McCain's Bluster about Vets
Dennis Myers of the Reno News and Review makes this astute observation about one more item in John McCain's padded resume, wherein repetition often substitutes for evidence:
During tonight's debate John McCain said, "I know the veterans. I know them well. And I know that they know that I'll take care of them. And I've been proud of their support and their recognition of my service to the veterans. And I love them. And I'll take care of them. And they know that I'll take care of them."McCain has made this argument that he has a special relationship with veterans before. In July, he had this to say to a veteran who was critical of his record: "My friend, all I can say is I don't know what you're pointing to, but I've received every award from every major veterans' organization in America....The reason why I have a perfect voting record from organizations like the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion and all the other veterans' service organizations is because of my support of them." It turned out that the VFW and the Legion do not have congressional vote rankings.
There are, however, other veteran organizations that do have such rankings. And if veterans have the special relationship with McCain that he describes, their organizations seem unaware of it.
In 2006, Disabled American Veterans gave McCain a 20 percent rating.
In 2006, Disabled American Veterans gave Obama an 80 percent rating.In 2006 Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America gave Senator McCain a grade of D.
In 2006 Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America gave Senator Obama a grade of B-plus.
Good call. I wondered how McCain had the chutzpah to make such claims when the record is at such odds with his rhetoric. The MSM certainly needs to explode this cherished little myth of his. I wished that Obama had called him out on it in the debates. It's pure BS.
September 27, 2008 10:11 AM | Reply | Permalink
I was ready to puke when he said he "loved the vets"
He loved them so much he was against the GI Bill and was out in Hollywood on Ellens show the day it was voted on !
What a big phony !
September 27, 2008 11:04 AM | Reply | Permalink
I had the same reaction listening to the lovefest comment.
I'm thinking the Obama advertising machine is working on something as I type that will splice those comments with his voting record.
Another interesting moment was McCain's KGB comment about Putin. I think his blood pressure was really rising on that one. And it was made only moments after he chastised the "naive" Obama for threatening to attack Pakistan with the comment:
"Presidents don't say things like that."
September 27, 2008 11:05 AM | Reply | Permalink
See, there is the problem.
Obama had not read the 'Handbook of Do's and Don'ts for Presidential Pronouncements'.
Maybe McCain can lend him his own dog eared copy.
September 27, 2008 11:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
I agree Todd, as I mentioned on another thread McCain seemed to fall into nostalgia when he brought up his support of veterans. Like an old man sitting on his front porch talking to fellow veterans about their grand war experiences, McCain came across as living in the past not a champion of change for the future. He was playing to one voting sector.
Andrew Romano on the Newsweek site states that McCain was the winner of the debate and has some good evidence to support this thesis. In terms of a classical debate McCain made some good thrusts and jabs so if a debate teacher was scoring it, McCain scored high. The problem is that the average viewer is not a debate teacher which probably explains why the pundits differ from viewers impressions of a debate.
If you only listened to a debate on the radio it would be easier to pick out the thrusts and jabs, but television is a visual medium. Split screen allows viewing both candidates and those non-verbals can't be hidden. If you turned off the sound and just watched the debaters non-verbals, Obama scored high.
McCain had a higher threshold in this debate. I won't say he's an expert on foreign affairs but just being in Congress for decades he's been exposed to more world events and is conversant on the subject. Obama had a lower threshold just like Bush had in the 2000 debates with Gore and like Bush, Obama passed. At end of the road, the debates won't change much in this election, but they have become a tradition.
http://www.blog.newsweek.com/blogs/stumper/archive/2008/09/26/mccain-won-but-will-it-matter.aspx
September 27, 2008 11:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
Thanks for the link to the Reno News story, I had computer problems connecting to it. Looks like McCain talks about the veterans but those groups aren't big supporters. Interesting about the Dems scoring higher than the Reps among vets, I always thought it was reverse. With the injection of more vets from the Gulf War and the Iraq and Afghanistan wars veterans are not all babyboomers, they are younger with families and jobs and the economy would be major issues. Tax credits which seem to be McCain's answer to everything are meaningless to someone who doesn't have a job.
September 27, 2008 11:36 AM | Reply | Permalink
I love our troops, and I support them 100%, they're the best trained, bravest troops on the planet, and for those who disagree, for those that think differently......well, I don't care what you think, I will ALWAYS defend out troops!!
I will ALWAYS defend our troops!
September 27, 2008 11:12 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, why do all you liberals keep disrespecting the troops, saying they can't whip the Iraqis unless they got more soldiers and hardened humvees, and more Iraqi translators and an effective plan for rebuilding infrastructure and a solution to the political squabbling among tribal groups who have been at each others throats for hundreds of years--why do you say they need body armor? Are you implying that our soldiers are weak? They can do anything! They can fight any enemy naked with no weapons but their teeth and claws. They will bite off the ears of nihilists and beat them down with boom boxes and bowling balls--so all you liberals who hate our brave boys should just go to Canada like you always have in the past!
September 27, 2008 11:45 AM | Reply | Permalink
c4,
yeah, wuts wif dose libruls anyhow dey jist wunt the terrists t win i comed here to beet yup on dem libbees guys cawze rush limbaw sed dey were commie penkos an dey git the welfare an not wurk and dere dum to LOL LOL
an HITLERY KLINTOON haves fat ankils LOL LOL LMFAO
JOHN MIKANE ROCKS!
September 27, 2008 1:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
mccain loves the veterans. like an abusive father and husband loves those he neglects and abuses.
mccain only loves himself. and has nothing but contempt for anyone who doesn't love him as much as he loves himself. and that contempt is expressed in rage and seething hissy fits. and the inability to even look you in the eye when he's talking to you.
September 27, 2008 11:22 AM | Reply | Permalink
McCain does love himself, but he loves other men too. He thinks about loving soldiers all the time. All those handsome young men in their dashing uniforms...just makes him stand at attention and salute...
It's the women he has a problem with. Hussies! Harlots! With their painted faces...
September 27, 2008 11:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
McCain : I looked into Putin's eyes and I saw
three letters; K G B!
Obama; I looked into McCain's eyes and I saw three words; "Business as usual"
September 27, 2008 11:28 AM | Reply | Permalink
I looked into McCain's eyes and saw: Senile Old Fool.
September 27, 2008 11:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
As a Vietnam veteran AGAINST McCain, I was speechless as I listened to the ridiculous rhetoric about his "love" of our troops.
Check his record! Check his votes. He is Bush without the charisma. (Just in case somebody might think I believe Bush has ANY charisma, that was a JOKE!)
September 27, 2008 11:38 AM | Reply | Permalink
I watched CNN because they had this EKG graph of Republican, Democrats and Independent voters reacting to each utterance.
The movement was predictable and never dramatic. The Blue (of course) Dem line rose and fell when Obama was speaking or not. Same for the Red Republican line.
But it was interesting to watch the Independent white (supposed to be green, but not on my monitor) line which tracked the Dem line more than the Red. Whenever there was a negative comment by either candidate it dipped.
I have no clue how many people were hooked in. For all I know it could have Rove, McAuliffe and David Gergen.
The point is, that debate did not move the Reds or Blues, and moving forward it is all about the Whites (no racist pun intended).
September 27, 2008 12:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm glad you raised this because this is the one area where I was disappointed in Obama (though overall I thought he did just fine).
Obama should have pivoted right back to McShame, looked him in the eye and said, "John, if you love our veterans so much, why did you vote to cut the veterans' budget four years in a row? Why do you want to privatize the best health care system in the country, the VA, especially after the Walter Reed fiasco? And why did you oppose the 21st Century GI Bill -- legislation I proudly backed and voted for -- and the skip the vote on its passage?"
Obama had the chance to totally nail this liar, and he let it go by. Still, he did fine and helped his cas overall.
September 27, 2008 12:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
Exactly Moose. As soon as McCain started getting all misty eyed about his "love" for veterans, I thought Obama would pounce with the facts.
If anything would have finally made McCain blow his top, it would have been shaming him on his actual treatment of vets. That was the only time in the debate where I was really dissapointed in Obama.
September 27, 2008 12:47 PM | Reply | Permalink
KZ,
I'm a Vet and I don't feel any love coming from McCain. I wonder why.
September 27, 2008 1:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
Todd, Chuck Keller,
I can tell you that, to the extent that the lower enlisted follow politics at all, there is no affection for McCain nor gut liking of him as there was for Bush.
September 27, 2008 1:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Not sure a McCain meltdown live on teevee would be a good thing. Obama probably would rather avoid the need to administer CPR.
September 27, 2008 9:46 PM | Reply | Permalink