A salute to a an American.
... .... .... ... ... ...The Traitor?
I can understand how this narrative became popular for many who opposed McCain for his politics. I do not recall this level of personal destruction of McCain to have any traction until the Bush/McCain Primary v Gore election. The Bush Campaign supported all means to destroy McCain. This seems to be the period in which the narrative developed about the Forestall and the POW experience.
The material that surfaced and been refined since has all the earmarks of well researched selective data typical of today's destruction politics. But it certainly has a "touch" of truth in it. The "party boy" image. Truth mixed with conjecture and manipulated facts gets traction. Meanwhile, there are other narratives in the OFFICIAL records. I have read from both sources - those who aim to destroy and those who were witnesses themselves who counter the politicised narrative.
The "party boy" label could apply to thousands of naval aviators and especially in wartime And plenty of POWs said or did things under duress they were ashamed of. Even the saints among them could have a book of evil written about them if they took a political stand as a candidate in America.
There are POWs who praise McCain for his actions in their situation at the Hanoi Hilton. I have heard some speak. They never said anything to indicate McCain or anyone else brought dishonor to America or harm to fellow servicemen. I read accounts from deck sailors on the Forestall. In official reports a well identified sailor clearly notes the chain of events on the ship - occurred because of a failed procedure to attach a missile under a plane NEXT TO McCain's. I know - the "official report" is given no respect by detractors who claim fudged reporting on the behalf of McCain's dad who was Fleet Admiral. I am not inclined to dismiss the testimony of those who were there.
Some years LATER, I was in the Gulf for the end of the war. My ship was shepherding Chinese merchants out of harms way around Haiphong because of the mines. At this point in time the POWs were released to Clark Field, PI. That news was another morale high for us - similar to the last rounds fired on the last day of (our) hostilities in late January. For decades, McCain and other POWs were written about and the Forestall fire was hashed and rehashed. But it was the BUSH v McCain primary that fired up a mass of detractions toward McCain.
I believe between the Bush attacks and much later, the Trump attacks and a willing audience to support political direction through the (now expected) personal destruction of opponents, McCain grew very bitter. He became unable and unwilling to support some of the key initiatives of his rivals. He had become consistently more liberal anyway and it was his MO to take a liberal position to throw sand in the gears.
I lost confidence in McCain's politics early on but I wonder if he had been President when 9/11 happened - would the whole Middle East issue have developed less destructively? With more finality? He was more aggressive than Bush (at that time). And Bush was not a great pubic debater that inspired through spoken words. And Bush had some great staff that needed to be changed out after a couple of years but he was far too loyal to THEM when change was needed (Chaney and Rumsfeld). TRUMP is FAR better at firing the non-performers. McCain may have been as well.
All that is conjecture. AT this point - I am unwilling to label McCain anything but a patriot. A leader whose policies I sometimes disagreed with. And flawed in some ways. I do not accept the "Traitor" label for him. I salute this American Hero.
There are POWs who praise McCain for his actions in their situation at the Hanoi Hilton. I have heard some speak. They never said anything to indicate McCain or anyone else brought dishonor to America or harm to fellow servicemen. I read accounts from deck sailors on the Forestall. In official reports a well identified sailor clearly notes the chain of events on the ship - occurred because of a failed procedure to attach a missile under a plane NEXT TO McCain's. I know - the "official report" is given no respect by detractors who claim fudged reporting on the behalf of McCain's dad who was Fleet Admiral. I am not inclined to dismiss the testimony of those who were there.
Some years LATER, I was in the Gulf for the end of the war. My ship was shepherding Chinese merchants out of harms way around Haiphong because of the mines. At this point in time the POWs were released to Clark Field, PI. That news was another morale high for us - similar to the last rounds fired on the last day of (our) hostilities in late January. For decades, McCain and other POWs were written about and the Forestall fire was hashed and rehashed. But it was the BUSH v McCain primary that fired up a mass of detractions toward McCain.
I believe between the Bush attacks and much later, the Trump attacks and a willing audience to support political direction through the (now expected) personal destruction of opponents, McCain grew very bitter. He became unable and unwilling to support some of the key initiatives of his rivals. He had become consistently more liberal anyway and it was his MO to take a liberal position to throw sand in the gears.
I lost confidence in McCain's politics early on but I wonder if he had been President when 9/11 happened - would the whole Middle East issue have developed less destructively? With more finality? He was more aggressive than Bush (at that time). And Bush was not a great pubic debater that inspired through spoken words. And Bush had some great staff that needed to be changed out after a couple of years but he was far too loyal to THEM when change was needed (Chaney and Rumsfeld). TRUMP is FAR better at firing the non-performers. McCain may have been as well.
All that is conjecture. AT this point - I am unwilling to label McCain anything but a patriot. A leader whose policies I sometimes disagreed with. And flawed in some ways. I do not accept the "Traitor" label for him. I salute this American Hero.
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