In a CBS interview with Katie Couric, John McCain responded to Joe Biden’s crack about McCain’s “seven kitchen tables” (emphasis mine):
Couric asked about McCain’s answer when Politico inquired about the number of homes he and his wife, Cindy, own. McCain referred the question to his staff, who said he had at least four. Records show the number could be twice that, depending on how you count the family’s properties.
“I am grateful for the fact that I have a wonderful life,” McCain said. “I spent some years without a kitchen table, without a chair, and I know what it’s like to be blessed by the opportunities of this great nation. Cindy’s father, who barely finished high school, went off and distinguished himself in World War II in a B-17 and came back with practically nothing and realized the American dream, and I am proud and grateful for that, and I think he is a role model to many young Americans who serve in the military and come back and succeed.
“So the fact is that we have homes, and I’m grateful for it. We spend our time primarily in Washington, D.C., where I have a condominium in Crystal City, [Va.]; here in this beautiful Sedona that I am blessed every moment that I can spend here; our condominium in Phoenix, Ariz.; and a place over in San Diego. The others are also for investment purposes.”
What is he “proud and grateful” for? That his wife’s father made a fortune and had a daughter who became the heiress to that fortune? That he, John McCain, happened to meet this fabulously wealthy heiress and marry her? He did nothing to earn that money so there’s really nothing for him to feel proud and grateful about (lucky, maybe).
And then there is the millionth gratuitous reference to having been a POW:
The McCain campaign appears to see that the Dem attacks on the houses gaffe risk being effective as character attacks, in that they are designed to portray him as out-of-touch and even pampered in a way that undercuts his down-to-earth war-hero bio and its intended contrast with Obama as an effete, untested celeb. Hence the frequent response invoking his war service.
But the “McCain-as-POW” currency the McCain camp is printing at such a furious rate — and throwing wads of at every controversy that comes along — is now losing value faster than the German Mark after World War I.
Yeah, about that “role model”:
Yep, a success story as American as mom, apple pie and bootlegged whiskey.
POW!
Guess I’ll add to that.
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He comes across as being sympathetic to veterans who are being denied healthcare, who have to pay for their own meals at military hospitals while they recover from getting their arms and legs blown off, and how they have to wait for eons to get their benefits.. But is McCain really speaking from his heart or a script? He has made it perfectly clear he isn’t against torture, when he voted against a bill to ban it, as reported by the NY Times: “The leading Republican presidential candidate, Senator John McCain of Arizona, a former prisoner of war who steadfastly opposes the use of torture, voted against the bill. Mr. McCain said the ban would limit the C.I.A.’s ability to gather intelligence. “We always supported allowing the C.I.A. to use extra measures,” he said.” Sprinkling in some doublespeak, he says that he believes torture is illegal and should be banned. Voted for the Military Commissions Act, which we are told applies only to enemy combatants. It permits trials without the accused present, gives the Secretary of Defense the power to appoint judges, allows evidence gotten without warrants, and makes it so lawyers cannot see their clients without government monitoring. Former Attorney General Gonzales has said that the president can strip Americans of their citizenship, turning them into enemy combatants, which makes it applicable to American citizens. Voted no to establishing mandatory rest periods for the troops between deployments, which would be a great help in reducing post traumatic stress disorder. Speaking of PTSD, McCain voted against a bill that would have provided $500 million for veterans mental health services like rehab and counseling. These are the actions of someone who hates veterans, not one who sympathizes with them.
http://warofillusions.wordpress.com/2008/07/18/selection-08-buyer-beware-v2/
Yes, McCain has a poor record indeed when it comes to helping Vets. His opposition to the Web GI Bill was disgraceful. Yet the MSM lets him get away with his “I love Veterans” schtick, and then his campaign has the gall to complain about “media bias” vis a vis Obama.
If the MSM was really doing its job they would be exposing McCain as the hypocrite that he is, and they would be investigating some of the more controversial actions Senator McCain has taken recently including the suspicious facilitation of a sweet-heart land swap between his big Donor, Donald Diamond, and the State of Arizona in which Diamond got a $23 Million parcel in exchange for a remote parcel worth a mere $5 Million.