The McCains - re-posted 21 March, 2019

In the context of the recent remarks by President Trump and the state funeral given to Senator (Captain, USN) John McCain this earlier piece is worth a re-read.  pl

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 "Since his birth, it had been assumed that John Sidney McCain III would follow his ancestors' paths, something he sought to do for 23 years following his graduation from the Naval Academy, until shortly after his father's death in 1981. As he has risen in elective politics toward the Republican presidential nomination, his speeches and writing have illuminated the careful attention his parents paid to planning his life's mission: No other presidential standard-bearer during the past half-century ever had an early adulthood as thoroughly mapped out for him as John McCain.

His Navy career, like his choice of college, was a function of his parents' wishes, and his early life had a foreordained quality rare even among precocious political wunderkinds."  Michael Leahy

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The McCains are an interesting family, interesting in the sense of the Chinese aphorism.  This essay appeared in the Washington Post in April, 2008.  It is worth reviewing.  pl

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/30/AR2008083001786.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_S._McCain,_Sr.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_S._McCain,_Jr.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberta_McCain

Comments

[SAC Brat]

Colonel, may I ask for your view on the current tempest-in-a-teapot over Gwen Ifill hosting a debate? I've seen her moderate other debates and usually ended up wanting to vote for her rather than the debaters.

http://news.google.com/nwshp?hl=en&tab=wn&ncl=1252745578&topic=el

Btw, does anyone know if there are any "McCain For Senate 2008" yard signs available to confuse the checkers players?

[David W.]

For an alternative look into McCain's life that delves beyond his carefully manufactured political persona, I recommend this article:

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/make_believe_maverick_the_real_john_mccain

A couple of key grafs:

Two months after his release, McCain related his harrowing story of survival in a 13-page narrative in U.S. News & World Report, at the end of which he launched into an energetic defense of Nixon's discredited foreign policy. "I admire President Nixon's courage," he wrote. "It is difficult for me to understand . . . why people are still criticizing his foreign policy — for example, the bombing in Cambodia."

In the years to come, McCain would continue to fight the war his father had lost. In his meetings with Nixon, Junior was known for chomping on an unlit cigar, complaining about the "goddamn gooks" and pushing to bomb enemy sanctuaries in Cambodia. His son was equally gung-ho. "John has always been a very bellicose hawk," says John H. Johns, a retired brigadier general who studied with McCain at the War College. "When he came back from Vietnam, he accused the liberal media of undermining national will, that we could have won in Vietnam if we had the national will."

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Imo, this article captures the 'will to power' in McCain's personality that the WaPo hagiography misses.

[McGee]

The upcoming issue of Rolling Stone has an explosive article on the reportedly very dark side of John McCain:

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/coverstory/make_believe_maverick_the_real_john_mccain

Relates very well to our discussion. Will be interesting to see how/if this is picked up by the mainstream media....

To echo our good Colonel, this guy is sounding more and more like people I avoided-at-all-costs during my own brief military service. Calls to mind an infantry LTC that the lowly recruits in our outfit actually succeeded in getting posted OUT of the intel services. Back in the day before the 'all-volunteer' Army, the over-educated conscripts like me who populated the army intel services' rank-and-file didn't brook kindly to cowboys in our midst.

[McGee]

In an entirely separate vein, John McCain's father was the officer the Johnson administration chose to investigate the attempted sinking of the USS Liberty by the Israelis. Not surprisingly this very political maverick father of the maverick son found no Israeli intent in this 'accidental' assault on a US intelligence ship which resulted in the loss of 34 US lives and injuries to more than 170 crew members. And this despite significant radio intercepts which showed exactly the opposite. I believe Colonel Lang has commented on this before.

[JC]

Jubilation T. Cornpone, the man who knew no fear...

I haven't seen an Al Capp reference in years, but still think his finest moment was his succinct review of the film "Easy Rider" ---- "At least it had a happy ending." Cheers.

[Patrick Lang]

All

Someone asked what I think of Gwen Ifill moderating the VP debate.

Ifill is a great journalist, but I think that she should have turned down this moderating job. pl

[Curious]

McCain is pulling out of Michigan. This is a big win.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/10/2/135924/079/464/617866

HUGE NEWS out of Politico's J Mart

John McCain is pulling out of Michigan, according to two Republicans, a stunning move a month away from Election Day that indicates the difficulty Republicans are having in finding blue states to put in play.

McCain will go off TV in Michigan, stop dropping mail there and send most of his staff to more competitive states.