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Title: Trump creates outrage in Iowa claiming that John McCain wasn't a war hero because he was a captured POW – and dodges questions about his own Vietnam War draft deferments
Source:
Daily Mail Online
URL Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art ... all-half-field-stays-home.html
Published: Jul 18, 2015
Author: David Martosko, US Political Editor
Post Date: 2015-07-18 13:59:06 by cranky
Keywords: None
Views: 55749
Comments: 201
Donald Trump escalated his feud with Sen. John McCain on Saturady in Iowa by suggesting only his capture and five years as a prisoner of war turned him into a 'war hero.' 'He’s a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren't captured,' Trump said on stage at the Family Leader Summit in Ames. McCain spent years in a Viet Cong prison after the plane he was flying was shot down over Hanoi in October 1967.He was tortured enough to produce permanent physical disabilities. Trump got student and medical deferments and never served in uniform. He told reporters after his speech that a bone spur in his foot led to the medical exemption from the draft. Asked which foot had disqualified him, he couldn't remember. 'You'll have to look it up,' Trump said dismissively. 'It's in the records.' Rick Perry, the former Texas governor who is running 10th in an average of national polls, immediately called for Trump to quit his presidential campaign. ANGRY: Trump attacked Sen. John McCain and said the only reason he is considered a war hero is his capture and imprisonment as a POW during the Vietnam War. NOT A HERO? Sen. John McCain spent more than five years in a North Vietnamese prison after his plane was shot down durign the Vietnam War WALKING WOUNDED: McCain's torture left him disfigured and permanently damaged 'I respect Sen. McCain because he volunteered to serve his country,' Perry said in a statement. 'I cannot say the same of Mr. Trump.' 'His comments have reached a new low in American politics. His attack on veterans make him unfit to be Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Armed Forces, and he should immediately withdraw from the race for President.' Trump focued considerable rhetorical artillery on McCain Saturday, mocking his bona fides on military and veterans issues: 'He graduated last in his class at Annapolis,' he claimed. 'Well, second-to-last.' In a press conference following his speech, Trump backtracked a few inches about prisoners of war. 'If somebody's a prisoner, I would consider him a war hero,' he said. 'But her have lots of heroes who wersn't prisoners. The billionaire's tussle with McCain began after he drew a reported 15,000 people to a campaign event in Phoenix to talk about illegal immigration. McCain, a proponent of comprehensive immigration reform, called his audience 'crazies.' Trump responded that the GOP's 2008 presidential nominee was a 'dummy.' In an emailed statement to DailyMail.com, Trump said after his press conference: 'I am not a fan John McCain because he has done so little for our Veterans and he should know better than anybody what the Veterans need, especially in regards to the VA.' 'He was extremely disrespectful to the thousands upon thousands of people, many of whom happen to be his constituents, that came to listen to me speak about illegal immigration in Phoenix last week by calling them "crazies",' Trump carped. 'These were not "crazies" – these were great American citizens.' 'I have great respect for all those who serve in our military including those that weren’t captured and are also heroes,' he insisted. Republicans auditioned all day for Christian conservatives, parading their bona fides in the nations' first presidential primary state. But not everyone searching for votes showed up. The cattle-call brought nine of the Republican Party's 15 declared presidential candidates to a single stage, less than a day after Democrats did the same thing – with all five of their White House hopefuls – a two-hour drive to the east. The Christian-right sponsoring group, The Family Leader, attracted mostly the candidates from the conservative end of the GOP spectrum. Led by political kingmaker Bob Vander Plaats, the group wields outsize influence in the Hawkeye State whenever Republicans barnstorm through during the run-up to the quadrennial Iowa caucuses. The $10 billion man was otherwise a crowd favorite in Ames, Iowa, speaking about his religion before a group of Christian conservatives Donald Trump's childhood church was First Presbyterian Church in Jamaica, Queens, New York City. He said he was in church just last week Anti-abortion politics were visible in Ames, Iowa on July 18, 2015 at the Family Leader summit, a gathering of Republican presidential candidates hosted Missing in Ames was the Republican front-runner Jeb Bush, the sometimes-moderate New Jersey governor Chris Christie and the usually moderate former New York governor George Pataki. Nowhere to be found were senators Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Rand Paul of Kentucky. Paul's libertarian brand of Republicanism, makes some religious conservatives wary. Carly Fiorina, the GOP's only female While House contestant, also didn't make the trip. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, the day's first candidate-speaker, wrapped up his time on stage in a Q&A with pollster Frank Luntz by asking if he could read aloud from a book. 'It's a Bible,' he said, drawing wild cheers from the audience. He read from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 12, verse 48: 'From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded' – explaining it as a parable about America's global primacy and its obligations to keep its people, and the world, safe. Rubio blasted the Obama administration's recent nuclear bargain with Iran, calling it 'a complete sham.' He also castigated the president for sidestepping the role of Islam in global terror. 'It's not radical Presbyterian terrorism,' he said. 'It's radical Islamic terrorism. ... We have to target them militarily in their safe havens.' Abortion politics were visible both outside and inside the event venue in Ames, Iowa. Sign-wavers pointed to right-wing outrage over a surreptitious video that showed a Planned Parenthood medical doctor describing how she tailored her abortion procedures in order to preserve fetal body parts for human biologics companies. Outrage over an undercover video sting of Planned Parenthood brought anti-abortion Iowa Rep. Steve King kicked off the day with anger over 'that in-quotes "doctor"' whom he said was killing 'babies that could be viable outside the womb. It is sickening to watch.' Seizing on the political moment as a springboard for new laws tightening abortion restrictions, Knig said: 'This is our chance.' Also in evidence was a lingering resentment over this month's stunning Supreme Court decision legalizing same-sex weddings nationwide. 'Marriage = 1 [man] and 1 [woman],' a projected image declared above the stage as the crowd filed in, using icons to represent male and female. 
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#70. To: Pericles (#61)
But...but...what about Bubba Clinton and his shrewish wife, Hitlery? Aren't they two of your socialist heroes? Heck -- Hitlery was even fired upon disembarking from her 'Cankles I' jet in Bosnia? Or was it Muzzie-controlled Kosovo?
"There are plenty of other things to be concerned about. Terrorism - not so much." - Deckart
So McCains selling out to the highest bidder doesn't bother you Rick?? Now why doesn't that surprise me, what a panoche!! “Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rapidly promoted by mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.”
Like so many others, rich and poor, Trump received student deferments while in college. I have no problem with anyone receiving a student deferment while in college. Do you, and if so….then why? October 1968, he was declared medically unfit to serve except "in time of national emergency," even though he had been declared fit to serve in 1966. The documents do not specify the reasons Trump was given a medical deferment. I find nowhere the specificity for his medical deferment. Have you, and If so….then please post the link for me so I can form an opinion as to the legitimacy of the action. BTW, I know what he said….but I don’t know the severity? I don’t know your definition of a “BS arm chair patriot.” However I do know the definition of a “patriot.” A patriot is defined as “a person who vigorously supports their country and is prepared to defend it against enemies or detractors.” I spent 24-years on continuous activity in the U.S. Air Force where I “vigorously supported our country and was always prepared to defend it against enemies or detractors” with my life….I am still prepared to do so, if necessary. Therefore, I consider myself a true patriot. How can you consider me a “BS arm chair patriot” solely because I support Trump? Also, why do you feel it is necessary to resort to attacking me personally….instead of debating the subject under discussion? I am sincerely interested in your answers.
If you think that Trump would actually do anything about these things if somehow he managed to P.T. Barnum his way into the WH you are truly delusional. потому что Бог хочет это тот путь
I will challenge the story and I will tell you why. I had friends who were shot down over Nam. Some were picked up by the “Jolly Green Giant.” One was shot while evading, as witnessed by the air cover. One was in Laos for a number of years and was almost missed in the repatriation. Another one was shot down over Hanoi ended up in the Hanoi Hilton. There but the Grace of God…. So, I will call not of their actions “heroic.” I simply say “there were doing their job. I have no doubt that each and every one of those individuals would say the same thing, if asked. Back to McCain, the “war hero who was tortured” - Two former POWs, Air Force Colonels Ted Guy (awarded the CMH) and Gordon “Swede” Larson, told the Phoenix New Times in 1999 that they doubted McCain was tortured or harmed while a prisoner. Both Guy and Larson were senior ranking officers in McCain’s POW camp at a time he claims he was in solitary confinement and being tortured. “Between the two of us, it’s our belief, and to the best of our knowledge, that no prisoner was beaten or harmed physically in (the Plantation),” Larson stated. “My only contention with the McCain deal is that while he was at the Plantation, he was not physically abused in any way. No one was in that camp.” 1
Can you possibly be more dishonest? He got way more than a deferment he eventually got a medical pass. You say you couldn't find anything about Trump's dferment and draft history. Really? I found this in less than 10 seconds of a google search. "By the time his number (356) was drawn during the December 1, 1969 draft lottery, Trump had already received four student deferments and a medical deferment, according to military records on file with the National Archives and Records Administration. An extract of Trump’s Selective Classification record, seen here, was provided in response to a TSG records request. In fact, the December 1969 draft lottery occurred about 18 months after Trump graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied business at the Wharton School. So, while claiming that he would “never forget” being at Wharton watching the draft numbers being drawn, the 64-year-old Trump seems to have misremembered, as candidates are fond of saying. Trump obtained his first two Class 2-S student deferments in June 1964 and December 1965, when he was student at Fordham University in the Bronx. He was briefly reclassified as 1-A--or "available for military service"--in late- November 1966, but that classification was switched back to 2-S three weeks later. Another 2-S deferment is dated January 16, 1968, just months before his graduation from UPenn (to which he transferred following his sophomore year at Fordham). Following his UPenn graduation, Trump--no longer qualified for a 2-S deferment-- was again briefly classified as available for service on July 9. However, three months later, on October 15, his classification was switched to 1-Y, which was given to men deemed qualified for military service “only in time of national emergency.” The 1-Y classification came a month after Trump underwent an “Armed Forces Physical Examination,” according to Selective Service records, which note the results of the exam as “DISQ.” While the military records do not further detail why Trump was granted the 1-Y deferment, a 1992 biography of the businessman by journalist Wayne Barrett reported that Trump received a medical deferment following the September 17, 1968 exam. Trump’s 1-Y classification stayed in effect until February 1, 1972 when it was changed to a 4-F classification (which covered registrants not qualified for military service). The change in classification was likely prompted by the military’s December 1971 decision to abolish the 1-Y classification." You say that you have no problem with anyone receiving a student deferment while in college and asked if I did. I didn't, even if someone became a career student to avoid being drafted. I had a deferement for my undergraduate engineering degree then a critical skills deferment until the lottery system was instituted. I didn't have the money to continue on as a full time graduate student though I did get my MS degree while being fully employed going to school at nights. I was fully eligible for the draft for about three years after the critical skill deferments were ended. McCain is a civilian bombing war criminal
#71. To: SOSO, McCain is no hero (#63)
#72. To: cranky (#0)
'I respect Sen. McCain because he volunteered to serve his country,' Perry said in a statement. 'I cannot say the same of Mr. Trump.'
#73. To: SOSO, Deckard, A K A Stone, cranky, nativist nationalist, misterwhite (#34)
When someone like Trump finds a winky, winky BS rich guy way to evade the draft…
According to his Selective Service records, first obtained by the website The Smoking Gun through a Freedom of Information Act request, Trump received four student deferments between 1964 and 1968 while in college and an additional medical deferment after graduating.
You BS arm chair patriots make me puke when you pull crap like this.
#74. To: Liberator (#69)
Do you support the illegal invasion, Sanctuary Cities, and Amnesty OR, a solution/reduction to the problem?
#75. To: SOSO, Deckard, A K A Stone, cranky, nativist nationalist, misterwhite (#34)
The story, whihc no-one has challenged is that McCain was badly wounded from ejecting from his plane when shot down, his captors refused to treat his injuries, beating and interrogating him to get information. He was then given medical care only when the North Vietnamese discovered that his father was a top admiral. He almost assuredly could have recieved preferential treatment had he cooperated with the enemy but he didn't. In fact he spent the last couple of years in captivity in solitary confinement. I don't know about you but I'd called that herpic.
As a POW, willingly provided so much intelligence – admittedly, bits of it false – and co-operated so extensively with the North Vietnamese in exchange for favorable treatment over a three-year period that his fellow prisoners at the Hanoi Hilton gave him the derisive nickname “Songbird.” In propaganda aimed at the US, the North Vietnamese even used his nickname in a news release about McCain, not understanding it was an insult given him by prisoners who were disgusted by his behavior.
#76. To: Gatlin, Deckard, A K A Stone, cranky, nativist nationalist, misterwhite (#73)
Like so many others, rich and poor, Trump received student deferments while in college. I have no problem with anyone receiving a student deferment while in college. Do you, and if so….then why?
потому что Бог хочет это тот путь
#77. To: SOSO, Pericles (#63)
Considered an urban legend. No one can ever cite a single instance, find any victims or witnesses to spitting on the Vietnam vets. Do you know of any documented cases? Wiki: The Spitting Image, documentary You were the guy that was spitting on the Vietnam veterans as they returned home and calling them baby killers. You haven't changed a bit.
#78. To: Gatlin (#75)
Of course they wouldn't but I certainly would. So, I will call not of their actions “heroic.” I simply say “there were doing their job. I have no doubt that each and every one of those individuals would say the same thing, if asked.
потому что Бог хочет это тот путь
#79. To: Liberator (#65)
You might recall the story about McStain, after the 2008 election, when his wife Cindy was offered a chance to appear on Dancing With The Stars (being so pretty) and he started screaming at her and calling her a cunt. In public, in front of his staff. Classy guy. Trump didn't exactly say, "my b*tch is fine."
#80. To: SOSO, Deckard, A K A Stone, cranky, nativist nationalist, misterwhite (#35)
Which story? McCain’s story or the stories by other POWs, including the Senior Ranking Officer? Look up McCain's story as a prisoner of war.
Look up McCain's story as a prisoner of war.
#81. To: Gatlin (#73)
Who did he think he was, Dick Cheney? I seem to recall Cheney wangled 5 deferments. According to his Selective Service records, first obtained by the website The Smoking Gun through a Freedom of Information Act request, Trump received four student deferments between 1964 and 1968 while in college and an additional medical deferment after graduating.
#82. To: SOSO, Deckard, A K A Stone, cranky, nativist nationalist, misterwhite (#37)
Why do you find it necessary to use personal insults? It is not surprising that a pig worships other pigs.
#83. To: misterwhite, SOSO, Deckard, A K A Stone, cranky, nativist nationalist (#39)
But that doesn't make him a "war hero", and that's all Trump was saying. EXACTLY! Why did McCain have his POW records sealed? A question yet unanswered....after all these years.
#84. To: Gatlin (#75) (Edited)
Yeah but didn't the top ranking POW officer in the camps vouch for McStain's conduct and suffering back in 2008? It seemed he was considered authoritative and we heard no more from the bashers about Stain's POW record again. Wiki: Colonel Bud Day Two former POWs, Air Force Colonels Ted Guy (awarded the CMH) and Gordon “Swede” Larson, told the Phoenix New Times in 1999 that they doubted McCain was tortured or harmed while a prisoner. Both Guy and Larson were senior ranking officers in McCain’s POW camp at a time he claims he was in solitary confinement and being tortured. “Between the two of us, it’s our belief, and to the best of our knowledge, that no prisoner was beaten or harmed physically in (the Plantation),” Larson stated.
Five years as a POW, most of them he was roommates with the Stain. Day was also part of the Swift Boat posse that went after Kerry in 2004.
George Everett "Bud" Day (24 February 1925 – 27 July 2013) was a United States Air Force colonel and pilot who served during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, including five years and seven months as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam. Day was a recipient of the Medal of Honor and the Air Force Cross. As of 2013, he is the only person to be awarded both medals.
#85. To: TooConservative (#77)
"Myth: That in reality the stories of returning soldiers being spat at or upon was made up by Far Right extremists as a way to smear the antiwar movement Fact: Cases of being spit on have been documented in numerous contemporaneous news articles and in a Dec 27, 1971 CBS TV interview of a returning combat medic, Delmar Pickett, Jr. In fact, spitting on troops was so common that the National Guard was specifically trained not to react to spitting. Professor Jerry Lembcke wrote "The Spitting Image: Myth, Memory, and the Legacy of Vietnam" which concluded that the spitting stories were a myth. Lembcke didn't bother to reveal that he was a member of the Vietnam Veterans Against the War and was a Marxist and an anti-war activist who had an agenda in publishing his book. Lembcke's "proof" that spitting didn't occur was soundly debunked by Jim Lindgren of Volokh Conspiracy, including proof that he lied about several things he stated in his book. Contemporaneous documentation has been found in the (PA) Bucks County Courier Times, New York Times, the Pomona Progress Bulletin, the Associated Press, the Panama News, the Washington Post and the Odessa American, among others. According to a August 27, 1967 New York Times article, written by Neil Sheehan, National Guardsmen were trained to endure spitting by being spat upon during training. According to a December 27, 1969 Washington Post article, an SNCC official urged protestors to spit on the President "as a tactic of protesting the Vietnam War". At least one former anti-war protestor has admitted to spitting on soldiers during his protesting days. Spitting on National Guardsmen at the 1968 Democratic Convention was documented by the Walker Report, a government-commissioned report on the protests as well as the Daley report, commissioned by Chicago Mayor Richard Daley. Even Congressional Medal of Honor winners were spat on and insulted. In one documented instance, a WWII CMOH winner, James Conners, decked a protestor who was yelling "killer, killer" at him. One prominent anti-war protestor, Congressman Allard Lowenstein, implored students who opposed the war, in a May 14, 1969 article in the Washington Post, to stop all the spitting. One of the most prominent protestors of all, Tom Hayden, was arrested for spitting on a police detective during the Chicago Democratic Convention. Bob Greene's "Homecoming: When the Soldiers Returned from Vietnam" documents the stories of vets that testify to being spat on or disrespected in other ways when returning to the States. In some cases, even veterans of previous wars turned their backs on Vietnam vets. There are numerous stories of the VFW and American Legion refusing to accept membership applications from Vietnam vets. Soldiers returning to Oakland were warned about protestors and body searched for weapons before they were exposed to them, because there had been incidents of violence priot to the policy change. It is self-evident, from the many recent Welcome Home parades for Vietnam vets, that Vietnam vets were not welcomed home when they returned. Do you know of any documented cases?
потому что Бог хочет это тот путь
#86. To: Gatlin (#82)
Why are you offended when others emulate your hero Trump? Why do you find it necessary to use personal insults?
потому что Бог хочет это тот путь
#87. To: SOSO. Liberator, Deckard, A K A Stone, cranky, nativist nationalist, misterwhite (#47) (Edited)
Are you f*cking kidding? No, he definitely is not f*cking kidding. I challenge you to provide one witness statement to show McCain's supposed "torture" at the hands of his jailers. He was treated better than most because his famous daddy made Johnny boy's ordeal better than most.
#88. To: SOSO (#86)
Why do you find it necessary to use personal insults? Please answer the question I asked.
#89. To: Percy Misanthrope, Liberator, CZ82 (#71) (Edited)
Mr. Dornan with his F-100 in 1957, with his name on the side. http://www.bobdornan.com/photo01.html B-1 Bob Dornan knows, McCain is a POS! 
#90. To: SOSO (#63)
That was before my time and no one actually spat on any American Vietnam vets - even those baby killers that may have deserved it - that was a urban myth. Wow, now I recognize where I met you before. You were the guy that was spitting on the Vietnam veterans as they returned home and calling them baby killers. You haven't changed a bit.
#91. To: Liberator (#70)
I have repeatedly called the Clintons war criminals for what Bill did in Yugoslavia and what Hillary did in Libya - what the fuck is wrong with you that you keep thinking I am defending the Clintons? And that asshole war criminal scumbag Bush, jr recognized Kosovo as an independent country. But...but...what about Bubba Clinton and his shrewish wife, Hitlery? Aren't they two of your socialist heroes? Heck -- Hitlery was even fired upon disembarking from her 'Cankles I' jet in Bosnia? Or was it Muzzie-controlled Kosovo?
#92. To: SOSO (#85)
When you follow the links and read the stories, there are very few actual victims or witnesses in these stories. It's like reading through the links from InfoWars or PrisonPlanet stories: you find that the linked material used to support the main story aren't true or are greatly overstated. I do recall first hearing these stories in the early Eighties and I wondered at the time why we were only hearing about this supposed widespread spitting-on-troops so long after the war was ended and even the draft dodgers got pardoned. Check.
#93. To: hondo68 (#89)
I wish they'd bring him back as a military correspondent on Fox News. He made every story more exciting, usually by saying something really wild. B-1 Bob Dornan knows...
#94. To: Percy Misanthrope, SOSO, Deckard, A K A Stone, cranky, nativist nationalist, misterwhite, Liberator (#71)
The consensus opinion of other POWs in McCain's camps was that McCain was NEVER tortured by the North Vietnamese. 1
#95. To: SOSO, TooConservative (#77)
No one can ever cite a single instance, find any victims or witnesses to spitting on the Vietnam vets. Do you know of any documented cases? I just stated it is an urban legend, also before I read your comment. It seems an expression (they disrespected us = spit on us) became actual incidents of spitting in urban legend tellings but even disrespecting of vets was not the norm. In any case, the USA killed over a million Vietnamese - 90+% if which were civilians and poisoned their country with Agent Orange. Most of the civilians killed were by the air forces. That is a post WW2 war crime. Considered an urban legend.
#96. To: SOSO, Deckard, A K A Stone, cranky, nativist nationalist, misterwhite, Liberator, Percy Misanthrope, (#76)
You have made the charge. Therefore it is incumbent on you to prove his medical exemption was not a valid one. Do it! Can you possibly be more dishonest? He got way more than a deferment he eventually got a medical pass.
#97. To: TooConservative, SOSO (#92)
I do recall first hearing these stories in the early Eighties and I wondered at the time why we were only hearing about this supposed widespread spitting-on-troops so long after the war was ended and even the draft dodgers got pardoned. It had to do with the Vietnam vets were super badasses movies of the 80s from Rambo to Chuck Norris to Oliver Stone's movie. The general consensus was the nation was making up for all the metaphorical spitting aka disrespecting of the Vietnam era troops. Also, this was the era where the POW/MIA myth came about - the myth being the Commies were holding Americans in bamboo tiger cages for some reason. All proven fake long ago but the POW/MIA flags still fly all over the place. There was no - repeat - no POW/MIAs held after the fact as some sort of commie plot. When you follow the links and read the stories, there are very few actual victims or witnesses in these stories. It's like reading through the links from InfoWars or PrisonPlanet stories: you find that the linked material used to support the main story aren't true or are greatly overstated.
#98. To: hondo68 (#89)
http://blogs.ocweekly.com/navelgazing/a-clockwork-orange/b1-bob-vs-maverick-1/ B-1 Bob Dornan knows, McCain is a POS!
“Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rapidly promoted by mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.”
#99. To: SOSO (#78)
Then you are merely stating an unqualified personal opinion, which of course you are entitled to do. I respect that, but I prefer to listen tp someone "who has been there and personally knows people who have done that." Of course they wouldn't but I certainly would.
#100. To: hondo68 (#89)
Republicans Allege McCain Covered Up His Collaboration with the North Vietnamese While a POW Allegations resurface that McCain made propaganda statements and tried to keep Viet Cong records about him classified. AlterNet September 20, 2008 Print COMMENT NOW! A 1992 video featuring a Republican senator, Republican congressman and top Capitol Hill staffers who worked on Vietnam prisoner of war and missing in action issues say John McCain collaborated with North Vietnamese while a POW, and then covered up that involvement to the detriment of POW/MIA families seeking access to classified Pentagon records about their own family members. Watch the Video The video raises probing questions about the 2008 Republican presidential nominee's war record, especially after McCain made his captivity a major part of his qualifications for the presidency at the Republican National Convention. In 2004, the GOP focused on Democratic nominee John Kerry's war record to criticize his candidacy. To date, the video has been posted on a handful of blogs but has been ignored by the mainstream media. While it features Republican stalwarts on POW/MIA issues, it also suggests that McCain's war records at the Pentagon and in North Vietnam would reveal potentially very controversial details about the GOP's presidential candidate. The nearly eight-minute video is posted on YouTube under "Vietnam Veterans Against McCain." It begins with the title, "1992 Senate Select Committee on POW/MIAs," and features ex-Sen. Bob Smith (R-NH), Rep. Robert Dornan (R-CA), senate staffers Tracy Usry, James Lucier, and military family members Lynn O'Shea, of the National Alliance of Families and retired Army Cpl. Bob Dumas, whose brother was a POW lost in the Korean War, and Joseph Douglass, Jr., author of Betrayed, about America's missing POWs. The video has no author credits. The footage begins with Douglass, Usry, O'Shea and Smith all saying that McCain worked to kill legislation that would have opened the Pentagon's classified archive of POW/MIA files. "Many, many documents were held back for no reason," former Sen. Smith said. Dorman said legislation that passed the House with no opposing votes was single-handedly blocked in the Senate by McCain. "On the Senate side, we had one person standing in the way," Dornan said, referring to McCain. Dumas then gave the reason why - the Pentagon's records would reveal McCain had collaborated with the Vietnamese. "He didn't want nobody to check his background because a lot of POWs who were with him in the camp said he was a collaborator with the enemy," Dumas said. "He gave the enemy information they wanted." Lucier, identified as a former U.S. Senate Chief of Staff, said "we do know that when he was over there, he cooperated with Communist news services in giving interviews that were not flattering to the United States." Usry, identified as U.S. Senate Minority Staff former chief investigator, said "information shows that he made over 32 tapes of propaganda for the Vietnamese government." Dornan said there were transcripts of other POWs reacting to McCain's false statements, saying, "Oh my God, is that Admiral McCain's son Is that the admiral's son? Is that Johnny, telling us that our principle targets are schools, orphanages, hospitals, temples, churches? That was Jane Fonda's line." Dornan said those transcripts are in war museums in North Vietnam, where McCain, as a senator, pressured the country not to release them or face opposition concerning normalization of relations with the United States. "McCain could not have wanted those to turn up in the middle of a presidential race," the ex-congressman said. "He knows that. I know that. And a few other people know that. That's why he was against Bob Dole's legislation." Dornan then offered another interesting explanation why McCain refused an offer by the North Vietnamese to be released. Dornan said those released first were collaborators, which would have ended McCain's military career and hurt the Navy, where his father commanded the Pacific fleet. "Nobody takes that one step beyond that," Dornan said, speaking of McCain's refusal to be released. "If Admiral John McCain's son had accepted this princely status and come home in 1967, while others sat there for five years, what would the Navy have done with the son of an admiral who opted to get special treatment and come home? No Navy career. No House seat. No Senate seat. It would have been the end of his career." Steven Rosenfeld is a Senior Fellow at AlterNet.org, where he reports on elections from a voting rights perspective. His books include Count My Vote: A Citizen's Guide to Voting (AlterNet Books, 2008), What Happened in Ohio: A Documentary Record of Theft and Fraud in the 2004 Election (The New Press, 2006), and Making History in Vermont: The Election of a Socialist to Congress (Hollowbrook Publishing, 1992). An award-winning journalist, he has been a staff reporter at National Public Radio, Monitor Radio, TomPaine.com, and at daily and weekly newspapers in Vermont.
“Political correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rapidly promoted by mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.”
#101. To: Deckard (#2)
Third generation Annapolis. That should have guaranteed him an Admiral's flag. There's got to be a reason why he never got flag rank. As much as I despise McStain, at least he served.
There are three kinds of people in the world: those that can add and those that can't
#102. To: Gatlin, Deckard, A K A Stone, cranky, nativist nationalist, misterwhite, Liberator, Percy, Misanthrope, (#96)
He couldn't remember which foot it was when just asked. Are you kidding? Therefore it is incumbent on you to prove his medical exemption was not a valid one. Do it!
потому что Бог хочет это тот путь
#103. To: SOSO (#76)
I don't see where it states what his medical deferment was for....do you? The important we need to find out if the deferment was valid....right? If it was not, then we can condemn him. On the other hand, if it was....then?
#104. To: SOSO (#102)
He couldn't remember which foot it was when just asked. Are you kidding? Because he couldn't immediately remember which foot it was....that makes him a liar? Are YOU kidding? There are many possible reasons he could not immediately remember....but of course you will never consider that, right? Therefore it is incumbent on you to prove his medical exemption was not a valid one. Do it!
#105. To: TooConservative (#92)
Becuase it took a long time after the war for people to stop treating and thinking of the Vietnam Vet like a POS. I clearly remember those days and how many of my acquaintenances freely expresswed their deep disquest at these vets. It was and remains a national embrassment. Few of these vets were enlisted men, most were drafted. They answered the call. They deserved much better treatment when they returned home. Save for the ones that broke down and committed autrocitites of their own, in my mind they are all heroes. I do recall first hearing these stories in the early Eighties and I wondered at the time why we were only hearing about this supposed widespread spitting-on-troops so long after the war was ended and even the draft dodgers got pardoned.
потому что Бог хочет это тот путь
#106. To: Gatlin (#104)
Reason #1: He is a lying sack of sh*t. All other possible reasons are of considerably less probability. There are many possible reasons he could not immediately remember....but of course you will never consider that, right?
потому что Бог хочет это тот путь
#107. To: Gatlin (#104)
Are YOU kidding? Not at all. I still remember my lottery number. In fact, Trump still remembers his. I guess that was more memorable than the medical condition that got him totally out of the draft. Riiiiiiiight....................................... Because he couldn't immediately remember which foot it was....that makes him a liar?
потому что Бог хочет это тот путь
#108. To: TooConservative, Vicomte13 (#93)
I wish they'd bring him back as a military correspondent on Fox News. He's the kind of works based Catholic we need on the Supreme Court? B-1 Bob Dornan
#109. To: SOSO (#35)
Boy; you RINO's are clueless. The reason folks here don't like McCain has everything to do with conduct in the US Senate. Your boy McCain worked hand in hand with his BFF Obama to arm the groups fighting the government of Syria, which proved indispensable to the rise of ISIS. Same thing in Libya. ISIS could never have reached the level of success they enjoy today with out the aid and comfort provided by your boy McCain. Your guy Jihad Johnny worked with Clinton to help establish an Islamic foothold in Kosovo. He lied about building "that danged fence." Jihad Johnny sides with the enemies of America. I really appreciate that Trump is driving you RINO bootlickers nuts. You guys have been stabbing America in the back, it is nice to see you guys suffer. Look up McCain's story as a prisoner of war. Tell me that you would have 1/10th the balls and courage that he had to endure that torture when he was offered an easy way out by the enemy.
#110. To: nativist nationalist (#109)
First, I am not a fan of McCain or many of his positions, so knock the stupid gratuitous attempts at a jab off. Second, I don't care if they like him or not. Third, I don't care why they may like him or why they may not. He served his country honorably during the Vietnam war and that's a whole lot more than anyone can say about Trump. The only people that Dollar Donald sides with are those that can line his pockets. And he doesn't care who they are, what they are, where they are from or even if they hate America. He'll sell America out faster than just about anyone if he can make money on the deal. Boy; you RINO's are clueless. The reason folks here don't like McCain has everything to do with conduct in the US Senate
потому что Бог хочет это тот путь
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