McCain camp releases interrogation video

[sabra]

Source: CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) – The McCain campaign — in a new video unveiled exclusively to CNN on Wednesday — is aiming to showcase the Arizona Republican's service in the Vietnam War, including his time spent in a North Vietnamese prison.

Called "Courageous Leadership," the twelve-minute video begins with footage of McCain being interrogated by enemy soldiers.

The video then details McCain's experience as a prisoner of war, and includes interviews with the senator himself, as well as several others who served with him.

The campaign says it plans to use the video to introduce the White House hopeful at house parties and speaking events. The campaign is also likely to use the video as the basis for a number of television commercials.

Read more: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2007/08/30/cnn-exc... /

[napi21]

1. So now he's going after the sympathy vote?

Sorry, I guess that was too mean, but the first thing I thought of when I read that was "The Swift Boat" AH's and what THEY did to JK! GOD for bid the Dems bring up memories of Vietnam, but it's damn OK for the Pubs, huh?

[KansDem]

12. Not mean at all...

My immediate reaction when I read this was "Wait, didn't McCain and the rest of the GOP look the other way when Bush/Gonzales sanctioned torture?" If not, then he didn't raise much of a fuss about it. Anyway, it looks as if Bush et al have created numerous "courageous leaders" in GitMo and Abu Ghraib, as well as the places the CIA won't tell us about...

[JerseygirlCT]

16. He *spoke* out against it. How much action was actually

taken... I don't know.

But to be fair, he was one of the few GOP voices against torture.

[tchunter]

20. if i remember correctly while the rest of the repub pres contenders were

comparing the size of their dicks on the torture question ("i want Jack Bauer to be there") McCain was firm and said that the United States does not and should not torture.





on edit: confusing word order

[zanne]

18. Wasn't this used against him in 2000?

If my memory serves me correctly, I recall Bush supporters saying that the time he spent as a POW affected his mind!

[Barrett808]

2. Does it show him being waterboarded?

Because, that would be, ya know, ironic and stuff.

[sanskritwarrior]

15. Being in military intelligence

I can tell you what John Mccain went through is far worse than what we routinely do to suspected terrorists. Call me whatever name you want, I'll never vote for Mccain, but he knows real torture, the same cannot be said for the vast majority of people in Gitmo.......Don't bother trying to change my mind, I know what I know.

[tabasco]

22. Yay! We're not as bad as the North Vietnamese communists!

God Bless The USA!!

You purport to be an E-7 in the 25th ID. How the fuck do you know what is happening in Gitmo or anywhere outside your brigade?

How about the rendition flights? Were you on those missions as well? Once again, you make claims to universal knowledge you can't have.

"Don't bother trying to change my mind, I know what I know." - - -> That tells me everything I need to know about you.

Any nation that condones torture of any sort is a nation without moral authority to tell others how to conduct their affairs.

[hobbit709]

3. More hypocrisy

Then why doesn't he take a stand against torture now. He signed on with the neocons and wants to be president so bad he'll say and do anything to pander.

[Supersedeas]

14. and hardly more than a yawn in response to the President signing statement

[Lone_Star_Dem]

4. Mercy

"The campaign says it plans to use the video to introduce the White House hopeful at house parties and speaking events."

Words fail me.

[Connie_Corleone]

5. He's really desperate. eom

[bemildred]

17. Yep. nt

[TwilightGardener]

6. Yikes, not sure I would do that, John. You don't want to remind people

that your finest hours date back to the late 60's-early 70's, and it's a bit uncomfortable to see someone exploit their own horror show like that. We KNOW you went thru something awful, we KNOW you are a hero, no need to beat that drum for votes.

[Kagemusha]

7. Man, pimping torture for votes - even your own torture - is just low.

That's not something people with self-respect left do.

[truthisfreedom]

8. Ouch. Dude, retire already, while you still have your sense of humor.

You're even somewhat likeable sometimes, but this video needs some serious editing. It's a total snoozer and it's full of clinkers.

[snooper2]

9. it doesn't show him being interrogated...

it's shows a bunch of old white people fawning over him...

[liberal N proud]

10. Playing the sympathy card

John went through so much that he now should be anointed the kings successor. But he supports torture anyway.

[Hubert Flottz]

11. "It don't mean Nothin'"

If John Kerry's service in Vietnam was a joke, then why not laugh at McCain's service too?



Or better yet, let's talk about George Bush's service in Vietnam.

[JNelson6563]

13. Wow, if I run for office someday maybe

I could include footage of me giving birth at house parties or something. Ugh!

Of course there is no such footage as I would never allow a camera into the delivery room and I was unable to deliver naturally but you get the point.

I thought another DUer made a brilliant point in this thread with a pic of a doofus at the GOP convention with a purple heart bandaid, making fun of Kerry's purple heart. We could dismiss McCain's torture as "nothing more than college pranks" like the wingers described the torture we do to others. How 'bout that? Motherfuckers.

Julie--noting that's twice in two days I've posted very bad words, must be getting increasingly angry....

[douglas9]

19. War Crimes Against NV

Correct me if i'm wrong, but didn't McCain eventually sign a statement for the North Vietnamese admitting he was a war criminal and apologized for the American involvement in Viet Nam?

[agincourt]

21. Let's see, I suppose the same ones,

who gave us the McCain love child in 2000, will give us smear ads that the footage is false. All McCain got was some band-aid wounds. Same shit over again to knock him out of the primaries. Even AFTER all that whack-job butt-kissing.

[FormerOstrich]

23. I can't believe he would do this...

well, actually, yes I can. Just because he said (that would be John McCain said) he would never exploit his service and the related experiences to leverage him in a campaign (of course, I'm paraphrasing it was a few years ago) doesn't mean I actually really believed him.

McCain, you have proven over and over that you don't read my letters or I would write one now begging you to please just quit while you can still claim to have a remaining shred of integrity (even if you really don't).