out lied about John Kerry. Everyone who was on the boat WITH John Kerry says they were under enemy fire. Period. Perhaps you're feeling guilty and you believed them and that's why you bring it up?

Miscalculated the willingness of veterans to lie, for months and on every channel about what happened in Vietnam? Sure I guess he did.

None of this has to do with John McCain. I was hoping you'd actually have some evidence that John McCain has experience on leading on national security. You don't.

Oh so you're applying some kind of standard to John Kerry because he didn't have the specific names of people who he saw committing atrocities. Atrocities every hsitorian of the Vietnam war knows existed and which few would discount. But you don't care at all that "swift boat" veterans lied, and lied and LIED about John Kerry. Just got on television and lied and were supported by the RNC. OK.

Can you explain how being a POW translates into qualifications to formulate national security strategies? I'm fascinated to find out.

So we're in agreement that basically people want to believe that McCain has experience simply because they want to believe it. Isn't this EXACTLY my point about Right Wing Media MYTHS. A myth is something that people "blindly" believe and will suffer no one pointing out how false it is. This is my argument, thanks for making it for me.

One mnore timmmmmmeeeeeeeeee…..I used kerry as an example to make larger point, regards attitudes, the military and what passes for experience that they ( you know the voting public, what we are discussing, politics) will rely on absent “real” experience. Its about what PEOPLE FEEL as in the POLIITICS and the PUBLIC trust, they are naturally going to trust someone who has severed before they trust someone who hasn’t plus add in life experience etc. …jesus Christ. If you read the whole statement and instead of looking to pick it apart to attempt to win debate points I think that’s clear. Read my very first statement again ….I never claimed he had any…..theres your "myth"...

One more timmmmme what I described is how the military as brought into the forum by Kerry became a loser for him. You missed the point also regarding kerry and what was really the issue regards swift boat etc..it wasn’t so much the adds with the guys standing there saying what they said, it was kerry HIMSELF IN HIS OWN WORDS ( do I need to make this point again) saying what he said , and well? People are not going to forgive that. Especially since it came out long before kerrys run that the winter soldiers there charges etc. were to a large extent frauds, many of the catalysts in that org., didn ‘t even serve in Vietnam etc…Like it or not those are FACTS and they helped sink Kerry, so from a political stand point is was a loser. It appears you are as tone deaf as Obama is, if he makes this an issue, it’s a dead done loser…

Regards your comment of having names and bearing witness, I guess as a lib its just de rigueur, smear an entire organization during the conflict, evidence is no longer necessary in the court of the lib public opinion, I should have remembered that. No- no names no places no evidence just bombastic hearsay and thats good enough? Since when? Obama sat before a jackass hater for 20 years and we cannot even get you to admit he must have known what this guy stands for and was about, please huh.

Let me let you in on a not so secret secret, Officers most especially are treated harshly for offences like this, even the mere smell of a cover up ala Haditha can get your ass before a court martial, one of the preeminent duties of any officer to report and attempt to stop any actions he described, Calley was excoriated not just because of the events but because as an officer he is supposed to be smarter, college, officer candidate school, a gentleman , better disciplined and high caliber than those in the Enlisted ranks.
I don’t know if those guys who did make the commercial were telling the truth or not BUT since some of them DID serve with him, that’s a great deal more evidence than you have of some topical “atrocity” spun for the congressional cameras….

If you are trying to make a case that Obama and McCain are on even keel regards military experience OR experience dealing with the military etc., man oh man, Please, get out of school, go live some life please. I’ll talk to you in 15-20 years, we’ll see how you feel then.