Posted on 02/21/2008 6:27:02 PM PST by Kurt Evans
John McCain can deny the latest allegations all he wants. He can try to push back by blaming everything on the New York Times. And he can state, as he did Thursday morning, that in his 50 years of “public service,” he has “never violated the public trust.”
Oh, really?
How about back in 1974 when then Commander John McCain--fresh off his 5½ years as a POW in North Vietnam--was given his first command in Jacksonville, Florida?
McCain, according to Robert Timberg in his book, The Nightingale's Song, was transferred to Jacksonville as the executive officer of Replacement Air Group 174. A few months later, he assumed command of the RAG, which trained pilots and crews for carrier deployments. The assignment was controversial, some calling it favoritism, a sop to the famous son of a famous father and grandfather, since he had not first commanded a squadron, the usual career path.
While Executive Officer and later as Squadron Commander, the married McCain used his authority to arrange frequent flights that allowed him to carouse with subordinates and "engage in extra-marital affairs."
This was a violation of the Uniform Code of Military Justice rules against adultery and fraternization with subordinates. But, as with all his other past behaviors, McCain was never penalized; instead he always got away with his transgressions.
Timberg wrote, "Off duty, usually on routine cross-country flights to Yuma and El Centro, John started carousing and running around with women. To make matters worse, some of the women with whom he was linked by rumor were subordinates ... At the time the rumors were so widespread that, true or not, they became part of McCain's persona, impossible not to take note of."
In early 1977, Admiral Jim Holloway, Chief of Naval Operations, had to deal with the embarrassment caused by McCain’s behavior. So the Admiral transferred McCain from his command position "to Washington as the number-two man in the Navy's Senate liaison office. McCain was promptly given total control of the office. It wasn't long before the "fun loving and irreverent" McCain had turned the liaison office into a "late-afternoon gathering spot where senators and staffers, usually from the Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees, would drop in for a drink and the chance to unwind."
ETHICS COMPLAINT OVER ATTACKING A GRIEVING WOMAN
In 1984, as a Member of the House of Representatives, John McCain gave a speech in Congressman Duncan Hunter’s San Diego district.
At the end of the speech a woman approached Representative McCain and introduced herself as the wife of a Marine pilot shot down and still missing in Southeast Asia. She asked Congressman McCain if he could help her find information on her husband’s case.
Eyeing the attractive woman, the married McCain replied, “Why don’t you ride with us and have dinner?”
Congressman Hunter and an aide sat in the front seat of the car, McCain and this woman in the back, as they drove to Hunter’s house. Not long into the short ride, McCain ran his hand up the woman’s skirt. Stunned, she pushed him away and resisted his advances. He continued trying to grab her, even after she moved as far away from him as possible.
As this time, McCain’s wife, Cindy, was pregnant.
Disgusted over his behavior she left as soon as they arrived at Duncan Hunter’s place. She promptly told the two Vietnam veterans who had originally encouraged her to try to see McCain about her missing husband’s case that night.
Years later a Senate Ethics Committee complaint was filed over this incident. In that complaint, the woman was quoted as saying that Congressman McCain used “unreasonable force in a hostile manner.” But the Senate Committee, then chaired by Mitch McConnell, claimed not to have jurisdiction over a matter that took place when McCain was in the House.
DR. JACK WHEELER’S CLAIMS
Dr. Jack Wheeler, who The Wall Street Journal called "the originator of the Reagan Doctrine," recently posted several columns about McCain. In one of them--weeks before the New York Times ran the explosive revelations about Vicki Iseman and McCain--Dr. Wheeler wrote, “McCain has been having affairs with three women, one of whom I know the name of.”
In his latest piece, he wrote of how the Democrats will attack McCain systematically in the fall, bleeding him drip by drip: “Then the identities of the women lobbyists with whom he has been cheating on his blonde rich wife will be known by early October.”
CONCLUSION:
Senator McCain used his wife today to finesse the issue of his alleged philandering. He used her to deny that anything bad is going on. “He wouldn’t disappoint me or our children.” Those words came from her--not from his mouth. He is being extra careful about denying his affairs.
His press conference in Toledo was similar to Gary Hart’s back in 1987 when he dared the media to find any examples of his philandering. Not much later came the now-infamous picture of Hart and Donna Rice on the Monkey Business.
McCain has similarly thrown down the gauntlet and denied ever violating the “public trust.”
Well, we’ll see now if the heretofore friendly-to-McCain media will try to prove him a liar.
..the MSM has been sitting on this stuff for years—just waiting for him to be in a position to get shot down by their air-to-air missiles...
..make that sewer-to-air missiles...
Or not. If any of the accusations of favoritism are true, being a POW may have inoculated McCain against having to retire as a Lt. Commander, at the least.
Ticket punching as a requirement for advancement is real and McCain didn’t have to get his ticket punched.
Michael Frazier
He also had two aircraft turned into plows on his record.
Rather, he was out there with it, but nobody was listening to him and his voice was more or less marginalized.
I really don’t give a flying fig.
Just kill the terrorists, President McCain, and everything else will fall into place.
WE THE PEOPLE will give you all the guidance you need on making the Bush tax cuts permanent and eliminating the IRS.
When you’ve done that Johnnie boy, we’ve got more work for you. Keep your yap shut and maybe we’ll let you stay there.
G
And he's hoping to become our Buffoon-in-Chief...
No it doesn't...
I would like us to be able to re-rig the process the way “our committee” wants it. I think I can get access to all the Diebold “voting” machines.
“Can’t we just do the whole primary/caucus thing over again...and do it right this time? or how about a little shake-up at the convention? Something?”
A convention shake-up is still possible:
http://politics.nytimes.com/election-guide/2008/results/gopdelegates/index.html
“Any way to check this? Would Duncan Hunter confirm or deny?”
Actually I’ve wondered about that myself.
“Is it too late for Mitt to jump back in?”
Probably not, but it might be difficult for him to do so with any significant measure of credibility.
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