Film shows McCain's release from Vietnamese prison

[Leftist Agitator]

Source: Associated Press

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Swedish broadcaster SVT on Thursday released a previously unseen film clip purportedly showing the release of presidential candidate John McCain to the U.S. military in Hanoi in 1973.

A former SVT reporter, Erik Eriksson, said he found the video in the network's archives when he was looking for footage for a book he was writing about his experiences as a war correspondent in Vietnam.

SVT posted the edited 39-second clip on its Web site on Thursday. It shows McCain stepping off a bus with other prisoners. He has a pronounced limp but is not using crutches.

It then shows McCain standing in a lineup when his name is called. He walks up to salute and shake hands with U.S. military officers. The last part of the clip shows a U.S. Air Force jet taxiing on a runway.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080911/ap_on_el_pr/mccain_vietnam_video

[Journeyman]

1. He doesn't appear to have any difficulty getting his hand up for the salute. . .

Anyone know when he developed his inability to raise his arms above shoulder level?

[4lbs]

3. Right about the time he began running for political office?

It would have been a useful "woe is me" tool to get elected.

[VeraAgnes]

11. Well, he was tortured daily which

could be a crude form of exercise......When he got home, he stiffened up and shoulders are now frozen. It really should not be an issue.

[Liberal Dose]

16. Enhanced interrogation techniques were used on him. McBush says so himself. nt

[Ian David]

18. Probably something Cindy did to him. n/t

[Newsjock]

2. You mean to tell me John McCain was a POW!?

I had no idea! How fortunate we are that this clip has happened to surface just now! This settles it... if John McCain was a POW, then I must without hesitation vote for him to be our next president!

One thing I don't understand, though: If John McCain was a POW, why haven't our "mainstream media" told us about it? I mean, something big like John McCain being a POW, you'd think they'd want to blast it down our throats 24/7.

[kirby]

5. They are too honorable to politicize him being a POW or 9/11 n/t

[marshall]

43. I'm surprised the Swedes are entering into the race like this

I guess they think it's time somebody stuck their nose in OUR business.

[PatSeg]

6. Its that damn liberal bias thing

Poor John can't get a break!

[PatSeg]

4. Well, that was interesting

He looks much better than I would have expected. I remember a clip where he looks much thinner and rather frail.

[RantinRavin]

14. That clip though

was from yesterday...

[snooper2]

15. OUCH!

BAM!

:rofl:

[PatSeg]

36. I believe you are right!

[jordi_fanclub]

7. Direct link to swedish broadcaster article and video footage...

http://svt.se/svt/jsp/Crosslink.jsp?d=22584&a=1243689&lid=puff_1243756&lpos=rubrik

(the Yahoo article points to the main page not the specific article)

[CitizenPatriot]

8. I am haunted by an inexplicable urge

to don a purple band aid.

I WILL NEVER FORGIVE THE GOP AND THEIR MINIONS FOR WHAT THEY DID TO JOHN KERRY

[Maccagirl]

9. Neither will I

What happened to John McCain should never happen to a human being-but that doesn't excuse the disgusting treatment of John Kerry.

[kskiska]

40. And Max Cleland

[DogPoundPup]

10. How is it that there is a PICTURE of the men lifting McCain out of the water

after his plane went down now this new film with footage as it took place AND Daddy Bush where there are pictures of him coming ashore after ditching his plane when it was apparently not functioning properly....BUT Lil Bushboys official records of his National Guard Stint aren't complete due to misfiling, destruction or what ever other excuse that's been offered up? I just don't see how that could happen to someone SO IMPORTANT as Lil Bush and his impecable records. :sarcasm:

[The Croquist]

46. I've never seen a film of Daddy Bush coming ashore

after "ditching his plane when it was apparently not functioning properly". First of all his plane was HIT BY ENEMY FIRE! Disagree with his politics all you want (I do) but don't try to insult his service to his country.

The claims that Bush panicked and bailed out were made by a fellow pilot that was not in the cockpit and didn't know what was going on.

If you accept these claims you might as well accept the second hand claims against Kerry.

I don't know what this "new footage" is but to insinuate that the bailout and filming was staged is absurd. He was picked up along with 4 other pilots by the USS Finback. He was just lucky, like JFK, where Joe Kennedy was not.

As for Shrub's records being incomplete that isn't that unusual. My best friend was a cadet at West Point for 2 years from 1974 - 1976. He applied for disability a couple of years ago due to shoulder and knee issues while attending. Not only can they find no record of him attending they keep explaining that his records were lost in the 1973 fire in Saint Louis. When he replies that he joined AFTER the fire they promise to get back to him and 6 months later explain that his records were lost in the 1973 fire in Saint Louis. He finally gave up.

[DogPoundPup]

47. Did I SAY footage? I said picture!

If you want to rail at me for something...at least get my words correct. OK?

Nevertheless, it doesn't take from my belief that Shrubs guard records were scrubbed to cover up his appalling record.

[dontletupnow]

12. my Swedish isn't perfect, but...

the text to the left of the accompanying photo at the svt.se site says "When his war story is portrayed in American t.v. pictures are often shown where McCain is meeting President Nixon after having been operated for his injuries, injuries that went untreated during his captivity. Erik Erikssons images from the release (of McCain) portray a McCain who limps slightly when he greets an American officer before his departure from Hanoi airport."

The point being, I assume, that we're getting a SLIGHTLY distorted impression of the condition he was in at the time he was released from the POW camp.

[dogtag]

17. dontletupnow, your Swedish is pretty

damn good. It's my native tongue and you got everything right.

I noticed a interesting little tidbit while watching the McCain CNN bio program the other night. The meme has always been that McCain's hair turned white overnight after being captured. They showed some footage of him on the Forrestal and his hair was already mostly white. So much for that little lie.

Considering his arm injuries, wouldn't crutches be counter productive as a means of conveyance?

He looked a whole lot 'healthier' in the release footage than he did a few months later.

[Thorandmjolnir]

19. You are correct

The commentary accompanying the clip questions why he could walk with only a slight limp when he was released, but was on crutches a half year later when he met Nixon. According to the narrator, McCain's leg was operated on during the summer in 1973. The narrator goes on to say that McCain's status as a POW is being exploited heavily in this election by his camp.

[goodgd_yall]

32. Our news media won't dare go there n/t

[handypfb]

13. McCain's Military record

John McCain was a LtCmdr when shot down in 1967. When released
in 1973 he was still a LtCmdr and not promoted to the next
rank of Captain until 1979. Most if not ALL the POWs were
promoted at least once and some twice during this time period.
Why not McCain?

When Kerry was running for Pres he signed a personal waiver to
release his classified military records. Why hasn't McCain?

McCain has a "D" 20% rating for his votes on Vets
and their benefits. Obama has a "B+", 85% rating.
Why has this not been hyped?

[Thothmes]

20. He had to have been promoted to the rank of Commander

sometime after he was released from prison. That is the next rank after LCDR not Captain.

[JaneQPublic]

21. Interesting points & welcome to DU! (nt)

[eringer]

22. Definitely Manchurian Candidate Material

[superconnected]

23. Film shows McCain's release from Vietnamese prison

Source: AP

STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Previously unseen footage emerged Thursday showing Republican presidential candidate John McCain as a proud, stoic prisoner of war in Hanoi on the day his Vietnamese captors released him to the U.S. military.

A former reporter from Swedish broadcaster SVT, 71-year-old Erik Eriksson, told The Associated Press he found the video in the network's archives while researching a book he was writing about his experiences as a Vietnam War correspondent.

The footage was filmed by a North Vietnamese photographer with whom Eriksson had contracted to film the release of U.S. prisoners of war.

AP Television News acquired exclusive worldwide distribution rights to the SVT footage from March 14, 1973, and edited it into a 2-minute, 14-second video of a remarkable day in the life of the Republican candidate. SVT posted a 39-second clip on its Web site.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080911/ap_on_el_pr/mccain_vietnam_video

---

I found this on the front of yahoo and watched the short film. Regardless of his politics, he is an American war hero. He does deserve respect for that. I'm not voting for him because I don't agree with his politics.

[The_Casual_Observer]

24. Seems to me that there is already one that looks just like that one

taken by a different photographer.

[Iggo]

25. Fuck him..

I'll respect him as soon as he's not running for president anymore.

Until then, fuck him.

[Zorra]

26. Is this one of the propaganda films he made for the North Vietnamese communists?

[robbibaba]

27. War hero? Why?

When did getting your plane shot down make you a war hero? My understanding is that McCain finished near the bottom of his class and because of family connections was passed over a host of more qualified cadets. He probably should never have got a plane of his own. I just don't get this 'hero' idea.
Or maybe the people who spout it don't believe it either. Just more propaganda.

[superconnected]

28. I think americans who join the service and actually serve and end up in

pow camps do deserve respect even if their test scores aren't so great.

Just because we don't agree with his politics doesn't mean we should strip him of his status as a war hero from being one of our pows. Getting captured by a foreign country that is hostile to yours is a very big deal. Having 5 years taken out of your life for it is too.

I really think your comments are completely derived on bias and that if Obama had the exact same record, you would find him a hero.

Now come on. We can not support mccain for president because we don't agree with his party and his political stance. Going further and dissing his military/pow history is the level of people who dissed Kerrys. It's an ugly bias like blind discrimination(hating someone no matter how they preform because they are black, muslim, etc.). I'm sure you are capable of rising above that.

[Iggo]

38. Fuck.John.McCain.

While you're looking for reasons to "respect" him, he's looking for ways to fuck you, the constitution, and the country.

[Psephos]

45. Score: superconnected 1, iggo 0 n/t

[Dogtown]

29. So?

How is this relevant?

[superconnected]

31. It was on the front of yahoo. I saw is as a political ploy to emotionally motivate voters

so posted it.

I decided he has a right on that one and it won't last long on the front of yahoo though.

[Dogtown]

34. I disagree.

He apparently served honorably, if not competently, some decades ago. Constantly calling attention to that fact has a braggartly-quality to it that tarnishes that service.

If he didn't force our attention to it at every opportunity, those of our generation that *don't* wear their heroism like a majic cape would certainly respect him more.

He's a munchausen, and it's an embarrassement. It also denegrates the sacrifices of others, who bear their memories silently and without showmanship.



Sorry if I was curt, but the constant jingoistic drone about that wreck of a man is annoying.

[superconnected]

37. I agree.

I don't watch tv - only have cable for the internet. So I don't get to see his drone but I'm sure that's what the footage suddenly emerging is all about.

[goodgd_yall]

30. WTFC

Who The Fuck Cares

[yurbud]

33. where's the footage of his propaganda broadcasts for N. Vietnamese?

[mitchum]

35. THAT is exactly what I was going to ask

[yurbud]

41. it would be a criminal act of Shrum-ery to NOT have shown it if McCain ends up winning.

[unkachuck]

39. you know....

....I've never been tortured, but many people have. Good people, everyday, are being tortured somewhere in the world but that shouldn't qualify them for the Presidency of the United State.

....sorry johnny, being tortured has nothing to do with being President....

[CATagious]

42. Huh? He was a POW?? I hadn't heard.... nm

[MetaTrope]

44. Gee, thanks for nothing, Vietnam