I have said before that Democratic Party operatives and campaign proxies would do well, as Al Gore did last night in his emotional endorsement of Barack Obama, to thank Senator McCain for his heroism in combat and in the Hanoi Hilton, and then move on to more substantive matters dealing with the here and now. There is very little to be gained in attempting to pry out some hidden weakness in his military record that does not 1) reflect poorly on those doing the prying, and 2) set up unappealing contrasts between the different candidates and their various kinds of public service. They ought instead try to change the subject, talk about something else, move the discussion to more congenial ground.
But there are some who just can’t let it go. These people are like children that didn’t make the cut for the high school football team, and went home to tell their momma through bitter tears that they didn’t care anyway. That it didn’t matter. And resent, for the rest of their lives, anyone who did make the team. Who try to find a way, 20, 30, 40 years later to insist to themselves, and to friends embarrassed for them, that it never really mattered. Because anyway, football sucks, and it takes more than a stupid game to make a real man, right?
Right?
McCain may have won his 1981 congressional election in conservative Arizona based in part on his military record, although it probably didn’t hurt him to have married an heiress, if we’re weighing the puts and takes. But he will not win a national election in a war weary country in 2008 based on service concluded twenty-seven years ago. Not when 42% of American citizens were born after the Vietnam war ended, and another 13% were no more than 9 years old. This cohort missed entirely the national angst over the war, the protest marches, Kent State. The whole thing is more remote to them than the Boer War is to Britain. All the more so since we still have not found, 30 years later, a unified national narrative on What Happened Over There. What they know of Vietnam the youth cohort has mostly learned from Francis Ford Copola and Oliver Stone – this is no complement.
But there are those who simply can’t look away. They see something simultaneously noble and insignificant, and – personally unacquainted with nobility but consumed by insignificance – cannot grasp the wholeness. So they try to tear away at the thing they cannot understand, in the process revealing more about themselves than their target. Such a man is the Huffington Post’s Jeffrey Klein. Who ominously moos over John McCain’s “secret, questionable record.”
Few stones are left unturned in this character assassination, but then again obsessives cannot afford to overlook anything. First, we have a thinly sourced New York Times article that claims former Secretary of the Navy John Lehman offered McCain a shot at an admiral’s star shortly before he retired from the service – a narrative that everything McCain himself has ever said or written about the topic, not to mention common sense, flatly refutes.
McCain did not command as a captain at sea, and would therefore have been ineligible for flag as a line officer. Secretaries of the Navy do not select admirals, other admirals do. Having only served 2 years as a captain, McCain would not have been up for selection even if he’d been eligible, which the senator has often admitted that he was not. All of this Klein notes, since he put it in his hit piece. But none of that matters. What matters, according to Klein, is that McCain release his full military records for worthies like Klein to sift through. Just like John Kerry did. After his failed presidential bid.
In Klein’s universe McCain is obligated to invite the muckraking vampire across the threshold by rebutting a contention that he himself never made. That was in fact made by someone unconnected to him – a newspaper, furthermore, whose enthusiasm for Republican presidential candidates has gone hitherto unremarked upon.
In his animus, Klein goes on to prove the limits of his knowledge by inisting McCain should never have gotten a pilot billet to begin with:
Despite graduating in the bottom 1 percent of his Annapolis class, McCain was offered the most sought-after Navy assignment — to become an aircraft carrier pilot. According to military historian John Karaagac, “‘the Airdales,’ the air wing of the Navy, acted and still do, as if unrivaled atop the naval pyramid. They acted as if they owned, not only the Navy, but the entire swath of blue water on the earth’s surface.” The most accomplished midshipmen compete furiously for the few carrier pilot openings. After four abysmal academic years at Annapolis distinguished only by his misdeeds and malfeasance, no one with a record resembling McCain’s would have been offered such a prized career path. The justification for this and subsequent plum assignments should be documented in McCain’s naval file.
Which is completely speculative and ultimately unknowable. Many young men (and now, women) go to the Naval Academy hoping to be pilots. Some eventually come to admire other career paths more, some become physically unqualified over the four year period. Eventually everyone goes down by class rank to make their pick, and your correspondent can tell you from certain knowledge even someone in the top 90% of a given class might get a pilot billet, even with a less than immaculate conduct record. And still have folks get in behind him. And that was well after a time when people signing up for flight school faced non-trivial odds of being blasted out of the sky by surface-to-air missiles or triple-A, and – if they were lucky enough to survive – spending year upon miserable year in a POW camp. And in any case, none of the selection process goes into an officer’s military record: As far as the Navy is concerned an officer is “born” as an ensign, with evertying that happened before that time – apart from his academic transcript – too trivial to document. But never mind, Klein still simmers with his petty resentments:
Is McCain now getting away with more by hiding his official history and by having his national security adviser inflate McCain’s resume with a bogus promotion to admiral humbly declined? If so, McCain may be attempting to hide why the Navy was in fact slow to promote him upwards despite his suffering as a POW and his distinguished naval heritage.
This is a laughably poor line of attack. Klein has already admitted that McCain himself never made any such claim. And no one – not even an admiral’s son – has “right” to promotion to admiral. It requires the checking of many little career boxes, perfect performance, political savvy and not a little luck – all of which can be hard to come by when you’ve spent the better part of six years being tortured in a tiger cage, even if you had the proper temperament, which McCain – once again, admittedly – did not.
Finally, Klein caps off an exuberant display of ignorance by claiming that the Navy, having encouraged John McCain never to fly again – for, it apparently need not be mentioned, wounds received as a result of his service – ought to have records of John McCain’s ultralight crash, mentioned here by Carl Bernstein. Of course, the Navy did not then, does not now, own or operate ultralights. And so long as McCain was not injured, the Navy would have taken no more notice of such a trivial off-duty affair than they would have done had he encountered a fender bender in a grocery parking lot.
Even as character assassinations go, Klein’s work is tissue thin and impossibly conjectural. Any “investigative journalist” worthy of the name would be embarrassed to have his name on the by-line. One suspects that Klein is probably not embarrassed.
This is just another envious attempt to throw rotten eggs and an assortment of overripe fruit at a good and brave man who has more guts and grace in his little finger than envious Mr. Klein can ever lay claim to.
McCain is not perfect. But it is truly stupid to try to diss him on the basis of his military service, which is exemplary. Mr. Klein shows his permanent lack of guts and grace in every word he writes.
Marianne
Anything about Lehman and promotions should be viewed as highly suspect. Lehman got his head handed to him for trying to interfere with the 1987 O-6 selection board. As a result the entire board had to be redone-and it was one of the reasons he ended up leaving soon there after as SECNAV.
Let’s pray this hit piece acts as a wake-up call for McCain…no more kumbaya across the aisle bull-s**t moments…with the Dems. Obama can and must be defeated…just not confident the Lesser Weevil is up to it. Best
Well,
Personally, I’d be more than happy to take the good “journalist” out on the town with a few of my old Airdale buddies for a little “dungaree liberty”. The gentleman might have a better appreciation for the power of the pen after that.
Or not… probably not. Some folks will forever remain as dumb as a sack of hair.
This is disgusting.
There have been times when I have questioned the wisdom of the founders and authors of the Constitution and Bill of Rights to include guarantees of free speech. So little of what has been said in that piece of tripe is of any merit other than for it’s ability to inspire vitriol and hatred. I actually read the entire HuffPo piece (for no other apparent reason than I am a masochist) and found myself feeling physically ill afterward.
Mr. Klein tires, no bores me. The accusations and platitudes served here are nothing more than fiction created by a man bent on unleashing the most bilious screed against someone who served without question and returned to this country with honor intact. I find it simply inconceivable that any media organization would condone publication of something riding the razor’s edge of libel and defamation.
It is beyond me what Senator McCain endured not only to qualify as a Naval Aviator, not to mention (and certainly not to dismiss) the time spent as a prisoner of war. Such things are so far removed from my own experience that I cannot even begin to fathom what he experienced and how that may burden him.
Disagreeing with a political viewpoint is one thing, casting unfounded aspersions on a military record is another. Although I disagree with Mr. Klein as emphatically as is possible, I still acknowledge his right to say what he will. Although I wish him to redirect his energy into a more productive avenue of debate, it is still his right to say what he will. It is my opinion that anyone who serves or has served this country understands that what we provide is this very right.
We cannot revoke, nor modify, we can only guarantee that American freedom lives on for all. No matter the abuses suffered at the hands of those who do not understand, we serve and will continue to do so.
Somehow I think that Senator McCain smiles when he sees things like this. Somehow (I sincerely hope) that it makes him happy on some level. Because it means that his sacrifices in the name of our nation were not in vain. That the fundamental rights for which so many have fought and died are preserved and still function.
Despite the fact that I suspect it is most likely not the case, Mr. Klein ought to understand that the reason why Thought Police are not kicking in his door right now are etched as memories and scars across the minds and bodies of not only Senator McCain but every service member – past, present, and future.
I hope you intend to submit this to the Huffington Post as an OpEd. Better yet, how ’bout the Washington Post or NY Times? But do it today, otherwise it’ll be old news lost in the political shuffle.
Cap’n,
John McCain’s Academy performance was done in The Nightingale’s Song. If anything, that book (which also discusses Oliver North, John Poindexter and James Webb) would have Mary Maples scouring the pages for anything to use for fake memos.
As for Mr. Klein, what does one expect from a Leftist Journalist (an oxymoron if there ever was)? Maybe he’s campaigning for White House Press Secretary in the new Democrat Administration.
Oh, and Tim? May I humbly suggest foregoing ‘dungaree liberty’? Simply invite the ‘journalist’ to a real nice ‘Beach Party’ and tell him to bring his own blanket. Remember, cotton covered fire hoses don’t leave tracks.
Obviously the man didn’t do his homework. Had he bothered to call anyone with the most basic knowledge of the Navy he might have learned about what used to be called “quality spread”. Surface, sub, and aviation all get their share of top, mid, and bottom grade recipients. Academic performance being only part of what makes an effective officer and not always the most accurate measure.
Klein very arrogantly assumes that all Naval Officers desire to be fighter pilots, that any other career goal is unworthy. He ignores the rigorous training and intelligence required by the other warfare specialties. Doesn’t he realize there are officers that, God love ‘em, aspire to sneak around under the sea rather than fly above it or float on it?
The fact that Klein believes that McCain could influence a selection board shows his ignorance of the subject.
SeniorD,
Heh. Think Gidget might show up for some “beach blanket bingo”?
Afterwards, we could help the poor sot home and watch him “fall up” a couple flights of stairs…..
Ah memories…
“Despite graduating in the bottom 1 percent of his Annapolis class, McCain was offered the most sought-after Navy assignment — to become an aircraft carrier pilot.”
I was three years ahead of McCain at Pensacola and I was an OCS grad. At that time, the Navy was beefing up the number of pilots in training because they had been tasked with flying the Dew Line among other things.
There were about 700 in my OCS class. Halfway through the training a CDR from BUPERS came and and gave us a lecture about the glories of being a Navy pilot. Lots of slides of white sand beaches populated with attractive young ladies in swim suits. Pictures of pretty girls looking adoringly at young Navy pilots. That sort of thing. Oh yes, I think he mentioned we got $45 a month in hazardous duty pay. The pay off line was, “Gentlemen, the Navy needs pilots. Anyone here who passes the physical and mental tests, and has no grave mental reservations about flying, will receive orders to flight training at Pensacola.” That is how about 100 of us ended up in flight training. Three years later the Navy was still experiencing a shortage of pilots. If you could pass the tests and were willing……you could try to be a Nazal Radiator.
As to the highly desirable assignment to flying off an aircraft carrier, well, the standard procedure for picking who went where in those days was “needs of the service.” The day I was assigned to a my advanced training slot there were five of us in the assignment office. We all wanted Jets. What was available was one slot in jets, one in ADs, one in S-2s, and two in multi-engine patrol. As a result, we drew lots for our assignments. I felt like I had won the second place ticket in the lottery when I got ADs. Things may be different today, but back in those days the bodies were fit into the jobs available. The son of a VIP might possibly get special treatment, but I never saw it in all my years in the Navy.
Anyway, just those details in Kleins’s story show how little he knows or understands about the way the Navy worked then.
Yeah, the dems want payback for the “swiftboating” of Kerry. I guess they’re going to have to find some of McCain’s old squadron/cell mates to tell how much they disliked him. I wonder why they’re not trotting Phil Butler out? He certainly doesn’t like McCain’s politics. Problem for them is there are too many around like Bud Day who can testify to McCain’s courage while in the Hanoi Hilton.
Well, we are seeing a sampling of what is to be thrown over the next four months. I think it will be gloves off for the Republicans as soon as the Convention is over. Let the Dems start on their negative footing now… and after everyone is rallied and positive after the R Convention, let the butt kicking begin.
I hope.
Gee Lex I’d wish you’d quit giving the enemy the gouge on what not to do….
Let ‘em learn. Some intelligent Dems might just stop by here. I’m serious. Knock it off.
Along with the ’98 impeachment and 2000 election, it’s payback time for the 2004 Swift Boat vet thrashing Kerry got. Except this time the MSM (Joe Klein is MSM) is the mechanism. There was more last week on McCains thesis at Newport that they picked apart at the NYTs (you missed it). In 2004 it was de rigeur (sic?) to expound and attempt to glorify the Vietnam service of one JFnKerry. ,,That backfired big time because his shipmates rallied, so today we’re back to Oliver Stone’s version of Vietnam. Get it? Whatever it takes. This time they have the MSM locked up and John McCain ain’t the type for a knife fight.
Snake’s advice is right on- don’t expect the Maverick to take it on…..That’s our job.
I think Klein must think Naval Aviators have to be the top tier at the Academy- giggle-he-hee. IMO, all that is needed is a degree, aeronautical adaptability (a unique set of characteristics definetly not tied to IQ) and 20/20 vision…I don’t think J. McCain would have been offered a seat at nuc power school for subs…
Yes. He missed six years ..out of competition for all those jobs leading to command and command at sea..However defying all odds after he came back he physically rehabilited himself to get back in a jet cockpit. A herculean task not much reported on. He then went on to command the 75 jet, A-7 RAG during the hollow-force days. There, he turned the place upside down, where only 1/4 of the jets were up for flight every day. He lead managed and cajoled that rate up to 9/10.. Quite an achievement- I well remember those days. He then went on to OLA where he also excelled. As a point of comparison, commanding that RAG (VA-174 I think) was more executive management experience than anything, anything Obama has ever done or will do unless he somehow gets himself elected to the highest office in the land. Think about it.
Now. His mil record. I don’t know much but I can imagine after his divorce from his first wife and the decades long pschological evaluations that were required of all ex-POWs, I’ll bet he doesn’t want all that out there…I wouldn’t either.
If anybody deserves, YES deserves, slack on this it’s any Vietnam POW, including John McCain. Those men defined courage as well as any Medal of Honor winner in any war. If you don’t believe what I just said I suggest you read about the Hanoi Hilton………Also I’ll give another plug for his book “Faith of my Fathers”. If you haven’t read it, get off your a$$ and go to the library and check it out- now.
Joe Klein is a portly, bottom-feeding slimebucket who couldn’t fight his own way out of a sweater and has zero concept or understanding of anything having to do with Honor….
BTW, Calling Klein resentful or jealous does not do justice to what he really is..Saying that almost gives him some sort of human justification. It’s worse than that. He is simply a partisan hack under the guise of journalism.
b2
This is going to be a long, muddy election year. . .
If I send in my absentee ballot now, can I be exempted from all of this malarky? Maybe, take the attack ads off my TV and the articles out of my newspaper?
But then you would miss the coverage of Obama’s tantrum and meltdown in the debates!
b2:
Amen. Would only add a recommendation for “The Nightingale’s Song”.
- SJS
To a friendly couple of journalists at the Boston Globe, who promptly buried it.
The article and comments over at HuffPo are sickening. I think they are actually better behaved at Daily Kos. Never thought I’d say that.
B2, you are correct about Joe Klein, a columnist for Time* but I don’t think that is the same guy Lex is quoting.
Funny, if Klein tried to make the point that Johnny Mc. should have been booted from Annapolis because of his horrific record, but was retained because of his lineage, I might take a second look. But then I realized that the Left prolly doesn’t want to open a discussion of people getting handed things like college educations that were not based on merit, but instead on some other, non-academic factor.
*Funny coincidence, I just wrote a scathing letter to the Managing Editor of Time about Klein’s latest dribble. Surprisingly, he wrote back about 6 hours later. Interesting. If anyone is interested, I’ll post over at the Flight Deck.
PS Concur with B2 and SJS about “The Nightingale’s Song.” Great read.
I wonder what Audie Murphy’s military record looks like when viewed by a modern journalist? Too short, too scrawny, not up to the task… Later seems to have had a death with, obviously suffering from some mental problems, suicidal tendencies at least. And no VA to help him. Obviously fodder for discussion of favoritism and increased post-enlistment follow-ups.
Then there’s Alvin York. Guy was a darned pacifist, gun-owner, religious nut who took a leave from the Army to consult with his minister about how the war, or perhaps just shooting others who’d done nothing to him, was unjust.
See a pattern in this?
Let it happen. As the media tries to repeat the Swift Boat War they’ll be preaching only to the choir who wouldn’t vote for McCain anyway. Those who will vote for him won’t be swayed. Those who were up for grabs? They tend to see through these things and vote opposite the slander.
Which makes me predict, if McCain wins, there’s going to be some WAG who blames the bloggers for first floating this story, then giving it legs (by the newspapers, who are only reporting), and finally blaming talk radio and right-wind blogs for the backlash and McCain victory.
Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is enemy action.
— Max
Dear Lex,
It is all very simple really – this is the left mirror imaging “swift boating” – i.e. this is what they think the right would do were Senator McCain a Democrat, and so they have no scruples doing the same thing themselves. They honestly see no difference between this kind of trash-journalism and the reservations raised by those who served right alongside Senator Kerry about his record, or the animus of other veterans towards Sen. Kerry for his attack on the integrity of all Vietnam vets in front of congress. It is why those on the left in this country tend to do so poorly – they have a tin ear for the values and experiences of people very different from themselves.
Klein does succeed in hammering home the point that he hasn’t even a nodding aquiantence with anything military. ‘The airedales’? Please. Klein throws this term out as if he’s giving the reader an illicit glimpse into some secret society. It’s clear that he has zero understanding of the term’s provenance, or it’s coloquial usage in the fleet.
And if John McCain had his heart set on becoming an “aircraft carrier pilot”, he could have saved himself a great deal of time and effort by enlisting rather than attending Annapolis. A year or so in Deck division working as a Bo’suns Mate and he should have been able to qualify as a Master Helmsman. Instead, McCain’s chosen path did get him the chance to fly jets off of carriers.
Pedantic? Maybe. But constantly using the phrase “aircraft carrier pilot” automatically trips my idiot radar. It warns me of someone trying to talk big on a subject they have no actual knowledge of.
Regret I don’t have the link, but Newsweek carries online the interview McCain gave after he was finally released. I don’t care much for his legislative record, or for his circle of Senate staffers (who are his worst enemies, and not necessarily our friends, either), but touch his military record and the sacrifice he made, and the gloves come off.
Besides, I heard McCain’s come out for offshore drilling. At last, some potential sense out of the White House (sorry, Jeb).
Nose,
Jeffery and Joe (btw, sorry Joe for being inaccurate). Are they related? ;-0
Seeing red.
b2
If I recall correctly the smoking gun in Kerry’s naval records was the fact that his GPA at Yale was lower than Dubbya’s… Best
Clearly Mr. Klein has never experienced the wonder, affirmation, disbelief, confusion, outrage or unintended humor of reading selection board results.
don’t overlook the possibility that it could just be that Jeff Klein is a dick..
when he says “bottom 1% of the class”, he says that like it’s a BAD thing. hmmph!
Was Sen McCain the “Anchor Man” of his Class?
I do not have the source but I beleive McCain was not the anchorman but the first link from the Anchor (#2).
It seems the left has only 2 issues with which to beat up McCain – military service and age. Which they are using to ridiculously silly affect.
It is going to be a long election cycle – but we’ve all been saying that for nearly 2 years now. With due respect to the venerable Snake-Eater – I hope he’s wrong.
I hope McCain comes out with gloves off in fine fighting form. Use some of that grit and determination that got him thru the worst things that humans can do to another- turn it on the Dems and Obama.
And watch the pretty fireworks.
Kinda hard to besmirch this.
Not that that will stop the Loons from trying…
And I sure hope that Sen. McCain does not fight this campaign with an overly restrictive ROE, like those in place when he went on extended TAD…
The Thunder Run has linked to this post in the – Web Reconnaissance for 06/18/2008 A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention, updated throughout the day…so check back often.
Klein is a silly braying ass……Kerry fudged his citations and managed to get away with it…..then proved his true colors by parading around DC in fatigues besmirching real Nam vets with a crowd of fakers at his side. I was Newport OCS and chased CVAs for a living when I was a brash young JG. Mr. Klein wouldn’t know a DD-214 from a 74 Bick, as a writer about things he can’t comprehend he does the Obama gang proud….
After you fish the first dead aviator out of the drink, you only begin to know what it takes to fly off a carrier…..Obviously, Klein doesn’t know his
butt from first base. Kinda runs in writers of his ilk…. Alfa Mike Foxtrot to them all.
Tincanman
Kris,Color me a Northeast Cynic ( H/T to S-San) re my comment # 3 above… that said I sure do hope I’m proven wrong about Mccain on this issue. Best
PS, “Venerable”… are you calling me an old fart ?
hmm, first link off the chain = new-found respect…
now i just need to know whether he had to attend remedial summer academic classes during his matriculation. if NOT, then the man is a MASTER of maximizing his time utilization.
Well, technically I was referring to this part of the definition:
worthy of veneration or reverence, as because of high office or noble character
ymmv
Here are some rich journalistic efforts by a Loon which should provide many inthis venue a chuckle or two…
BTW this account was repeated by Michael Savage a while back.
Think I will send Mr. Madsen a quart jar of Chemtrail fluid so he can “scoop” that conspiracy…
It was US News and World Report that reprinted then LCDR McCain’s article on his captivity. Link is below.
I find that one big question about any Presidential candidate is whether they have the mental toughness to stand against overwhelming long-term adversity and make decisions for the betterment of others and the country even when it costs them personally. John McCain has answered that question by action. When offered a choice LCDR McCain chose solidarity with his fellow prisoners and to deny the enemy advantage versus repatriation to the US and proper medical care, repeatedly. It would be best for the Dems to drop McCain’s service as an issue. Few in any walk of life have demonstrated mental toughness and willingness to sacrifice for others as throughly as John McCain.
http://www.usnews.com/articles/news/2008/01/28/john-mccain-prisoner-of-war-a-first-person-account.html?PageNr=1
Kris, Many thanks for the technical clarification…but I question it’s sincerity. Best
PS, OK I’ll bite…” ymmv” ?
Snake,
Your Mileage May Vary.
sid,
Read the article in your link. Priceless. So McCain’s aircraft, on the other side of the flight deck, “wet started” and caused a rocket on a wing pod to fire?
Erm. Here I was thinking all along that this incident was the genesis of why we’re so vigilant about performing stray voltage checks when loading ordnance now.
Also, how did McCain’s aircraft get from one side of the deck to the other side to cause the mishap and back again without the PLAT noticing this happen? Here I was laboring under the delusion that his aircraft was the one being shot at, not the one next to the one doing the shooting.
Could be wrong here. I know, I’m just another neocon shill out to CONTROL YOUR MIND WITH MY RIGHT-WINGOTRON THOUGHT RAYS! Quickly my friends! Abandon all logic and accountability! Fnord!
JKB, I stand pleasantly corrected. Thanks!
Snake…
ICPBFTFTH or
Sid, you might be interested to know the original source for the idiotic article that blamed McCain for the Forrestal fire: Rev. Moon’s “Insight” magazine.
Right-wing McCain foes posted the original article approvingly back when there were other Republican presidential candidates, both in 2000 when the hit piece was originally written and as recently as a few months ago on Free Republic.
That certainly doesn’t let left-wing critics off the hook for clutching at every piece of dirt they can find, but it does show that there can be blowback when ideologues of any stripe engage in character assassination. The original “Loon” (ironic given the connection to Moon!) was attacking McCain from the right, not the left!