Letters to the Editor
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5.5 years in the Hanoi Hilton
How sane could anyone be after that length of time? Look at McCain's change in personality after leaving the Hanoi Hilton - had numerous affairs, dumped his wife with her two kids.
How stable IS McCain?
We can Swift-Boat with the best. This is gonna be a disgusting, scummy campaign, but I'm damned if the Democrats will be out-slimed by the Republicans.
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Just keeping all options open
McSame is just keeping all of his campaigning options open.
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Clif Sams
Take your Iraqs and your Grenadas and your Viet Nams
And ask the people if they really give a goddamn.
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or maybe McCain is going deaf
and didn't hear what the guy said.
Cheap shot, I know. If it's Friday, I must be punchy.
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Gotcha political journalism
Here's the quote from the CNN story:
"Air Force veteran Clif Sams told McCain that he had done a “damn good job” surviving his imprisonment during the Vietnam War. He then told the senator: “I hope that we have somebody called Swift Boats for McCain come out and help you. You’re damn good.”
“Thank you sir, and thank you for your service,” McCain responded."
You know, it's at least possible that McCain was just thanking a veteran for his service to the country and didn't choose to get into responding to the Swift Boats comments. One thing that should be clear all candidates in this race is that attack ads by single-interest 527 groups are a pox on both houses. If McCain is indeed looking forward to Swift Boat-style ads helping his campaign, I have grossly underestimated the man and would agree he is an utter hypocrite. I think not though.
This story is a little too "gotcha."
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It's surprising
I always thought the swift boat attacks dishonored all veterans and implicitly called into question every soldier who earned a medal for actions in combat. I would think that any mention of "swift boats" would be anathema to veterans. I guess in politics the ends will justify any means.
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Naw
Come on, I'm not for McCain, but when some of us asked for stuff about him here on salon instead of dragging Obama through the mud, I think we had something a little more substantial in mind.
Honestly, isn't it possible he was just sort of in auto-response mode and didn't want to "touch" the content? And to be embarrassingly honest, I had to reread the question a few times to figure out what the guy meant. Certainly there's a disconnect, right? Where's that logic professor?
When I first read the headline, I wondered if the questioner was someone against McCain, and the story was about his obtuseness in understanding he shouldn't be thanking someone from the opposition. But then I realized the questioner was suggesting that someone Swift Boat Obama (or Clinton)--I guess. The confusing aspect is that the guy who is supposed to be the victim of the Swift Boating should be the vet.
Anyway, you have to admit the possibility that McCain was a bit confused and thought it best if he just thanked the guy and moved on. I'm not on board if this is what the campaign is going to look like all summer.
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swift boaters
The Swift Boaters should have been all over Bush in 2000 and 2004 and his dismal military record. They are obviously just another bunch of neocons with nothing of value to contribute to the political process. If people like that keep driving our political process we'll all pay the price and may well have to endure McCain and his 100 year war philosophy. I believe in United We Stand -- Divided We Fall, and I'm against all those who try to divide us with their narrow-minded wedge views and tactics. I don't know why so many ignorant people continue to drag the country down, but I do know that it's easier to take the low road. People that go that route show their true colors and they're not red, white and blue.
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Operation Iraqi Freedom
Can anyone tell me what you think an Iraqi Insurgent is?
I will explain...
Every minute of our day as Americans we go about our everyday life and view it as the norm. For most of us this is life as we know it. We go to work, school, shopping and take our families out to the beach or the movies etc.
One morning before you have to crawl out of bed. You are awakened by loud explosions heard in the distance. Your first thought is maybe it was one of the near by refineries that had an explosion. Then you turn on your television to find out that Washington DC and several other major US cities has been invaded and attacked with foreign missiles. A few seconds pass by and pure terror runs through your body. Your first thought is to wake your family up so they can watch the news unfolding on television. An hour goes by and you’re still watching everything unfold on your television when you hear loud engines outside. You look down the street and see military soldiers from a foreign country going through the houses on your street and separating the families. So before they make it to your house you run to your gun cabinet and prepare to fight to keep them out of your house.
You are now considered an American Insurgent. So how different are we from Iraqi Insurgents? Would you sit back and allow this to happen without fighting? I would hope not.
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So what. McCain's mom taught him good manners.
According to CNN's report, Air Force veteran Clif Sams told McCain that he had done a “damn good job” surviving his imprisonment during the Vietnam War. He then told the senator: “I hope that we have somebody called Swift Boats for McCain come out and help you. You’re damn good.”
“Thank you sir, and thank you for your service,” McCain responded.
+++++++++
Looks to me like McCain (no friend of mine) just wanted to get on with it. His thank you -- one for Sams' compliment and the other for his military service -- was a polite brush-off.
Big deal.
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Swift Boat Veterans for McCain????
if McCain wants a 'Swift Boat' treatment, then he ought to prepare for a work of fantasy in which he relaxed in bed with Jane Fonda in downtown Hanoi for the duration of his naval career