Not a fan of this. I think we've already seen that McCain is irresponsible and reckless without dragging out the prisoner of war issue and flogging it to death once again.

Question for McCranky:  How did you deal with the PTSD associated with your POW experience?

This is a peculiar development.

...and presumably not a message the Obama campaign wants its allies out there articulating

Absolutely right. The Obama camp needs to disassociate themselves with this thing right away. All they (the Obama camp) really need to do right now is sit back and watch the anchor that is Palin drag McCain down to the bottom.

I think we have all the ammunition we need against McCain without giving him an opening to pivot back to the POW-bullshit. This one needs to be lost in one of the tubes along with the last crappy video he put out.

McCain Not Fit To Be President? We don't need a movie to tell us what we already know. But i look forward to seeing this movie.

Barack shouldn't be associated with this, and I don't think he is.

So, remind me why a guy who was a POW longer than McCain, who knew him in the Hanoi Hilton as well as at Annapolis, should not express his opinion on McCain's fitness to be president.

The campaign is not behind this, nor should it be. No reason this guy should not be heard.

Yes, it's strong and risky stuff. But why should we be unwilling to talk about it? That McLingLing might very well have some unresolved issues post-POW, and was a hothead pre-POW, is certainly something that a responsible citizenry ought noodle over while deciding if he should have access to the football, no? But, no one's supposed to discuss it because it's, what, mean?

As Greenwald might say, that's not to Serious.

Enough of cowering! I'd think that hearing from the horse's mouth on McCadaver's POW bullsit would make people happy. Instead, there's puling fear spouting out - "OMG! I don't wanna take risks! I don't wanna bring something new to people's attention! Oh, noes!"

COME ON. This isn't a Junior Statesmen Assoc. meetup. This is the presidency. There are no awards given for congeniality (Oh, wait. I'm wrong. McCadaver's third wife-to-be has one. Ha!). This isn't even below the belt stuff. It's an ex-soldier debunking the myth. And you guys hate it? Want to hide it?

Keep up that attitude. Don't support people like Greenwald who have the resources and talent to stick out their necks in a big way for our cause. I don't wanna hear a thing when we LOSE again because of all of this goddamned caterwauling!!!

/rant

McCain has been throwing the POW qualification or disclaimer into every aspect of his candidacy.

Why shouldn't the opposition examine its merits?

Four years ago we witnessed one of the lowest moments in modern American politics when republicans made a campaign of questioning John Kerry's military service. Nothing was more sickening than to watch as republicans wore band-aids at their national convention, mocking the war injuries of an American service member who served his country with honor and distinction.

John McCain has a political history of more than twenty-five years. Based on his politics alone, there is more than enough reason not to elect this man as president. We don't need to question McCain's military service or make an issue of whether he exaggerates his heroics. We don't need to adopt the slime from the republican playbook to win elections. We're better than that. We have the advantage of having the better ideas. They know it, and we should never forget it.

well the pictures have surfaced of the palin teen drinking it up. this doesnt look well.

Democrats all know that McCain has a bad temper. We think McCain's bad temper is common knowledge, but most voters have heard nothing about it. They are buying the genial maverick with the weird sense of humor image.

This report of a Naval Academy student who knew McCain's temper in the 50s, before he crashed any planes, should be shared as much as possible:

"He would blow up and go off like a Roman candle at any possible time... he has shown himself already to be bellicose."

Who else knew McCain before the POW experience? I'd like to hear their opinion of McCain's temper. This is not swiftboating, it is vetting. We need a factual list of examples showing this temper at work, for instance bad language on the floor of the Senate, calling his wife a cunt, and whatever else is out there.

I agree with oskieoskie @10:18. Good for Phillip Butler and Robert Greenwald; I half expected to see something like this after reading the Butler opinion piece you linked.

Butler's not speaking on behalf of Obama, but rather exercising his own well earned right to speak out, so while the Obama folks may not like this, they have no veto rights. If Senator Obama'a campaign wants to take some vaguely high-roadish stance vis-a-vis this totally legitimate expression of views, by someone who sacrificed so much for our country, they can knock themselves out doing so. In our stupid media environment, it would probably even help their campaign slightly to do so...whatever.

Dr. Butler has a rare and worthwhile perspective on Senator POW! McMaverick, and I'm glad he has shared it publicly. FYI, for other contrary views, go check out the comments at the original Military.com piece -- a great many of them, uh, beg to differ from Dr. Butler. Again, whatever - it's not like 95% of those folks would ever vote for Obama anyway.

No shit. It's unbelievable how many TPM readers are incapable of watching this video and seeing a fellow POW respectfully and calmly argue two substantial points -- 1. John McCain's health is a concern to him, and 2. John McCain's temperament is a concern to him -- and then leap to the conclusion that this video is "despicable" or "harmful".

"They can't handle the truth!"

There are some valid questions worth raising about this video, but nobody has done so precisely. Clearly, the early part of the video does, in Wesley Clark-esque fashion, make the banal claim that being a POW does not qualify a person for the presidency; later, the video argues that John McCain seems to be milking his POW experience for personal benefit; finally, the video argues that McCain is being disingenuous with his religious piety. None of these three claims are necessary to making a strong case against McCain, and Obama and the Democratic party are politically wise not to get closely associated with these attacks.

The heart of this attack video is it's point about John McCain's temperament.

John McCain would blow up and go off like a Roman candle at any possible time. The world is such a dangerous place and he has shown himself already to be bellicose. John McCain is not somebody that I would like to see with his finger near the red button.

It's ridiculous to say that the Democrats just turn away from making the case against McCain's temperament because the GOP will try to make us look bad or unpatriotic. Give me a break.

Way too much over reacting on this. Americans like their heroes and McCain qualifies as that because no one challenged it at the time. To tear him down looks like sour grapes and does Obama no favor. I think people understand that McCain has something he is hiding (PTSD) and I think that is why Obama is winning and he is otherwise Johnny boy wouldn't have flipped out and panicked with Palin. Just relax, Obama knows what he is doing if it is not apparent with you by now. The only thing we have to worry about is the voting machienes.

As long as it's not her drinking while pregnant, that seems like a non-story.

I totally agree with the premise of this post and support this video. My former husband was in Viet Nam as a marine, and served heroically. But, he came back a different person. He was not totally damaged as some of my clients are from the experience - he went on to finish college, go to law school and have a good career as an attorney. However, he WAS mentally affected and his temperament changed.He was easily riled and short tempered. It ruined our marriage. I would not want him to have a say in whether the US went to war and I certainly do not want McCain to have that power either for the same reason. I represent many Viet Nam vets in mental health commitments and criminal matters - most of them suffered severe stress during their tour of duty and the PTSD is debilitating for them. Many have physical illnesses from Viet Nam - melanoma is very common among them, as well as other cancers. McCain is not prepared to be President. I am not prepared to have four more years of the same corrupt group running the government. We should show this video to American voters, they need to consider what McCain would be like if he wins.

This is not quite as bad as swiftboating, since it doesn't attack his service with lies. That being said, this is one guy who knew him a long time ago and the major complaint he had was with his temperament. Much of what he said about that was hearsay, and he didn't seem to have any direct examples.

Just like being a POW doesn't make you qualified to be president, it also doesn't make you qualified to be a character witness. There really isn't anything that this brings to the debate, and it does have some of that icky swiftboat feel.

The gentleman in the film is entitled to voice his opinion. This is America.

Folks,
let's be honest. No matter WHAT we do, it backfires. That is what the Corporate Media is there for. There is no ad or response that is going to go over like we want it to. Crafting a message and hoping that it comes out the other end of the Media Megaphone the way we want is lunacy.

Insanity....doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

We are in a horrible game of Telephone where all the participants are SURE to screw up the message. Not just accidental or incremental....all the actors in this game are SWORN and PAID to misinterpret our message.

I am all for attacking, but it is a GIVEN that our message will be twisted and there will be blowback. McPOW has no message except ridicule and attack B H O. Of course they will cry foul and smear B H O no matter what is coming out of his mouth.

So we have to think of other ways. Billboards. Bumper Stickers, public action, public rallies. The only thing the Corp Media cannot spin or twist is live footage of an ongoing event. And even then, they can do the ultimate....Not Cover It and it may as well never happened. But if it get's airtime, they cannot photoshop on the fly. They can pick and spin and twist and change the after-coverage, but they cannot alter a public event that is witnessed.

I don't have many good ideas, but I can at least be a bellweather. By my fairly accurate and scientific calculations we have NEVER got a decent break from the media, and the repubs get endless do-overs, and a 24.7 media blitz that covers for them, and invents for them, and swiftboats for them.
Hoping the Corp Media will be a delivery system for anything Left is a cruel, empty hope.

Senator McCain is the one who has been using his POW experience in the campaign. He even used it in response to reaction to his not knowing how many houses he and his wife owned.

If being a prisoner is a qualifying experience for being President, then about 1/10th of our population is at least as experienced as Senator McCain; some are far more experienced, as they have served in this capacity for much longer than has Senator McCain.

I don't think it really helps Obama's case and he will most certainly distance himself from it if not denounce it outright. That has been his stance and he'll stick with it.

Nevertheless, McCain should not be allowed to flaunt his POW past for political gain (which is shameful it and of itself) without someone pushing back.

Not to mention the fact that it doesn't make sense. It's tautological. (What has being a POW got to do with running a country?)

But it's more that McNuts thinks he can get away with it that makes us want to bring him down. He is, after all , framing the whole convention around it.

I think that what will work is to use footage or quotes from other Repugs' statements and George Bush's against McCain's when he ran in 2000. That will be more powerful than than trotting out a different voice who could easily be seen as an Obama tool we don't want the kind of debacle that followed Dan Rather's broadcast of Chimpy's guard records.

Obama should denounce this type of campaign, and should be seen as denouncing this, as to harsh and disrespectful to aged man. This ad will do more harm than good.

After considering the postings about how Obama should become more aggressive in his response to McCain, I would like all to consider the Man and character that defines Obama and what makes him the ideal candidate.

Despite the labels to the contrary, Obama wants his Christian faith to direct his steps. An application, to how he conducts himself, stands in contrast to McCains attacks.
“WE THE PEOPLE” need to point out this fine quality.

HOW DO YOU GIVE PROPER HONOR TO AN AGED MAN?

Appreciating this, we harken back to a day, when our young were obedient and were well respectful, for authority, A FAMILY VALUE.

Should not younger ones show fellow feeling and be compassionate to the elderly? Does this define and promote a Social Security plan
?
The Mosaic Law stated: “Before gray hair you should rise up, and you must show consideration for the person of an old man.” (Leviticus 19:32)
“Respect even the old man who has lost his learning,” declared the Talmud. One rabbi argued that this respect should also include an ignorant and unlettered old man. “The very fact that he has grown old,” he reasoned, “must be due to some merit.”—The Jewish Encyclopedia.

The good example in speaking and conduct of the young man Elihu, who began his words of counsel in this way: “Young I am in days and you men are aged. That is why I drew back and was afraid to declare my knowledge to you men. I said, ‘Days themselves should speak, and a multitude of years are what should make wisdom known.’” (Job 32:6, 7) From that point Elihu spoke on the matters at issue. His conduct in this situation was above reproach. He realized that the older men should be recognized and be allowed to speak without interruption. He showed respect for these men. The counsel by the young man was more filled with wisdom than the older ones.

Obama has again shown by his conduct, why the elderly should feel comfortable with his character. The elderly should reprimand McCain for his antagonistic behavior, recognizing Obama’s strength and WISDOM, far exceeds the aged Mccain’s.

By carefully avoiding being to harsh on poor ol’ McCain’s inability to grasp or understand the issues, Obama sets the example as a role model, of what is right and good for America. Preach that from the rooftops and the platforms.

As Napoleon once said, "When you enemy is dressing himself, do nothing."

McCain's selection of Palin is good example of McCain damaging himself, as current polls indicate, with the general electorate.

As Napoleon once said, "When you're enemy is destroying himself, do nothing."

As the current polls indicate, McCain may well be injuring himself with his selection of Palin.

I enjoyed that, and I think it fits perfectly with the "McCain is an angry risk-taker with poor judgment" meme/reality.

I think folks need to stop being scared of attacking McCain's alleged "strength"; that sort of "higher road" thinking got us 8 years of Bush.

I also reject the "Palin is enough" argument -- I don't think that's true (and what if it's not?).

Better to shine the light on the bellicose rageoholic and highlight all of his many failings. Undermining his "trump card" (the fact that, after graduating at the bottom of his class, he got himself shot down and subsequently captured) is, in my view, a GOOD thing.

The Obama campaign won't touch this kind of thing, but I appreciate Robert Greenwald for bringing it out. Believe it or not, this is a salient issue to other men of McCain's generation, some of whom feel he is pimping his war service, when there were more than 600 men who survived along with him.

Wes Clark was attacked for stating the obvious: war service and being a POW are NOT qualifications to be president, but judging from some of the traumatized people who come home from war, it might be a hindrance, in that McCain it seems to me, is obsessed with war, perhaps, as Clark suggested, because he was deprived by the Viet Cong of his opportunity to fight the one in Vietnam.

BTW the difference with the Swiftboat creeps is that they were challenging John Kerry's medals and service, while this fellow POW is talking about his OWN experience as a POW, and how in his opinion, the aftermath of that trauma would render any POW less than fit to command the nation. And he brings up, not McCain's service, but his temperament, again, legitimate, and not an attack on his service.

To those who feel it necessary to be so calloused as to think it proper to humiliate and totally destroy McCain, to win this election, are no better than the Republican slime machine.

I wouldn't put it past Rove and company, to be behind this video, allowing elderly Americans and War veterans to watch some, disrespectful Democrats, attack an American service man, what some feel was McCains valor and service. Where were you when your country called?

A major voting bloc might be compelled to slap down those who find glee in disparaging one of their own, old and cast aside as an object of ridicule and disgrace.

Then wonder why the Right would claim "Look they're still spitting on returning Vets"

So why risk the election because some depraved Democrat's, testosterone levels rise, in some vain attempt to show an old man, about at the end of his days that his life was really meaningless.

It is not necessary to destroy McCains dignity, because he reached out to lead.

Obama take the high road on this issue, show America, although citizens disagree Respect for the elderly, by all, is a value.

It's just my opinion, just as it is the other POW, but the gain of the video is not worth the risk of this mans opinion, Opinions are like bowel movements, everyone has one.

RESPECT IS ESSENTIAL TO CIVIL SOCIETY

Darn. Allow me to present a coherent version of paragraph two in the above post:

Space out the blows? Work in some nuanced, well-timed scheme? No way. Land a blow whenever there is an opening. The Repugilismicans are great fighters who always go the distance; almost impossible to knock out. Hit them hard again and again as fast as we can. Be relentless. Yes, they are stupid, ignorant, and killing thousands of people while sending our grandchildren to debtor's prison. And they are still standing there in the ring with us, the bell has signaled the start of another round, and we gotta keep fighting.

We owe it to Kerry to get this message out.

``Barak was in a rally last friday when a disgruntled voter -like most of us- asked him pointy: when are going to fight back and fight hard... he start rambling around, huffing and buffing , can't even get himself to say the word LIES about what the GOP are mudding him with....instead he said he has " a different philosophy" to respond, he will respond by saying the truth"..... Dude...f~~k the philosophy... philosopher don't won elections, FIGHTERS, people will BALLS won elections....you have different philosophy.... give us a f~~king brake. .....or give us our $$ back if you are so damn scare to FIGHT.
He got his Dukakis willi Horton ad....Kerry swift boat ad....and he has a different philosophy.....that's f~~king exactly want got him label as elite....How come we all got fooled??
He is f~~king lost it for us…. We are going to live in misery for the next 4-8 years cuz we have another whiny, philosopher,coward running for president.

HRC was damn right… he can’t win not cuz he is black, but cuz he is a wimp.