McCain on the Lessons of War

By: Andante Higgins
Topics: John McCain

(CBS)

From CBS News' Dante Higgins:

John McCain continues his biographical tour in Jacksonville, Fla., today where he's expected to talk about lessons he learned about war.

"Before I went to war its meaning was obscure to me, hidden in the spare language of men who had gone to war before me and been changed forever by the experience," McCain will say according to his prepared remarks.

"I thought glory was the object of war, and all glory was self-glory. No more. For I had learned the truth: there are greater pursuits than self-seeking. Glory is not a conceit. It is not a decoration for valor. It is not a prize for being the strongest, the most clever, or the boldest. Glory belongs to the act of being constant to something greater than yourself, to the cause, to your principles, to the people on whom you rely, and who rely on you in return."

Jacksonville is where McCain was stationed before he shipped out for Vietnam and where he returned after being released as a prisoner of war. He's expected to tell stories about the friends and relationships he had while serving in Vietnam while reiterating his call to reform education, Medicare and Social Security and his ideas to simplify the tax code and free trade.

Meantime, last night, McCain's campaign swiftly responded to Hillary Clinton's new TV ad, which repeated the 3am theme she has used before to criticize McCain on the economy.

McCain's ad, which is not currently scheduled to run on TV yet, rips off the 3am theme and says, "It's 3 a.m. and your children are safe and asleep. But there's a phone ringing in the White House and this time the crisis is economic. Home foreclosures mounting, markets teetering. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama just said they'd solve the problem by raising your taxes. More money out of your pocket. John McCain has a better plan..."

Tomorrow, McCain takes a break from his bio tour to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in Memphis on the 40th anniversary of his death.

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by aappundit April 5, 2008 2:55 AM EDT: John McCain is a great old guy who fought in a dumb war. He supports another dumb war started by some bad guys (Bush/Cheney) that makes him now a old bad guy who should not become President.; Reply to this comment


by deq54 April 3, 2008 7:07 PM EDT: McCain did serve his country well. He was also called McNasty in high school and graduated 5th from the bottom at the naval academy. We don''t need a War president...we need a smart president--We''ve had 7 years of a dumb one--Obama is the clear choice.; Reply to this comment


by converze April 3, 2008 2:57 PM EDT: Did McCain happen to mention how he cheated on his wife after she had waited faithfully for him when he was a POW, or how he married that woman he was cheating with so that she could finance his political career?

No? Maybe those parts aren''t "honorable" enough for this bio tour.; Reply to this comment


by mattcat25 April 3, 2008 2:38 PM EDT: Republicans love war, forget the glory they don%u2019t even try (want) to win. The GOP wish to perpetuate the carnage, divert the $Billions of Dollars into their back pockets, and hold our troops at ransom to maintain power.

Vote GOP
Vote WAR!; Reply to this comment


by elevando April 3, 2008 2:15 PM EDT: Let''s look at the facts: Obama is a ruthless social climber who likes to parody great men in history like Lincoln and Kennedy. He has next to no record, yet he feels comfortable putting himself in their category. He is using the "fake it before you make it" strategy.; Reply to this comment


by javalation April 3, 2008 1:26 PM EDT: It sounds like Sen McCain sees glory in war. Maybe that''s why he wants us to have a lot of it.; Reply to this comment