McCain, John S. #3

Background and history:

John McCain is 3rd generation Navy. Although his grandfather and father were career Navy Officers (both Admirals), Johns career was interrupted with a lengthy stay in North Vietnam followed by administrative assignments upon his return. All 3 McCains graduated from the Naval Academy...but the youngest McCain, unlike his grandfather and father, just squeaked through a notch above the bottom of his class.

Grandpa "Slew" McCain was an important figure in WWII. He reported to Bull Halsey who reported to Nimitz. Grandpa was a leader with his own task force and aboard a sub tender in Tokyo Bay with his son when Japan agreed to surrender. The elder McCain was in the famous picture aboard the battleship Missouri when MacArthur signed the war ending treaty with Japan. Following the war when he returned home, his frail health got the best of him and he was unable to enjoy much of his retirement. He had a full (Navy) life. He learned to fly after turning 50 and became a leader in Naval Aviation during the War. From his bio: "Slew McCain was so driven that when the Navy passed a rule saying only aviators could command a carrier, the old man went to flight school while in his fifties. He crashed five planes before finally getting his wings, and then his carrier. In one Pacific battle, planes under Slew McCain's command sank 49 Japanese ships in a single day."

The Naval Air Station in Meridian Mississippi was named after Grandpa, the "John S. McCain Naval Air Station", and the youngest McCain taught advanced flight training at that air station before requesting an assignment to a Carrier Task Force that would result in his being shot down over North Viet Nam. McCain wanted to fight.

John McCain grew up a Navy brat moving from base to base as Dad was transferred. His Dad's Naval career never reached the prominance of Grandpa, and Johns career never ascended to the level of his Dads. However, with the help of his brother, he wrote a book titled "Faith of my Fathers" which has details of the lives of all three "Navy McCains". There is considerable ink given to Viet Nam, and it becomes clear that the "Hero" label is correctly applied, but not for having been shot down or for his POW time. When they found out they had the son of a high ranking Naval Officer, North Vietnam offered to release him immediately. He refused as there were plenty of POWs that had been there longer than he. That was the agreement among the POWs. That's a hero! Regardless of what your personal feelings might be, the book is a very "good read".

A snapshot follows: In October 1967, flying an A4 on his 23rd bombing mission at 3500 ft and 550 kts, McCain released his bomb load on the target power station in Hanoi and rotated the nose up heading for a safe altitude. A North Vietnamese SAM hit the A4 and took off the wing. McCain ejected. His leg hit the airframe on the way out and broke. He landed in the water and managed to break his arm. North Vietnamese civilians fished him out and beat him up. Someone hit his shoulder with a gun butt. The shoulder broke. Someone else shoved a bayonet into his ankle and then into his groin. Then the Army showed up and took him to "the Plantation". He was released 5-1/2 years later.

When McCain returned from Viet Nam, it wasn't long before he rejuvenated his past reputation as a party boy and a ladies man. Given the time and treatment as a POW, returning to freedom and liberty would a challenge. It is tempting to cut slack here, and perhaps that is, in part, the proper position. However, time in the USA didn't stop while he was a POW either. During his internment his wife was in a serious accident that resulted in multiple surgeries, some disfigurement and physical disabilities. McCain was not told about the accident in order to keep that information from further consuming him as a POW. That was compassionate towards him, but was also something else he faced in rehab when he returned home. Regardless, he stayed in the Navy and surgery and the physical portion of his rehab allowed him to return to flying status. I can speak from experience here....after you have been in an aircraft "incident" as pilot in command, flying is just not the same. It had to be that way with McCain also...it was with Jimmy Doolittle. On the way to a Phd from MIT in aviation, Doolittle bailed out a couple of times before the famous B-25 "Doolittle Raid" off the USS Hornet in the Spring of 1942. Something about flying causes you to get back in the airplane...it's some kind of passion. I did it, Doolittle did it, and I can understand why McCain did it.

McCain was always a "Maverick". At the Naval Academy he always operated on the edge. He typically accumulated just under the maximum number of demerits. Exceeding that number got you out of the Academy. Going "ashore" with McCain (that's Navy talk for an evening off-base) was a time of drinking, party and most often, women. He did the minimum required to get by. According to published reports, McCain graduated either 2nd or 5th from the bottom of his class. No one ever accused him of being a scholar.

McCain self appointed label as a "Maverick" continues as he serves in Congress. Sometimes with good results, sometimes the outcome less desirable. For example: Lincoln Federal: That resulted from the Carter Administration deregulating thrifts in the late 70s. When Carter left office in 1981, 3300 out of 3800 S&Ls were loosing money because of high risk real estate loans (when will we ever learn?). The result of the investigation:

"The Lincoln Savings led to the Keating Five political scandal, in which five U.S. senators were implicated in an influence-peddling scheme. It was named for Charles Keating, who headed Lincoln saving and made $300,000 as political contributions to them in the 1980s. Three of those senators - Alan Cranston, Don Riegle, and Dennis DeConcini - found their political careers cut short as a result. Two others - John Glenn and John McCain - were rebuked by the Senate Ethics Committee for exercising "poor judgment" for intervening with the federal regulators on behalf of Keating." Although they operated within the scope of existing rules and law, they pushed the envelope. Later on, McCain and Fiengold would write a bill on campaign finance reform that would have prevented the sort of thing that happened with Lincoln Federal. However, Corporate interest and lobbyists have kept this in court since its conception in 2002. Even the Supreme Court upheld the main provisions in 2003. But, the debate is not over. "In an interesting case, in 2005 in Washington State, Thurston County Judge Christopher Wickham ruled that media articles and segments were considered in-kind contributions under state law. The heart of the matter focused on the I-912 campaign to repeal a fuel tax, and specifically two broadcasters for Seattle conservative talker KVI. Judge Wickham's ruling was eventually overturned on appeal in April 2007, with the Washington Supreme Court holding that on-air commentary was not covered by the State's campaign finance laws. (No New Gas Tax v. San Juan County)." (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).

To date, the McCain and Obama camps are still arguing over matching Federal Funds. Briefly (it is a long and convoluted issue), Obama doesn't want matching funds because that would limit how much, and where from, campaign funds could be garnered, and restriction to legislative issues for media advertising within 60 days of the election. The DNC has a suit against the McCain camp to prevent them from doing the same.

Regarding McCains choice for V/P...Sarah Palin: I think it would be unwise to take her lightly. She seems to have a handle on the job and her position within the McCain candidacy. From her acceptance comments: "Now, no leader in America has shown these qualities so clearly or presents so clear a threat to business as usual in Washington as Senator John S. McCain. This -- this is a moment when principles and political independence matter a lot more than just the party line. And this is a man who has always been there to serve his country, not just his party."And this is a moment that requires resolve and toughness and strength of heart in the American president. And my running mate is a man who has shown those qualities in the darkest of places and in the service of his country. A colleague once said about Senator McCain: That man did things for this country that few people could go through; never forget that. And that speaker was former Senator John Glenn of Ohio. And John Glenn knows something about heroism."