Posted on 07/12/2008 9:48:24 AM PDT by flyfree
These are the never-before-seen last known photos of Sen. John McCain's Hoa Lo prison cell, images that prove that even after being cleaned up for an American historical filmmaker, the terror of the Hanoi Hilton is real. Debra Watkins, who took the pictures and video in 1993 and 1994 before this and other areas of the century-old prison were destroyed, provided them to Whispers as part of a story that appears in the Washington Whispers column. Watkins did volumes of research before traveling to Hanoi, sparked by reports the government planned to rip down most of the facility. She was able to find McCain's cell which she says is pictured in the above photos. The first shows an official opening the cell. You can clearly see old locks used presumably to hold leg irons and other torture implements on the inside. The second shot shows the inside of McCain's cell and the leg iron contraption Watkins believes he was tortured with. Amazingly, in her 31 hours of video she also has an interview with McCain, seen in the third photo, as she shows him her pictures of the cell he lived in solitary for two years. She recalls that he "was emotional not teary." He even laughed at some of the shots. We haven't seen these images before because while she planned to produce a film or documentary long ago, it got pushed aside as she dealt with some family illnesses. She is now offering it to cable news companies because she has heard of reports of people questioning McCains POW experience. Asked how she felt leaving the prison years ago, Watkins focused on McCain's efforts at the time to forgive and forget and open relations with Vietnam. "I don't know if I could forgive and forget," she told me. Nonetheless, it is a tourist destination now, one even McCain visited in 2000.
In 1973, McCain wrote a first-person account of his five-year captivity for U.S. News, read it here.
'Nam was 40 years ago, it just reminds people he is old.
Most American people look at Vietnam as old history, those who lived thought it are a smaller and smaller part of the population.
This came from US News and World Report, not the McCain campaign.
http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/HANHITW-Hilton-Hanoi-Opera-hotel/index.do
Those who were of service age at that time are a very large portion of the voting population.
It appears you don’t know what you’re talking about.
Club Gitmo is more upscale.
I agree with you on the hold my nose and vote for him- but I don’t see him using his POW experience for votes. What I see happening is Obama supporters trying to turn McCain’s service against him in order to make their candidate look better. I see most of the media getting on the band wagon with the libs and Vietnam Veterans and a few others defending his service.
Vietnam Veterans are becoming a smaller part of the population, but are very determined people as Kerry can vouch for. I know the ones I know made some vows to themselves- that they would no longer accept the denigration of their service and would stand up when it counted against those that played a part in the denigration of Vietnam Veterans. They also made a vow that those serving now would not have to be treated the way they were by this country. They are doing their best to keep those vows. Very special group and I am very proud to know and be related to many of them. Might be old history but it is well worth knowing and remembering.
The Popman generation needs to put down the X-Box / Playstation thingy and recognize that we boomers are the largest segment of the voting population.
Then again, schools no longer teach American history, and what is taught is sanitized by the liberal teachers.
Actually, those who lived through it are the largest group of registered and actual voters.
I disagree. I think this illustrates his strength. Most people don’t know how long ago Nam was. Vietnam has become a buzz word. What people do understand is that far too many of our leaders have little or no military experience. We have too many manicured men in office. It shouldn’t give McCain a free ride but I think it adds a degree of credibility. McCain didn’t have to volunteer, he didn’t even have to put himself in harms way. He could’ve been escorted and protected but he wasn’t. We constantly bemoan the lack of real heroes, men who speak their own mind even when we don’t like it well McCain is that kind of man. Sometimes he infuriates me but at the end of the day I realize it isn’t because he is trying to play favorites to left it is because he is speaking his own mind and I can accept that.
I do not appreciate his betrayals and anyone who minimizes those needs a shot of intellectual honesty. McCain did not need to demonize the opposition to the Immigration bill. He did not need to take up the language of the left to oppose the Bush tax cuts. He claims to have changed his mind on Immigration and he now supports the tax cuts. We accepted a lot of crap from G.W. Bush and McCain who I believe is more conservative on fiscal issues has a lot to offer. Where he falls short is in his defense of conservatives and chastisement of the left. He needs to give more speeches fingering the left for the bad energy policy, fingering the left for attacking the traditional family that is paying the price at the pump and in their homes fighting the corrosive assault on their values, he needs to take every opportunity to speak about the benefits of a smaller government and low taxes. He needs to speak about his experience and about the importance that we not fail in Iraq. He could use Vietnam as an example of what not to do and example of the high cost of retreat.
John McCain has the ability to be a great President. The question is whether he can step upon that mountain top and proclaim his ability to lead and point the way. I think he can. If a Chicago Organizer with no military experience and a naive view of the world can speak from that mountain John McCain should be shear force of presence should be able to knock such a small man from it.
Just terrible. This will do what to help him win the election? Pity? Is that what this is all about?
We need to cut this out.
took the pictures and video in 1993 and 1994
Well, there you go.
A lot happened since 1975. The tenants who lived after McCain prolly caused the damage. Vietnam's version of Section 8 Housing. You can only keep up with repairs for so long, then it becomes a slum.
After all, it WAS called the Hanoi Hilton. I'm sure it had at least *3 Stars* when he lived there. They even had Room Service IIRC.
And who was in-charge of this prison? It was the Russians per Dr. Jack Wheeler.
That isn't what I get from this at all. What this is a blaring example of the kind of man John McCain is. A man that can undergo years of torture, humiliation and the type of abuse that very people experience in their life, and come back from that a better man because of his character.
That is a STARK contrast from the empty suit he's running against.
I believe it was real. I believe McCain suffered beyond words, however I DISAGREE with MOST OF HIS POLICIES. Having said that, doesn’t take away from his heroic Viet Nam service. It’s his POLICIES and the direction of the COUNTRY, that I DISAGREE with. Perhaps this heroic service wore down his former conservative resolve ... .
Yes, he’s better than Obama but by how much?
I believe you are wrong. My husband is a VietNam vet. He just turned 60. Thats not very old. He was 20 years old when he went to Nam. I believe the vast majority of people who lived in that era are still alive.
True but McCain is WRONG on many of his policies!
Immigration
Interrogating prisoners
“Global Warming”
Amnesty to ILLEGALS
Carbon tax - cap and trade
and on and on it goes.
This horrific experience does separate him from Obama (empty suit is flattering) but on policies, McPain is just as “EMPTY”.
I totally agree. I am even wearing my McCain button. I see alot more support for McCain, even from Democrats, out in the real world than in the blogosphere.
Its not talked about much but he had a chance to leave at one point because his father was a VIP but he refused because he said you just don’t leave your brothers behind in that situation. Now that takes real guts and character.
Yes, unfortunately, McCain cast his remaining good character aside working with Clinton and Kerry to normalize trade relations with Communist Vietnam and giving POW/MIA families the shaft in the process.
McCain's character greatness started to tarnish as soon as he walked off the Freedom Bird.
But hey, you can always rationalize that away and keep telling yourself that at least he's not as bad as Obambi.
Oh, that is where they held his trial? Where is the air conditioning unit and eating facility and the mattress and of course his captors provided him a Qur’an, time to pray, legal counsel and a supreme court decision that stated he was not to be tortured...oh yeah and this is where no one died, no one was tortured and no one was shot. WOW, after seeing these five star accommodations I can see why POW John McCain would abide by “the Code of Conduct,” and turn down early release...the conditions were awesome.
I would agree that McCain suffered abuse at the hands of North Vietnam, that however, does not make him a man to be President in our world today.
If his abuse would have made him a conservative...why...he would get my vote. It has obviously made him a liberal. It is this, that I cannot take, or vote for.
143 Days Versus 1,966 Days ...Service That Matters
John McCain suffered as a POW longer than Barack Obama has been a senator.
In fact, John McCain was a Prisoner of War 13 times longer than Barack Obama was a US senator before he decided to run for President.
From the time Barack Obama was sworn in as a United State Senator, to the time he announced he was forming a Presidential exploratory committee, he logged 143 days of experience in the US Senate.
In contrast, John McCain has 26 years in Congress, 22 years of military service, and 1,966 days in captivity as a POW in Hanoi, via Cheri Jacobus.
This puts things into perspective.
http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2008/07/143-days-versus-1966-days-sacrifice.html#comments
Yes, he’s better than Obama but by how much?
by 1,000,000 unborn babies per year
by 2 supreme court justices
by 2 hundred billion dollars of federal deficit
by 1 iranian nuclear device in los angeles
by that much
Okay, indylindy, seriously, you should have stopped with the; “I would agree that Lieutenant Commander McCain suffered abuse at the hands of North Vietnam...”
I feel you are being awfully disingenuous, the fact of the matter is, the time Lieutenant Command McCain spent suffering the abuse is only one small piece of a much larger life spent committed to our country, so, yes, you are right he suffered. And that doesn’t make him a conservative or liberal.
However, the bigger picture is his commitment to our country, the years spent at sea, the long arduous hours learning to become a fighter pilot, attending the Naval Academy, being the son and grandson of a family devoted to and committed to defending freedom and democracy around the world, moving every two to three years (I know first hand, that is what Navy families do), getting elected to both the U.S House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, defending America and Freedom and American values, that, that my dear, that is was makes Mr. McCain not only a great American, but a Patriot, I know, because the old saying is true, IT TAKES ONE, TO KNOW ONE!
I’m not sure what you have done to earn the title Conservative, but if your resume is half as impressive as Mr. McCain’s, then I will salute you - personally. God Bless America, and God Bless John McCain!
God Bless AMERICA God bless US citizens, they are going to need it if Barry or Juan is elected.
Both of them are sellouts to their masters.
Don’t shame yourself like that. It is pathetic.
Difference between me and McCain is, I am not a sellout to liberals and socialism. Are you? Be honest now.
Newbie, McCainiac. Won’t work no matter how hard you try.
Years ago there was a C-SPAN segment in which they visited the Hanoi Hilton, accompanied by John McCain.
I’d like to see them re-broadcast that video. After seeing that I realized that John McCain is as tough and stoic as anyone on the planet.
Yes, he’s better than Obama but by how much?
by 1,000,000 unborn babies per year
by 2 supreme court justices
by 2 hundred billion dollars of federal deficit
by 1 iranian nuclear device in los angeles
by that much
The President will not end abortion.
THere is no telling that he will tryuly pick a CONSERVATIVE SUpreme Court Justice. He was over heard saying one consrvative was “too conservative”.
McPain wants MORE $$$$ thrown at healthcare. Now he wants to baiout forclosures and banks. How will that balance the federal deficit? BTW, how will his “carbon tax” help anyone?
“by 1 iranian nuclear device in los angeles”
?????????????????????????
Heck, let em nuke San Franciso and Los Angeles.
I understand the free government-furnished health care John McCain received wasn’t any better than this government-subsidized housing they provided him.
This name calling “newbie” crap doesn’t make a persuasive argument.
Answer the question: what have you done to establish your own conservative bona fides? Do you have a resume you’d like to share? Other than getting on every McCain thread to bash him, I’m not seeing much ... please educate us in a concrete fashion as to just what it is you have done for the conservative cause that so outsines McCain.
Your anti-McCain schtick is getting mighty tiresome.
Sorry Ed, your bonafide crap is wearing thin. I am not running for POTUS, McCain needs my vote, I don’t need his.
I wil put my faith in God and do what I believe is right.
You do whatever you want, I really do not care.
I will never vote FOR McCain. I will vote ‘nobama’
With all you vitriol and clamoring, why did you skip by that?
I'd like to hear about your sacrifices and decades of service...not just your pontificating
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