Replies

All else notwithstanding (and I am bitterly disappointed in each and every GOP Presidential candidate in this millennium) McCain did go off to VN when others rushed to Canada.

No, McCain walked into Annapolis in the 1960's based on his father's rank (Admiral, aviation, USN, Korean War and PACFLT), and his grandfather's rank (Admiral, USN aviation, WWII). He had four terrible years at Annapolis, graduating near the bottom of his class - again saved only by his father's rank and his grandfather's rank.

Once graduated, he had a terrible US Navy reputation as a drunk, a troublemaker, with many punishments and criticisms for insubordination and lack of discipline (driving, acting up, disorderly, etc.) John McCain was a terrible flyer - but was a Cold War ace pilot (for Russia): He got shot down in, burned up, crashed (in Spain, while showing off at low altitude), destroyed or ejected from five enemy (er, US Navy) airplanes.

No one else - without John McCain's name and connections - would have been retained as an pilot. Few would have even been retained as even an LST deck officer.

No one else - without John McCain's name and connections - would have been retained as an pilot. Few would have even been retained as even an LST deck officer.
===================

And don't forget what a real hero, Col. David Hackworth found out about McCain. Hackworth said that every man in the Hanoi Hilton with McCain said he was a traitor and collaborator.

You didn't mention how he came home from Vietnam and found out his wife was disabled. She was hit by a car while out coming home from an event to raise money for MIAs and POWs.

Instead of being proud of his disabled wife, he dumped her and after an extended period of sowing wild oats he began dating a woman with a family with much money.

McCain has been paying his wife's medicals bills since she was disabled. Let's see if the 2nd Mrs. McCain continues to pay those bills.

My father-in-law was a young, up and coming African American Naval officer stationed in Hawaii while McCain's parents were also there. My mother-in-law would recount that several times the elder McCains would invite them to high-level officer parties at their home. As a young junior officer, my father-in-law had to attend, but it was apparent that the McCains only wanted them there for the purpose of getting themselves photographed with this nice young Black couple.

My father-in-law retired at the rank of Captain after 32 years in the Navy. I don't know if their paths ever crossed much after the Hawaii incidents, but she would see Senator McCain on TV, my mother-in-law would often mention the Hawaii treatment and say that he was just like his parents, and she had a special distain for the elder Mrs. McCain. Of course, my in-laws were, sadly, total liberal progressives, but their dislike for McCain was based on the McCain family character, not politics.