ABOUT FIRST READ

First Read is an analysis of the day's political news, from the NBC News political unit. First Read is updated throughout the day, so check back often.

Chuck Todd, NBC Political Director

Mark Murray, NBC Deputy Political Director

Domenico Montanaro, NBC News Political Reporter



McCain: The POW card

Posted: Sunday, August 24, 2008 10:40 AM by Domenico Montanaro

Maureen Dowd criticizes the McCain campaign for playing the POW card a little too much lately. ‘His campaign is cheapening his greatest strength - and making a mockery of his already dubious claim that he’s reticent to talk about his P.O.W. experience - by flashing the P.O.W. card to rebut any criticism, no matter how unrelated. The captivity is already amply displayed in posters and TV advertisements.”

“The Rev. Kirbyjon Caldwell, the pastor who married Jenna Bush and who is part of a new Christian-based political action committee supporting Obama, recently criticized the joke McCain made at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally encouraging Cindy to enter the topless Miss Buffalo Chip contest. The McCain spokesman Brian Rogers brought out the bottomless excuse, responding with asperity that McCain’s character had been ‘tested and forged in ways few can fathom.’”

“When the Obama crowd was miffed to learn that McCain was in a motorcade rather than in a ‘cone of silence’ while Obama was being questioned by Rick Warren, Nicolle Wallace of the McCain camp retorted, ‘The insinuation from the Obama campaign that John McCain, a former prisoner of war, cheated is outrageous.’”

“When Obama chaffed McCain for forgetting how many houses he owns, Rogers huffed, ‘This is a guy who lived in one house for five and a half years - in prison.’” 

MAIN PAGE

Email this EMAIL THIS

Comments

Noun-Verb-POW

That's been their only defense lately.

He really cheapening one of his most admirable traits.

He's going to put it to the point where it's fair game.

This is a bad move in the long run.

"How can you say, John McCain, a war hero, would make a bad move in the long run?"

http://www.rodneyhopper.com
Reports that McCain is not "comfortable" with his campaign suggest that he isn't running it. I fail to see how heightened integrity is a product of the POW experience.
Don't forget his latest use of the POW pass (with Katie Couric hoding his hand the whole way) to explain the housing debacle:

"I spent many years without a kitchen table"

We get it, John.  Ad nauseum.  You may want to throttle back on the POW-as-excuse-for-everything position.  Your "strength" is in danger of becoming a punch-line.  
McCain has played the POW card because its true.

Obama could play the my 1/2 Brother is homeless in Kenya and I don't care card.

McCain proved then he stayed in the POW camp to stay with his men rather than leave, shows he has always put American's first,  he was left to die and onloy by chance was he picked up by a passing jeep and lived.

So this is What McCain did when there was no TV Cameras around, and my heart goes out to him.

On his joke, he told his wife that and she thought it was cute.   I like McCain he is more down to earth and seems a lot younger than he is, McCain ok, the democratsw will try and pick at anything.
My husband and several of his friends were in Viet Nam, and it's hardly ever spoken of.  When I've mentioned it in discussions, I usually hear it's memories they would rather forget and not re-live.

McCain is becoming a noun, a verb, and 'POW'...  He might as well pick Rudy as a running mate...  Then we can hear the hourly chorus of 9/11 & POW...  
"Give me a break"!
It was so obvious Mccain knew the questions prior to the so called religious debate. He answered questions before they were totally asked and inquired when a certain question would be brought up.
And to top that, he stole the story about a cross in the sand.
Anyone who cannot see this man for the fraud he is, is wearing blinders.
POW card? Wait until he pulls out the 'I'm White' card, just like Hillary did the morning after the Indiana, and NC primaries, out of desperation. I could not believe she went there so nakedly, with her 'hard working white people' divisivness.
Maureen made some good points on The McCain camp overusing his P.O.W. status as a get out of jail free card for every single misstep, but I thought Frank Rich's column today on what Obama has to do to win was absolutely brilliant:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/24/opinion/24rich.html?hp
Bravo Maureen Dowd! McCain substitutes that story for an answer to every tough question he’s asked. And what else can he do? If he doesn't start waxing nostalgic about how much he suffered 40 years ago he inevitably ends up looking like a deer in the klieg lights.
Q & A in a future debate...

Senator McCain, could you please tell us about the Keating 5 scandal?

Well certainly. I spent five and a half years as a POW...so...I think that answers the question. There were no savings and loans corps. in Vietnam, after all.
POW, give it a break already!!! that was 30 years ago, the POW excuse didn't come into play with the Cheating on his 1st wife, Keating 5, IRAQ invasion, mortgage crisis, economic crisis, 100million in family fortune, or 7 homes. McCain isn't a maverick he's a phony pure and simple. Completely out of touch with the middle class (unless you make 5 million or more) geeze.
Again, I repeat, being a POW does not a war hero make.  He saved no lives except for his own.


SEND A COMMENT

PLEASE READ: All comments must be approved before appearing in the thread; time and space constraints prevent all comments from appearing. We will only approve comments that are directly related to the blog, use appropriate language and are not attacking the comments of others.

Message (please, no HTML tags. Web addresses will be hyperlinked):

TRACKBACKS

Trackbacks are links to weblogs that reference this post. Like comments, trackbacks do not appear until approved by us. The trackback URL for this post is: http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/trackback.aspx?PostID=1288336

First Read e-mail alerts


Sign up for First Read alerts
The first place for key political news and analysis

Syndicate This Site

Add First Read to your news reader:
live.com xml
myyahoo msn
bloglines newsgator
google