Attacks on McCain’s Service Beyond The Pale
There were arguably fair reasons for the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth campaign waged against John Kerry in 2004. There are no such arguably fair reasons for questioning McCain’s service, though it appears some on the left are going to be intent on doing so.
But farther to the left—and among some of McCain’s conservative enemies as well—harsher attacks are circulating. Critics have accused McCain of war crimes for bombing targets in Hanoi in the 1960s. Sunday, a widely read liberal blog accused McCain of “disloyalty” during his captivity in Vietnam for his coerced participation in propaganda films and interviews after he’d been tortured.
The only “fair” argument I can imagine is one where McCain misrepresents himself or exaggerates his leadership experience, something I doubt will happen but cannot be ruled out. A dark horse could be if something in his service record (which has not been completely released) comes up, but that is even more doubtful and its unlikely those will be fully released.
Will John Kerry stick up for McCain the way McCain spoke out against the attacks on his service in 2004?
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Hmmmm. Wesley Clark has launched a very fair attack. It is an attack many have thought (such as myself, months ago) but that now is being brought into the spotlight. McCain’s strategy against Obama is an attempt to attack Obama’s persona; similarly, Clark’s attack is an attack on a persona, specifically the attempt McCain has made to validate his ability to be Commander-in-Chief.
Note that Clark has praised McCain’s service but has punctured the idea that being a P.O.W. or flying a plane automatically qualifies someone to be an executive commander of the military.
It is of course an attack that could be made on Obama, who has zero military experience. Additionally, some of McCain’s experience in the Senate, particularly the knowledge he has gained there, could qualify him to be Commander-in-Chief. But see how reactive McCain and his supporter are to the Clark attack: displays their attempt to build an aspect of a persona with the wrong foundation.
I don’t so much disagree with Clark making such a statement as the attacks circulating in the portion of the story I excerpted.. people saying McCain committed war crimes, is a Manchurian candidate of the Chinese, is a traitor who broke under torture and gave up info to the NVC, etc.
Attacks of this nature are as bad as Swift-boating to me.
Now, I fully expect Clark, Zinni, Hagel, Reed and other vets to go after McCain when he pisses them off or tries to connect his Vietnam experience with Iraq. I have no problem with that, honest men can have honest disagreements.
This stuff underneath the surface that Clark and these other vets have nothing to do with it are the ones that are beyond the pale.
I don’t think that the Manchurian candidate-type rumors will really impact McCain that much. Barely anyone knows about them and they reference events that are ancient history for most Americans. The people who are spreading them (far left or no) have little political pull. Without support of a political infrastructure of some kind, the rumors won’t have that much effect. The Swift-boating and the “Obama is a Muslim” rumors, for example, were launched by GOP surrogates and Hillary surrogates in sort of 5GW-type attacks. Had they been the product of a couple of lone nuts, no one would have cared.
Are we for certain these attacks aren’t backed by people with little pull or resources? With Obama taking control of the DNC and asking/demanding 527′s not run ads without his approval, I wonder if there are not going to be some rogue elements viewing this as a war they won’t sit on the sidelines for.
It seems that the attackers are divided into two groups: netroots fringe elements and far rightists. Netroots fringe elements coexist within larger political communities like DailyKos and HuffPo. The netroots itself is seeing a decline in influence as Obama shifts to the center—fringe elements have never really had influence. It’s possible, however, that Obama’s political moderation will frustrate mainstream netroots enough to make them launch their own attacks on Obama.
Meanwhile, as you might have noticed, having McCain as top gun is a bitter pill to swallow for a lot of folks on the right. Especially the bircher elements that see immigration conspiracies around every corner.
Their own attacks on McCain, I meant.
Agreed about their composition. I think Obama is ruthless enough to not carp too loudly about moveon.org or someone else going off the reservation to assault McCain with attacks like this. It makes sense for him, sowing doubts and responding in kind to the attacks on his character from the shadowy GOP groups. The netroots may bitch about Obama, but I doubt they’d attack him now, rather attacking McCain now and then going after Obama when he’s elected would make better sense.
Unless they’ve adopted the outsider antagonist mentality and think their fund raising and influence would be greater in the opposition rather than in power.
I think immigration is going to explode around McCain this summer and fall because he refuses to be 100% forthright with either side. He’s playing footsie with the Latinos and big business on comprehensive immigration and footsie with the base which wants border security and no amnesty. Eventually, one side or both is going to get tired of being two-timed.
I think this is an example of what you can expect:
http://thepoorman.net/2008/07/01/people-these-rats-aint-gonna-fuck-themselves/
This campaign WILL get ugly…..real fast.
Consider my opinion changed then. Especially when Bud Day popped his full of shit head into the picture.
After conferring with the brethren at my local VFW (mostly older guys and Iraq vets), I have to begin to wonder about McCain. And I have to consider some of these attacks to be as grounded in reality as some of the Swift Boat accusations against Kerry were (though some of them still seem outlandish).
Obama accuses McCain/Palin of attacking his record … what record? Obama is an empty suit who hasn’t done anything. That’s why instead of running on his record, he has to run a campaign based upon attacking McCain/Palin. Obama’s tactic has always been ‘the best defense is a good offense’. For example, Obama will make the pig/lipstick smear, just days after Palin scores points with the ‘pitbull/lipstick statement … then he disingenuously acts as if there’s no connection. He did it again with Palin’s community organizer is similar to a mayor, but with out the responsibility … which everyone knows was Palin’s response to Obama demeaning her experience as a small town mayor. There’s nothing wrong with being a community organizer, but being a community organizer is certainly not credentials for becoming President of the United States! Obama has done this, as well as playing the race card numerous times. The changes Obama wants would dramatically weaken this country, in terms of our economy and our national defense.
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