Oh, now really...

[aunt_deen]

Sky News (the lightweight little brother of the BBC) aired a story about how video footage of John McCain's captivity shows him smoking a cigarette. They speculate that this might "undermine his heroism."

I'm not sure whether they mean that it shows him having some sort of comfort or luxury while in captivity, or whether they believe people might

Comments

[tomfoolery815]

Although I fear a John McCain presidency, I still consider him a courageous man who served his country in horrific circumstances.
Absolutely, aunt_deen. When you consider what he did for us, it's irrelevant whether we asked him to or wanted him, or anybody else, to do that. He's third-generation (at least) military; the McCains have served out of a sense of duty to protect their fellow Americans.

All that being said, I reject the notion that his unquestionable bravery 35 years ago vs. Obama never having served is a rationale for voting for McCain. Dennis Miller has been quoted as saying "He gave me 5 1/2 years in a Vietnamese rat hole. I’m completely amenable to giving him four years." A smart guy like Dennis knows, deep down, it's too complex a question to be reduced to a single well-turned phrase.

ETA Last edit, I promise.

[marymary]

Yeah, really.

Can we hold two non-complimentary thoughts in our heads at once, people?

Smoking: bad. Long-suffering POWs: good.

Presidents: IRRELEVANT TO EITHER OF THESE THINGS.

You're right, aunt_deen: either point Sky is trying to make is ludicrous. (Or is it ludacris? ;-)

And Tom, you're right and I think we probably all agree that McCain's service does not recommend him for the job except in the remotest way. I love Dennis Miller just as I did before he was a conservative, and as much as I can love anyone I've never met and who's very vocal on the other side of the political spectrum.

My favorite thing on this subject was that recent Colbert Report where he had the Shakespearean scholar from Harvard.

(paraphrasing)
Harvard Guy: That's something Shakespeare wrote and thought a lot about --- whether military heroism translates to political and domestic leadership
Colbert: And of course he felt that it always did.
Harvard Guy: And of course he thought that it almost NEVER did.

That guy was great. :-)

[aunt_deen]

Enduring prison and torture and war and coming out the other end with a stronger sense of patriotism and duty speak very persuasively towards McCain's character. I think he makes a very good senator. I think he's extremely qualified to sit on committees for government spending, foreign policy, and veteran's affairs. None of that means he'd be a good president.

And yeah, I love Dennis Miller. I love a smart comedian who assumes his audience is smart enough to get the jokes and doesn't stop to worry if he's right. And while he's totally right-wing, he's not mindlessly right-wing so I can respect that.

The fact that either one of these men is put in the position of defending and/or justifying Sarah Palin makes me ill.

[tomfoolery815]

And Tom, you're right and I think we probably all agree that McCain's service does not recommend him for the job except in the remotest way.
Well, the three of us, anyway. :-) (And, I'm sure, many of our friends regardless of political stripe.) Here's the whole quote from DM:

I’m a strong supporter of John McCain. Listen any time a guy has lived a life like him - he gave me 5 1/2 years in a Vietnamese rat hole. I’m completely amenable to giving him four years. Guess what, I like where he stands on most things, too, but I would vote for him just for the other thing. People always say, “What’s that have to do with it?” For me, everything. I would give it to him just for that. That shows me he’s a mensch. That’s an unbelievable thing.Because DM has read a book or two and is capable of thinking deeply, I have to think he's just making a political speech here, that it can't, for him, be as simple as "He was a POW and never gave in. He should be president." That's what he's saying, isn't he

[tomfoolery815]

either point Sky is trying to make is ludicrous.
Agreed. The funny thing is: Sky is part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. empire. I don't watch their newscasts, just Sky Sports News (aka the British "SportsCenter"), so I don't know if they're as overtly partisan as Fox News Channel.

And while he's totally right-wing, he's not mindlessly right-wing so I can respect that.
Deen, you posted as I was composing, so I didn't see this.

You make an important distinction. Sometimes DM is like George Will -- whom I try to always read at the back of Newsweek -- in that he's a conservative who's trying to persuade you that he's right, rather than calling you stupid or unpatriotic for disagreeing with him. Sometimes he seems to veer into Limbaugh territory. (DM, way back, regarding Limbaugh: "It's ironic that someone named Rush would have such an obviously slow metabolism.")

The fact that either one of these men is put in the position of defending and/or justifying Sarah Palin makes me ill.
It makes me question their judgement.