Watching McCain’s credibility go up in smoke
John McCain’s efforts in opposition to the tobacco industry have come up quite a bit lately. A McCain campaign ad unveiled last week noted that he “has taken on big tobacco.” A few days later, the campaign released another ad, featuring Democratic praise for McCain’s work against Big Tobacco. McCain even boasted of his efforts at Lance Armstrong’s Livestrong Summit two weeks ago.
The media has bought this line completely. The AP praised McCain’s work against the tobacco industry as evidence of his independence, and the WaPo’s Jonathan Weisman offered the tobacco issue as the best example of McCain being “an independent maverick.”
McCain’s claims and the media’s praise hasn’t made sense for quite some time. McCain fought for years in support of legislation — that he co-sponsored — that would regulate the tobacco industry and impose a $1.10-per-pack tax on cigarettes to fund programs to cut underage smoking. Earlier this year, McCain quietly began moving away from the bill he’d championed.
Now the McCain campaign doesn’t want to talk about the senator’s bill at all.
The campaign of presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) is declining to embrace McCain’s own 1998 tobacco bill, legislation that would have raised taxes to the tune of $516 billion over 25 years. […]
The bill would have forced tobacco companies to pay for a host of anti-smoking initiatives and fork over huge sums to the states in return for settling a lawsuit by the states. Cigarette makers would have been required to raise prices by about $1.10 per pack to come up with the money, according to a Congressional Research Service report from the time.
Asked repeatedly last week whether McCain still backs the bill and if he thought it was a good idea, senior adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin declined to answer directly…. McCain today does not support raising taxes on cigarettes, his adviser said.
And given that the tax increase on cigarettes is a key feature of McCain’s legislation, it means McCain now opposes his own bill.
When McCain first began championing this legislation, he vowed to “never” give up on the issue. Like most of McCain’s promises, the vow had a shelf life.
A few months ago, I started coming up with a list of bill that McCain personally co-sponsored, but now opposes.
* He said in February that he’d vote against his own immigration bill.
* McCain used to champion the Law of the Sea convention, even volunteering to testify on the treaty’s behalf before a Senate committee. Now, if the treaty comes to the Senate floor, he’s vowed to vote against it.
* McCain was a co-sponsor of the DREAM Act
, which would grant legal status to illegal immigrants’ kids who graduate from high school. In 2007, to make the far-right base happy, he announced his opposition to the bill he had taken the lead on.
* In 2006, McCain sponsored legislation to require grassroots lobbying coalitions to reveal their financial donors. In 2007, after receiving “feedback” on the proposal, McCain told far-right activist groups that he now opposes the measure he’d helped write.
Flip-flops are one thing, but these aren’t just random bills that McCain voted on — these are bills that he personally championed — recently.
And even that wouldn’t be entirely beyond the pale, except one of McCain’s principal selling points is his alleged consistency and willingness to take politically unpopular decisions.
We’re talking about a senator taking firm stands against his own bills. “Maverick,” indeed.
Mathew
says:Perhaps you should expand your list to include a special section to cover these specific sets of hypocrasy.
CJ
says:McCain today does not support raising taxes on cigarettes, his adviser said.
Is this item on The Official John McCain Flip-Flop List (currently up to 72 items)?
The Answer is Orange
says:Here’s what we do: We take McCane and shut him in a room and show him clips of his previous statements. Being a belligerent creep, he’ll attack the TV. We distrubute the film of the wrinkly old dude screaming at a TV.
Bonus fun: Watching the press try to spin this into a positive.
Quiddity
says:I’m surprised McCain has changed his mind on the bill. A $1.10 per pack tax is totally regressive, something conservatives favor (and a tax liberals should oppose – but they don’t).
citizen_pain
says:Let’s not forget the other definition of a maverick:
“an unbranded animal, especially a calf that has become separated from its mother and herd. By convention, it can become the property of whoever finds it and brands it.”
So, in that sense, McCain is a maverick as it seems the the media and the right wing nut jobs have found their stray calf and are busy braning it…
Bruno
says:citizen_pain @ 5 made an excellent point.
Maybe MoveOn or any other organization can make an ad explaining what a ‘maverick’ stands for. The lost calf analogy.
Then the ad can explain that whoever finds the lost calf can grand it as his own. Then the ad explains how McCain has been wandering, wanting to be found by many different constituencies.
List the “No new taxes crowd” – “Illegal aliens bad crowd” – “Illegal aliens deserve a green card crowd” – “Pro-choice crowd” – “Anti-abortion crowd” – “Gay bashing crowd” – “war mongers” – “no-pork crowd” – fill in the blank…
End with the question: “Who will McCain be the maverick for next?”
Chad
says:Funny, when oil was $60 bucks a gallon, McCain said he opposed new drilling, now that it’s over double that price, he’s for drilling, and you call that a flip-flop. You can’t flip-flop over the course of 10 years, it’s called re-defining your positions with new information. This is the same thing, something he did back in 1998, then changed this year is considered a flip-flop to you. It’s 10 years for cripe’s sake.
Unlike Obama, McCain’s flip-flops occur over years, Obama’s happen weekly depending on who he’s talking to. Obama is more of a hypocrite than McCain will ever be.
citizen_pain
says:Yes, and how many brands would he be sporting? He’d look like one of those freaks with 99% of their body covered in tattoos… LOL
citizen_pain
says:Give it a rest Chad, your candidate and your party are a joke. You people have had your chance and have failed, MISERABLY.
Unless of course you are a silver spoon rich kid, or are a CEO for a weapons manufacturer.
EvilPoet
says:Rabi
says:So will this make 73?
stormskies
says:And now will the corporate media=mafia report on this ? as evidence that he simply is an evil piece of shit ?
Chad
says:Failed Miserably? Correct me if I’m wrong, but haven’t the House and Senate been Democratically run over the last two years? What in the sam hell have they done? The 9% approval rating? Renaming post offices? shutting down debate on new drilling? Yes, Blame it all on Bush, he’s the cause of all that is evil in this world. He’s responsible for all the suffering right? He should be hung, drawn and quartered, and raped by a moose right? You give it a rest, rather than passing blame, take some responsibility and do something about it instead of whining and placing ALL OF YOUR HOPE in a typical Politician like Obambi.
RepublicanPointOfView
says:Why do you liberal wienies keep attacking John McCain’s patriotism?
When ‘His Arrogance’ changes a position, you bend over backwards to explain it.
When the authentic American hero, John McCain, adapts his positions to a changing world, you attack his patriotism. It is the height of elitist arrogance to attack the patriotism of the American who given more to our country than all of you liberals combined.
If you liberal wimps had any courage, you would enlist in the Marines and go kill ragheads instead of glorifying a Muslim celebrity.
William
says:Obama supports big tobacco, literally. He smokes! I see a new McLame campaign angle forming, even though McLiar’s teeth look 50x worse than Obama’s do. Old Grandpa McSame should invest in some new dentures! Maybe McTrollop can get some Dental work done with his Social Security income. Hey, if you’re going to be in High Definition you better have white teeth! Not to be shallow or anything and yes, I’m a militant ex-smoker. I wonder how many economic stimulus checks went to Phillip Morris in the last couple of months. Oh wait, I’m all over the map here, like Chad!
Racer X
says:He’s not a Maverick, he’s a Gelding.
Somewhere his nuts are in a jar marked “Maverick McCain”.
citizen_pain
says:OK Chad, you failed to mention that your failed party held power in both houses of Congress from 1994 to 2006. That’s 12 years, you can do the math yourself to verify. Of those twelve years, they also had the White House from 2000 to 2006.
So, the Republicans had a majority in all branches of Government for 6 solid years.
Now, tell me again what they accomplished?
Please.
Everyone who deosn’t watch Fux Noise or listen to Limpballs or the sludge report knows that they only thing the minority republicans have done for the past 2 years is impede any and all proposed legislation.
As for the low approval ratings, that has EVERYTHING to do with Pelosi, Reed, and the rest failing to do what they were voted in for; putting a stop to the corruption and abuse of power that has been the direct result of DeLay’s and your failed parites obscene partisanship.
And we are taking responsibility now, by doing everything we can to remove the stain of corporate fascist republicanism that has turned America into the laughing stock of the world.
Hey, China and Russia both told us to go fuck ourselves this week. That is a direct result of the loss of prestige your stupid ass Coward from Crawford president and his fascist anti-American handlers have caused.
Bruno
says:Here’s another one for our good ol’ chad troll @ 7
Here’s a link for you: (although I doubt you’ll be wanting to see the proof of how stupid your argument is) CBS reports that the price of oil goes below $60.00 after cresting it. That was on March 7 2007.
Can you please explain – using your Republican critical thinking skills – how you get 10 years in between March 2007 and July 2008. Does McCain have some sort of time machine? Is that part of his secret plan that he can’t share with us mere mortals?
McCain flip-flopped for political expedience. If it makes you feel better, you can keep deluding yourself in believing it was re-defining his position
On the other hand, Obama also flip-flopped but it was, as you call it, re-defining his position, because apparently low-information voters think it will help them before the end of the year. He’s talking to you chad. Obama is willing to compromise as long as he gets what he really wants: a comprehensive energy policy that will lead to more independence from fossil fule.
Racer X
says:Correct me if I’m wrong, but haven’t the House and Senate been Democratically run over the last two years? What in the sam hell have they done?
Generally they’ve been blocked from doing what the American people want, by a handful of obstructionist Republicans. In the Senate your people are still running interference for Bush, and you know it.
[Bush is] responsible for all the suffering right? He should be hung, drawn and quartered, and raped by a moose right?
Are you aware of how the wingnuts talked about Clinton? Your comment is hilariously ironic, given the seriousness of the charges against Bush. You do know he lied us into the Iraq Quagmire, right?
You give it a rest, rather than passing blame, take some responsibility and do something about it instead of whining…
We are doing something about it. We’re kicking out a ton of Republican enablers. After that we’ll get to the Democratic ones.
Lance
says:“A few months ago, I started coming up with a list of bill that McCain personally co-sponsored, but now opposes.”
This is funny because according to Broder, JSMcC*nt’s primary reason for being ‘upset’ with Senator Obama, and the reason he floats all the lies and distortions about Obama apparently, is that Obama switched his support from a bi-partisan bill supported by McC*nt to one promoted by Harry Reid and the Majority Leadership.
Flip-flopping (or as Chad would have, “-defining your positions with new information”) would seem to be okay for senile old white guys, but not charismatic young black dudes.
Wa, wa, wah!
citizen_pain
says:Another question for you Chad: If off shore drilling is so damn important and will really help rid us of our dependence on foreign fossil fules, then why didn’t the republican majority of 2000-2006 start the process?
Bruno
says:Another Republican troll RepublicanPointOfView is going to educate us with his quote:
Let me correct that one for you, if you will…
Actually when it comes to serving / giving for America : John Kerry, and Jim Webb gave more than the Bush Cabal combined, and more than your so called war hero McCain. All McCain did was sit in the Hanoi Hilton and make propaganda movies and sign confessions.
Now go back and drink some more Kool-Aid.
Chad
says:Bruno and Citizen Pain, It’s F-U-E-L, not fule. Thank your Public School System.
Bruno, I threw out the $60/barrel just to point out the fact that we didn’t need to drill our own shit when gas was so cheap. If it was $60 in 2007, that doesn’t negate the fact that it’s over twice that now, so STFU with the nit-picking. McCain still made the right choice to change his position given the new information.
Citizen Pain, 2000-2006 the U.S. wasn’t facing the crisis it’s facing now concerning our energy. We are at a point now where we have the opportunity to drill more of our own oil, along with developing renewable energies. Let’s not just stop using oil without a VIABLE alternative for ALL AMERICANS. Why not use our own rather than spending BILLIONS every year for Saudi oil. We can keep those billions in our own damn country.
joey (bjobotts)
says:A new all time record for senate obstructionism set by the republicans in the current session of congress. House passes it but senate republicans obstruct it so it won’t even come up for a vote. they are blocking all legislation just so the can say it was a do nothing congress…just like Chad does.. Being overly dramatic but measuring out the exact accountability Bush deserves…way to go Chad. A truckload of corruption is not a scapegoat but is still overwhelming.
Now a massive land grab attempt under the heading of off shore drilling, when no drilling is being done on the land already leased for that purpose.
Might5 as well be using a dental drill for as much as off shore drilling will save us at the pump…in 7-10 years. Chad isn’t concerned about off shore drilling he doesn’t even understand it but has been told to have that opinion.
Would he be so emphatic if he was told of a program that would render 8000 barrels of oil per day immediately compared to 2000 barrels we’d get in 7-10 yrs? If he was truly concerned about the oil reserves for the US wouldn’t he champion the 8000 barrels now as much as he emphasizes off shore drilling. Well, Bush’s own energy experts say that after exact calculations proper tire inflations and tune ups would do exactly that. But see, Chad has not been told stand up for what works but only what conservatives push, now if conservatives pushed tire inflation and not off shore drilling Chad would be calling dems crazy for wanting off shore drilling.. It’s hopeless, Chad will never be able to think for himself. He’s been given a box of rocks and told to throw them in that direction. so he does blindly, hoping to hit something. Just pathetic.
slappy magoo
says:23. On August 11th, 2008 at 3:20 pm, Chad said:
Citizen Pain, 2000-2006 the U.S. wasn’t facing the crisis it’s facing now concerning our energy.
_______________________
Sure we were. We just weren’t talking about it. Carter talked about it. Gore talked about it. And a-holes like you vilified them for it & the leaders you preferred gave us greed is good and bigger is better and SUVs will make your kids safer and never mind all that talk of conserving fossil fuels. Now that the oil companies would pretty-please-with-sugar-on-it like some more land to drill on before drilling on the land they’ve already set aside for drilling, and now that our Administration has fusterclucked us into nationwide records for fuel, NOW, by God, it’s a crisis.
Tool
short fuse
says:Given that it takes YEARS to get any benefit from approving additional drilling, it’s absolutely valid to ask where the Republican “leadership” was when they were in lockstep control of all branches of the federal government. It’s not like “no one could have foreseen” the crisis (the favorite republican’t excuse for why they didn’t make plans in advance)
Of course, Chad thinks that 10 years have passed since March 2007 (or to claim otherwise is “nit-picking”), so perhaps that explains why he thinks McCain’s sudden conversion to the drill-drill-drill platform will somehow impact our fuel supply within what the rest of us would consider “a few months”. In the Chad time wormhole, we squeeze the whole development cycle in there.
citizen_pain
says:Thanks Slappy, beat me too it. And sorry about the typo there Chad, although I guess since you have no leg to stand on in terms of arguments, you need to pounce on a mispelling to feel better about yourself. I hate to spam this thread, but Chad needs a little education about who served our country and who didn’t, from a republican/democrat perpsective:
Prominent Democrats
• Representative Jack Murtha (D-PA) – distinguished 37-year career in the U.S. Marine Corps, Bronze Star and two Purple Hearts, retired from the Marine Corps Reserve as a colonel in 1990. (1)
• Representative Richard Gephardt, former House Minority Leader – Missouri Air National Guard, 1965-71. (1, 2)
• Representative David Bonior – Staff Sgt., United States Air Force 1968-72 (1, 2)
• Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle – 1st Lt., U.S. Air Force SAC 1969-72 (1, 2)
• Former Vice President Al Gore – enlisted August 1969; sent to Vietnam January 1971 as an army journalist, assigned to the 20th Engineer Brigade headquartered at Bien Hoa, an airbase twenty miles northeast of Saigon. More facts about Gore’s Service
• Former Senator Bob Kerrey… Democrat… Lt. j.g., U.S. Navy 1966-69; Medal of Honor, Vietnam (1, 2)
• Senator Daniel Inouye, US Army 1943-’47; Medal of Honor, World War Two (1, 2)
• Senator John Kerry, Lt., U.S. Navy 1966-70; Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat V, and three awards of the Purple Heart for his service in combat (1)
• Representative Charles Rangel, Staff Sgt., U.S. Army 1948-52; Bronze Star, Korea (1, 2)
• Former Senator Max Cleland, Captain, U.S. Army 1965-68; Silver Star & Bronze Star, Vietnam (1, 2)
• Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) – U.S. Army, 1951-1953. (1)
• Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) – Lt., U.S. Navy, 1962-67; Naval Reserve, 1968-74. (1, 2)
• Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) – U.S. Army Ranger, 1971-1979; Captain, Army Reserve 1979-91 (1)
• Senator Fritz Hollings (D-SC) – served as a U.S. Army officer in World War II, receiving the Bronze Star and seven campaign ribbons. (1)
• Representative Leonard Boswell (D-IA) – Lt. Col., U.S. Army 1956-76; two tours in Vietnam, two Distinguished Flying Crosses as a helicopter pilot, two Bronze Stars, and the Soldier’s Medal. (1, 2)
• Former Representative “Pete” Peterson, Air Force Captain, POW, Ambassador to Viet Nam, and recipient of the Purple Heart, the Silver Star and the Legion of Merit. (1, 2)
• Rep. Mike Thompson, D-CA: Staff sergeant/platoon leader with the 173rd Airborne Brigade, U.S. Army; was wounded and received a Purple Heart. (1, 2)
• Bill McBride, Democratic Candidate for Florida Governor – volunteered and served as a U.S. Marine in Vietnam; awarded Bronze Star with a combat “V.” (1)
• Gray Davis, former California Governor, Army Captain in Vietnam; received Bronze Star. (1)
• Pete Stark, D-CA, served in the Air Force 1955-57
• Wesley Clark, Democratic Presidential Candidate – lengthy military career.
Prominent Republicans
• Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert – avoided the draft, did not serve.
• Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey – avoided the draft, did not serve.
• Former House Majority Leader Tom Delay – avoided the draft, did not serve (1). “So many minority youths had volunteered … that there was literally no room for patriotic folks like himself.”
• House Majority Whip Roy Blunt – did not serve
• Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist – did not serve. (An impressive medical resume, but not such a friend to cats in Boston.)
• Majority Whip Mitch McConnell, R-KY – did not serve (1)
• Rick Santorum, R-PA, third ranking Republican in the Senate – did not serve. (1)
• Former Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott – avoided the draft, did not serve.
• Secretary of Defense Don Rumsfeld – served in the U.S. Navy (1954-57) as an aviator and flight instructor. (1) Served as President Reagan’s Special Envoy to the Middle East and met with Saddam Hussein twice in 1983 and 1984.
• GW Bush – decided that a six-year Nat’l Guard commitment really means four years. Still says that he’s “been to war.” Huh?
• VP Cheney – several deferments (1, 2), the last by marriage (in his own words, “had other priorities than military service”) (1)
• Former Att’y Gen. John Ashcroft – did not serve (1, 2); received seven deferment to teach business ed at SW Missouri State
• Jeb Bush, Florida Governor – did not serve. (1)
• arl Rove – avoided the draft, did not serve (1), too busy being a Republican.
• Former Speaker Newt Gingrich – avoided the draft, did not serve (1, 2)
• Former President Ronald Reagan – due to poor eyesight, served in a noncombat role making movies for the Army in southern California during WWII. He later seems to have confused his role as an actor playing a tail gunner with the real thing.
• “B-1” Bob Dornan – avoided Korean War combat duty by enrolling in college acting classes (Orange County Weekly article). Enlisted only after the fighting was over in Korea.
• Phil Gramm – avoided the draft, did not serve, four (?) student deferments
• Senator John McCain – McCain’s naval honors include the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross. Why did the Bush campaign smear him so? At least Senators Cleland (D-GA), Kerry (D-MA), Kerrey (D-NE), Robb (D-VA) and Hagel (R-NE) defended him.
• Former Senator Bob Dole – an honorable man. http://www.bobdole.org/bio/wwII.php
• Chuck Hagel – two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star, Vietnam. http://www.senate.gov/~hagel/Information/bio.htm
• Duke Cunningham – nominated for the Medal of Honor, received the Navy Cross, two Silver Stars, fifteen Air Medals, the Purple Heart, and several other decorations Recently entered plea bargain on felony charges of bribery, etc. etc.
• Senator Jeff Sessions U.S. Army Reserves, 1973-1986
• Colin Powell. What are we to make of Powell? On the one hand, a long career as a military manager. On the other hand, accused of covering up the My Lai massacre. Back on that first hand, one of the seemingly sane voices in this administration when it comes to Iraq (or at least he used to be). On the other hand, a clear hypocrite (“I am angry that so many of the sons of the powerful and well-placed… managed to wangle slots in Reserve and National Guard units…”)
• Representative Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD), served in USMC in Vietnam; wounded in action.
________________________________________
Here are a few more…
Democrats
• Chuck Robb, US Senator from Virginia, served in Vietnam
• Howell Heflin… Democrat… Silver Star
• George McGovern, famous liberal, awarded Silver Star & DFC, dozens of missions during WWII.
• Former President Bill Clinton – avoided the draft through student deferments; in the autumn of 1969, Clinton entered the draft but received a high number (311) and was never called to serve. (CNN article.) “…it was his doubts about the morality of the war and the Selective Service system that led him to abandon the ROTC idea and to subject himself to a draft lottery. Only the luck of the draw – a high lottery number – kept him out. ” (Jeff Greenfield, ABC News, quoting Gov. Clinton.)
• Former President Jimmy Carter, most recent recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, seven years in the Navy. “Except for his fellow service-academy graduate Dwight Eisenhower, no President of the twentieth century spent more years in uniform than Carter.” (New Yorker Magazine)
• Former Presidential Nominee Mike Dukakis – United States Army, 1955-’57 (1)
• Former Senator/Vice Presidential nominee Lloyd Bentsen – B-24 pilot in WWII 1942-’45, Squadron Commander; earned Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters. (1)
• Former Vice President Walter Mondale, U.S. Army 1951-1953
• Former Senator John Glenn, D-OH (1974-1999) – Served in WWII and Korea; extensive military commendations include the Distinguished Flying Cross on six occasions, and the Air Medal with 18 Clusters.
• Congressman Tom Lantos, D-CA – Did not serve in the US military; did serve in the Hungarian anti-Nazi underground in WWII. Saved by Raoul Wallenberg, is the only Holocaust survivor to serve in Congress.
Republicans/Conservatives
Political
• Senator Richard Shelby, did not serve (1)
• Senator Jon Kyl, R-AZ – did not serve (1, 2)
• Senator John Cornyn, R-TX – did not serve. (1)
• Senator Tim Hutchison, R-AR – did not serve (1, 2)
• Rep. Christopher Cox, R-CA, (formerly) fifth-ranking Republican in the House – did not serve. (1)
• Rep. John T. Doolittle, R-CA, sixth-ranking Republican in the House – did not serve.
• Representative Saxby Chambliss, Georgia – did not serve (1, 2), had a “bad knee” (yet somehow feels he has a right to attack Max Cleland’s patriotism)
• Former Representative JC Watts – did not serve (1, 2)
• Jack Kemp, did not serve (1, 2) (was unfit because of a knee injury, though he heroically continued as a National Football League quarterback for another eight years – source)
• Former Vice President Dan Quayle, avoided Vietnam service, got a slot in the journalism unit of the Indiana National Guard when the unit was at 150% capacity (at least he showed up for his duty, unlike GW) (1, 2)
• Eliot Abrams, did not serve (1, 2) (however, played a key role in subverting democracy in South America)
• Paul Wolfowitz, did not serve (1, 2)
• Former Representative Vin Weber, did not serve (1, 2)
• Richard Perle, did not serve (1, 2) (is the current bloodshed in the Middle East a direct result of his treasonous meddling in Clinton Administrstion foreign policy?)
• Douglas Feith, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy – did not serve. (1)
• Rudy Giuliani, did not serve (1, 2)
• Michael Bloomberg, did not serve (1, 2)
• George Pataki, did not serve (1, 2)
• Spencer Abraham, did not serve
• John Engler, did not serve (1, 2)
• Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) – website used to claim service as a “Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm veteran.” A current biographical website makes no such claim. In reality, was a National Guard lawyer who never left South Carolina during the Gulf War.
• Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-CA, did not serve (1)
• Rep. Darrell Issa, R-CA/49th, there were some problems with his service.
• Rep. John M. McHugh, R-NY – avoided the draft, did not serve (1)
• Rep. Todd Platts, R-PA – did not serve (1)
• Arnold Schwarzenegger, CA Republican Governor – went AWOL from his Austrian army base to enter a bodybuilding competition
• George Herbert Walker Bush, pilot in WWII. Awarded Navy Cross. Shot down by the Japanese; was lone survivor out of airplane (link).
• Representative Sam R. Johnson, combat missions in both Korea and Vietnam, POW in Hanoi from April 1966 to February 1973 (1)
(don’t ever run for president Sam, they’ll spread rumors that you’re crazy)
• Senator Ted Stevens, R-AK, WW II pilot, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, two Air Medals, and the Yuan Hai medal awarded by the Republic of China.
• Sen. John Warner, R-VA – Served in the Navy 1945-1946 as a RM3; reenlisted in the USMC 1950, 10 years service in Marine Corps Reserve, retired as Captain.
• Congresswoman Heather Wilson, R-NM, served in the Air Force 1978-1989
• Former President Gerald Ford, served in the Navy, WWII
• Former Senator Strom Thurmond – apparently believes, along with Trent Lott, that America should have been a segregated society. Still, he served.
________________________________________
Chew on that for awhile Chad
JS
says:Has anyone mentioned the fact that Cindy McCains business interests & the McCain’s son have apparently lobbied and spent 10’s of thousands of dollars against ‘mothers against drunk driving’ and groups trying to limit teenagers drinking.
Mark
says:It’s pretty easy for you to draw a line between “A” and “B” – if John McCain says this, and then says this, it means that. Unfortunately, the average American voter struggles with it, even without the media helpfully repeating that up is now down according to McCain, in such an uncritically accepting fashion that people WANT to believe it. Voters, especially older voters, don’t want to believe that John McCain would lie right to their face if it helped him become president. If the media were to start deconstructing some of McCain’s more obvious whoppers, it might help, but I don’t know that it’d help much in the face of such deliberate blindness.
james k. sayre
says:The credibility of ole McSame? Guess which U. S. Senator has been egging on President Saakashvili, the President of the Republic of Georgia to invade and occupy South Ossetia? Bingo, why is ole John McWar, doing his best to stir up trouble in that part of the world.
NObama08
says:for all you folks- the politcal definition of flip flop: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flip-flop_%28politics%29
most of the cited flip-flops happened within a 3 year period. when your candidate “changes his mind” after 3 months or better yet 2 weeks on drilling issues, it’s a flip flop.
when JM changes over 10 yrs on the tobacco issue, i would hardly consider it a flip flop, especially if he hasn’t championed the measure over those 10 yrs. There have been several taxes, civil cases against big tobacco that would no longer warrant an increase in taxes. he has refined his position. plain and simple.
instead of nit-picking, try to figure out for what your candidate stands, and then attack his opposition. Baaaaaaa babaaaaaa liberal sheep.
Georgette Orwell
says:Have we mentioned the McCain-Feinstein campaign finance law that McCain currently is breaking with impunity?
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but haven’t the House and Senate been Democratically run over the last two years?”
We’re happy to correct you. A slight majority, stonewalled and hamstrung by the other party simply to deprive them of a record of accomplishment that would benefit the country and her citizens, doesn’t count as “run by.”
The Answer is Orange
says:BETTER TROLLS PLEASE.
Chad
says:Thanks citizen Pain for showing that useless list of politicians who served. Where did I say in this thread anything about politicians and their military careers?
Always hopeful
says:NObama08 and Chad,
Why do you come here to troll? You obviously aren’t changing our minds and you definitely are in lock step with the Republican party, so move along, why don’t you…
Lance
says:Chad said: “Thanks citizen Pain for showing that useless list of politicians who served. Where did I say in this thread anything about politicians and their military careers?”
Quite correct, it was the other Troll who says we are questioning JSMcC*nt’s patriotism.
You have given us NO reason to not question John Sidney’s credibility.
Sorry to get our Trolls confused.
Steve in Sacto
says:“Maverick,” indeed.
No!! “Straight Talk,” indeed.
God forbid that someone would put these examples in a paid ad attacking “Straight Talk”…
Bruno
says:Ouch. chad and all the other trolls….
That must hurt, when you read the list of ‘war heros’, courtesy of citizen_pain
Looks like there are a LOT, I mean a LOT more Democrats listed with military service.
Looks like there are a LOT, I mean a LOT of draft dodgers and cowards amongst the republican ranks?
Are you one of them? chad? what was your service? what did you do?
Oh, I know you’re going to ask… I DID serve my country in the military.
Chad
says:Bruno, we are having quite the day today aren’t we?
FYI, I served 3 years active duty in the United States Navy, and 3 years after that in reserves. From 1989-1992 in active duty. I was there when the sh!t went down in PGWI.
Then I took my G.I. Bill and got a degree, and am now have a career. Anything else youwant to know?
I wish I could stick around a bit, but it’s time for me to go home.
pittforpres
says:I think I’m kinda in favor of off shore drilling but I’m not totally sure because for the past several months I’ve been vehemently against it. Wait do the polls say is my position. I’m not flipflopping, I’m being “pragmatic”. Hypocrite!
Hmmm
says:You gotta love his latest:
Votes for tort reform legislation limiting punitive damages to 250,000 in cases where a baby is injured or killed in medical malpractice, but he files a lawsuit for $1 million in punitive damages after his memorabilia gets thrown out.
Apparently he thinks a child’s life is worth 1/4th that of his old photos….