the hypocrisy of john mccain

by Matthew Kimball

Published: April 9, 2008

Hopeful for the role of presidential incumbent, John McCain has used numerous well-crafted slogans designed to shape public opinion on the war. A preponderance of his campaign for the presidency resides mainly with his own military experience. This has fueled his zeal for seeking the presidency and has become the product of choice for consumerist America. The logic flows like this: McCain himself was a well-decorated Vietnam War veteran and a military prisoner and this is why you should trust his foreign policy initiatives. If you don’t, then you don’t respect our military veterans. However, that supposition is flawed, and McCain’s recent attitude towards returning veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan proves it.

John McCain had the opportunity to show the public that he really does care about veterans, but instead has turned his back on them. Senators Jim Webb and Chuck Hagel have proposed a new GI bill that would reinstate stipulations similar to the GI bill of World War II veterans. The bill proposes full tuition with room and board. So far, bipartisan cooperation for the bill has been tremendous, with 51 senators signing on, including nine republicans. However, to ensure the bill’s passage, it must have 60 co-sponsors and so far John McCain has refused to sanction the legislation. The sheer hypocrisy of McCain’s posture is extremely unsettling. His refusal to endorse the legislation is heresy in light of his military ethos.

In a short film by Robert Greenwald for therealmccain.com, Robert Lopez, a former military tank commander who served in Iraq, describes that when he signed up he was assured his entire educational costs would be covered. In the same film, Joshua Drake, an Iraq War veteran, exclaims, “The current GI bill hasn’t kept up with the cost of living, the cost of tuition or the cost of books.” The fact that John McCain refuses to acknowledge these facts is a slap in the face that should produce virulence from our military men and women.

The hypocrisy of this presidential hopeful also applies to his views on great American leaders. Recently, John McCain also used passionate words of praise for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He described him as a “malcontent” and a “trouble-maker,” which McCain declares are characteristics of people with moral conscience. However, according to an April 3rd blog for ABC News by Jake Tapper, John McCain, as an Arizona congressman in 1983, actually voted against a federal holiday in recognition of Dr. King. Tapper also quotes McCain when he was interviewed in 1987 for USA Today, as saying “they never gave us any meaningful news,” in reference to news he received as a P.O.W. in Vietnam, including the assassination of Dr. King. McCain again sets a double standard by praising the teachings of Dr. King in 2008, yet refusing to acknowledge his past sentiments. For any Citizen Intelligence Officer this should raise a red flag as to McCain’s motives: to deceive the voting population on important matters.

The overall mantra for McCain’s campaign is experience, especially military experience: he has it and the other candidates don’t. But if experience is so important to him, then why can’t he be honest about past decisions?

Because he’s a phony.

You can’t base your entire case for the presidency on experience, and then refuse to acknowledge the shady sections of your past. The voting populace of the United States should be very concerned with John McCain’s fallacies and should demand accuracy. If the electorate remains ignorant as to McCain’s political history, a progeny of deceit may enter the White House.

You can’t claim continuous support for our military men and women and simultaneously deny them basic rights, such as education. The men and women who are stuck in this escalating war of greed and deception deserve to come home and be treated with dignity and respect. That John McCain uses their real-life experiences to further his political interests is unethical and immoral. If his respect for our troops is real, if he does indeed “honor” their sacrifice – then he should fund the GI bill. If Dr. King is a “trouble maker” and “malcontent” whom Americans ought to hold in high regard – then don’t stand in the way of a holiday that would celebrate his life. And if at one time you did, but now you like the guy – then be upfront with America. If you want to be President, first be honest.

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