TresSugar

Fair? McCain Interview on "Hanoi Hilton" Won't Air Pre-Election

LibertySugar — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:45:21 -0700

Oliver Stone may not wait for Bush to leave the White House before opening W, but Warner Brothers has decided that it won't release John McCain's interview about his POW experience until after the election.

Prior to Nov. 4, airing promotional clips of the McCain interview featured on Hanoi Hilton, a 1987 film set to be released on DVD Nov. 11, has been blocked by the studio. The DVD will include the McCain interview, recorded in May.

By withholding a piece of McCain's biography in order to not influence the election, is Warner Brothers actually picking a side?

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Pictures of McCain's Vietnam Cell, Plus First-Person Account

CitizenSugar — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:00:55 -0700

John McCain has announced that these days, he's speaking softly and carrying a big stick, a la Teddy Roosevelt. McCain said, "I count myself as a conservative Republican, yet I view it to a large degree in the Theodore Roosevelt mold," with a nod to Roosevelt's reputation for reform, environmentalism and tough foreign policy.

Though he may be a political Rough Rider now, these new photos of McCain's POW cell show that he's already had it plenty rough for almost six long years. The pictures show that even after the cell was cleaned up for an American historical filmmaker, the Hanoi Hilton was a chamber of terror. Debra Watkins took the pictures in 1993 before the area was destroyed. The first photo shows the door to the cell. Next to the door you can see old locks probably used to hold leg irons and other torture implements. The other photo shows the inside of McCain's cell and the leg-iron contraption the filmmaker believes he was tortured with.

Though certainly his time in Vietnam is no secret, the account of his entire time as a POW, written by McCain himself in 1973 and published online for the first time this year, is a riveting read. It's long - bookmark it and read away at it this week - but the length and detail does nothing if not prove beyond a shadow that what this man survived is anything short of miraculous. To see some excerpts of his story, read more.

This started on the first day. I refused to give them anything except my name, rank, serial number and date of birth. They beat me around a little bit. I was in such bad shape that when they hit me it would knock me unconscious. They kept saying, "You will not receive any medical treatment until you talk."
"I had been reduced to an animal during this period of beating and torture. My arm was so painful I couldn't get up off the floor. With the dysentery, it was a very unpleasant time."
"Once you become a prisoner of war, then you do not have the right to dissent, because what you do will be harming your country. You are no longer speaking as an individual, you are speaking as a member of the armed forces of the United States, and you owe loyalty to the Commander in Chief, not to your own conscience."

Perhaps this experience has shaped his Rooseveltian politics. Today, McCain says, "I believe less governance is the best governance, and that government should not do what the free enterprise and private enterprise and individual entrepreneurship and the states can do, but I also believe there is a role for government. Government should take care of those in America who cannot take care of themselves."

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Real Endorsement: McCain's War Captor Would Vote For Him

CitizenSugar — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 06:00:03 -0700

Tran Trong Duyet could just be the unlikeliest John McCain supporter you could hope to meet. Though he's now a retiree who likes ballroom dancing, 40 years ago Duyet was in charge of the prison where McCain was held as a POW for over five years. Speaking now, the 75-year-old says, "McCain is my friend. If I was American, I would vote for him."

Seen in the center of this picture after having ejected from his aircraft into a lake in Hanoi, Vietnam, McCain was taken to Hoa Lo prison, less than affectionately known by fellow inmates as the "Hanoi Hilton." The treatment McCain received while being held drove him to try to commit suicide. Duyet, his captor says now, "I don't know how he'd react if he met me again." And he tells a decidedly different story of McCain's time there: "I can confirm to you that we never tortured him. We never tortured any prisoners."

Duyet tells the tale of the man in prison, now seeking the White House:

We used to argue about the war - about whether it was right or wrong. He is a very frank man - very conservative, and very loyal to his country and the American ideal. He had a very interesting accent and sometimes he taught me words in English and corrected my accent. I have followed his career since he left prison.

While Duyet's recollection of human treatment all those years ago is impossible to corroborate in a country with wildly tight controls of the media, his support of now seems genuine. "I wish him success in the presidential election. . . I consider John McCain my friend because he did much to mend relations between our two countries. And if he becomes president he will do more to improve those ties."

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Headline: China to Give US Access to POW Records

LibertySugar — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 11:00:54 -0800

China is set to give the US access to sensitive military records which will help answer questions about thousands of US soldiers that went missing during the Korean War and other Cold War conflicts. As a result of the Korean War, which lasted between 1950 and 1953, 8,100 US soldiers are still classified as missing in action (MIA) or as a prisoner of war (POW). During the war, China fought with the North, managing POW camps, while killing and capturing Americans, eventually pushing the US out of the North.

Since the end of the conflict, the US has been urging China to open its archives, in the hopes of locating American remains, or answering questions for the families of missing soldiers. Under the deal which will be announced Friday, Chinese archivists will do searches and provide information to the Pentagon. While the US won't have direct access to the files, the limited opening is a positive step forward for US-Chinese relations.

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Kangaroo Ka-Pow!

GiggleSugar — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 01:02:00 -0800

Watch as the owner of "the boxing kangaroo" gets herself owned on live television. I guess they can't call it man-handling anymore!

Briefing Book! Everyday Russians React to Putin and US

LibertySugar — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 13:30:00 -0700

Russia: What do Russian blog readers think about Georgia and the US? Translated reactions to Putin's assertion that the US orchestrated recent war between Russian and Georgia to help John McCain. - The Lede
Obama: How is the average Obama supporter going to become more aggressive this week? Outraged Obama supporters are ready to tumblr. - 23/6
Oil: Every drop of arctic or offshore oil will go directly to world market? China says drill baby drill! - Donklephant
POW: Will it get some play? In independent ad, fellow POW says McCain should not be near red button. - Townhall
Economy: What do candidates think? McCain and Obama split on strength of economy. - Politico

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Candidates' Pasts Spark Strong Ideas. Which Is Best for US?

CitizenSugar — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 08:00:55 -0700

Both assumed presidential candidates had scenes from their respective personal histories appear this weekend, giving a retrospective peek into the shaping of their contemporary philosophies.

Barack Obama used Father's Day to unleash a sharp criticism on the topic of fatherhood in the African American community, Bill Cosby-style. Obama, recalling being abandoned by his own father at age 2, said, "I resolved many years ago that it was my obligation to break the cycle - that if I could be anything in life, I would be a good father to my girls."

He blasted absentee fathers saying they are "missing from too many lives and too many homes," and that "they have abandoned their responsibilities, acting like boys instead of men. And the foundations of our families are weaker because of it." He concluded his stern statement saying, "we can't simply write these problems off to past injustices. Those injustices are real. There's a reason our families are in disrepair ... but we can't keep using that as an excuse."

To see what part of McCain's past came to light this weekend, read more.

John McCain's War College thesis was released this weekend, a glimpse into the shaping of the Senator's views on the Iraq War. In the piece written after his release from the North Vietnamese prison camp, McCain highlighted the necessity of forgiveness and sharply attacked what he called “the evils of parole and amnesty.” cushy treatment for soldiers who didn't resist like he did - calling their warm welcome “inexcusable.”

His most striking proposal was that the military should be teaching US foreign policy to its recruits. Writing, “too many men in the armed forces of the United States do not understand what this nation’s foreign policy is,” calling for not indoctrination, but “a simple, straightforward explanation of the foreign policy of the United States.” McCain still stands by the idea saying, “it is important, not just for POW’s, but all Americans serving in combat to understand the purpose and reason for the sacrifices they are asked to make for our country.”

Do either statements surprise you? In these two instances, with Obama using his past to strengthen the US from within, and McCain looking outward - which personal history makes a stronger argument for election?

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The Nurse Who Cared For John McCain in Vietnam Speaks Out

CitizenSugar — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 12:15:04 -0700

In McCain's stump speech, the words "I have the scars to prove it," are literally about his tussles on Capitol Hill, but are clearly meant to evoke his time as a POW. In the campaign spotlight, the history of those five-and-a-half years is revealing itself. We've seen the cell John McCain was kept in, and heard the endorsement from his former captor, now the nurse who risked her safety to care for McCain right after he crashed in Vietnam 41 years ago, speaks out. Here's what she had to say:

Why she decided to care for McCain:
"I didn't know who he was, but he was obviously not Vietnamese. The pilot was not that big and heavy, he was pale and handsome. My responsibility was to care for my own countrymen only. But [North Vietnamese leader] Ho Chi Minh advised people to show compassion and to save the enemies. So I told myself that I had to fulfill my duty."

The consequences she faced:
"That evening, when I left the clinic, an old man came to me and yelled at me for 'caring for an enemy'. I told him I just did what Ho Chi Minh asked all of us to do."

To see if she thinks McCain should be president, read more.

Should McCain be president?
"Will it be good for Vietnam if John McCain becomes president? I don't really know. He is friendly and he has done some good things for the Vietnamese, but it is difficult to predict the future."

How about Obama?
"As for Barack Obama, I don't think he has any ties with Vietnam. People say he doesn't know much about the country, but a clean slate can be a good thing."

Her final piece of advice:
"If American people are wise, they will choose someone who loves peace, who is engaged in war prevention activities."

It's a compelling sentiment from someone all too familiar with the horrors of war.

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NYT Raises Questions About Candidates' Health

LibertySugar — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 15:45:00 -0700

Today's New York Times outlined the known state of all four candidates' health. While it dedicated a section to each, the report clearly raised new questions about John McCain's chances of melanoma recurrence.

Here is a look at how the paper of record summarized the medical records:

McCain: Wounds from untreated injuries and torture while a POW mean McCain may eventually need joint replacements. Inconsistencies about the severity of McCain's melanoma skin cancer, make the probability of recurrence unknown. A reclassification of severity, called for by some experts, would change his statistical odds for survival at 10 years from about 60 percent to 36 percent. He has had no recurrence for eight years; but the 10th anniversary, which would be in 2010, is an important benchmark.
Obama: Obama’s campaign released a one-page letter from his doctor citing Obama’s “excellent health," last May and a series of test results last week. Obama has one medical issue, which is a difficulty in stopping smoking. Obama began smoking 20 years ago, trying several times since to quit. Obama, who decided to quit before running for president, has used Nicorette gum “with success," according to his doctor.

To see what the paper's doctor-turned-reporter summed up about the VP nominees, read more.

Palin: No records have been released regarding Palin.
Biden: Biden had emergency surgery in 1988 for a brain aneurysm and elective surgery for a second one. The campaign released 49 pages of medical records to last week showing that he was healthy, but did not indicate whether Biden had been tested in recent years to detect any new aneurysm.

The paper, which says it routinely investigates the major candidates' health, evidently feels the chill of the McCain campaign's cold shoulder - the Times was excluded from the restricted and semisecretive review of McCain's records in May, and has been prohibited from asking questions during reporter conference calls. The article maintains that when health information has been withheld in the past, it usually means the candidates are hiding something. Do you think candidates should allow for a complete airing of their health?

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Gun Happy Granny

GiggleSugar — Sat, 10 Mar 2007 03:00:00 -0800

Average grandmother by night, imaginary super hero by day. Pow! Pow! Pow! Crime control just got...absolutely nowhere.