Jimmy Carter: McCain is "milking every possible drop" out of his POW time

[Bluebear]

DENVER — Former president Jimmy Carter called Republican presidential candidate John McCain a "distinguished Naval officer," but said the Arizona senator has been "milking every possible drop of advantage" from his time served as a prisoner of war in Vietnam.

Carter spoke Thursday with USA TODAY ahead of Barack Obama's acceptance speech to cap off the Democratic National Convention. Carter spoke of Obama's challenges facing the lingering effects of racism in America, the ability of the Clintons to bring their supporters over to Obama and decried Sen. Joe Lieberman's decision to "abandon" the Democrats by speaking at the Republican National Convention next week.

But he focused heavily on McCain, explaining how he was bewildered to see him during a conversation earlier this month with pastor and author Rick Warren at the Saddlebrook Church in Lake Forest, Calif. Carter said that whether the question was about religion, domestic or foreign affairs, every answer came back to his five-and-a-half years as a POW.

"John McCain was able to weave in his experience in a Vietnam prison camp, no matter what the question was," said Carter, a 7-year Naval officer who served aboard submarines. "It's much better than talking about how he's changed his total character between being a senator, a kind of a maverick at the time, and his acquiescence in the last few months with every kind of lobbyist pressure that the right wing Republicans have presented to him."

http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/election2008/2008-08-28-carter-denver_N.htm

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Thank you, President Carter

[Solly Mack]

2. PODubya

[midnight]

5. Yep!

[Solly Mack]

9. Needs to be on a t-shirt with the 2 of them hugging

[Matariki]

26. !!! LOL !!!

good one. needs to be spread!

[Wetzelbill]

3. Jimmy Carter, a man and a president well ahead of his time

[ForeignSpectator]

4. K&R

[stray cat]

6. McCain was a pow?

:sarcasm:

[Wetzelbill]

13. first I've heard of it too

He never talks about it.

[trof]

22. Wasn't he in Stalag 17?

[karlschneider]

7. That milk is awfully goddamn close to curdling...

:shrug:

[madokie]

15. shore 'nuf

:hi:

[Wetzelbill]

18. McCain, this guy.. he's a piece of work

He managed to take the one thing about him that was virtually untouchable and universally admired, and he trivialized is so much it's become a punchline. That's a classic Bush-like fuck up. It's akin to taking the world's support on 9/11 and so pissing it away that the "War On Terror" has become a joke. And what's worse is McCain has spent so many years cultivating the idea that he was a humble hero who never talked about it that the rank hypocrisy of bringing it up is blowing up in his face too.

[Alexander]

8. K&R

[ColbertWatcher]

10. "every kind of lobbyist pressure that the right wing Republicans have presented to him"

That needs to be repeated every time Admiral McCombover says POW.

Beautiful, Mr. President!

[book_worm]

11. Carter is one democrat who never fails to speak his mind.

[Caliman73]

12. Jimmy Carter

Is awesome. I love how he is so unafraid to point out information, but never does it in a way that is mean spirited. He is truly the epitome of a "love thy neighbor" Christian, while speaking truth to power.

[Wetzelbill]

20. he's secure in his position

He knows some people will hate on him just to hate, but he also knows that he's fought to bring peace and justice to this world for a long time. He's our greatest ex-president, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, and one of the top statesman in world history. He doesn't have to fear anybody, he knows who he is and what he's about. I wish more Dems were like that.

[Hubert Flottz]

33. "I wish more Dems were like that."

So do I...

I have always admired Mr. Carter.

[RubyDuby in GA]

34. I saw him give an interview one time when the person asking the questions wanted to know

why he has been so outspoken during these last few years of the Bush Admin. Jimmy bascially said that he is getting too old to waste time anymore and that sometimes things need to be said no matter if people like it or not. Then he grinned that famous grin and said "besides I have Secret Service protection until I die, so let them get mad."

hahahahaha!!!!!!! I love that man.

[shanti]

35. i love him too!!

:hi: my favorite president! so caring, so real...

[no_hypocrisy]

14. Bless Jimmy for calling out a fellow military man

on exploiting his wartime situation.

[FKA MNChimpH8R]

25. Jimmy was a Navy man himself

A submariner, I believe. He is a man with credentials to criticize P O Dubya.

[gi4obama]

16. first I have heard of it.

[lpbk2713]

17. Go, Jimmy.

Throw it right back in his (prune) face.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

[treestar]

19. Once again you have hit the nail on the head, Jimmy

McFlipFlop has caved to every right wing pressure presented to him.

[malaise]

21. Love you Jimmy Carter

:yourock:

[MadrasT]

23. Well said, Mr. President

:applause: :applause: :applause: :patriot:

[OwnedByFerrets]

24. President Carter nails it again...nt

[tjwash]

27. Comb-overs response to Carter:

You know Jimmy; if you spent 5 years in a POW camp like I did...

[yellerpup]

28. Kickin' for Jimmy!

A great man of honor and peace. :dem:

[Disturbed]

29. "John McCain a "distinguished Naval officer,"

No, he was not. McNasty was mediocre, at best.

[yellerpup]

32. Carter takes the diplomatic high road.

If Carter called him McNasty, he would tarnish his own image. I have heard diplomacy described as "the art of telling a person to go to hell in such a way that they actually look forward to the trip." Jimmy is world class. I don't mind calling him McNasty, the geezer who wants to take over Chimpy's except but Crashcart won't let him out of his cage, but I don't have a world-class reputation or a Nobel Prize for Peace. :dem:

[fla nocount]

30. Carter, Byrd, Jeffords...we're running out of articulate statesmen who aren't owned. n/t

[lpbk2713]

31. I just looked this up ...

Jimmy Carter finished 59th out of a class of 820 at the US Naval Academy.

John McCain finished 894th out of a class of 899 at the US Naval Academy.

Carter never lost a vessel or an aircraft. McCain lost five US Navy aircraft.

Conclusion .... McCain is a pathetic loser and should never have even been elected Senator.

[JAbuchan08]

36. someone should say this:

"it's not John McCain's service in Vietnam that I have an issue with, it's everything he's done since he got back. There's got to be a statute of limitations on how long you can blame your missteps and mistakes on your service to your country."

I think this would be a great two lines to use. First it establishes that John McCain's service is not the issue, secondly it establishes that McCain thinks that his actions are justified by his service. I like the use of the word "blame" here but "justify" works too and is maybe not as negative "excuse" I think is too weak.

[D23MIURG23]

37. I think the POW line is about to go rancid.

McCain will turn it into Rudy's 9/11 at the convention, and it will be a joke from then on.