the POW swiftboaters:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/7/31/142834/892/240/560121 The only real publicity I recall McCain getting during that time was over the "issue" (if that’s the right word) of missing POWs in Vietnam. McCain, the POW movement’s former poster boy, suddenly became McCain, Hanoi’s best good buddy on Capitol Hill. The media, which thought the POW activists were a bunch of kooks, gladly gave him an free pass on that particular flip and flop. The activists, who remembered that McCain had been sympathetic, or even a full-fledged supporter, up until about his first Senate race, were much less charitable – the diehards still hate his guts. (That the Obama campaign hasn’t reached out to them the way Rove reached out to the anti-Kerry Swiftboat cranks in 2004 tells you all you need to know about the Democrats’ nice-guys-finish-last syndrome.)
My response:
http://www.dailykos.com/comments/2008/7/31/142834/892/499#c499And, then, he says this later on:
In the summer of 2004, when it looked like Bush might actually lose, McCain played footsie under the table with John Kerry, briefly considering a spot on the Democratic ticket. But when he saw what a lousy candidate Kerry was (and how effective the Rovian Swiftboat machine could be) he quickly switched gears and hit the campaign trail with Bush.
Now, no doubt, McCain was really a jerk during that time, and definitely made a political calculation which involved throwing his friend under the bus. But notice how this jerk diarist has to knock Kerry? I am sorry, the type of Democrat the diarist is (he was/is in the political business) represents everything I am against. He's probably some type of consultant with NO SOUL. Ugh. And this diary, which may have been insightful at points about McCain, is just despicable to me because of the examples I show. Frankly, I don't know if I can believe any of it, when he advises we dispatch the crazy POW/MIA crowd as part of our campaign.