Some Thoughts on John McCain
John McCain was the Republican presidential nomination in 2008. His failed 2000 bid for the G.O.P. nomination highlighted how difficult it would be for the maverick senator to win the nomination, mainly because McCain has an ambivalent attitude towards the religious right which is so influential in the party these days.
Everyone agreed that McCain would be hard to beat in a national election. Of all candidates, McCain is popular among moderates and independents. There is even a substantial portion of the Democrats who like McCain, enough so that John Kerry asked McCain to be his running partner on the Democrat ticket in 2004.
McCain’s bipartisan popularity had to do with his stance on issues such as campaign finance reform, the environment and immigration. Though this would make him a difficult “out” in the general election, these same issues will complicate his attempts to win the Republican nomination.
Military Family
John McCain is part of a long military tradition. His father and grandfather were high-ranking officers in the U.S. Navy, which explains why McCain was born in Panama at a U.S. naval installation. It also explains why he attended the U.S. Naval Academy.
Vietnam and Capture
After graduating at Annapolis, John McCain became a naval fighter pilot. This would prove a pivotal career choice, for this put McCain into the dangerous Vietnam conflict. While others of his generation sought to avoid service, McCain–whose family had the pull to keep him out of harm’s way–chose to serve his country.
In October of 1967, McCain’s plane was shot down over Vietnam. After being beaten by a North Vietnamese mob, he was tortured by his local captors. Eventually, McCain was moved to the so-called Hanoi Hilton, where he was routinely tortured for the next five and a half years.
Early on in his captivity, the NVA realized that McCain’s father was a high-ranking U.S. admiral. They offered to repatriate McCain in exchange for Vietnamese prisoners, but the naval officer refused to be exchanged. He wanted to remain with his fellow prisoners. McCain presumably received extra torture for his refusal.
Through repeated use of torture that leaves McCain unable to raise his arms above his head to this day, McCain was forced to sign an anti-American tract. When this proved unusable, the Vietnamese tried to force him to sign another propaganda piece. McCain this time refused to sign the paper, though he considers the original signing one of his greatest regrets.
This is an indication that, through enough torture, even the strongest of will’s can be bent. McCain spent an extra five years in captivity, because he did not believe in leaving his fellow soldiers behind.
Continuing Military Career
When the U.S. pulled out of Vietnam, he was repatriated with his fellow prisoners. From 1973 to 1981, he continued his naval career. McCain was the naval liaison to the Senate during several of these years.
You can read more of my thoughts on politics and current events here. I’ve also written about the cheapest homes in American and where to find them.
