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OK, I have a question. How was John McCain serving his country when he was 17?
I just saw his new ad, and I heard for the umpteenth time that he has been serving the country since he was 17. He was born in 1936, which would put make him 17 years old in 1953. He graduated from the Naval Academy in 1958.
So, was he serving the country in high school? And was he serving the country while he was in the Naval Academy? I thought he was getting "educated" on the tax-payer's dime during that time. He surely wasn't knocking himself out academically (at least I hope he wasn't trying his hardest, considering his very low standing in his graduating class).
Does anyone ever challenge his stuff?
Even without the "serving ever since he was 17" -- the question I want someone to ask him is this:
You say you have been tested. What test have you passed?
Crashing your plane and being a POW is not a test of Presidential mettle. I repeat. What test did you have that you have passed?
Everyone is afraid to challenge him on this because of the POW issue; Wesley Clark is the only person I have seen effectively challenge this absurd notion, and even Barack Obama disavowed him for it. Clark was right.
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This is the closing argument for the McCain campaign--war.
There's a commercial with an Iraq veteran endorsing McCain that's getting a lot of hits on youtube: http://hk.youtube.com/watch?v=TRZDpViE1WE
At the end of the commercial, the veteran walks away to reveal that he lost his leg in battle.
And at the end of this election, John McCain will walk away without his honor.
October 31, 2008 7:37 PM | Reply | Permalink
Exactly. Our country should not have to pay in blood and treasure for John McCain's "Vietnam closure." If you listen to him over and over, you get the clear message that John McCain is not even mature. He sounds like a scrappy 17 year-old who wants to fight everything out.
I still haven't seen him give an example of how he's been tested and PASSED. But will anyone challenge him? No.
Well, I DID hear Barack say that McCain doesn't know how to catch BinLadin (after all the times he says he does). I thought it was a riot that Barack quoted Jon Stewart and said, essentially -- OK, why haven't you told us? He's been loose all these years! So funny!
October 31, 2008 7:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Having been born on August 29 perhaps classes his first year at the USNA began before his 18th birthday.
October 31, 2008 8:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Even so, how is going to the Naval Academy "serving your country?" I think his country was serving him at that point. He was a hell-raiser all during his college years; tell me how he was "serving his country and getting the scars to prove it" when he was 17!
I dated guys who were going to West Point at the same time. None of them considered that they were "serving the country;" they felt incredibly lucky to get the (free) education that they were getting, and they were anticipating serving their country once they graduated.
Two of my good friends died over there; John was a POW and came home. What test did he pass? He was luckier than most.
He now is just a guy who has sold his honor for naught. He has failed his biggeset test.
October 31, 2008 8:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well I suppose it all depends upon one's point of view. Arguing over the matter, it seems, to me i pointless.
It seems to me that there are many overt McCain lies which one could more productively focus on.
October 31, 2008 9:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm just throwing out a wild guess here, but perhaps did he enlist at 17? The only reason I make the connection is that my 17 yr. old nephew just did the same.
October 31, 2008 8:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
Enlist in what? He was going to the Naval Academy. Even if he did enlist, he was in a sinecure for 4 years.
October 31, 2008 8:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sorry, I'm not sure how my previous comment came across, but when I said "wild guess", I really did mean exactly that. I honestly don't know if one must be enlisted in order to attend.
If it helps any and speaking from personal observations, I think there is definately an argument to be made in terms of service, distinguishing between when when one enlists and when one can be credited with said service.
October 31, 2008 9:02 PM | Reply | Permalink