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"He's a good man - the kind of man
I'd want to be in a fox-hole with me... He'd be a good
president,"
Sen. Bob Dole
"At
a time when America searches for heroes to lead us, it has
the genuine article in John McCain. He's been
serving his
country since he was 17 when he entered the United States
Naval Academy in Annapolis. And his life is a testament to
true courage, integrity and leadership." (from
the official McCain 2000 website)
"More
important, whatever your political views, if you
believe that character, conviction and courage are
what count in a leader -- and if you believe that it takes a
true crucible to test those qualities -- then John McCain,
in this or any other political season, stands as an oak
among saplings." Peter Kann, The
Wall Street Journal - September 8, 1999.
"John McCain is a
proud veteran and
the son and grandson of Navy admirals. He believes in a
strong, capable military able to carry out the crucial
mission of protecting the United States and our interests
around the world." (from the
McCain Patriots Network website)
McCain's goals as
President would be:
Restore integrity to the office
Reform government
And renew the American dream
U.S. Veteran Dispatch columnists and
journalists have described Republican Senator John McCain of
Arizona as a war hero, they cite his 5-1/2 years as a
prisoner of war in North Vietnam. In 1988 the Washington Post wrote, "He was a prisoner for 5-1/2
years. Because he was properly obstinate, he was in solitary
confinement most of that time . . . Every day for two years,
one of his guards ordered him to bow, and then knocked him
down." Joseph Spear, a columnist wrote, "McCain is
a war hero . . . He was tossed into the infamous 'Hanoi
Hilton' prison camp, where he was hung by his fractured arms
for hours at a time." ...
The Vietnamese had offered
McCain early release on July 4, 1968, the same day his father
assumed command of all U.S. forces in the Pacific, in an attempt
to embarrass the United States. As McCain had been in
solitary confinement since he was shot
down over Hanoi in 1967, he had no idea that his
father had attained this lofty position. He nevertheless
refused release, not wanting to violate the POWs
sacred Code of Conduct that prohibits such behavior.
For this act of defiance, the
Vietnamese guards beat McCain for four days:
re-breaking his left arm and leaving his emancipated body
lying in his own blood and waste. McCain's resolve was
broken and after this brutal interrogation, he was
forced to write and tape a confession that U.S.
jets had targeted North Vietnamese schoolchildren.
"The Vietnamese had broken the
prisoner they called ‘The Crown Prince,’ and I knew
they had done it to hurt the man they believed to be king,"
writes McCain.
When finally freed, he had to come to
terms with the father he felt he'd shamed in such a
high-profile manner.
McCain's Book
"Faith of
My Fathers"
“Faith of My Fathers
is a gripping story of character and courage: character
passed down from generation to generation by sterling
examples of family bonds and devotion to duty; courage that
ultimately comes from within, as John McCain learned in the
brutal prison camps of North Vietnam. This is a sobering and
glorious book that you won't be able to put down.”
— General Colin L. Powell (retired)
 Senator McCain's new book "Faith of
My Fathers" sets out some of the things that are
really important to him. This
is a book about family, a gripping saga of
three generations of McCain men. The
book chronicles McCain’s childhood and his career in the
Navy and as a prisoner of war, all in the context of how his
life was influenced by his father and grandfather, both
four-star admirals.
"The most important relationship in
my father's life had been his bond with my grandfather. That
cherished bond influenced every major decision my father
made throughout his life. Together, they were my first
heroes, and earning their respect has been the most lasting
ambition of my life.
The United States Naval Academy, an
institution I both resented and admired, tried to bend my
resilience to a cause greater than self-interest. I resisted
its exertions, fearing its effect on my individuality. But
as a prisoner of war, I learned that a shared purpose did
not claim my identity. On the contrary, it enlarged my sense
of myself.
As a naval aviator in Vietnam, I was shot
down over Hanoi in 1967 and seriously injured. When
Vietnamese military officers realized I was the son of a top
commander, they offered me early release. Acting from a
sense of honor taught by my father and the U.S. Naval
Academy I refused the offer. I was tortured, held in
solitary confinement, and imprisoned for five and a half
years. "
Sen. John S. McCain
McCain Memoirs to go
"Hollywood"
Republican McCain has sold
the screen rights to his best selling memoirs, ``Faith of My
Fathers'' to USA Films, which is controlled by a Barry
Diller, a Democrat.
``I hope that a movie based on
my book will help affirm to younger Americans the lessons so
eloquently expressed by 'Saving Private Ryan' -- the honor of
serving a cause greater than self-interest. The WWII
generation surely ranks among the finest and most important in
American history. But they need not have been the last
American generation to deserve to be called great.''
Sen. John S. McCain
McCain on what he
offers over Sen. Bush
"Probably
experience. Probably more in-depth knowledge of the issues. A
record of service in many areas...Well I mean, I think it's
obvious. George Bush was recently elected to office, has had
four years as governor of the state of Texas. I've had 16 years
in the Congress. Before that, I had service in the military.
That's where I think there's some difference in our
credentials."
Sen. John S. McCain
"No two people agree on every issue,
but as a candidate for President of the United States I owe
you my candor. You will always know where I stand. I'm sure
you will agree that our cherished democracy can thrive only by
vigorous, open, and honest discussion of the issues affecting
our country and our lives. Together we can make the 21st
Century a time worthy of our highest dreams and
aspirations."
Sen. John S. McCain
Some "Pro" McCain Links
John
McCain for President Official Site
McCain 2000 WebRing
(to join)
McCain 2000 WebRing (list of sites)
John McCain for President! (unofficial site)
McCain 2000 Patriots Network (official
site)
McCain's Book "Faith of My Fathers"
Biography's video: John McCain: American Maverick
USS John S. McCain Homepage
Senator John McCain for President 2000 (unofficial site)
No Manchurian Candidate (from Joe Schlatter's
www.miafact.org site)
John McCain in the Crucible (Adm. Stockdale on McCain)
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McCain has said repeatedly that
he was afforded no special treatment while in the "Hanoi
Hilton". Yet when he was first interviewed by the North
Vietnamese he is shown at a hospital reserved for Vietnamese
military and he was seen by Soviet Surgeons. He was
drinking
coffee and smoking cigarettes while being interviewed. This
was a far cry from the way the rest of the POWs were
treated.
His wife at the time,
was a
member of the National League of Families and she fought to
make sure that John McCain came home. He rewarded this loyalty
by divorcing her after his return.
He was shot down October
26, 1967, and by
November 9, 1967 he was giving interviews to foreign
correspondents, providing information on his prior command,
casualties
and tactics, in direct violation of the Code of Conduct.
(The
U.S. military Code of Conduct is the definitive code
specifying the responsibilities of American military personnel
while in combat or captivity. Article V of the Code is very
specific in ordering U.S. military personnel to avoid
answering questions to the utmost of their ability and to make
no oral or written statements disloyal to the United States
and its allies,
or harmful to their cause. Any willful violation of the
Code is considered collaborating with the enemy.)
The Communist Vietnamese erected a bust of
John McCain beside
the lake where he was shot down.
His defenders say that this is a tribute to the PAVN gunners
that shot him down.
In
the interview that he gave on November 9, 1967 to VNA International,
he claims when he bailed out and landed in the lake, that
locals
pulled him out and took him to the hospital. Yet in the
U.S.
News and World Report - May 14, 1973.
McCain is quoted as saying
"I think it was on the fourth day (after being shot
down)
that two guards came in, instead of one. One of them pulled
back the blanket to show the other guard my injury. I looked
at my knee. It was about the size of a football . . . when I
saw it, I said to the guard, Ok, get the
officer'...an
officer came in after a few minutes. It was the man that we
came to know very well as 'The Bug'. He was a
psychotic torturer, one of the worst fiends that we had to deal with. I
said, Ok, I'll give you military information if you will
take me to the hospital."
While testifying before the
Senate Select Committee, the very man McCain claims was responsible
for his own torture, his
interrogator, "The Bug" was appearing. When
the
moment of confrontation came, McCain rose from his seat, walked from the podium to the floor
and stood face to face with
the man who was responsible for torturing him and countless
other Prisoners of War...McCain then grabbed the man and embraced
him!
He has been a consistent advocate of lenient
treatment of Vietnam.
While a member of the Senate Select
Committee on POW/MIA
Affairs (1991-1993) he referred to POW/MIA
Family Members and POW/MIA
Activists as whiners,
vultures and the
lunatic fringe.
Although the Senate Select Committee
concluded that we left men behind, McCain crossed party lines
to help lift the embargo and normalize relations with Vietnam.
"It's very important for us to
recognize that the war is over, ... In my view, an improvement
in relations between our two countries does a whole of lot
things from a practical standpoint, but it also,
from a spiritual standpoint indicates that we are ready to
close that chapter," McCain said. (Many POWs and families of MIAs would strongly disagree that
is time to close this chapter! Improving relations with
Vietnam stood to benefit the
McCain’s family as they hold a large interest
in the Budweiser Corporation. Surprise, surprise Bud was among
the first large U.S. Corporations to enter Vietnam after
relations were normalized.)
He ignored a letter from former POW, Capt. Eugene
"Red" McDaniel, co-signed by 50 former POWs which
asked that the embargo not be lifted and not to normalize
relations and still McCain would not be swayed.
When the Missing Service Personnel Act of
1996 came on the Senate Floor for debate, Senator McCain
called this bill "un-necessary" and
"burdensome" even though the MSPA was sponsored by
the then majority leader and the man who had considered asking
John McCain to run with him, Sen. Bob Dole.
McCain managed to get the MSPA amended
by removing criminal liability and several articles that
were
important to POW/MIA
Family
members.
McCain voted
against campaign-finance reform in 1987/1988.. and didn't
support the concept until 1990, just after the Keating story
broke.
Until McCain began
thinking about running for national office he was consistently
anti-gay (he even spoke at a fundraiser for Oregon's
anti-gay rights initiative) Now he says they are "not
inclusive enough".
Keating Five
Scandal
McCain received
more than $112,000 in campaign contributions from one
Charles Keating (including $54,000 for his Senate campaign).
Between 1984 and 1986 McCain and family had vacationed at
Keating's home in the Bahamas. (Keating was a corrupt owner
of a savings-and-loan empire that ended up costing taxpayers
$3 billion.) For these contributions Keating hoped
(expected) McCain and four other senators - John Glenn,
Dennis DeConcini, Alan Cranston, Donald Riegle, would
protect him from federal banking regulators. After a 14
month investigation by the Ethics Committee all McCain
received was a slap on the wrist for using "poor judgment"!
McCain’s Tasteless
Joke
"Why is Chelsea Clinton so ugly?
Because her father is Janet Reno."
McCain's two-liner gives us some insight into what he considers
funny (lesbianism, a young woman's physical looks),
especially since this was delivered to a partisan Republican crowd.
Remember, this is the same party that champions pro-family
values.
That McCain had made this
tasteless joke was reported in major newspapers, so was the
vain attempt by his press secretary to initially deny that McCain had
done anything wrong. But in several major newspapers, the
joke itself was kept a secret. When McCain subsequently
apologized to President Clinton, the Washington Post,
noted the apology but
said the joke "was too vicious to print."
Some "NO" McCain
Links
RUNNING
JOHN
No John in 2000 WebRing (list of
sites)
POW/MIA
Freedom Fighters
1992 John McCain the Manchurian Candidate
Waffle Iron Award
AII POW-MIA - FaxNetwork
John McCain
John McCain--No Hero
Hanoi Correspondent's Dispatch
Interview with McCain December 1967
Translation of Memorial at Truc Bach Lake
Sen. McCain wants to be president
The Missing Service Persons Act in the 105th Congress
U.S. Ambassador Says Vietnamese Torturers Were "Just
Doing Their Jobs"
John McCain, The Dark Side
John Sidney McCain III (page has a wealth of info,
including declassified FBIS reports)
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After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1958, Senator
McCain became a naval aviator and went on to serve a 22-year navy
career, retiring as a Captain in 1981. In 1967, he was shot down
over Hanoi and was a prisoner of war in Vietnam's "