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Rockefeller cares more than McCain?

April 8, 2008

Senator Jay Rockefeller criticized John McCain for his actions in Vietnam suggesting,

“McCain was a fighter pilot, who dropped laser-guided missiles from 35,000 feet. He was long gone when they hit. What happened when they (the missiles) get to the ground? He doesn’t know. You have to care about the lives of people. McCain never gets into those issues,”

Image:Vietcapturejm01.jpgOf course the great-grandson of the oil tycoon, Jay hasn’t had to work a day in his life so I am not so sure he has much experience ‘on the ground’ (I don’t think the Peace Corp compares to Vietnam).  When was the last time Mr. Rockefeller sacrificed anything?  As I recall, McCain had quite a bit of firsthand experience on the ground in Vietnam.  After being shot down near Hanoi a mob of angry Vietnamese people attacked him crushing his shoulder and bayoneting him, he wasn’t expected to live a week.  McCain recovered and was put into solitary confinement for two years.  When McCain’s father was named commander of all U.S. forces in the Vietnam theater he was offered early release, but instead of taking the offer he told his captors that he would only accept the offer if every man taken in before him was released as well.  After five and a half years McCain was released from captivity.  I am no fan of McCain, but I am damn sure he cares about people.  He proved that fact when he refused early release.  Can Mr. Rockefeller say the same thing?

(picture: McCain being pulled out of Truc Bach Lake in Hanoi and about to become a prisoner of war on October 26, 1967)

Written by Alexander Muse · Filed Under Blog, Politics 

Comments

3 Responses to “Rockefeller cares more than McCain?”

  1. Ayn Rand Says:
    April 9th, 2008 at 4:44 pm

    Your knee-jerk pro-military stance is so unappealing.

  2. Alexander Muse Says:
    April 9th, 2008 at 5:57 pm

    Of course, your anonymous criticism is unappealing as well. I have a suspicion that you have never served anyone, but yourself. Those of us who have served our country aren’t necessarily knee-jerk pro-military, instead we are simply pro-military. The military is never the problem, politicians usually are…

  3. P Bhirdo Says:
    April 14th, 2008 at 9:32 am

    Rockefeller’s criticism is even more idiotic if you realize laser guided bombs weren’t even around back when Mc Cain was shot down. I thought that sounded wrong when I read it and a quick search of wikipedia showed the Paveway’s were introduced into vietnam in 1968. Mc Cain was shot down in 1967.

    Like Alex, I’ve got problems with Mc Cain, but he served his country and dropping bombs was hit part of the war. Smart bombs were invented and are used now to minimize collateral damage to civilians. Mc Cain probably wished he had them back then so he wouldn’t have caused collateral damage - and also because it because it required fewer return trips to destroy a target if you hit it the first time and there for was more effective :)

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