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The Facts and a little clarity.

John Sidney McCain III

Was a good student when he wanted to be, but mostly he liked to push back against authority
and break the rules when it suited him, having a father and Grandfather that were US Navy Admirals probably kept him from being tossed out of the US Navy for rule breaking
during his time at the US Naval Academy, and later on as a pilot when he crashed two
aircraft and hit powerlines with another.

Even as a child McCain had a quick and bad temper, and by all accounts, (even his own) it persists to this day.

John McCain was wounded and almost killed during the flight deck fire on the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal in July of 1967, he had to leap from his own jet as burning fuel ran under it, and was wounded when a bomb went off while he was trying to help another pilot out of harms way.

After the Forrestal left Yankee Station for repairs from the fire damage, McCain transferred to the USS Oriskany to continue as a combat pilot flying an A-4 Skyhawk.
He was shot down on his 23rd mission into North Vietnam.
John’s total time spent in Combat = about 5 months (June to Oct 1967).

John then spent the next 5 and a half years as a POW in North Vietnam until he was released
in March of 1973.

After his release McCain had numerous health problems due to his injuries from being shot down, and his subsequent torture at the hands of the NVA during his time as a POW.
Some of these health problems still are evident today in his arms, shoulders and legs,
If you watch him walk you can plainly see the toll this period of his life has taken on him.

After his return to the US, McCains career continued in the Navy, and he became the Commander (Captain) of a training squadron at NAS Cecil Field Florida where he struggled to
regain his qualification as a Naval Aviator. Which he finally did by performing landings aboard an aircraft carrier in an A-7, with much help it seems from fellow aviators in his
unit.

His marraige to his wife Carol (of 15 years) fell apart after his return for many reasons.
None of which are my or your business, nor do they really matter today.

Many people with an axe to grind view John McCains military record, and time as a POW with
a microscope looking for every possible iota of information to use against him politically.

To that all I would say is this.

John McCain was a hero during his time as a Naval Aviator, in the midst of a massive fire
on the flight deck on the USS Forrestal John McCain did not run away from the fire or exploding ordnance, but ran towards another plane to help a shipmate (A fellow Aviatior)
get away as well.

He also flew 23 missions into North Vietnam which at that time was pretty much the jaws of hell for pilots, with the worlds best anti-aircraft air defenses ever known.

And during his time as a POW McCain filmed an anti-American screed pushed upon him by his torturers, which he admits shames him to this day. This arguement that he did not keep the faith is illogical and unfounded, because I will state publically and for the record,
that NO person can withstand the kind of torture a determined and expert enemy can dish out, without either eventually breaking or dying in the process.

The US Military Code of Conduct does NOT require POW’s to go to their deaths, and John McCain acted as honorably as he could under circumstances beyond what most Americans can
even imagine, and most would not have even survived under.

Had John McCain NOT been shot down in 1967, he would have been with all likelyhood been promoted upward, and attained the rank of Admiral in the US Navy as his Father and Grandfather had, and would be sitting on the beach somewhere enjoying his retirement
and hanging out at the local Navy Officers Club and golfing in his sunset years.

As it was though, his signing the confession to being “An Air Pirate” as he did, brought him enemies within the Naval Service, and some of these actively sought to end his career
for it. The Navy in it’s better judgement did keep him on until he retired as a Captain in 1981, keeping the faith as it usually does with those that serve it well in time of war as
honorably as McCain did.

And those that would go after John for his flying record do not understand the US Navy flying community as it was in the 1960’s, crashes were not uncommon at that time, and very few Aviators were kicked out for crashing an airplane, unless they did it while using
grossly bad judgement.

Even today, US Naval Aviators are the best pilots in the world, because they not only have to fly, they have to land aboard an aircraft carrier, sometimes at night, and in bad weather.

Your grandmother can land a plane on a 10,000 foot landing strip, but very few skilled people can do it on the deck of an aircraft carrier even once and survive to tell about it.

So now having put the past to rest let’s talk about the John Mccain of today.

John McCain had ot look for a new career outside the US Navy when he was pretty much forced out in 1981, and he found it via a new young rich trophy wife and used her money and family power to get him into politics.

I am not going to go into detail about the various claims that John McCain is either good, bad or somewhere in between as a US Senator due to the fact that all those opinions, and facts have already been talked about and posted all over the media.

The main thing we all should be intersted in is the John McCain of today.

And here we go.

Somewhere along the line of his career John noticed the Republican party was way off track
and he actually entertained the thought of switching parties to be a Democrat, loyalty
it seems got the better of him, and he eventually declined to switch.

That or he realized that his money from lobbyists would dry up, and he would be vulnerable in any re-election bid. McCain has ALWAYS taken money from lobbyists, just so you know.

At best John McCain is a product of his own conservative upbringing, and at worst a man that values loyalty over the betterment of his own country, while he is much smarter than
George Bush he is also very similar to him in that respect.

While his father and grandfather chose service to their country as their highest calling, John eventually chose to forgo that ideal and buy into the current GOP plan of more of the same, which is of service to no one but an elite few.

Even after being slammed personally by George Bush in the 2000 Primary, he has embraced the current policies of the GOP and GWB without reservation it seems, and even GWB himself.
Although he probably burned his clothes after the public hug.

His comments about staying in Iraq for 100 years show his lack of foresight and planning
for where this country should go, and how we should solve the massive problems all Americans are facing right now.

In his lack of understanding of the reality of the US economy and the Iraq war it is extremely evident that he has not thought long and hard about the direction this country should be led in, and he has no long term plan at all to help either one get better.
On Iraq he says we should strive to be successful, well ok, but what is success?
He can’t define it, because he does not KNOW.

Like just about every Vietnam Veteran I have ever met, or talked to, John Mccain is bitter about the fact that the war he was part of was a losing war. The grand ending of that war was the televised view of US Marines evacuating people from the US embassy roof, and not the Wall street ticker tape parade they all wanted.

Like Vietnam, the war in Iraq, and the larger Global War On Terror is being run badly,
and eventually like Vietnam it will end, and not end well. John McCain would continue it as it is, because he has no clue how to win, or how to end it, indeed he would give blank checks to the powers that be in the Military and the supporting Military Industrial complex to keep it going until he get’s the troops that ticker tape parade that he never got in his losing war.

Indeed John McCain seems to have forgotten everything he once supported as a young man in combat, that poor leadership and badly run wars cost American lives and money this country call ill afford to waste.

Here’s a quote from his book -

“McCain and his fellow pilots were frustrated by micromanagement from Washington; he would later write that “In all candor, we thought our civilian commanders were complete idiots who didn’t have the least notion of what it took to win the war.”

Does this sound familiar? It is where we are today, not only in Iraq but in our own economy as well, and the simple fact is John McCain does not listen to, or even identify
with average Americans on all the important issues we face, the Economy, the war, and just about everything else as well.

Which is why regardless of John McCains past service in he Military I cannot vote for him
and will not support him.

Thank you John for serving, I salute you as a fellow veteran for your Bravery and Honor.

But as a leader you lack understanding, compassion and vision, and you are not the best person we need right now to help this country get back on track.

You are at best, a supporter of the status quo, and a member of the elite that has taken Washington DC away from what it should be, as a place where elected leaders actually care about what average Americans think, and our leaders there work honorably for the betterment of all Americans, not just their supporters that lobby them with money.

References -

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McCain

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9B02EFDF1439F934A15751C0A9669C8B63

Dislcaimer as follows.

I have many years in the US Naval Service on active duty, I served at NAS Cecil Field in Florida and worked on A-4F Skyhawks like John McCain flew. I even partied in the same Bar
in Tijuana that John McCain’ Mother and Father were married in - (Caesar’s) although it was many years later on when I was there.

My Father was in 1967, a US Navy QM1 and was standing on the Bridge of the Forrestal the day of the terrible flight deck fire that John McCain was injured in, my Father probably watched him bail out of his stricken aircraft while the fire ran under it, and bombs and missiles exploded all over the deck of the Forrestal that day.

My family and I have walked a lot of the same ground, and served in the same places as John McCain and his family did, so I do feel a kinship to Mr. McCain for his service.

As a hero of the US Navy John McCain and his family should be revered for their dedicated service, but as a leader for the United States today, John McCain has shown poor judgement, and no vision for where this country should go. His embracing George Bush and the failed policies of the past have helped put us where we are now, and will not make it a better place in the future, not with John McCain firmly supporting those failed policies still.

It’s that simple.