McCain uses POW ordeal to fight housing gaffe

Socrtease

Socrtease

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Candidate who miscounted his homes reflects on 5 1/2 years in captivity

BURBANK, Calif. - John McCain, who often invokes his ordeal as a Vietnam war prisoner to show his devotion to his country as he runs for U.S. president, drew on the experience again on Monday -- this time to deflect sniping over the number of houses he owns.

McCain's Democratic rival Barack Obama last week accused the Republican senator of being out of touch with ordinary people after he was unable to say in an interview how many houses were owned by him and his wife Cindy, a wealthy heiress to a beer distributorship.

In an appearance on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, McCain, 71, said his priority was to keep Americans in their homes in tough economic times.

Then he recalled his Vietnam experience.

"I spent 5 1/2 years in a prison cell without -- I didn't have a house. I didn't have a kitchen table. I didn't have a table. I didn't have a chair," he said.

"I spent those 5 1/2 years ... not because I wanted to get a house when I got out."
Economy in the crosshairs
Rising energy prices and the faltering economy have become central issues in the race for the White House. The next president will inherit problems including a mortgage crisis that has cost many Americans their homes.

McCain said he was prepared to deal with that and sought to play down the controversy over his family's assets.

"I'm proud of my record of service to this country and it has nothing to do with houses. What it has to do with (is) putting Americans in houses and keeping them in their homes. And that's what I know how to do," he said to loud cheers from the studio audience.

On the show the Arizona senator listed four homes he and his wife have — one in the Washington area, two in Arizona and one in California. Media reports and Democrats have said the couple have at least seven properties when investments are included.


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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26399647/

So who's lying now SF :pke:
 
The insinuation that John McCain, a former prisoner of war, would use his P.O.W. experience to deflect sniping over the number of houses he owns is outrageous.
 
It is complete bullshit. This is how he is going to try to kill all debate. Anytime he starts to look stupid EVEN on a bullshit issue, he is going to deflect it by recalling his 5 and a half years as a POW. MSNBC is the only outlet thus far that is carrying this story. They were the ones that were talking about it last night.
 
Socrtease said:
Wow the silence from the McCainiacs on this use of his POW status is DEAFENING.
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It's likely because they do not find it all that surprising or nearly as dramatic as you do. I pretty much remember you posting how unimportant it is how many homes he owns. Clearly it carries far more import to you than you pretended.
 
Socrtease said:
Wow the silence from the McCainiacs on this use of his POW status is DEAFENING.
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The McCainics take the view that McCain hasn't used the POW card enough, not that he has used it too much. His advisors said:

They will be prepared to show McCain's "home" in Hanoi by using images of his cell. They claim they have not overused the POW element and insist they have "underused it."
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In short, get used to it.

I thought it jumped the shark when he used his POW experience to explain away the fact that his all time favorite song is "Dancing Queen" by ABBA, but maybe I was wrong. It seems the media may be finally coming around to calling bullshit on it though.
 
Socrtease said:
Wow the silence from the McCainiacs on this use of his POW status is DEAFENING.
Click to expand...

I personally think he (and especially his campaign) is using it to much but I think it also plays well in middle America. Obviously there's a point of saturation where even people who admire him for it will be turned off.
 
Damocles said:
It's likely because they do not find it all that surprising or nearly as dramatic as you do. I pretty much remember you posting how unimportant it is how many homes he owns. Clearly it carries far more import to you than you pretended.
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The houses DON'T matter, the fact that he would resort to informing us all that he was a POW for 5 1/2 years and '"had no home" is void of any intellectual value at all. It is SOLELY used to shut us all up on the issue by making it an assault once again on his POW status.
 
Damocles said:
It's likely because they do not find it all that surprising or nearly as dramatic as you do. I pretty much remember you posting how unimportant it is how many homes he owns. Clearly it carries far more import to you than you pretended.
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Actually, the issue of how many homes he own is indeed trivial, but his response to the gaffe is quite telling. Just like his response to anything else, John McCain, a former prisoner of war, immediately leaps to the most aggressive response possible rather than responding rationally.
 
cawacko said:
I personally think he (and especially his campaign) is using it to much but I think it also plays well in middle America. Obviously there's a point of saturation where even people who admire him for it will be turned off.
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I don't think it will when talking about his "elitism" though. Middle-America will see his rejection of freedom as a sign that he did not think himself above the others because of his status.
 
Damocles said:
I don't think it will when talking about his "elitism" though. Middle-America will see his rejection of freedom as a sign that he did not think himself above the others because of his status.
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I was speaking more of using POW status to respond to everything asked of him. At a certain point that can be overused.
 
Dungheap said:
Actually, the issue of how many homes he own is indeed trivial, but his response to the gaffe is quite telling. Just like his response to anything else, John McCain, a former prisoner of war, immediately leaps to the most aggressive response possible rather than responding rationally.
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But, as I said before, you seem to be melodramatically highlighting it to the extent of constantly bringing the story up. It is trivial. Even his response to the trivial is trivial.
 
Damocles said:
I don't think it will when talking about his "elitism" though. Middle-America will see his rejection of freedom as a sign that he did not think himself above the others because of his status.
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It has NOTHING to do with Elitism. It was his duty to reject freedom. First in, First out. It shows a great deal about his since of obligation to the men that were there longer. It is one of his, if not his most admirable, traits.
 
cawacko said:
I was speaking more of using POW status to respond to everything asked of him. At a certain point that can be overused.
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It can be. If it is misplaced. I think to answer "elitism" charges though it will be effective with the red-staters.
 
Damocles said:
But, as I said before, you seem to be melodramatically highlighting it to the extent of constantly bringing the story up. It is trivial. Even his response to the trivial is trivial.
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What the fuck are you talking about? That response is just garbage. I don't think you actually said anything of substance.

Shouldn't you inject a comment about how John McCain's constant invocation of the POW status to deflect any and all criticism (even of his taste in music) appears to the great unwashed masses?

And really, I didn't bring it up, Jay Leno (and Katie Couric) did. We were merely addressing McCain's response to the issue, not the issue itself. Try to keep up, junior.
 
Dungheap said:
What the fuck are you talking about? That response is just garbage. I don't think you actually said anything of substance.

Shouldn't you inject a comment about how John McCain's constant invocation of the POW status to deflect any and all criticism (even of his taste in music) appears to the great unwashed masses?

And really, I didn't bring it up, Jay Leno (and Katie Couric) did. We were merely addressing McCain's response to the issue, not the issue itself. Try to keep up, junior.
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Again, the response is trivial. I expect it to be for such a trivial "issue".

Take your own advise and "try to keep up", throwing ad hominems is not "salient and sage", it is in fact an even weaker response than you complain about from another.
 
Dungheap said:
So, the fact that John McCain was a POW is trivial? I agree that he treats it that way.

Can we stop hearing about it now?
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No, that he uses it to answer charges of elitism in the "You have many houses" angle is a pretty trivial complaint. This is in fact quite likely one of the few places it fits.
 
Damocles said:
No, that he uses it to answer charges of elitism in the "You have many houses" angle is a pretty trivial complaint. This is, in fact, quite likely one of the few places it fits.
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I think what you mean is that he uses it to answer charges of elitism in the "You have many houses" angle trivializes his and EVERY OTHER POW's experience as a POW. Does he use it as a response to "Gee Johnny, you're going bald"? Or perhaps to "Johnny why in the hell did you buy a green suit"? Can he just use it anytime he wants to deflect ALL criticism? You are giving him way to big a pass on this. If Kerry had said "But I am a vietnam vet" to every criticism of him you would have rightly called him on it. But since it plays well to the simpletons in middle america it's ok.
 
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