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.

[Born Conservative]

I expect McCain will lend a hand in Kerry's torpedoing...

Perhaps McCain will listen to the OTHER JFK (see my tag line)

[Free Vulcan]

Look at all those names guys. Clark Clifford, Ramsey Clark, William Fullbright. All Beezulbubba mentors and cronies. It was no accident that he became president.

[Redbob]

"I expect McCain will lend a hand in Kerry's torpedoing..."

Don't hold your breath.
There's no predicting what will happen in what passes for John McCain's brain.

[Gritty]

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

I've got news for you, KerryBoy.

I am exactly your age and was in Vietnam at the same time. I didn't consider (or excuse) my subsequent words and actions through evasion by flipantly referring to myself as a "kid". That's because I never did anything I was ashamed of. Neither did some of my good friends, the same age and younger, who either never came home, or came home in a casket or on a Medevac to a crippled life.

These are the "men". You are the "kid" - or maybe "punk" would be a more accurate name?

[rintense]

Well, they were *kids* after all. /sarcasm

GWB, on the other hand, was a reckless, Christmas wreath thief who was AWOL in the National Guard. He should be thrown in jail and held accountable for his actions, even though HE WAS A KID HIMSELF.

*SIGH*

John 'War Waffler' Kerry will dig his own trench in this election. And I will be one of the proud that throws a shovel full of dirt on him with my vote in November.

[rintense]

McCain could also be Kerry's VP.

[TiaS]

The first advisers were sent into Viet Nam during the Eisenhower Administration. During his campaign, Bobby Kennedy, was turning against continuing the war and you know what happened to him after he won the Oregon primary.

Historians have found that the Gulf of Tonkin incident never happened -- it was contrived to justify our involvement in an escalating conflict there.

If the war had not concluded when it did, there could have been another 50,000 American casualties.

[Verginius Rufus]

I wouldn't put it past McCain to accept the VP slot from Kerry, if he thought the ticket would win, but I doubt he will be offered it because of his health problems, and because he isn't far enough to the left for the Democrats on some issues. I don't doubt that McCain hates Bush, but Cleland hates Bush even more intensely. I've wondered if Cleland is under consideration for VP.

[biblewonk]

Good dirt ping.

[T. Buzzard Trueblood]

BTTT

[sinkspur]

McCain could also be Kerry's VP.

Not a chance.

[PhiKapMom]

Thanks for posting this information.

All -- Please make sure this gets widespread distribution -- everyone you know has to see this article.

Thanks!

[blackie]

John F'ing Kerry is a traitor!

~~ Bush/Cheney 2004 ~~

[backhoe]

Please make sure this gets widespread distribution -- everyone you know has to see this article.

I just did- this is as close to a Nuke as we are going to get.

[PhiKapMom]

This is for the the McCain wants to be VP wannabe's.

Sen McCain is head of the Bush campaign for Arizona, he campaigned for the President in NH, and John McCain is not going to be the VP candidate on the DemocRAT ticket. Not going to happen and you can take that to the bank.

BTW, I don't trust him either

[Dante3]

The fake NG allegations they media has pushed in order to not only falsely accuse Bush but to shift attention from Kerry's disgraceful military record and his sordid personal life and also in an indirect way to discredit the National Guard.

[Blood of Tyrants]

The Rats will ignore it and take another swallow of KoolAid.

[PhiKapMom]

He is sure is a traitor! I loathe the man the same as I do the Clintons, Jane Fonda, and Ramsey Clark and the rest of their anti-war protestors. I will never forget nor forgive that bunch of far leftists!

[PhiKapMom]

Thank you sir! You are the best!