If John McCain maxed out his credit cards as much as he has maxed out his P.O.W card this election, then John McCain is threatening to financially and morally bankrupt the American democratic process.
In case you missed it last night, John McCain was asked as a joke on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno about how many houses he owns (he had previously said he was not sure). His answer was this: (actual video under quote)
“You know, could I just mention to you, Jay, and a moment of seriousness. I spent five and a half years in a prison cell, without-I didn’t have a house, I didn’t have a kitchen table, I didn’t have a table, I didn’t have a chair. And I spent those five and a half years, because-not because I wanted to get a house when I got out.”
To borrow (and tweak) a phrase from Delaware Senator Joe Biden, it seems like these days there are only three things that come out of John McCain's mouth. A noun, a verb, and P.OW.
Now I have no problem with John McCain talking about his experiences as a prisoner of war. His story shows a tremendous amount about his character and strength as a person. But it says even more about his character when he is willing to take those experiences, and use them for political expediency.
The sad thing is is that this is not the first time he has used the P.O.W card:
In McCain's first Congressional race in Arizona, his opponent questioned his ability to lead a state he had lived in for less than a year (a valid point). He responded by saying he was sorry he had not had a chance to live in Arizona very long because the longest he had spent in one place was six years... in Hanoi
When Elizabeth Edwards challenged him on the issue of healthcare he used the P.O.W card to circumvent the question, and instead acted offended and said Edwards took a "cheap shot" at him.
When it was revealed that John McCain was not in a "cone of silence" during the Saddleback forum earlier this month, and therefore may have had the questions in advance, his campaign responded with this statement:
“The insinuation from the Obama campaign that John McCain, a former prisoner of war, cheated is outrageous.”
I honor and respect Senator McCain's service to our country, like I said... I have no problem with him telling his personal story in the context of him saying how he can better lead America. And From the beggining, McCain has said he wants to have a serious dialogue with the American people about the direction of this country. But when he takes his experience as a prisoner of war and hides behind it to deflect questions that the voters are asking, he makes it clear that he does not care about having a serious discussion about the issues.
John McCain likes to talk romantically about honor, patriotism, and character. If those words really mean so much to him... I implore Senator McCain to start running a campaign that is in alignment with his ideas and words. Otherwise, the American people will "max out" and reject what should be, and remain, a compelling story about a man who put country first.
No comments:
Post a Comment