Hermancain.com-
John McCain exhibited character, courage and strength when he endured seven years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam under excruciating conditions. No one can or should ever take that away from him, and I have no interest in doing so here.
But John McCain was not a good United States senator, and the overall impact on the nation from his time in Washington was not a net positive. McCain championed the arcane rules of the Senate that make it harder to pass free-market, pro-growth economic measures. McCain was one of the leading organizers of bipartisan “gangs” that the media loved but that often resulted in mediocre appointments or legislation that kicked problems down the road instead of solving them.
McCain promised during his last campaign to repeal and replace ObamaCare, saying it over and over at his campaign rallies, only to cast the deciding vote against repeal with great fanfare and with the reward of the thing he loved the most – fawning praise from his media friends. McCain opposed the harsh interrogation measures that got valuable information out of terrorists like Khalid Shiekh Mohammed, mainly because it brought back bad memories of what was done to him in Vietnam. This made it harder for the Bush and Trump Administrations to fight the war on terror. The Obama Administration didn’t really want to fight this war so McCain’s statements were fine with them. But it didn’t make the country safer.
McCain was petty. He took criticism personally and held grudges. And McCain believed his own press. He thought that because of what he endured in Vietnam, no one had the standing to say anything negative about him, and he would not forgive anyone if they did – even if the criticism was not personal and really didn’t require forgiveness.
Yet during many days’ worth of Beltway tributes, McCain was portrayed as a man who put country first, and who stood steadfastly for what was right and just and true. He was presented to us as just the kind of man we should want in public service, who gives it to us straight and doesn’t concern himself with his own interests, and breaks through the political and partisan nonsense to stand for what is right for America no matter what it costs him.
John McCain did this in Vietnam, but he did not do it afterwards. The one exception would be his steadfast support for the military, but on most other matters McCain was all over the place philosophically and impossible to trust when there was an opportunity to do something the country really needed.
Yet it struck me as I observed all these tributes to McCain that the qualities they ascribe to him really do describe another man – a man the Beltway crowd hates with a passion, and has convinced the nation is an evil monster.
That man is former Vice President Dick Cheney. more here
i am in agreement with most of that. Except for “because it brought back bad memories of what was done to him in Vietnam.” He’s to thinned skinned to have resisted any technique for very long
Never paid attention to Cheney during Bush, but I came to realize later that I wish Cheney was president instead of W.
In other words Cheney wasn’t a dick… John McCain was
From MJA: “Never paid attention to Cheney during Bush, but I came to realize later that I wish Cheney was president instead of W.”
He was. Every non-dipshit thing that ever got done when W was president, Cheney did. He was W’s handler keeping things if not on track, at least from catching fire.
Then everyone who has ever been under the total and complete domination of someone else is also a hero. this would include the Jews under the Nazis, Russians in the gulags, convicts in the prisons, Prisoners of War, serfs under the domination of Kings, Tyrants and Despots, (most of humanity) etc! You eat when they give you food, sleep when they let you, talk when allowed, and live and function only at their convenience! You control little to nothing and only exist at their pleasure! Multi-millions of people have experienced this and many of those millions did not survive the challange!
Like most shallow and self absorbed men every move John McCain made was calculated for his personal benefit not the countries.
The man was a pig through and through.
He truly brought “gravitas” to the Bush ticket, all the more obvious after the crap W spewed at the McCain circus
Yes they are Jon John
Wonder why he came out of the POW camps looking so much better nourished than the other guys? Did any of the other POWs attend his funeral, I’m sure if they were there the left would have mentioned them.
I couldn’t watch the Dog and Pony show, every time I would turn on the TV I saw nothing but a bunch of liberal fux and RINOs jerking each other off!
Cain’s full of shit. They’re both swamp slime.
I think Mr. Cain gives McCain FAR more credit than he deserved.
VERY nicely put, Jon John!
I like Chaney, the only thing he ever really screwed up was to agree to serve with that pig Bush.
‘Wonder why he came out of the POW camps looking so much better nourished than the other guys?’
Yeah, Doc, I wondered the same thing. My grandfather was a POW and he was eating banana peels, orange rinds and spoiled rice for months when he was held by the Germans. Let’s just say he was very svelte when the American and Greek armies came to the rescue.
From everything that I have read about the POWs in North Vietnam, the treatment of almost all of them improved considerably after Nixon mined Haiphong Harbor and sent the B52s to bomb the North Vietnamese into getting serious about the Paris Peace Talks. This included better food and medical care and the end of solitary confinement. All of the POWs were fed better meals, because the North Vietnamese knew that they were going to finally be released. Several of McCain’s fellow prisoners of war attended his funeral services in Arizona, Washington D.C., and at the Naval Academy. The most well known among these was Everett Alvarez, the first American flyer shot down and the second longest held prisoner of war. He was a prisoner for over eight years. Alvarez had a very distinguished career after he retired from the military under President Reagan and President Bush.
Nope.
Cheney is a Swamp Monster, as well.
Like him or not, Dick Cheney once shot a lawyer in the face. Give the man some credit!