Yesterday in a chat with USA Today reporters, former President Jimmy Carter complained that Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) was "milking every possible drop of advantage" from his stay in the Hanoi Hilton.
Perhaps picking up on that talking point, Time magazine's Michael Scherer asked in an August 28 article, "Is McCain Overplaying the POW Card?" Yet not once in his did Scherer point to Carter's comments. Instead Scherer resorted to the ever-so-reliable journalistic convention of "some critics":
some critics say he is overplaying his trump card. At several points over the past two weeks, the McCain campaign has raised his military service in efforts to defuse political attacks, even when it seemed to have little if any bearing on the issue at hand. When the Obama campaign laid into McCain for not knowing the number of houses owned by his family, McCain spokesman Brian Rogers told the Washington Post that "this is a guy who lived in one house for five and a half years - in prison," a refrain McCain himself repeated more recently during an appearance on The Tonight Show.
Funny, I don't recall the media wondering if John Kerry was milking his Vietnam swift boat service for all it was worth -- after all he did open his nomination acceptance speech with a decidedly cheesy line: "I'm John Kerry, and I'm reporting for duty."
In fact, liberals media seemed enthralled with Kerry's "band of brothers." and how it could help him answer Republican charges that Democrats were not strong enough on national defense.
—Ken Shepherd is Managing Editor of NewsBusters
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"Some Critics", like Carter?
Fri, 08/29/2008 - 02:19 ET by KJ_sezCarter's accomplishments in office are numerous and legendary. They include:
The Panama Canal giveaway, The Iranian hostage crisis, gutting the U.S. military to the point that the Soviet Union felt secure in its decision to invade Afghanistan, China felt secure enough to invade Vietnam, double-digit inflation, insipid environmental legislation, "lasting peace in the Middle East" (I'm STILL laughing about that one, over 30 years later), the Misery Index, and ludicrous interest rates.
His post-office legacy includes bilking taxpayers for Habitat for Humanity and his library (which has two books - one by him on how to collect farm subsidies from peanut farming, and another on How Not to Make Beer by Billy), associating with known terrorists, insulting past and current presidential administrations and presidents, insulting important U.S. allies, and making an even bigger fool of himself (just when you thought it wasn't possible) each and every time he opens his mouth.
And he thinks anyone in this country - even his Comrades in the Dim Party - takes him seriously? Someone hand that man a clue - then he'll finally have one.
You forgot a few foreign policy accomplishments ..
Fri, 08/29/2008 - 07:05 ET by 10ksnookerJimmy's greatest accomplishment, turning Iran over the terrorist mullahs so they would have a safe country base to operate from. And where was slo Joe Biden, he was right there congratulating Jimmy on his success deposing the Shah and making the right decisions with Iran.
Oh yeah, one more, he set up Mugabe in Zimbabwe so he could kill at will.
Why Democrats like thug dictators, no one seems to know.
I am not sure Carter topped the Bill Clinton accomplishment of growing terror worldwide, culminating in the al Qaeda strike on the World Trade Center, but he tried mightily to set the bar high. I guess you could give Carter half credit there, since he did get the ball rolling with Iran.
Oh! Bama
Fri, 08/29/2008 - 05:23 ET by DontFeedTheTrollsGee, do you think (like me) that maybe Obama is "milking every possible drop of advantage" of the fact that he is half white? Won't hear that from the pundits.
D
P.S. We hear often about the 'historical' nature of Obama' campaign, isn't McCain's campaign just as historical as he is the first prisoner of war to run for office?
Keep the ILLEGALS out, join NumbersUSA to send free faxes to your reps.
carter is a clown,but mccain
Fri, 08/29/2008 - 10:15 ET by patmac49carter is a clown,but mccain is not qualified for president simply because he was a pow...i heard some on the news say his cheating on his wife could be overlooked because of that...are you kidding me????
Disgraceful
Fri, 08/29/2008 - 13:59 ET by SquonkamaticThis whole "milking" flap is just disgraceful, anyone who harps on McCain's service + captivity isn't even worth listening to. It is indeed very prescient to point out that John Failure Kerry not only milked his Vietnam jaunt, he landed at Boston Pier for his convention in a Swift Boat, re-enacting his brave sojourn to the Cam Ranh Bay PX to buy new binoculars while Commander McCain was being beaten with rattan canes & starved in the Hanoi Hilton.