That's a heavy charge. McCain's POW record is the one shining moment of great courage in his record. It's what put him in the national spotlight in the first place. And the ordeal he went through was so horrific that you can't question his valor. But now, he has gone and done something that was so unnecessary -- apparently embellishing a story during his stay at the POW camps.
There was absolutely no need for this. His perseverance through five and half years of the prison camp was plenty heroic. He didn't need to add anything to it. But it looks like he did:
Here is the original ad McCain ran about this story. Here is a post with more details on this story, where you can see the whole Solzhenitsyn quote (and the possible Chuck Colson quote where it actually originated from) and get all of the background on how McCain came up with this story in 1999 and in fact might have even changed it in 2000 from it happening to another soldier to it happening to him. This is beyond the pale. You want to talk about a character issue. This is about character.
I know some of you won't believe me, but I am actually disappointed in McCain. I didn't think he would do something like this. Remember I voted for him in the 2000 primaries when I was still a Republican. He was a guy I believed in. To see him make up things about something so important and personal, it makes you lose faith in all politicians to some degree. Is there anything they won't stoop to?
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Is McCain Lying About His POW Experience?
Posted Aug 19th 2008 11:16AM by Cenk Uygur
Filed under: Young Turks, John McCain, Christianity, Video
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Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 13)
1. FIRST? Mccain is scum, I'm not surprised by anything this wad of crap does or says.
jesse lewis at 1:16PM on Aug 19th 2008
2. john mccain isn't a war hero in the same sense that you're not a douche for trying to discredit his experience.
hannah at 1:28PM on Aug 19th 2008
3. Wow, now I have seen everything. just when I thought you have reached the limits of idiocy, you exceed those limits. I think the recent candidate interviews have made Obama supporters really nervous. He may never be able to recover. This is evident in the desperate attacks on McCain which daily reach new lows and which are almost becoming laughable. While it was pretty apparent what a lightweight Obama is before the recent back to back appearence, it is now beyond dispute that Obama is patently unqualified for the presidency. i think that the level and quality of the attacks on McCain will increase in volume in direct proportion to the backlash against the utter lack of substance Obama displays on a daily basis. Bye, Bye Obama.
eric at 1:48PM on Aug 19th 2008
4. Sir, I decided to re-read "The Gulag Archipelago" after hearing of Solzhenitsyn recent death. Just finished it last night. I don't recall the story you say Mcain lifted from it. Perhaps you could give me and your readers the page number?
phillip at 4:40PM on Aug 19th 2008
5. You really are a douchebag arsehole Sink.
Chunksadouchebag at 2:03PM on Aug 19th 2008
6. I was curious to see what response would follow the media-made-messiah's terrible performance in the Forum, (again, he's nothing without the platitude prompter) as McCain dominated. True to form, Stank steps right up with predictable, lashing-out desperation that reeks of fear. A good sign indeed-keep up the good work!
BirdmanJones at 3:52PM on Aug 19th 2008
7. It is most unfortunate that the people who, "broke" this story were inaccurate. They claimed it was from Solzhenitsyn's book. It was not.
It isn't a story *from* Solzhenitsyn. It is a myth *about* Solzhenitsyn. It is Christian mythology which has been appropriated by right-wing, Christian political hucksters. But it is mythology which has been presented by McCain as fact.
Some references take "cross in the dirt" story back to the 1500's. Some say the same story appears in the 1959 movie version of, "Ben Hur."
Both CONVICTED WATERGAGTE FELON turned Christo-fascist, and just plain Christo-fascist/racist/dead/homophobe, republican Jesse Helms related the myth BEFORE John McCain appropriated the myth, turning it into his own lie.
Even more interesting to me is the "Freeper" take on this story. It seems that they originally brought up this McCain LIE in 2000. Those were the days when "conservatives" HATED John McCain (before they loved him).
The Freepers used the McCain myth to portray him as a liar who cannot be trusted to with the Oval Office. Sometimes, even Freepers can be right (but only temporarily).
Conservatives KNOW that McCain is lying. He has been exposed. If nothing else, we know McCain was lying because his lips were moving when he narrated the commercial.
Now I know that dyed-in-the-wool Dittoheads will cling to the fact that the McCain MYTH has no witnesses so nobody can actually PROVE it is a lie. I would expect nothing less.
Conservative (the one who isn't a *closeted* gay) Andrew Sullivan does a much better job of nailing McCain than Cenk does. It is a complicated story, too long for the attention span of Ditto-nuts.
Captain Negative at 4:34PM on Aug 19th 2008
8. Edit to post # 7.
Fourth paragraph should have read,
"Both CONVICTED WATERGAGTE FELON turned Christo-fascist, Chuck Colson...."
Captain Negative at 4:46PM on Aug 19th 2008
9. Phillip, it's not in 'Gulag', but another book. Wait a second, you reread Gulag Archipelago'? And your done already? Man are you fast. I started it back in '74 and I hope to finish by the end of the summer.
tfitz1017 at 4:51PM on Aug 19th 2008
10. It does not suprise me that another liberal blogger would take a stab at McCain. Please do not insult our intelligence and pretend to be a McCain supporter. How much is Obama paying to write this trash?
MarineVeteran at 5:38PM on Aug 19th 2008
11. When are you liberal bloggers going to write about Obama's military experience? Oh wait... he doesn't have any.... answered my own question.
MarineVeteran at 5:41PM on Aug 19th 2008
12. What a shock that once again the Captain takes a gratuitous, angry swipe at folks who have been intentionally misrepresented in the twisted little on-line charicatures which are written by and for doctrinaire lefties.
Both Chuck Colson and Jessie Helms have done much for their fellow man. But the Cap wouldn't know anything about that because it's more convenient to swallow the left-wing revisionist mythology which seeks to demonize and dehumanize Conservatives and Christians.
Try putting aside your prejudices and read from some different sources, Cap. Maybe you'll discover the truth about these two public servants. Wouldn't that be disappointing?
Dave at 6:04PM on Aug 19th 2008
13. Dave, are you going to play the, "I'm a Christian conservative and my feelings are being hurt," all of your life?
Those "swipes" were neither gratutious nor angry.
You're just showing that you had a typical KNEE-JERK reaction. IF you had thoroughly checked out the story, you would see why I mentioned those Christo-fascists in the first place.
I get tired of doing all the work for the retarded 19 percenters. Follow the links, Dave. Look something up for yourself instead of just listening to the lies of your puppet masters.
This MYTH goes back for centuries. Helms and Colson were using it to manipulate people just like you, Dave.
McCain LIED and his own narration of the campaign ommercial, which he personally approved of, demonstrates it.
Suck it up, Dave. McCain LIED in the name of Christianity to SUCKER people just like you into supporting him.
Remember, Dave, you guys hated McCain before you decided you have to love him.
Got anything but ad hominems, your Holiness? If you have, show us.
Captain Negative at 6:25PM on Aug 19th 2008
14. The Dems are just a bit nervous because it's gone from a cakewalk to a horse race. The ramping up of attacks on McCain is predictable.
The increased shrillness on the part of the looniest of the lefties (note the insertion of CAPS ALL OVER THE PLACE for no apparent reason) is indicative of the desperation they feel when faced with even the remotest possibility of a Republican victory. Should such a horrible event occur, all their hopes of ditches full of neocon corpses plowed under like so much garbage would disappear like the morning fog. And they can't stand that thought. Bush, Cheney, Rove, etc - getting off scot-free. The mere thought of it is enough to make their heads explode.
So there will more of this kind of stuff from Cenk. And more bombast from the late-night looney toons who think that if they just CAPSLOCK once in awhile it will really drive home the message.
bob at 6:32PM on Aug 19th 2008
15. Fast forward late Nov. 2008. The election is a dead heat. The candidates decide to have an Ice fishing contest to see who wins the Oval Office. Both candidates go out the first morning and Mc Cain comes back with 10 fish, Obama zero. The second day, Mc Cain 15, Obama is still a zero. Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi say to Osama, sorry Obama that Mc Cain must be cheating. Don't fish tomorrow, just follow him. Obama returns that afternoon and reports that Mc Cain did cheat, He actually cut a hole in the ice!..........Expierence Does Matter!!!!!
Marty at 6:47PM on Aug 19th 2008