http://www.military.com/opinion/0,15...4859_1,00.html

<SPAN class=nstext2 itxtvisited="1">Doctor Phillip Butler is a 1961 graduate of the United States Naval Academy and a former light-attack carrier pilot. In 1965 he was shot down over North Vietnam where he spent eight years as a prisoner of war. He is a highly decorated combat veteran who was awarded two Silver stars, two Legion of Merits, two Bronze Stars and two Purple Heart medals. </SPAN><SPAN class=nstext2 itxtvisited="1">

After his repatriation in 1973 he earned a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of California at San Diego and became a Navy Organizational Effectiveness consultant. He completed his Navy career in 1981 as a professor of management at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. He is now a peace and justice activist with Veterans for Peace.</SPAN>

As some of you might know, John McCain is a long-time acquaintance of mine that goes way back to our time together at the U.S. Naval Academy and as Prisoners of War in Vietnam. He is a man I respect and admire in some ways. But there are a number of reasons why I will not vote for him for President of the United States.
...

People often ask if I was a Prisoner of War with John McCain. My answer is always "No - John McCain was a POW with me." The reason is I was there for 8 years and John got there 2 � years later, so he was a POW for 5 � years. And we have our own seniority system, based on time as a POW.

...

John McCain served his time as a POW with great courage, loyalty and tenacity. More that 600 of us did the same. After our repatriation a census showed that 95% of us had been tortured at least once. The Vietnamese were quite democratic about it. There were many heroes in North Vietnam. I saw heroism every day there. And we motivated each other to endure and succeed far beyond what any of us thought we had in ourselves. Succeeding as a POW is a group sport, not an individual one. We all supported and encouraged each other to survive and succeed. John knows that. He was not an individual POW hero. He was a POW who surmounted the odds with the help of many comrades, as all of us did.

I furthermore believe that having been a POW is no special qualification for being President of the United States. The two jobs are not the same, and POW experience is not, in my opinion, something I would look for in a presidential candidate.
...

Much more at link provided.

seems like some people think its okay for him to cheat on his first wife cause he was a POW

 

Originally Posted by norcaljeff

 

Originally Posted by Leet8s

seems like some people think its okay for him to cheat on his first wife cause he was a POW

1. who does? link? Sean Hannity, for one

2. he cheated on his wife? says who? He does.

Here's Sean Hannity explaining why it's okay for McCain to commit adultery, after first talking about John Edwards:

<BLOCKQUOTE>HANNITY: I�m not getting this. Explain to me and I�m wondering if you can�t keep the promise to your family, can�t keep your promise to your wife, you�re having an affair, you�re lying about the affair repeatedly, why should the American people trust you when you say you�re not going to lie to them? Why should we trust you?

COLMES: And by the way, that�s a great question Sean asks and so Amanda, if that�s true and you can�t trust somebody who had an affair. How can we trust John McCain to be President of the United States�he cheated on by his own admission on his first wife, he didn�t keep his martial vows, he didn�t keep his pledge to his first family�

HANNITY: Thirty years ago after five and a half years of being a POW.

COLMES: Excuse me Sean. You�ve had your chance to speak, I�m up. John McCain cheated on his wife, right. Amanda? So how do we trust John McCain? He cheated on his wife, why do you have a double standard and John McCain�s running for President? John Edwards is not. John McCain�s wife was in a car accident. John McCain�s running for President, what about his affair?

HANNITY: After five and a half years in a POW camp.

COLMES: That has nothing to do with it. So it�s OK to have an affair on his wife.

</BLOCKQUOTE>Here's the link: http://www.alternet.org/blogs/video/...uble_standard/

Also, McCain got the marriage license for Cindy before he divorced Carol. That's just a matter of public record. If you want to argue that dating your future wife and planning your marriage while you are still married is not adultery, um, well hell you're a Republican so it will probably work.

You, HelenRNurse and threebanger all seem to think alike.

And LOL at you calling a man who spent 8 years as a POW a whiny bitch. If I called John McCain a whiny bitch, threebanger and MUPP would have to clean up exploding brains from their monitors. Wesley Clark was publicly crucified by the press for making the simple observation that being getting shot down does not qualify someone for being president, and yet it's perfectly fine for a Republican to call a POW a whiny bitch if that POW doesn't support a Republican. Nice world you guys live in.

 

Originally Posted by norcaljeff

wesley clark snidely acted as if mccain said that being shot down qualified him to be prez while at the same time taking a swipe at mccain's service. "getting shot down" v "being a pow". sfsubtle, wesley. err, not so much.

Just one example of the complete bullshit of your post. From the transcript of the interview:

SCHIEFFER: I have to say, Barack Obama has not had any of those experiences either, nor has he ridden in a fighter plane and gotten shot down. I mean --

CLARK: Well, I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be president.

There was nothing snide about Clark's statement. He never said McCain said that being shot down qualified him to be president. He responded to Schieffer's statement that Obama had never been shot down and the implication that it was important. He didn't bring it up, Schieffer did.

Nice try, but utter bullshit. Maybe if you had actually seen the interview instead of just relying on what you heard from other <STRIKE>mouth-breathers </STRIKE>Republicans, you would have known the truth.

I'm inclined to be suspicious of this man's motives.

He knew McCain at the Naval Academy and spent 5+ years as a fellow POW.
Then he discribes McCain as an aquaintance in the complete article?

just odd.

was this the official rebuttal to Rev Wright?

I like new things... but

I'm alarmed that a man with such a limited record and so little platform substance could impress half of this country. What exactly is the character trait, moral stance, ideological revelation or test under fire that gives you a sense of confidence that his vision is worth trusting?

It sure looks like a fad or some other group dynamic.

So what's your point? A Democrat former POW likes and admires his compatriot, but doesn't believe that his Republican ideals are ones that he would support to be president. That's not altogether shocking.

Go Army, Beat Navy!

 

Originally Posted by BigGunX

Go Army, Beat Navy!

Your cheer is as futile as your team's effort.

Go Navy! Beat Army!

 

Originally Posted by Leet8s

no, ive actually read both of the candidates policies and know a good amount about the guy im voting for.

Orly... So for instance Russia over ran Geogia and started repatriating their nieghbors ... your comfortable with your freashman congressman magicman determining the future of the world?

C'mon... we know nothing about this man.

I used an example... no offence Russia.. or you Leetski.

Have you ever had an important negotiation? Truely important?
Say your families freedom depended upon backing down an iminent force...

Your gonna want Obama doing that?.. Don't answer tooo fast.

Horrible example... but consider them both as lawyers as a last resort.

?SOOOooo... starting from a position of strength is bad.... lol... ok w/e

Who said negotiating is a position of weakness? lol ok w/e

btw, I would kick your ass in tennis.

 

Originally Posted by BigJohn804

 

Originally Posted by BigGunX

Go Army, Beat Navy!

Your cheer is as futile as your team's effort.

Go Navy! Beat Army!

Go Army, Beat the hell out of Navy. This is the year!!

 

Originally Posted by MiamiNole

 

Originally Posted by Tennis Bum

 

Originally Posted by MotorCityCanuck

 

Originally Posted by Tennis Bum

?SOOOooo... starting from a position of strength is bad.... lol... ok w/e

Yeah, and we know how well that turned out in Iraq. :|

Ya... it's not looking terrible.

Key country in the Middle East free of a ruthless dictator.

With some luck and hard work... maybe even a stable democratic government.
Perhaps even some stabilty in the region. (we can ony try)

Why does the vision of a democratic world scare the shit out of Dems?

What makes you think we can just sit here and never have to deal with the backward fanatics that will take generations to enlighten. None of us could understand the deprivation...

Freedom is never scared of the light

reality, tennis bum.. tennis bum, reality. It seems you two have a lot of catching up to do..

Connect the dots for me.

Sadam could've submitted to UN inspections.

(since he used every last one of his WMDs on the Kurds and Iran)

He would still prob be in power.

(maybe even rearmed his army w Dem approval)

How can you not understand that actions have reactions... your complaining about our current situation.... but why are you so sure we are wrong?