McCain: Hanoi Hilton Guards Taunted POWs with Kerry's Testimony

Newsmax.com ^ | 2/17/04 | Carl Limbacher

[truthandlife]

These days former Vietnam war POW Sen. John McCain has nothing but praise for his fellow Vietnam veteran, Sen. John Kerry, the Democrats' current presidential front-runner.

But after he was released from the Hanoi Hilton in 1973, Sen. McCain publicly complained that testimony by Kerry and others before J. William Fullbright's Senate Foreign Relations Committee was "the most effective propaganda [my North Vietnamese captors] had to use against us."

"They used Senator Fullbright a great deal," McCain wrote in the May 14, 1973 issue of U.S. News & World Report. While he was languishing in a North Vietnamese prison cell, Kerry was telling the Fullbright Committee that U.S. soldiers were committing war crimes in Vietnam as a matter of course.

Sen. Ted Kennedy, a key Kerry presidential backer, was "quoted again and again" by jailers at the Hanoi Hilton, McCain said.

"Clark Clifford was another [North Vietnamese] favorite," the ex-POW told U.S. News, "right after he had been Secretary of Defense under President Johnson."

"When Ramsey Clark came over [my jailers] thought that was a great coup for their cause," McCain recalled. Months earlier Sen. Kerry had appeared with Clark at the April 1971 Washington, D.C. anti-war protest that showcased his testimony before the Fullbright Committee.

"All through this period," wrote McCain, his captors were "bombarding us with anti-war quotes from people in high places back in Washington. This was the most effective propaganda they had to use against us."

McCain biographer Paul Alexander chronicled the Arizona Republican's anger toward Kerry during their early careers in the Senate together.

"For many years McCain held Kerry's actions against him because, while McCain was a POW in the Hanoi Hilton, Kerry was organizing veterans back home in the U.S. to protest the war."

In his 2002 book, "Man of the People: the Life of John McCain," Alexander says that the two Vietnam vets finally reconciled in the early 1990s after having "a long - and at times emotional - conversation about Vietnam" during a mutual trip to Kuwait.

Later, Kerry sought to minimize the rift, telling Alexander, "Our differences occurred when we were kids, or at least close to being kids. It was a long time ago, and we both came back and realized that there were a lot of difficulties in the prosecution of that war."

NewsMax gratefully acknowledges the help of U.S. Veteran's Dispatch editor Ted Sampley for supplying McCain's revealing 1973 account in U.S. News.

[sinkspur]

I DO NOT trust McCain.

I don't either, but, reconciled or not, I doubt McCain will do ANYTHING to help Kerry and would likely stick a shiv in him for a little payback if he got a chance.

I would, if I had gotten the hell beat out of me while Kerry was sitting in his air-conditioned townhouse and aiding the people beating me.

[Lancey Howard]

McCrazy is the joker in the deck.
I don't think Bush (or anybody else) should ever trust him

[Frank_Discussion]

Revenge is a strong motivator. McMe may not be able to control himself on this one, especially if there is little or no gain in aligning with JF*K.

[Ruth A.]

Good find, but I don't trust McCain either.

[olde north church]

Dean - McCain? PAC?

[kabar]

Not so fast...see my post #18 and #19 (duplicate). McCain said this in December 2003 while Kerry was campaigning for the Dem nomination. McCain hates GWB more. It all goes back to the South Carolina primary in 2000. Visceral hatred here.

[FreeManWhoCan]

What an ass "O" that Kerry is. Did anyone see his clips on FOX where he pronounces the word "ask" as "ahhsk". What a pompus jerk.

[not_apathetic_anymore]

Yep, something about throwing stones when living in a glass house:)

[lawdude]

While I find McLame less than ideal as a pubby, he has been touted as Kerrey's first choice for VP!

D'ya spoze this shows how unlikely this is?

[kabar]

Kennedyesque. If you check out his life, he is trying to emulate JFK and follow the same path to the Presidency

[truthkeeper]

"It was a long time ago, and we both came back and realized that there were a lot of difficulties in the prosecution of that war."

Fine. So was McCain lying then or is he lying now? Inquiring minds want to know.

[stuck_in_new_orleans]

McCain wants to be VP

[Neets]

.

[sully777]

No one has made the following comment:

The current stuff floated about WMD, "Iraqi insurgancy," Gitmo detainees, Kofi's UN Kaffee Klatches, Patriot Act, etc. simply reinforces our enemies resolve today. It seems fitting to forward this article to the leftist media, DNC, RINOs, and anyone else affiliated with the current rants against our anti-terror missions.

Nothing has changed with Ho Chi Minh Kerry. He's still hell-bent on upending the foundations of the military, economy, and sovereignty of America via communism.

[Aquinasfan]

"All through this period," wrote McCain, his captors were "bombarding us with anti-war quotes from people in high places back in Washington. This was the most effective propaganda they had to use against us."

Of course, anyone with half a brain knew this at the time.

On another note, I haven't heard much criticism of the domino theory since Cambodia fell to Pol Pot.

[IYAS9YAS]

I DO NOT trust McCain.

Nor do I. Thinking "Manchurian Candidate".

[TheDon]

John Kerry, self proclaimed war criminal, Democratic Presidential nominee

[Rummyfan]

"Our differences occurred when we were kids, or at least close to being kids.

Typical lib response. We were kids - of course I was twenty five years old, but still a kid. Jihad Johnny from Marin County, why he is just a confused kid too! Gosh, there are probably a lot of confused kids at Gitmo too - in custody.

Of course there are also a lot of 'kids' in Iraq and Afghanistan and at sea and in the air fighting this war. But those people are MEN and WOMEN.

[Gorjus]

How will this play?

Insignificantly.

First off, Vietnam is ancient history to most of the electorate. Even if they have heard of it or have some vague memory of it, they just don't care.

Second, no one cares about McCain any more. To the Dems, he's just a Republican and therefore evil and an automatic liar (unless he's saying something they want to hear, in which case he's not a liar - but his opinion changes nothing). To the Republicans, McCain is a self-centered egoist who will say whatever brings attention to himself.

So who cares what he says? Only McCain, and the media - and the media only because McCain can be counted on to bash Bush regularly. This, in their mind, demonstrates they are non-partisan because they give air time to quotes from Republicans as well as Democrats. Of course, the only Republican quotes that get air time are from those who say what they want to hear.

So, bottom line: Adverse McCain comments about Kerry are not significant.

This would change if McCain were actually to switch parties, but if he did, he's simply recant any prior statements that didn't support the party line. (See Lieberman, 2000)