40 Years Later, McCain Remembers Vietnam

Republican Presidential Hopeful And Former POW Reminisces With War Buddies, Condemns Torture

(AP)  Republican John McCain reminisced with war buddies on Friday, 40 years after he was shot down over Vietnam, and made the anniversary part of his presidential campaign.

McCain appeared with Col. Bud Day, a fellow Vietnam prisoner of war, and told reporters he was highlighting his military experience because of his pride in his service.

"Senator Bob Dole - who ran for president and I was part of his campaign - he was very proud of his service to the country. Jack Kennedy was very proud of his service," McCain said. "Those of us who served in uniform, in the military, are usually very proud of our service."

McCain was a 31-year-old Navy pilot when his plane was hit by a missile, and he ejected. He broke both arms and severely injured his right knee, and the wounds were exacerbated by torture during more than five years in prison.

McCain said he expected to hear from others who served with him.

"I think about my friendship. I'm pleased to be with my comrades. I'll have phone calls all day from the guys, the old guys I was with. They'll give me a lot of advice and counsel and everything," he said.

"I served in the company of heroes, and that's the great privilege of my life," he said.

Recalling the years he was tortured, McCain also condemned the use of questioning techniques that some call torture.

The issue has come up in Senate hearings on the nomination of Michael Mukasey as attorney general. The Bush administration says it does not countenance torture but won't say whether such techniques as "waterboarding" are prohibited in an executive order issued last summer.

"I find it beyond belief that anyone would countenance such torture," McCain said. "It was inaugurated by the Spanish Inquisition and it was used by Pol Pot and it's now being used to torture Buddhist monks.

"It's not the America that I know that would countenance such torture," he said. "That's not the nation that I fought for."

Waterboarding, designed to induce panic in a person being questioned simulates drowning. It may involve a prisoner being tied to a board, head slanted down, a wet towel placed on his face and water poured on the towel.

On another topic, a Fox News Channel request that he stop airing a TV ad that includes footage from a debate sponsored by the network and notes his years as a prisoner, McCain said he doesn't see what's at issue. He said the campaigns of Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney had put clips from the debate on their campaign Web sites.

"I understand that there's some letters going back and forth. I'm not directly involved, but I understand that the other candidates put up on their Web sites also clips from the debate," he said. "And we're kind of curious that it should be our using a clip from the debate. We also think that the fairness rules probably indicate that it's OK for us to do that."

[jsilver2th]

This is why McCain will be gaining again- at least he is the genuine article.

[starleo146]

If he wasn''t a republican there would be a swift boat alike add disputing everything he said. If he was a democrat prisoners of war would be coming out and disputing he ever was a prisoner. Well at least he has republicanism on his side there will be no add.

[jerr11]

If my memory serves me well, I seem to recall a bunch of guys claiming that McCain''s POW record in Hanoi was all fake, all made up.

I think they call themselves the SWIFTBOAT VETERANS for TRUTH!!

Hey straight talking McCain, was it all made up?

LOL

[jerr11]

Here are some more interesting facts from the SWIFTBOAT VETERANS FOR TRUTH.

"Deferment" Cheney actually served 5 years in Vietnam and earned a purple heart for rescuing his buddy, Texan G W Bush who was hit by shrapnel while protecting the entire convoy from attacking Vietcongs!!

LOL

[three-o-six]

WELCOME HOME BROTHER!

[tankersmash]

John McCain...you are a great man a great american and a patriot of the first order!

John McCain for president!

[slipster01]

jerr11, You wanna provide links to your "claims" or not?

[condumism]

McCain, there are Vietnam memorials all across the USA. Time for you to stop harrassing Hillary for supporting a Woodstock memorial. Without hippies in the late 60''s, early 70''s, youd still be a prisoner of war somewhere in North Vietnam. You sir are one ungrateful American.

[speakinup]

I wasn''t in Vietnam, but..

Welcome home to all that did go and came back, and God bless those and their''s that didn''t come back whole.

We owe them a debt that can never be paid.

Next time you see a uniformed man or woman, thank them for their service, bravery, & sacrifice.

[jerr11]

jerr11, You wanna provide links to your "claims" or not?

Posted by SlipSter01 at 05:59 PM : Oct 26, 2007


You can find them at swiftboatveteransfortruth.neoconhq.bushcheneyliarsrus.gopsleazemachine.org

LOL

[condumism]

Posted by speakinup
I wasnt in Vietnam, but.. We owe them a debt that can never be paid.

Those that were around during Vietnam do not see it your way, including a vast majority of troops that were drafted against their will to fight in the Vietnamese Civil War.

[barbaraf4]

Where are the swiftboats when we need them?

Vietnam was just another conflict in which we provided canon fodder in the form of young men, drafted to die. We should have never become involved in that civil war, and for those who do not know the history, look it up. There was a long line of foreign
occupiers who were unable to resolve the problem. Why did we think we could? God bless all who were slaughtered there - military and civilian. The difference between Vietnam and Iraq is the draft.

[speakinup]

ConDumism - I was around during Vietnam - so what''s your point, son, or has it escaped you already.

BTW, thanking Hippies for getting us out of Vietnam would be almost as truthful as thanking Nixon. Afterall, he WAS the president when the Peace accord was signed.

[speakinup]

"McCain, You sir are one ungrateful American. Posted by ConDumism

And you, communism, are a piece''oshit to be flushed directly to the Hillary and Billshit table.

Go back to your drugs and the 60''s maggot.

[condumism]

posted by speakinup
I wasnt in Vietnam, but..

But what? You gonna try to convince the youth of today that Americans supported the needless Vietnam War, like your Traitor buddies known as the SwiftBoat Lying Nazis? You lying jinGOPigs would still have US in Vietnam if it were not for US American heros that forced the nation into getting out of their civil war. You are one pathetic FASCIST POS Scumbag. Go back to hitting the sauce, smoking your cigs, and abusing those around you, jinGOPig COWARD!

[donbl1]

McCain is the real deal.

[whamtwo]

Has McCain ever thought about his part in the killing of almost 3 million vietnamese, Cambodians, and laotians who never attacked us. I guess not, they were only "***** and slants" oH yeah! ask him about the billions lost in the savings and loan fiasco

[usaprophet]

I support Ron Paul and his non-interventionist foreign policy. Hitlery wants to continue our illegal police action in Iraq until at least 2013, and she does not rule out a preemptive (nuclear) first strike against Iran. Ron Paul voted against the the (undeclared) war in Iraq, which was sold to us with lies. The area is more dangerous now than when we entered it. We destroyed a regime hated by our direct enemies, the jihadists, and created thousands of new recruits for them. This war has cost more than 3,000 American lives and almost a trillion dollars. We must have new leadership in the White House to ensure this never happens again. Both Jefferson and Washington warned us about entangling ourselves in the affairs of other nations. Today, we have 750 foreign bases and troops in 130 countries. We are spread so thin that we have too few troops defending America. And now, there are new calls for a draft of our young men and women. We can continue to fund and fight no-win police actions around the globe, or we can refocus on securing our borders against illegal immaigrants and bring the troops home. No war should ever be fought without a declaration of war voted upon by the Congress, as required by the Constitution. Under no circumstances should the U.S. again go to war as the result of a resolution that comes from an unelected, foreign body, such as the United Nations. Too often, we give foreign aid and intervene on behalf of governments that are despised. Then, we become despised.

[usaprophet]

Unlike most of the other GOP candidates, Ron Paul actually served his country as a member of the military. Paul grew up in the western Pennsylvania town of Green Tree. His father, the son of a German immigrant, ran a small dairy company. Sports were big around there and Paul was a terrific athlete, winning a state track meet in the 220 and excelling at football and baseball. After medical school at Duke, Paul joined the Air Force, where he served as a flight surgeon, tending to the ear, nose and throat ailments of pilots, and traveling to Iran, Ethiopia and elsewhere. "I recall doing a lot of physicals on Army warrant officers who wanted to become helicopter pilots and go to Vietnam," he said. "They were gung-ho. I''ve often thought about how many of those people never came back." Paul is given to mulling things over morally. His family was pious and Lutheran; two of his brothers became ministers. Paul''s children were baptized in the Episcopal church, but now now attends a Baptist one. He''s been married to the same woman for 50 years. As a young man, though, he did not protest the Vietnam War, which he now calls "totally unnecessary and illegal." Much later, after the United States invaded Iraq, he began reading St. Augustine. "I was annoyed by the evangelicals'' being so supportive of pre-emptive war, which seems to contradict everything that I was taught as a Christian, he recalls. The religion is based on somebody who''s referred to as the Prince of Peace."

[jerr11]

jerr11, You wanna provide links to your "claims" or not?

Posted by SlipSter01 at 05:59 PM : Oct 26, 2007


Sorry got the links wrong the first time.

Here they are again:

http://www.swiftboatveteransfortruth.org

http://www.neoconhq.org

http://www.bushcheneyliarsrus.org

http://www.gopsleazemachine.org

[usaprophet]

I agree with Dr. Paul about the issue of illegal immigration. The talk must stop. We must secure our borders now. A nation without secure borders is no nation at all. It makes no sense to fight terrorists abroad when our own front door is left unlocked. Ron Paul has a plan: (1.) Physically secure our borders and coastlines. We must do whatever it takes to control entry into our country before we undertake complicated immigration reform proposals. (2.) Enforce visa rules. Immigration officials must track visa holders and deport anyone who overstays their visa or otherwise violates U.S. law. This is especially important when we recall that a number of 9/11 terrorists had expired visas. (3.) No amnesty. Estimates suggest that 10 to 20 million people are in our country illegally. That''s a lot of people to reward for breaking our laws. (4.) No welfare for illegal aliens. Americans have welcomed immigrants who seek opportunity, work hard, and play by the rules, but taxpayers should not pay for illegal immigrants who use hospitals, clinics, schools, roads, and social services. (5.) End birthright citizenship. As long as illegal immigrants know their children born here will be citizens, the incentive to enter the U.S. illegally will remain strong. (6.) Pass true immigration reform. The current system, and those proposed by ALL other candidates, is incoherent and unfair, and would allow up to 60 million more immigrants into our country.

[smirk5]

General Petraeus can drive around parts of Baghdad in an unarmored Humvee.
That''s what straight talk McCain has said.

[sgtrds]

I wasn''''t in Vietnam, but..

Welcome home to all that did go and came back, and God bless those and their''''s that didn''''t come back whole.

We owe them a debt that can never be paid.

Next time you see a uniformed man or woman, thank them

Posted by speakinup at 06:19 PM : Oct 26, 2007

You''re welcome........

[sgtrds]

McCain is a fellow vet of the same war and went through far more then I or most of us did. That said it doesn''t change the fact that he needs to retire before he embarrasses himself more with his obvious senility. Someone pull him aside, change his diaper and send him home to a care center in Sun City.,....please...while he still has SOME self respect left.......

[jerr11]

I have a lot of respect for Senator McCain and would''ve voted for him in 2000 if Bush hadn''t swiftboated and displaced him at that time.

But he''s sold his soul to the devil, and became a warmonger.

Very sad to see a great man shrivel into irrelevance.

[speakinup]

And, YOU do have my thanks for being in Vietnam, SgtRDS. But you need to start thinking about treating people like McCain with respect. You speak out of both sides of your mouth - implying you respect him in the first sentence, then calling him senile and in need of a diaper in the next.

SgtRDS - I doubt he reads your comments, but you certainly have made a typical Democratic type statement.

Take notice, all you folks that are still undecided. Do you find yourself fitting in with folks like the Sargent here, or maybe someone else that can show respect for our Vets that were POWs for 6 years ?

[usaprophet]

Ron Paul can win the GOP nomination. If he does, I predict a landslide victory in November of 2008. The oddsmakers in Vegas are currently giving him 6:1 odds to win against Hitlery if he gets the nomination. Romney and the globalist Giuliani don''t even have better than a 25:1 chance of winning if they get the GOP nod. All it takes is for formerly apathetic individuals to get off the couch and nominate him in their local Republican primary or caucus process. Political parties are nothing more than tools. Those who read the manual and use the tools properly will win the nomination for their candidate. For the past 20 years, many good people have stayed at home and accepted whatever candidate they let others select for them. This year, those people are learning how to use their vote to bring about positive and long overdue political change in this country. To make a difference, you must participate in the Republican primary election or caucus process in your county, precinct or district. Nothing else matters. If we do this, we win. If not, we lose. The GOP has been suffering from declining participation for decades. Fewer than 20% of registered Republicans have ALL the power because they actually participate locally. Now the remaining 80% must surge to use their vote as a tool for bringing about positive change. The time to act is now. The time for political revolution has come. The time for Ron Paul is NOW!

[usaprophet]

Unlike Hitlery and the so-called GOP frontrunner, Giuliani, Dr. Paul fights for the right of an innocent, unborn child. He believes the right to life is at the heart of the American ideals of liberty. His professional and legislative record demonstrates his strong commitment to this pro-life principle. In 40 years of medical practice, he never once considered performing an abortion, nor did he ever find abortion necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman. In Congress, he authored legislation that seeks to define life as beginning at conception (HR 1094). He is also the prime sponsor of HR 300, which would negate the effect of Roe v Wade by removing the ability of federal courts to interfere with state legislation to protect life. This is a practical, direct approach to ending federal court tyranny which threatens our constitutional republic and has caused the deaths of 45 million of the unborn. He also authored HR 1095, which prevents federal funds to be used for population control. Many other GOP candidates, except Giuliani, talk about being pro-life. Ron Paul took direct action to restore protection for the unborn. As an OB/GYN doctor, he delivered over 4,000 babies. That experience made him an unshakable foe of abortion. Many of you may have his book, Challenge To Liberty, which champions the idea that there cannot be liberty in a society unless the rights of all innocents are protected. Ron Paul respects the dignity of human life.

[prinzowhales]

''I married the Mob'' McCain, the unrepentant Keating Fiver remembers nothing about Vietnam as he continues to support the Stupid Peoples'' War. McCain is just pig food for the press...his comments fill the papers in lieu of real news...They might as well have asked, ''Tell us your thoughts on the *** CHRONICLES, Senator McCain.''

[prinzowhales]

Apparently, VAG*INA is a dirty word at CBS. How about "balls"...any balls at CBS?

[prinzowhales]

The creature who sired this corruptionist was Admiral McCain--the man who helped cover up the attack on the USS LIBERTY by Israel in a false flag operation. This must have earned him considerable Kibble from the Israel-first crooks in the administration of Big Nose Baines.

Martin Scheen has joined his son Charlie in questioning the Regime''s 9-11 fairy tale publicly as has the great George Carlin...At this moment DIGG is trying to keep stories concerning this off its main page.

The lines are being drawn...between those whose allegiance is to the truth, the Constitution and the Republic and those skulking, lyingdogs who, with Bush, McCain, Clinton, Romney, Edwards, Obama and the like who support the New World Order with its attacks on American in the 9-11 false-flag psy-op operation and its wars of aggression on two innocent lands.