McCain attacks Elizabeth Edwards; uses his POW experience AGAIN

[sniffa]

During an at times testy interview with George Stephanopoulos on Sunday, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said Sunday that Elizabeth Edwards took a “cheap shot” at him by claiming that the presidential candidate had government healthcare his whole life.

Stephanopoulos, noting Edwards’ recent comments about McCain in The Wall Street Journal, said, “Her point is why shouldn’t every American be able to get the kind of healthcare that members of Congress get and members of the military get?”

A smiling McCain said, “It’s a cheap shot but I did have a period of time where I didn’t have very good healthcare, I had it from another government. Look, I know what it’s like not to have healthcare.” McCain was referring to the five-and-a-half years he spent as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.

http://thehill.com/campaign-2008/mccain-elizabeth-edwards-claim-a-cheap-shot-2008-04-20.html

[hisownpetard]

1. Looks like he's becoming as adept at fitting in references to those 5 1/2 years

as Giuliani was at fitting in 9/11.

Something tells me we're gonna hear this at least 5 1/2 million more times before November.

[ColbertWatcher]

15. Don't you mean we're going to hear it...

...911 more times?

[lisa58]

27. good one - I wanted to say something about that....

...and it just didn't come to me.

Thanks.

[hisownpetard]

33. 'The price of gas? Well, gas was something I didn't have to worry about for 5 1/2 years

when I wasn't going anywhere...'

[saltpoint]

2. The assumptions at hand would appear to be

that John McCain is a superior citizen for having been in a cage for half a decade;

that Elizabeth Edwards has no right to voice support for enhanced health care in the United States for all citizens;

that Elizabeth Edwards is mistaken about members of Congress receiving top-drawer health coverage AS members of Congress;

that Stephanopoulos' follow-up in clarifying her position was off-point; and

that McCain's individual experience is somehow the tripswitch to silence other American voices in one or another key issue.

All of of those assumptions, IMO, are wrong.

[hlthe2b]

4. I think you get the award for understatement on this one.... n/t

[cornermouse]

11. Help me out here.

Which issue had DUers attacking Elizabeth a while back? Was it health care or something else...?

[saltpoint]

13. Hi, cornermouse. Not sure. But I love her. I can see why she and her

husband have done so well as a duo.

Lucky kids, is my thought.

[cornermouse]

23. Need some help remembering some of the scurrilous attacks?

Cause I can help.

[saltpoint]

41. I'm up to date on the filing.

I spoke in praise of John and Elizabeth, long-time favorites of mine.

[Red Zelda]

3. Hey. Joe army-man-soldier-boy was a p.o.w.??

shit, just give him the white house now. no need for elections here is Fuckedupistan.

[Jack Rabbit]

5. Is McCain suggesting that living in US is like being a POW?

Of course he isn't, but why should the Republican Noise Machine have all the fun?

[electron_blue]

7. Yes, he's definitely implying that being uninsured in the U.S. rivals his POW experience

Huh.

[gratuitous]

9. That's the message I got loud and clear

But of course, our mavens in the media, who can tease the most subtle meanings out of any statement, gesture, speculation or sniff from a Democratic candidate, will be too busy worshipping Straight-Talkin' Johnny Maverick's codpiece to notice the pretext of what he said.

Besides, they're all quite wealthy with top-drawer health insurance, so what do they care?

[ColbertWatcher]

16. Or, he is dismissing it.

Knowing republican sheep as I do, he must be saying no one knows troubles unless they are being tortured for five years--like he has.

It seems small-town America is out of touch with the heroic Mr. McCain.

Like the citizens in http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-needles20apr20,0,3526523,print.story">Needles, California, who will petulantly leave one state for another just because they are losing their only full-service medical center.

Apparently, the 5,600 tax payers there have not yet suffered enough in his estimation.

These regular Americans are not showing enough compassion for Our True Patriots™ since they refuse to go without a hospital, like he did for five and a half years.

If they really love their country, they will do this.

Otherwise, the terrorists win.

Thank you, I'm here all week.

Try the veal.

[kevinbgoode]

6. Well, so essentially, John McCain is explaining that the American people

under Republican rule, are essentially the equivilent of prisoners of war when it comes to health care?

Thanks, Johnny. At. . .what...73 or 74 years of age, you've lost a whole 5.5 years without health care - well, unless you may have traded some (like conservatives claimed in 2000) propaganda tapes for health care during those POW years.

If McSame keeps bringing up that POW status, he might open up a can of worms the Republicans themselves unleashed eight years ago about his "experience."

[Kermitt Gribble]

12. That's exactly it!

You should write commercials for the Dems!

[saltpoint]

8. Imagine for a moment McCain, the presumptive GOP nominee, going

up against Sen. Obama in the first debate.

Given the incoherent, unresearched, and extremely visible inability to express himself of the former and the sure-footed insight, historical perspective, and vigorous command of issues of the latter, they are going to have to scrape John McCain off the debate stage after the steamrolling he's in for.

[elizfeelinggreat]

28. Unless the press continue to feel inadequate themselves

which apparently was the reason they neglected to give credit to either Gore or Kerry for wiping the floor with Bush.

Sell-outs that they are.

[UTUSN]

10. I wish Steppie had said, "For clarity, you're referring to your POW experience AGAIN!1"

And THEN for him to say, "Can we assume that your standard technique throughout the campaign for getting out of tight questioning will be for you to make references to your POW experience?"

[ColbertWatcher]

18. If only we had a media that was owned by Mr. McCain's party. n/t

[JI7]

14. wow, and they accused Kerry of bringing up his service

he never did it like this.

McCain is a whore.

[jazzjunkysue]

17. Ok. Who's turn was it today to remind Gramps that Edwards is out of the race?

(Tapping foot impatiently with arms folded.)
I'm waiting!

[tavalon]

29. Just because Edwards is out of the race,

it doesn't mean that his dying wife is not fair game. Come on, alls fair in, um, well, uh, love and um, well, you know, WAR. It's certainly not news that McCain is an asshole, is it?

[jazzjunkysue]

39. Failed altzheimer's reference. Sorry.

(I thought it was funny!)

[magellan]

19. He has good healthcare on the taxpayer dime

...while many of those same taxpayers have inadequate or no coverage because they can't afford it.

You're right, John. Repubs treat Americans like POWs.

[and-justice-for-all]

20. Congress does not deserve better healtcare than

the citizens it is sworn to protect. Health care is a fundamental human right and everyone should have equal and fair access to it under any circumstance.

[Wizard777]

21. That's what happens when people can enact their own pay and benefits.

If they are indeed public servants. Shouldn't We The People approve their pay and benefits packages? They can put a request for a raise on the ballot for a yes or no vote.

The worst part is. They actually have the ability to screw up the economy and send us into a recession and lower our standard of living. Then raise their own pay so their own screw ups don't lower their standard of living.

[and-justice-for-all]

22. That is not Democracy, that is Fascist rule...nt

[Thothmes]

25. We cannot do that, however

Every election cycle the American people are afforded an opportunity to fire them.

[marions ghost]

24. narcissist creep

This fits the classic definition--when you can't see ANYTHING but your own experience and have no empathy for the situation of others. McCain and GWB--both NPD. The personality of tyrants.

Deflection deflection. Look at Moi. Remember what a hard time I had, so shut up and persevere....

Well we knew we are in trenches here in the USA, thanks Mr. McC, but how come the trenches are getting deeper everyday?

[lisa58]

26. He's an ass...

...I guess when you live with a billionaire wife you have no idea what "benefits" the government provides.

[progressoid]

30. Sooo, what, we're have to be held prisioner to get health insurance?

Sounds like the Repbulican way to me.

[CTyankee]

31. OK folks, this is the official spin on his health care nonstarter, nonhealth care

for this nation.

Now that he has shown his hand -- how the RW is going to handle this question in the GE -- let's get busy preparing our rebuttal.

I'm pretty sure we shouldn't even get INTO his POW experience. That's exactly what he wants us to do! If we get into replaying his POW scenario, he comes out winning each and every time.

We should stick to the issue: "So, what IS your proposal to help the 45 million Americans who can't get health insurance and are currently uninsured, using the ER for basic care which drives up the costs of health care exponentially?"

We should keep hammering at him on this and just ignore the POW thing. That is ultimately a loser for us.

[nashville_brook]

32. i agree we don't need to criticize his POW experience, but when he uses it inappropriately

then, an honest response would call out that he's quick to *exploit* it for political gain. this exchange is a perfect example.

[CTyankee]

38. It is inappropriate and I wish I could agree with you. But we know how these people

operate. They will turn it into a perceived criticism of his POW experience. Every time we allow the POW meme to chime in, on any occasion even if inappropriate, we are playing on their turf and it reminds people that he is a "hero."

What is the most important thing here is to "out" him on his REAL plan to help 45 million uninsured citizens get health insurance. He can't/won't do it. We need to get him to say that flat out. The contrast with our candidate will be crystal clear.

[RubyDuby in GA]

34. Expect his "I was a POW" statements to be just like Rudy's 9/11.

I think him running on that instead of his actual record in Congress is a "cheap shot".

[treestar]

35. How totally irrelevant

What does that even have to do with not having healthcare here?

He's just bringing it up to bring it up.

[Prisoner_Number_Six]

36. He wasn't a POW- he was a COLLABORATOR.

And they gave him better health care than many here now enjoy.

:shrug:

[petronius]

37. As long as the US health care system is better than a North Vietnamese prison,

then everything is OK? Am I understanding him correctly?

I can't say I'm surprised that torture and dank cells would qualify as the republican gold standard for social services...

[Supersedeas]

40. Two choices for healthcare: McCain's non-plan or the PoW plan--you choose