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And John McCain, Former Prisoner of War, Had Oatmeal for Breakfast

Okay, so expect some action on the blogs about this today. At Saturday's presidential forum at Saddleback Church — the one I said wouldn't seep into Monday's news cycle unless there was a controversy — the moderator, Pastor Rick Warren, assured the audience that while he was questioning Obama, "we have safely placed Senator McCain in a cone of silence." The idea was that McCain, who was to be asked the same questions after Obama was finished, couldn't hear what was going on.

When McCain's portion of the event started, Warren began, "Now, my first question: Was the cone of silence comfortable that you were in just now?"

McCain responded, "I was trying to hear through the wall."

In actuality, McCain was in his motorcade when Obama was being questioned, meaning he could have heard the first part of the event over the radio or gotten information via Blackberry.

But the fact that McCain may have had a slight advantage isn't what caught my eye. What did was how sanctimonious his campaign got when asked about the situation by the press. Here's the New York Times:

Nicolle Wallace, a spokeswoman for Mr. McCain, said on Sunday night that Mr. McCain had not heard the broadcast of the event while in his motorcade and heard none of the questions.

"The insinuation from the Obama campaign that John McCain, a former prisoner of war, cheated is outrageous," Ms. Wallace said.

That's pretty bold, isn't it? The assumption is that McCain is above question in this, and basically every, situation because he is a former prisoner of war.

Look, I respect John McCain's experience in Vietnam. Don't assume otherwise because I'm a DFH blogger. But this sort of thing happens all the time. McCain always insists that he doesn't like talking about his POW experience ("One of the things I've never tried to do is exploit my Vietnam service to my country because it would be totally inappropriate to do," he once said), and the mainstream media always buys it. But in actuality McCain has made his war service the centerpiece of many of his advertisements and videos, and he discusses it regularly.

For example, when Obama criticized McCain for not supporting the more generous version of the GI Bill that recently passed Congress, McCain responded, "I will not accept from Senator Obama, who did not feel it was his responsibility to serve our country in uniform, any lectures on my regard for those who did."

Here's more from Paul Waldman:

Accused by his opponent (completely accurately) of being a carpetbagger, McCain responded that people in the military move around a lot, and "the place I lived longest in my life was Hanoi." (Dramatic though the moment was, his claim wasn't true; he had lived longer in Virginia). When he got caught in the Keating Five scandal, he responded to reporters' inquiries with, "Even the Vietnamese didn't question my ethics."

So can we put to rest this idea that John McCain, former prisoner of war, doesn't bring up his prisoner of war experience because as a former prisoner of war he has too much integrity to use his prisoner of war experience for his own political benefit? He has, he does, and his campaign is following suit.

Comments

So, regardless of whether McCain actually heard Obama's interview, he knowingly lied to Pastor Rick Warren, the church audience, and the American people. He wasn't trying to hear through the wall. That's the real story, in my mind.

Posted by: amy on 08/18/08 at 9:35 AM Respond

Gee, McCain might have lied...ya think? Of course he wouldn't!!! He's a noble man of utmost integrity and honor--after all, he was-----sssshhhhh--- (he doesn't like to talk about it or have it openly known)----a POW in Vietnam.

Posted by: Dnn on 08/18/08 at 12:13 PM Respond

So was Warren lying too when he claimed to have McCain in a cone of silence? Maybe he didn't know McCain was not in the studio/church yet. The question is, what did he know and when did he know it? But seriously, McCain's pretense not to be making political hay over his wartime experience is like Guiliani not wanting to invoke 9/11, or Bob Dole not waving his pen in the air. It's just an act, and let's hope it falls just as flat as Dole's pen.

Posted by: smitisan on 08/18/08 at 12:26 PM Respond

These false accusations of cheating by the Obama camp just shows what a lack of character these sore losers have. Obama has been getting a free pass from the beginning of the primaries. Obama looked like the rank inexperienced amateur that he is in the Saddleback debate ... while McCain looked decisive and competent. The election is only about 70 days from now, and if Obama hasn't already come up with positions on these crucial questions by now, he is certainly not qualified to be President of the United States. Crying and accusations of cheating because Obama lost the debate, only makes Obama look smaller and less deserving of the office.

Posted by: Gina on 08/18/08 at 8:40 PM Respond

Is anyone from the mainstream press -- or the "smart, fearless" alternative press-- IS ANYBODY AT ALL -- going to ask McCain about the similarities between his "cross in the sand story" and an identical story in his favorite book, Alexander Solzhenitsyn's _Gulag Archipelago_?!?! This isn't a false accusation--just pick up the book at any library (or Google Books!) and read it. The stories aren't just similar--they're identical.

Posted by: M@gnolia on 08/19/08 at 10:26 AM Respond

Here's the link to Andrew Sullivan's story in The Atlantic.com...

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/08/the-dirt-in-the.html

The chronology and sourcing are outlined here--also the fact that the "cross in the dirt" story is a right-wing staple: Charles Colson used it in his book, also Billy Graham and Jesse Helms, and now McCain. Except he doesn't say it happened to Solzhenitzen--he says it happened to him.

Posted by: M@gnolia on 08/19/08 at 10:54 AM Respond

And here I thought that McCains answers were nothing more than campaign soundbites

Posted by: Richard on 08/19/08 at 1:26 PM Respond

There are many ignorant people in this country that love to defend McSuck with his experiences as POW. Its just something that doesnt deserve criticism: military service. Is this a surprise to anyone?

Also, the day after the forum they were discussing it on CSPAN. Some dude called in and said he had heard McCain discuss x-mas as a POW before and it was different from the story McCain told at the forum. He then went on to say that the same incident was found in the movie Sparticus (spelling?)!

Anyone feel like rummaging through the bible to see the same story appears elsewhere?

Posted by: roy on 08/19/08 at 9:11 PM Respond

You have to remember that McCain was in the Motorcade for only a few minutes while Obama was talking, Then he was moved into the Silence Cone. Even if McCain heard anything it was the first few sentences BEFORE he was put in the Silence Cone.

Posted by: harrison on 08/19/08 at 10:54 PM Respond

I am so over hearing about his POW status. Mr. "integrity" drop kicked his disabled wife to the curb the minute he touched down on US soil after residing in the H.H.Only to hook up with Ms. Moneybags. I think he's parlayed his service and his new wife's money quite well. His time is up and now he needs to go.

Posted by: Hollyweird on 08/19/08 at 11:31 PM Respond

Even when we find the MANY contradictions made by the Ole man, the MSM won't cover it.Somehow they think POW=infallible.

Posted by: Hollyweird on 08/19/08 at 11:35 PM Respond

So, John McQuaker Oats has integrity, honor, and values. Lets look at these: Dumped his first wife for a rich cow, involved in the Keating 5 scandal, was the fattest POW ever released. Wasted the peoples money to the tune of 5 navy jets crashed. Graduated #597 from a class of 600. Has 5 mansions and billions and feels the pain of the ordinary working stiff. Bombed the hell out of poor innocent women and children, hope you can sleep at night Mr. honorable man.

Posted by: lucero1946 on 08/20/08 at 8:08 PM Respond