Katie Couric asked John McCain a great question the other day on CBS: You claim you know how to win wars? Which wars have you won?
Watch it here:
I asked the press to put this very question to John McCain about ten days ago, albeit in a little bit more colorful language. You can watch that here. There is no good answer for this because John McCain is taking credit for many things he had no part in or was only minimally involved with. He is way overplaying his so-called national security credentials.
Some might think I'm going a bit too far in pointing this out, but we should also remember John McCain crashed five different planes in his time in the service. He also finished 894th in his Annapolis class of 899. God bless him for serving anyway, but it's hard to take that record and brag about how you have won all these wars.
John McCain has a service record he can be proud of, that anyone could be proud of. His resistance at the POW camps was down right heroic. But when you put yourself out there as the man who knows military strategy and winning wars, we have to look at your record and see what's really in there.
And when you look, there is not some secret stash of wars that John McCain led troops into and won because of his national security know-how. There just isn't and when he pretends there is, it looks like forced braggadocio. If he sticks with his actual service record, he would have something everyone could agree was a big asset for him. He served with tremendous courage and honor. He doesn't also have to claim to be Dwight D. Eisenhower. Leave well enough alone.
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Katie Couric Calls Out McCain On His Claim of Winning Wars
Posted Jul 24th 2008 3:01PM by Cenk Uygur
Filed under: Young Turks, John McCain, Katie Couric, Video
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Reader Comments ( Page 4 of 6)
46. Forgive me for not discussing the political "issues" with you,
xxxx
it's ok, sweetie. I understand you're pretty dumb and wear it like a thorny crown. Don't worry your pretty little head about it. Now where's my coffee?
Clif Kuplen at 4:14PM on Jul 25th 2008
47. HeHeHe Clif bye bye 40 comments and you have talked to the same person from 6am to 3pm silly silly
Summer Fun at 4:20PM on Jul 25th 2008
48. Is it just me or is it that the more we see McCain the more he reminds us of Bob Dole in his inability to respond to questions, stay focused, and come across in command of the facts and issues?
Lee at 4:27PM on Jul 25th 2008
49. KATIE COURIC IS A MINDLESS TWIT. SHE SHOULD NEVER BE ALLOWED TO GIVE AN INTERVIEW NO ONE LIKES THEM.
Xenitelis8888 at 7:57PM on Jul 26th 2008
50. 19. Watched "Private Ryan" huh?
xx
no. I lived the history of the last half century, I didn't see it in a movie. Fubar has been in common parlance since at least world war two. It makes me wonder how old you could possibly be. Your obsession with national enquirer type stuff tells me about how bright, though.
Clif Kuplen at 2:30AM on Jul 25th 2008
--------------------
Well, that's good to know, since you missed WWII you have no background to support that claim and you certainly weren't hearing it in the military where that type of jargon would be used, so you picked up its use how?
How old I am has nothing to do with the subject at hand...that's like you trying to be McCain to my Obie, you know, age vs youth, old is good etc. Works ok when you want it to apply to you putting someone else down, but apply the same standards to Obie and McCain and you go with the youth is better because....?
I'm not surprised you didn't comment on John Edwards getting busted coming from seeing his mistress at 2:30 in the morning and the MSM is still not covering the story, but Larry Craig was worth how much tv and front page media time?
Your attempt to ADH attack me on the Nat'l Enquirer story is just a shoot the messenger and ignore the message rhetorical trick, but that's your stock in trade. Answering a question directly that has been posed to you will get no answer, just verbal circle jerking from you. Its pretty obvious that I'm not the only one who holds this opinion of your posting style, but IMO, its indicative of how you react to others that you come off as the kid in school with all the big words that impressed teacher but didn't make you all that popular with the rest of your peers, but hey, that was 50 years ago and who remembers, right?
Dedmanrisn at 4:31PM on Jul 25th 2008
51. "exploding koosbanians"
Holy shit people,the farmer from tghe bottom of the
hill actually enjoyed the Muppets show. Maybe there is a little hope for him.
Did you see the "exploding koosbanians" the first time they are appeared on TV. I do believe it was on the Today show when Jim Henson was relatively unknown. Now does that sound like something that I made up. Come to think about it you do remind me of one of the members of DR Teeth's band, you know the one.
M2D5 at 4:36PM on Jul 25th 2008
52. Clif, I bet you have the "TVLand" channel on your cable box. My only question is "Who writes down the trivia from it that you so often throw out there?
What gets me the most, is that you watch Foxfart News more often in a day then I do in a year or two. But then again we will keep your secret after all, we both enjoyed the voyages of the Swinetrek.
M2D5 at 4:58PM on Jul 25th 2008
53. It appears that Katie was also tough with Obama, slapping him around a little bit with regard to his complete failure to foresee the success of the surge.
McCain is older than dirt, but who would you rather have, somebody who's been around the block a few times, knows something about national security, or Obama, a guy who makes up for his lack of experience with condescending arrogance, presuming to lecture the Germans about their past and talking down to just about everybody, like the black John Kerry, even though he's almost aways making it up as he goes?
Dave at 5:02PM on Jul 25th 2008
54. Everybody lay off ol Clif. This is his only daily social interaction his posts start early in the morning and end late in the evening every single day. Poor fella
Doug R. at 5:04PM on Jul 25th 2008
55. Suggestion for Clif:
Every now and then, you mention your respect for Keith Olbermann and Ed Schultz, yet you ridicule the people who listen to Rush Limbaugh. Don't you realize that the leftie wackos love Olbermann and Schultz in the same exact manner than the rightie wackos love Limbaugh? You have zero credibility to anyone with an IQ above 80. Your arrogant rants simply confirm your foolishness, and do suggest a significantly low level of self esteem.
David Pitlock at 5:07PM on Jul 25th 2008
56.
Well, that's good to know, since you missed WWII you have no background to support that claim and you certainly weren't hearing it in the military where that type of jargon would be used, so you picked up its use how?
xxxx
the way I said, toodles. We had lots of expressions then that you don't still have now. Terms like SOS and and FUBAR and SNAFU were not witticisms but overworked cliches by 1954.
A couple more that could apply to you would be, 'you could fuck up a ball bearing' and 'If I shoved your brain up a gnat's ass it would rattle like a BB in a boxcar' also pretty cliche by '57 or so.
You might also be advised to take a course in geological anatomy so you could learn to tell your ass from a hole in the ground.
I didn't read the rest of it, toodles. Sorry. This tickled me, though. As a detective you make a great electrolux.
Clif Kuplen at 5:50PM on Jul 25th 2008
57. 54. Suggestion for Clif:
Every now and then, you mention your respect for Keith Olbermann and Ed Schultz, yet you ridicule the people who listen to Rush Limbaugh. Don't you realize that the leftie wackos love Olbermann and Schultz in the same exact manner than the rightie wackos love Limbaugh? You have zero credibility to anyone with an IQ above 80. Your arrogant rants simply confirm your foolishness, and do suggest a significantly low level of self esteem.
David Pitlock at 5:07PM on Jul 25th 2008
--------------------------
David: You make a very good point re. the admirers of Olbermann, Schultz, Limbaugh, etc.
I would like to submit that I never heard of Olbermann other than as a sportscaster until he was referenced in a political chat room where every one of his pronouncements were rehashed by the regulars and repeated to those who had not seen the program that night. I have no idea who Ed Schultz is other than he sounds like a televangelist. As for Limbaugh, my favorite FM station was taken off the air and while searching for another channel, I hit Limbaugh's program. What made me stop was Limbaugh's views in many ways, were my views but I had never heard them expressed on the radio. I do know if you are a liberal and disagree with Rush, you will be put to the head of the calling cue provided you're not a raging nutball with no point, just a rant. Limbaugh also makes a transcript of his program complete with links if you want to see where he gets his information from. Limbaugh also rips the republicans which is something seldom heard from on Olbermann. I can't speak to Schultz since I've never listened to him. I tried Air Amerika but the politest thing I can say is boring, Daily Kos, Move-on drivel. Finding objectivity in the news requires more time that the average person has to spare so you try to find the least biased source(s)you can. The rest of your post is accurate.
Dedmanrisn at 5:52PM on Jul 25th 2008
58. thanks Andy R, I appreciate the kind words
The irony of your compliment is that even with this blog being hostile most of the time some actually learn humility.
Some of the calmer voices who sneak in & out have legitimate issues they're dealing with. They say their peace & if you listen just enough one can recognize it's not entirely all about himself. It is a humbling type of feeling. Good & bad on both sides.
On the confrontational side you don't have to look very far to know why that's necessary. Cannibalism is the main dietary substance of a few on here. I won't mention names, sort of self explanatory.
Take care....
Bobby at 6:04PM on Jul 25th 2008
59. 53. Everybody lay off ol Clif. This is his only daily social interaction his posts start early in the morning and end late in the evening every single day. Poor fella
Doug R. at 5:04PM on Jul 25th 2008
xxx
unless you were here watching how would you know that, doug? Don't pity me, send money!
Clif Kuplen at 6:08PM on Jul 25th 2008
60. Don't you realize that the leftie wackos love Olbermann and Schultz in the same exact manner than the rightie wackos love Limbaugh
xxx
wrong. If they lied like limbaugh or the weenie or whatever it wouldn't attract me. I don't have any use for that at all. The guy I listen to most carefully is Thom Hartmann since he has the most informational show and the best guests.
Schultz does not do what limbaugh and those do. The show is about legislation and government, not who's a poopyhead. He's usually about a day ahead of the nets on some coverage.
Liberal politics is not about obfuscation and character assasination. On this blog, it's not only the politics but the tactics of the bloggers.
With all this over, mcsame is still attacking obama personally in speeches and interviews and obama is staying with the issues. He's coming off as a heckler and a whiner.
And here's the bottom line: anyone, how is mccain different from bush?
Clif Kuplen at 6:17PM on Jul 25th 2008