John McCain: Newsbits & Bio

[Protosschick99]

This thread is for those that wish to discuss John McCain's candidacy for President, and any particularly attractive newsbits or up-to-the-minute information. Please keep comments regarding various competitions or races to specific threads, if applicable (Dems vs GOP, Hillary v. Barack, etc).

John Sidney McCain III

Mother: American
Father: American
[McCain comes from an English and Irish background]

Born: August 29th, 1936 (Age 71)
Career: Naval Aviator, Politician
Political Position: Senior Senator from Arizona.

Religion: Protestant Christian

Platform: Winning the War against Islamic extremists, Reforming Healthcare for all Americans, Reforming Government.

Where to find information:
Wikipedia Page (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_mccain)
Official Campaign Website (http://www.johnmccain.com/)
Official Blog (http://www.johnmccain.com/Blog/)
MySpace (http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=17431860)

[Lithium]

Well, we all know McCain is going to get elected, even though some of us want Obama to win.

It's just that I don't think America's ready for a black president or a woman president. I am not being racist or sexist in my comment, just throwing it out there, the naked truth. The more politically experienced side of America is conservative. I don't believe we should be handing over our future leaders to ignorant teenagers.

[femoimal]

errrr,

sorry to be the annoying lad again, but let us look at 2 of the last 3 conservative presidents:

- 1st one: Reagan. Cowboy Actor. Yes, he was more than that, i think he was the president of actor's syndicate. Still, most of his decisions had to be vouched for by his personal astrologist. Just grand.

- Bush Junior. Errr, alcoholic dyslexic moron. The perfect illustration of how its easier to start three wars and yet not be able to read a single sentence right.

Now, take Obama: his rhetorical skills are exceptional, and do not say its just that. To be able to say what he says, and get it right, takes much more than just charisma.

If you look at presidents, they may well be young and still efficient: in the baltic states, the average age of ministers is something like 29. Nobody complains. On the other hand, gerontocracy is a tradition in the USSR, the Vatican or south american dictatures (hello Fidel ! how's the rheumatisms ?).

Just Saying.

Still, I like Mc Cain, he's got balls. Nevertheless, he belongs to the "Doctor Strangelove" generation.

[Faiien]

Well, we all know McCain is going to get elected, even though some of us want Obama to win.

It's just that I don't think America's ready for a black president or a woman president. I am not being racist or sexist in my comment, just throwing it out there, the naked truth. The more politically experienced side of America is conservative. I don't believe we should be handing over our future leaders to ignorant teenagers.I disagree, I think McCain has a chance of winning but nothing farther than that. The conflict between Hillary and Obama for the last couple of months gives them a lot more publicity and exposure. People are showing up at the polls in record numbers to vote for their Democrat of choice. I personally don't think McCain could beat either one of them. Alot of people are asking for the war in Iraq to end, better healthcare, and how to improve the economy and I think that the democrats have a strong plan for giving the people what they want this election.

[Prozerran]

I disagree, I think McCain has a chance of winning but nothing farther than that. The conflict between Hillary and Obama for the last couple of months gives them a lot more publicity and exposure. People are showing up at the polls in record numbers to vote for their Democrat of choice. I personally don't think McCain could beat either one of them. Alot of people are asking for the war in Iraq to end, better healthcare, and how to improve the economy and I think that the democrats have a strong plan for giving the people what they want this election.

Here's the thing. Remember in 2000 how much coverage Bush had in the primaries against McCain? There was a great deal of attention with the GOP in 2000, so much so that Fox news became one of the MOST watched news stations, primarily because their coverage of the primaries was so involved. Other news stations had to compete with this to keep their audience, which is where a LOT more coverage of the GOP candidates grew larger attention. Gore became nothing more than a fart in the wind, and didn't really build his demographic any further. And while this created a tremendous disadvantage, the results of the 2000 presidential election were still split right down the middle.

Do I think McCain could be a great president? Absolutely! Do I think he should be president in 2008? Absolutely not! His support of the war and his willingness to stay in Iraq for 100 years if necessary is more than enough to bankrupt our country and leave us all out on the street. Make no mistake, the housing market is just the beginning of a much longer period of trepidation, something no one really wants. Let's not forget the growing number of lives lost in our military. And reforms absolutely must happen. The Patriot Act is one of the first things that needs HEAVY revisions and amending, something McCain most likely won't be so agreeable on.

I believe if McCain won the primary and election in 2000 instead of Bush, our situation would be 1000 times better. Look up the Frontline documentary, "Bush's War" on google. It's one of the most well-documented reports on how we reached this point, and a lot of it was the Bush administration's complete naivety in taking the advice of the middle east ambassador (who, by the way, has now returned to Iran where he now advises that nation's leaders, presumably on how to best manipulate our leaders further in this whole mess). Seriously, the Bush administration didn't necessarily become war-mongerers. They're all submissive to the ignorance and stupidity of one leader who thinks he hears God speaking to him. Not that I have a big problem with spirituality, I just question what happens when one's religion overrides objectivity.

I'm rambling, but the point I was originally intending to make was that the media, I believe, was one of the primary reasons for Bush's success. Similarly, the attention from the media on the Democrats in the 2008 primaries should presumably create a similar affect. It's ridiculous to think the attention from the media won't have a profound effect on any election. Just my two cents...

[Darmago]

The LA times had an interesting piece concerning McCain's First marriage. Stuff that, where he a democrat, the media would have chewed him to pieces about, whether it was true or not.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-divorce11-2008jul11,0,6546861.story

[Rifleman223]

I support McCain, his thoughts of Iraq are for the rights of the dead Iraqi civilians, the fallen soldier's families, and all that other stuff. If we leave Iraq, all of those men, women, and children would have died in vain. The soldiers would have died in vain! Besides if we leave Iraq, we cant get all of the remains of the soldiers back in time. The terrorist attacks will just resume. Obama is starting to see this come around, and this new world is starting to see Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan as a threat of terrorism. Not to mention that Iran is secretly testing nuclear technology.

[Darmago]

another interesting newsbit about how shakey McCain's campaign organization is.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daniel-burrell/can-america-afford-a-mcca_b_113591.html?page=2

[ChimTheGrim21]

I support McCain, his thoughts of Iraq are for the rights of the dead Iraqi civilians, the fallen soldier's families, and all that other stuff. If we leave Iraq, all of those men, women, and children would have died in vain. The soldiers would have died in vain! Besides if we leave Iraq, we cant get all of the remains of the soldiers back in time. The terrorist attacks will just resume. Obama is starting to see this come around, and this new world is starting to see Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan as a threat of terrorism. Not to mention that Iran is secretly testing nuclear technology.

Our intelligence shows that the terrorists are in Afghanistan and Pakistan, and that there were no terrorist operations in Iraq. Your logic is to spend about $600 BILLION each year because we already messed up. $600 billion we don't even have. The Iraqi prime minister already asked us to leave. One of the main reasons this countries' currency is falling to the floor is because of our war spending. If we are going to fix anything, then we need to stop this war in Iraq and continue in Afghanistan.

[WhatIsStarcraft]

OMG,OMG, this is something every american shozld take to heart(Im not american).

No country has ever profited from a long-lasting war.

-Sun Tzu


I think every human being in the entire world, and especially the politicians should take this to their hearts, because it is true. Example: The Iraq war :)

[mranderson]

I support McCain, his thoughts of Iraq are for the rights of the dead Iraqi civilians, the fallen soldier's families, and all that other stuff. If we leave Iraq, all of those men, women, and children would have died in vain. The soldiers would have died in vain! Besides if we leave Iraq, we cant get all of the remains of the soldiers back in time. The terrorist attacks will just resume. Obama is starting to see this come around, and this new world is starting to see Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan as a threat of terrorism. Not to mention that Iran is secretly testing nuclear technology.

Spot the fallacy! Where does it say that Obama doesn't support the troops, and would drop balls to the middle east instead of pumping testosterone, and hitting them on their home turf like McCain will surely do.

(Yes, I made an analogy, and simplified this post, so sue me...)
And if McCain wins I've always wanted to go to Spain :P

[Nephi]

Your welcome to leave now, just remember Obama is "embarassed" of you because you only speak one language.

[DoctorZettabyte]

I support McCain, his thoughts of Iraq are for the rights of the dead Iraqi civilians, the fallen soldier's families, and all that other stuff. If we leave Iraq, all of those men, women, and children would have died in vain. The soldiers would have died in vain! Besides if we leave Iraq, we cant get all of the remains of the soldiers back in time. The terrorist attacks will just resume. Obama is starting to see this come around, and this new world is starting to see Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan as a threat of terrorism. Not to mention that Iran is secretly testing nuclear technology.

Round two? Fine by me. I'll shorten this up a bit.

all that other stuff.
Define.

would have died in vain.
We were there to find WoMD. They were never found. Tell me, how long will we have to keep looking before a box of Lucky Charms becomes yellowcake?
All of this is moot as of May first, 2003. "Mission Accomplished".

we cant get all of the [...] the soldiers back in time.
Not at the rate we're going, with two, three, four, even five tours of duty, and current tours being extended beyond reason. They'll miss the cake. Too bad.

we cant get all of the remains of the soldiers back in time.
Refrigeration units do wonders for the meatpacking industry. No reason why they shouldn't work for the military, either.

The terrorist attacks will just resume.
No matter how many people we kill, no matter how many fuckups we create, no matter how much money we sink into this "war", terrorism will always come back, one way or another.

Obama is starting to see this come around,
Sounds fun. I'm totally sure that he'll be planning to sink billions of dollars into this war for a hundred years to come.

and this new world is starting to see Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan as a threat of terrorism.
Bullshit. The countries themselves are not the problem. The radicals that live in caves that we "can't find" are the real problem. I'd also like to know the difference between "new world" and "America-with-its-reluctant-allies"

Not to mention that Iran is secretly testing nuclear technology.
Confirm this with a source.

Get a life. John McCain's not some godly hero. You're just worried that there won't be a "war" to fight in when you complete training, so you're going with someone you trust will keep the conflict going.

-DocZetta

[Neo]

Please pardon the copy + paste. With WB i've been chatting this up elsewhere;

Anyway, I'm just confused with McCain at this point. One of the major claims of his is his military past, but he seems to consistently vote against vets and our troops in the field. I'm just personally confused as to how we can spend billions on the war, but can't throw a few hundred million to actually support our troops.


9/2007: McCain voted AGAINST bill to minimize periods of time between deployment of units sent to Iraq. (http://senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=110&session=1&vote=00341)
5/2006: McCain voted AGAINST $20 Million to VA for health care facilities. (http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=2&vote=00111)
4/2006: McCain voted AGAINST $430,000,000 to VA for Medical Services. (http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=2&vote=00098)
3/2006: McCain voted AGAINST increasing Vet-medical services $1.5 billion in FY2007. (http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=109&session=2&vote=00041)
3/2004: McCain voted AGAINST increasing Vet-medical care by $1.8 billion. (http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=108&session=2&vote=00040)
10/2003: McCain voted to TABLE an amendment for $322,000,000 for safety equipment for USforces. (http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=108&session=1&vote=00376)
10/2003: McCain voted to TABLE a vote for $1 Billion for National Guard and Reserve Equipment in Iraq due to shortage of helmets, tents, bullet-proof inserts, & tactical vests (http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/roll_call_vote_cfm.cfm?congress=108&session=1&vote=00116[/url] [url]http://capwiz.com/vva/e4/cinfo/?id=157301)


Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with us? McCain isn't the only one out there. It's like, go fight for us, but we wont give you the equipment you need, nor take care of you when you come back injured!

I just wish McCain didn't seem so fucking oblivious. For instance, McCain said “I think that we’ve proven that both parents are important in the success of a family so, no I don’t believe in gay adoption,” which seems beyond strange to me, because not only is it a strongly anti-gay statement, it's also a slap in the face to many single parents out there. What, that's like telling 14 million single parents they're doing it wrong.

Of course his campaign churned out the proper rebuttal to "make it clear" what exactly he meant to say;

However, as an adoptive father himself…he recognizes that there are many abandoned children who have yet to find homes. McCain believes that in those situations that caring parental figures are better for the child than the alternative.

but after that, he reverted to his earlier stance in an interview;

McCAIN: I think that family values are important, when we have two parent — families that are of parents that are the traditional family.

Q: But there are several hundred thousand children in the country who don’t have a home. And if a gay couple wants to adopt them, what’s wrong with that?

MCCAIN: I am for the values that two parent families, the traditional family represents.

I mean, fuck, I thought Bush was a puppet, but damn was I wrong. It's as if McCain doesn't know what to say. If he's elected it's going to be a presidency with a ton queue cards.

In the interview, McCain repeatedly said that he is “for the values and principles that two parent families represent.” He also said preserving traditional families is “not the reason why I’m running for president of the United States.” Just seconds later, however, he reversed course and bluntly stated, “I’m running for president of the United States because I want to help with family values.”

Seriously, what the hell? Just seems like he's getting more desperate. Although against Obama it makes sense. People actually like him.

That full article plus some funny comments are located here (http://thinkprogress.org/2008/07/27/mccain-gay-adoption-2/). Personally I like this one;

"Senator, I’m interested in hearing more about your family values - you know, the values that permitted you to screw your current wife while still married to your previous wife. Please tell us why that’s OK."

lol a clown and someone with a massive ego who gives good speeches. Reminds me of that southpark episode.

-Neo

[Darmago]

Of course his campaign churned out the proper rebuttal to "make it clear" what exactly he meant to say;

I too have noticed the abundant ammounts of time McCain's campaign had to cover up his slips.