[skinkinthegrass]

I was a Navy Intelligence Officer and took part in Operation Homecoming. I remember hearing this same story in the 70’s.....

In the OLD (pre-1989 :) Soviet Union; there was a widespread practice / tradition of "illegal presses / distribution" of "forbidden works / documents"....its' conceivable that Sen. "Strawberries" McPain may have been reading or heard of these works.

[flyfree]

When? When he was held prisoner in Vietnam? Come on, give us a break. Even if though what you say is theoretically possible, the Russian story was about 2 prisoners, one of which drew a cross in the dirt and the other felt better because of it. Other than a cross in the dirt (a universal symbol for Christianity), and it was in a prison, nothing else is the same about the story. McCain's story is about a guard who loosen his bonds and that made McCain feel better (not the cross in the dirt). The story makes the guard out as the hero, not McCain. If McCain wanted to be the hero of the story, there are many other scenarios using a cross he could have drawn other than this story. It is 1) Stretching that he might have invented the story (not likely, see above) and 2) It obviously is not the same as the Russian story.

Sorry, if you want to bash McCain, you are certainly using the wrong club.

[unspun]

In the OLD (pre-1989 :) Soviet Union; there was a widespread practice / tradition of "illegal presses / distribution" of "forbidden works / documents"....its' conceivable that Sen. "Strawberries" McPain may have been reading or heard of these works.

Sure -- that's a lot more probably than any Christians under severe duress communicating with each other by means of drawing in the dirt. /sarcasm

Ever hear the stories about how the cross and "icthus"/fish symbols were used in the early, persucuted church? Maybe they'd heard about Solzhenitsyn too, eh?

You don't do anyone a favor for allowing whatever antipathy you have with John McCain to smear the witnessing of Jesus Christ.