John McCain’s POW past remains one of the politico’s most powerful identifying markers.
Time and time again it comes up in his stump speeches, campaign commercials and discussions on faith. And for good reason: the Arizona Senator’s tale of torture and patriotism captured a nation back in 1973, when he was finally released after almost six years in Vietnamese captivity. McCain became a bit of a – dare we say it – celebrity, and even penned a first hand account of his experience for US News & Report.
In the piece, McCain explains his relationship to his captors, some of whom he claims were gay:
In other words, if you are going to make it, you get tougher as time goes by. Part of it is just a transition from our way of life to that way of life. But you get to hate them so bad that it gives you strength.
Now I don’t hate them any more–not these particular guys. I hate and detest the leaders. Some guards would just come in and do their job. When they were told to beat you they would come in and do it. Some seemed to get a big bang out of it. A lot of them were homosexual, although never toward us. Some, who were pretty damned sadistic, seemed to get a big thrill out of the beatings.
It’s unclear in this last sentence is Senator McCain means “Some [gays]” or “Some [captors].” Implications aside, it’s curious the former seaman would feel compelled to include this queer detail.
How about we take this to the next level?
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This 1973 story, which is quite extensive, does not include McCain’s contentious “cross in the sand” story.
todd
I wonder if he was a victim of psy-ops mind control and it’s his destiny to destroy the United States!
Jaroslaw
How does he know some of captors were homosexual?
mark
it wasn’t a cross they drew on the sand it was two penises
emb
He doesn’t include the “cross in the sand” BECAUSE IT DIDN’T HAPPEN. If you read his accounts of his capture and imprisonment over time, the details keep shifting, and interesting new conveniently touching elements are added.
I’m with Wes on this: Getting shot down and held prisoner (apparently by flaming homos) does not qualify someone to be President of the United States.
Shaun
john mcbush is a pig.
http://www.concernedcitizensamerica.wordpress.com
Bob R
No one should be surprised by this. It’s not as if it’s a major revelation. McCain has a long history of racist, sexist and homophobic jokes and remarks. McCain is a very wicked man and will complete Bush’s destruction of our nation’s social fabric. Pat Buchanan, the closest thing to a real Nazi this country has ever tolerated stated that McCain will make Cheney look like Ghandi. America has been warned about McCain, but I think most Americans fear a black man as President more.
GoodBuddy
If Obama is the Antichrist perhaps McCain is The Manchurian Candidate.
Puddy Katz
He should be asked about that remark by the Log Cabin organization.
I am serious. They are the ones to do it and should step up to the plate.
Lucas
I don’t know… us Asians tend to switch and use what would be considered feminine gestures than our white, ultra macho, hetero soldiers of 1960s.
So… how exactly does he know? Who knows. Perhaps his racist-rooted homophobia interpret those “feminine gestures” to be signs of gayness; or, perhaps doing hard time in the Vietnamese jungle made him dream of man-on-man hot sex (as prison inmates do during incarceration); or perhaps his hate for his captors forced his mind to equate his captors with the most hated thing in his mind — homosexuals.
Lastly, of course, how Christian-paranoia of him, to think that gays are out to get and torture him — which begs the question, does he have some sort of repressed sexual orientation issues?
Joeb1212
Oh, so now John McCain is lying about his stay in a POW camp.
You people are the sickest syncophants around….why don’t you just put the Obama train up your ass and ride it all the way back to Illinois…..just where he’ll end up after he loses this election.
emb
Joeb1212, OF COURSE he’s lying. Not about having been ignominiously shot down and captured (oh THAT’S real heroism–getting a million-dollar aircraft crashed and getting your but in a bamboo cell)–that happened. But the Heroic Details keep…changing over time. THAT’S the point here: he can’t be trusted to tell his own story straight!
And, as usual, any criticism of mccain is immediately turned into an Obama-cult issue by folks with no other argument to make. See ya at O’s inauguration, Joeb!
Joeb1212
EMB….
Oh unlike the umpteenth versions of Obama’s upbringing?
“And, as usual, any criticism of mccain is immediately turned into an Obama-cult issue by folks with no other argument to make. See ya at O’s inauguration, Joeb!”
That’s hysterical – just like the rest of the Obama-tots. If you’re not with Obama, you must be against him……So you plan on traveling all the way to D.C. in the January cold just to see John McCain get sworn in? Now, you’re a true American!
Mr C
No Joeb1212
But maybe you’ll go to McCain inauguration and be happy for him as he looks at you and tells you,
“Thanks you idiot queen for voting for me and I have no plans to protect your faggot ass from anything you abhorrent queer”
Sincerely
Pres John McCain
Now wouldn’t that be just refreshing JOEB1212?
emb
Read the whole post, hon. I said “O’s inauguration.” If it’s mccain’s, I’ll just let the apocalypse go on without me.
And, again, typically, mccain supporters respond to valid, fact-based criticism of their miserable excuse for a candidate by changing the subject to their list of lies, misrepresentations, and rumor-mongerings about Obama. Nice.
Charley
So here he is in a comfortable bed and a cast on his arm that some compassionate doctors applied, getting three meals a day provided by the his captors that he claims were homosexuals, but they never made an advance towards him or the other prisoners. Just plain weird. Someone put some LSD in his drinking water before the next debate.
Joeb1212
EMB
And exactly what do you expect Obama to do for you when you are done kissing his ass? He has put forth NOT ONE SINGLE LGBT issue on this Democratic platform – nor does he have a single stand on ANY issue, let alone gay rights.
Vote for whomever you want – that’s why this is America – I didn’t realize that having a divergent opinion made me an “abhorent queen” (your cute little label). It’s exactly the morons like you that can’t be taken seriously – and aren’t.
emb
JOEB1212: Um, I don’t think I ever said “abhorent queen”, dear. I try to avoid name-calling (like, for instance, “moron” — your cute little label).
No reason to waste any more time arguing with you, though. It’s obvious you’re following your man’s lead: putting words in other people’s mouths, twisting the facts to suit your twisted worldview. And what, exactly, do you expect mccain to do for YOU when you’re done kissing his wrinkly old backside? The Dem’s platform addresses LGBT issues in terms of equality. The republicans and mccain are lock-step against us.
But like I said, I don’t plan to look for your answer. You’ve made it clear that there’s just no point.
michael
If he had not of had his ass in Vietnam, fighting a war that we should not have been involved in, he would have no memoirs at all,
true or false. Just because you are a P.O.W. in a war where your primary tactics are blowing up women and children in villages does not make you some kind of war hero.
Ted B. (Charging Rhino)
I remember that back in the 1970’s there were credible rumors that some of the American and Australian POWs were raped or sexually-assualted during their capivity; to break their spirit, to “rob” them of their manhood or honor, to provide pleasure to their captors, for retribution, or just for the hell of it. Many times this occured before they were officially turned-over to the appropriate military authorities.
And before you just dismiss it, my father’s cousin who survived Bataan, the Death March and years of forced labor in Japan during the war told me personally that such things happened to “white prisoners”…especially officers. And that there was a concerted and official effort to hush the whole matter up before it became a huge scandal, especially once the US military government launched it’s rehabilitation program of the Japanese. Many like my father’s cousin were simply told to not talk about their experiences as captives during the war by the military authories and the VA to anyone. Not their families, not their wives, and certainly not the Press….and if you wanted to continue collecting your disability or military pensions you’ll toe-the-line.
I don’t know what happened to McCain, I doubt anyone lese really knows. I know my father’s cousin had his mental-scars and hot-button, knee-jerk reactions to certain topics that go beyond reason or logic as a result…and I have no doubt so does McCain.
hell's kitchen guy
^^^ oooh (shiver) take me prisoner, you big bad enemy, you!
Jaroslaw
HKG – you’re sick. There is nothing to laugh at about rape.
Disgusted American
The REAL John McCain in the words of fellow veterans:
http://vietnamveteransagainstjohnmccain.com/
David
WHAT ‘social fabric’ does McCain threaten? One that does not believe in the need to exterminate evil? Go ahead and mock evil, go ahead, Cane, and mock Abel. We are seven years (from 2001) into god’s judgment on business as usual, and I look forward to watching the social ballast of new age wishy-washies get thrown from the ship of state in the next few years.
Hamilton
If being tortured by pissed off homosexuals qualifies John McC894n for President of the US then I suggest he pick Marsellus Wallace as his VP.
Fatekh Vergasov
You may read my questions at the end of the article provided
Read carefully, just click hyperlinks
Thanks
ida bennett
i wonder how will john mccain supporters find out he is a black man pasting to be white i say this because mccain ggg father owned slaves in carroll county mississippi. a reporter douglas blackmon did a study on the mccain family and found that john mccain have black family members. both his white and black family members get together for family reunions in mississippi his brother joseph
mccain is not ashame of his black relatives he attends these reunions. lillie mccain a cousin and mr. blackmon was on cnn on october 21, and she said reality is reality a dna test will prove to john mccain that he is not as white as he believe himself as being, there is plenty of mulattos in his family as well, mccain attacks obama yet obama is not ashame of being a black man john mccain is a liar.
ida bennett
john mccain accuse obama of giving support to people he himself supports mccain is a very angry man he will prove to be death to the united states i believe senator obama is this country last chance. john mccain along with sarah palin will bring this country to a sad end, god is not with john mccain palin enjoy killing innocent aniamls which is a bad sign this is how most seiral killers start out by killing aniamls.she makes my skin crawl i love aniamls this woman i knew when i first saw her she was trouble and i was right her aura is black with grey and it is thick and it always the same john mccain is jealuos of obama because he like so many others know that obama is special it like god send him to save this country and there are a lot of older people who see obama as the second calling of jesus they always saying obama is a god send and this may be true he is cool under fire and yes this country need a change, the old way of doing things never worked for the people of this country thank god for obama
Richard
In all likelihood Senator McCain was homosexually raped while a POW. Homosexual rape of prisoners is despicable, it is however a tried and proven tactic for breaking down prisoners and is commonly used, but uncommonly talked about, in regimes from Turkey to Israel and yes even in the good old USA. One of the reasons it’s so effective is that the victims are seldom willing to admit to being raped and governments are able to hide there complicity (as is the case for the U.S.) through the simple expedient of saying it was the fault of other inmates.