Posted on 08/26/2008 5:50:41 AM PDT by kellynla
BURBANK, California (Reuters) - John McCain, who often invokes his ordeal as a Vietnam war prisoner to show his devotion to his country as he runs for U.S. president, drew on the experience again on Monday -- this time to deflect sniping over the number of houses he owns.
McCain's Democratic rival Barack Obama last week accused the Republican senator of being out of touch with ordinary people after he was unable to say in an interview how many houses were owned by him and his wife Cindy, a wealthy heiress to a beer distributorship.
In an appearance on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, McCain, 71, said his priority was to keep Americans in their homes in tough economic times.
Then he recalled his Vietnam experience.
"I spent 5 1/2 years in a prison cell without -- I didn't have a house. I didn't have a kitchen table. I didn't have a table. I didn't have a chair," he said.
"I spent those 5 1/2 years ... not because I wanted to get a house when I got out."
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
I wondered if he was choking ???
I can't stand the rats. kerry needs to apologies before I even think about talking to or withing them.
There was a thread here about that- there were posts made at DU that explained that McCain had said in an interview some time ago that the jangle of keys reminded him of his jailors in Vietnam. The DUers were argueing about whether or not the jangling of keys was appropriate or would end up making them look bad. The key thing is a double message with the dims, houses/POW by their own posts, I think they deleted the posts. I read them before they deleted and they were aweful, but some freepers captured them. The key/POW deal supposedly started at KOS, and was meant to make McCain lose it and prove to the voters that he has PTSD and should not be President.
Thanks for that link. I’d seen the part when Leno was talking about the dollar, but not the part about the houses. I thought McCain’s answer was terrific! And he DID mention what a good businesswoman Cindy is, managing the inheritance built by her father, as well as her being a generous person.
“Pelosi for one. I believe that she’s one of the wealthiest people in the Senate. Please correct me if I’m wrong.”
Well, OK. You’re wrong. She is the speaker of the house, not a senator. She is very wealthy though. A life in politics generally has that result.
The few of us who follow politics are quite familiar with John McCain's POW story, but on the Jay Leno show he was able to speak to many of the young and clueless who don't know what happened to him. If you doubt this, check the comments under John McCain ads on You Tube.
The comments about the awkward use of his arms indicate that Generation Dumbass has no idea what he went through.
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