Getting to Know John McCain [MUST READ!]

The Wall Street Journal ^ | April 30, 2008 | Karl Rove

[2ndDivisionVet]

It came to me while I was having dinner with Doris Day. No, not that Doris Day. The Doris Day who is married to Col. Bud Day, Congressional Medal of Honor recipient, fighter pilot, Vietnam POW and roommate of John McCain at the Hanoi Hilton.

As we ate near the Days' home in Florida recently, I heard things about Sen. McCain that were deeply moving and politically troubling. Moving because they told me things about him the American people need to know. And troubling because it is clear that Mr. McCain is one of the most private individuals to run for president in history.

When it comes to choosing a president, the American people want to know more about a candidate than policy positions. They want to know about character, the values ingrained in his heart. For Mr. McCain, that means they will want to know more about him personally than he has been willing to reveal.

Mr. Day relayed to me one of the stories Americans should hear. It involves what happened to him after escaping from a North Vietnamese prison during the war. When he was recaptured, a Vietnamese captor broke his arm and said, "I told you I would make you a cripple."

[dmz]

I personally don’t believe McCain was tortured.
___

Really? And what evidence do you base your personal belief on? I don’t even think the DUers would suggest what you have suggested.

[antiRepublicrat]

Benedict Arnold betrayed America.

And Benedict Arnold was our best general until then. We might not have won without his earlier successes.

[longtermmemmory]

Moving and insprirational however it is politically irrelevant.

McCain is trying to do what Kerry failed at doing.

I served therefore I deserve.

He is due. (see also Bob Dole)

McCain is NOT private, he is a Maverick. He has no shame is communicating that.

He wanted us to know he was for Amnesty.
He wanted us to know he was against making tax cuts permanent.
He wanted us to know the GA GOP had to stop the TV commercial he found objectionable but did not actually see.

Karl Rove knows better than this and “the amazing bastard” diminishes himself with these pedestrian pieces.

[Redleg Duke]

"If that was meant as a slam to me for not getting down on my knees and giving McCain the Lewinsky treatment, I'll leave that for you and your fellow McCain supporters."

An irrational comment like that precludes an intelligent exchange. Why don't you go back into your corner and continue sucking your thumb?

[exit82]

Speak your mind all you want on this forum.

It’s too bad a small mind is a terrible thing to waste.

[Mamzelle]

I thought the tax return story was very interesting. Turns out that they have kept their taxes separate from the outset--she's worth 100M, he's just a senator.

Considering that she was in her twenties, and McCain in his forties when they met, that was a smart move on her part in a time where pre-nups were uncommon. I guess she saw what happened to Carol and decided her money was great glue to hold a marriage together.

Or maybe it was McCain's sugar daddy-in-law who had the smarts and set up the arrangement.

I remember when McCain got all snarky about Romney's wealth--Romney who had earned his fortune, instead of marrying it like McCain and Kerry. I didn't know at that time just how rich Cindy is.

[Grunthor]

Both men betrayed many who trusted them, no?

[Grunthor]

“our family studied Benedict Arnold extensively last year... i don’t see the similarities”

Both men used betrayal. McCain personally authored the single greatest anti-constitutional pieve of garbage ever.

[Grunthor]

Juanito is not to the Republican base what Benedict Arnold was to the Revolutionary forces?

[Bubba_Leroy]

What John McCain did in Hanoi forty years ago is not relevant to today.

We know that a liberal is going to be elected our next President.

Of the three liberals still in the race, I think that we are probably better off with McCain, who showed remarkable character in his youth (even if he squandered it in the years since), over Clinton and B.O., who have never showed any character at all. Also, there is at least a chance that McCain will step aside after 4 years, whereas Clinton and B.O. are guaranteed to be around for 8.

Even if you disagree that we are better off with McCain than the other liberal choices (and there are good arguments why we are better off with a democRat liberal than a RINO), the Senate, House, Governor, and local offices that are going to be on the same ballot in November do still matter. Those down ballot elections may be the only thing stopping us from becoming a full fledged European-style socialist country in the next 4 years.

Our best hope at this point is that half of the democRats get mad and stay home in November and that Republicans show up and vote. That way, regardless of which liberal is President, there may be enough Republicans with spines left in the Senate to block liberal judicial and other appointments.

[LongElegantLegs]

When somebody says I'm taking a course because my country matters little to me, I don't take that as a compliment.

You're right.

Why don't you ask yourself this question: who did Silverback support in the primaries? Specifically, who was he supporting this time last year, and who was he supporting six months ago?

I think the more important question is, how long has he been refering to himself in the third person? ;-) But seriously, it doesn't matter who you supported six months ago. Heck, I don't even care who you're supporting today; you don't have to explain why you're voting for McCain because it's not about you.

Nothing I can do will keep McCain from being the nominee; that decision is already made; but McCain is sneaky, and there's nothing wrong with keeping that fact in front of people.

[Grunthor]

“I hope you are not calling McCain a traitor.”

Only to his fellow Republicans in office, their base and the Constitution(McCain/Feingold). Then there’s McCain/Kennedy as well.....

Heck, other than that I’m sure he’s a stand up guy.

[Bubba_Leroy]

Nobody in their right mind willfully wants Obama or Hillary as President, but having them as President might finally cause this party to wake the f*** up and start to fight.

I remember a lot of conservatives saying the same thing about electing Bill & Hillary in 1992.

The only thing I dread more than another 8 years of Bill & Hillary as Co-Presidents is 8 years of B.O. as President (with Hillary still waiting in the wings for her turn).

[Mr. Silverback]

Well, I would do so, but I remember a saying about casting pearls.......

Suuuuurrrre you do...it couldn't possibly be because you don't have a single name that would make a lick of sense. No, never. Heaven's to Betsy, perish the thought.

[Grunthor]

Well you hang in there. Sometimes I tend to go overboard. That said, you may not like my post but aren’t both men known by and large for their acts of betrayal? When I hear the word McCain, my first thought is “backstabbing pr*ck.”

When conservatives get stabbed in the back by “one of their own” the fingerprints on the blade almost ALWAYS belong to this POS. Just THINK of what he will do when y’all reward him for that behavior with the POTUS!

[LongElegantLegs]

I know about the Lemmings but used it as an analogy anyway because it serves to make a point in peoples (alleged) minds.

Oooh, we're a little cranky this morning. Your denial of, yet inability to refute McCain's history combined with your spunky, never-say-die attitude amuses me.

[exit82]

I agree with your assessment that the down ballot elections play a crucial role here in 2008.

The point for which I am castigated about, time and time again, is stating facts about John McCain and the fact that I believe we Conservatives have four months to yet influence who will be the nominee.

No one on this forum is voting for Obama or Her Heinous, that’s a given.

But all I hear is we are stuck with McCain. McCain is not going to raise the money he needs to counter Hillary or Obama( or God forbid both, as I believe they will combine to form the dream Dem ticket). McCain is not going to inspire the legions of workers needed to convince other Americans to vote for him like we did for Bush in 2000 and 2004. He has shown his propensity to fire on his own troops rather than in the direction of his enemies, which is just an extension of his actions over the last eight years as a so-called “maverick” in the Senate.

After September there is no longer an argument. But until then, this is our last chance to speak up and influence events. And this is in the face of the Administration, the GOP elites, assorted RINOS and McCain himself telling us to sit down and shut up.

It is the height of irony that Karl Rove in this piece trots out a true hero, Bud Day, when four years ago, Rove and the President castigated the Swifties, of which Bud Day was a prominent member, for telling the truth about John Kerry. Even John McCain went against Bud Day on this point. And it was the Swifties who provided the pivotal momentum in the month between the Dem and GOP conventions in 2004 that swung many toward Bush. Rove was prepared to lay down and waste a month of precious time, letting the Dems try and build up the false premise that Kerry was anything other than a traitor.

I’m not backing up for the GOP anymore.McCain is the worst Republican to be the standard bearer. If he does not choose wisely his candidate for VP, get ready to inaugarate a Dem on 1/20/09.

But thank you for at least being a civil voice on this thread. It seems you can not have an original thought here anymore without someone heaping insults on you.

[KC_Conspirator]

You obviously failed to read the article.

[Grunthor]

I was not responding to the article in my post to you, I was responding to your post.

[Dick Vomer]

An irrational comment like that precludes an intelligent exchange. Why don't you go back into your corner and continue sucking your thumb?

As opposed to the rational statement about me "emigrating to Cuba and/or Venezuela". I'll go to my corner now and suck my thumb, while you go back to McCain headquarters and suck on any appendages that are to your liking.

You guys have got to be democrat plants, cause the way you're trashing the McCain skeptics is sure to drive them away.

I've stated before that I'll probably end up voting for him, in spite of the fact that my taxes will be higher, illegal immigrants will be given "rights" to vote and suck off the public dole and the continued enlargement of the government work force at the expense of the private sector.

So don't worry pal, just tell all the conservatives to emigrate to Cuba or Venezuela. McCain doesn't need conservatives, cause we all know that the "middle" and the "undecided" .... and the cross over voters will flock to McCain.

Heck, McCain has even decided that the press loves him. So they won't turn on him since he's taken the high ground during the current election cycle.

So many assumptions, so little time.

January should be interesting. I'm suspecting it'll be in the 80-90's in Washington D.C. due to the global warming that he wants to save us from. I'll bring the ice chest with beer, folding chair, sunscreen and umbrella for the inauguration ceremony.