Posted on 10/23/2017 5:16:18 PM PDT by jazusamo
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) is knocking the media, saying they are inaccurately portraying his recent comments about high-income Americans getting draft deferments from the Vietnam War over bone spurs as a slight against President Trump.
"By the way ... on this issue of people who got deferments from serving in Vietnam. I was against that 40 years ago, so for you people to say that I'm taking a shot at Trump over that, then you don't know my record," McCain said on Monday evening.
He added that deferments from the draft for the Vietnam War were "unfair and unequal. The rich people didn't serve and the poor people did. It has nothing to do with President Trump."
McCain's comments, which were unprompted, came after he was asked by The Hill if he was planning to attend the Senate GOP caucus lunch with Trump on Tuesday.
The current dust-up started when McCain argued, during a larger interview about the draft, that high-income individuals were able to unfairly get deferments.
“One aspect of the [Vietnam] conflict, by the way, that I will never ever countenance is that we drafted the lowest income level of America, and the highest income level found a doctor that would say that they had a bone spur,” McCain told C-SPAN 3 .
The comments were widely interpreted as a veiled swipe at Trump, who received five deferments from the draft during the Vietnam War, including one due to heel spurs, a bone protrusion caused by calcium buildup.
McCain said during an interview with ABC's "The View" on Monday morning that he doesn't think Trump is a "draft dodger" but that the system for deciding who served in the Vietnam War was unfair.
“I don’t consider him so much a draft dodger as I feel that the system was so wrong that certain Americans could evade their responsibilities to serve the country,” McCain said.
McCain has emerged as one of Trump's most consistent GOP critics.
The C-SPAN 3 interview came after Trump and McCain spent last week exchanging fire after the Arizona senator blasted "spurious nationalism” in a widely praised speech.
When asked about McCain's speech, Trump said: "People have to be careful, because at some point I fight back."
"I've faced greater challenges than this," McCain shot back.
Trump had earned GOP ire in 2015 when he mocked McCain's military service, saying, "I like people who weren’t captured."
McCain spent more than five years as a prisoner of war after his plane was shot down.
Just die already.
I am hoping the President humiliates McPain soon.
Maybe he has the Jimmy Carter cancer.
In a year he will be speaking the truth.
I’d rather be known as someone who got a genuine medical disqualification from the Vietnam war, then be known as someone who destroyed five American jets and caused a fatal fire on an aircraft carrier.
McCain is as classless now as he was as an Annapolis midshipman.
F the Draft, I enlisted (I knew what I was signing up for, as much as a 17 year old could)
WWV*, Class of 1968
World War Vietnam
This poor guy is trying too hard to make his life count for something.
While I pity his circumstances I have to believe that if I were in his position I would have better things to occupy my final months than just taking cheap shots at the President.
Well, I was 18 in 1968 and I agree with Senator McCain that the draft system in place was grossly unfair - as was the system of sending volunteers to Germany and draftees to Vietnam.
However, Donald John Trump is serving his country in a way no 18 year old could ever do, and making sacrifices to do so that most would never agree to.
Lets git ‘er done, folks!
Gutless punk not man enough to own up to his own words. Scumbag in Hanoi scumbag on Arizona and a scumbag in DC songbird never changes.
In taking down the deep state he will PREVENT drafts.
What a bitter, nasty little man.
As a politician, has he ever done anything to help the conservative cause? Genuine question.
the system of sending volunteers to Germany and draftees to Vietnam.
[genuine medical disqualification from the Vietnam war]
Bone Spurs Are a Thorny Problem
https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=1&contentid=1960
Would it humiliate Juan if he is linked to the Golden Showers dossier?
McShamey is a lying,traitorous,coward
Or selling out his country for better circumstances in Vietnam Nam
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