McCain's son served in Iraq

[CaptainChewbacca]

Its not quite news, but I was certainly surprised to hear about it. Link

McCain's 19-year-old son does a 'Prince Harry' in Iraq

By Stephen Foley in New York
Monday, 7 April 2008


Newspapers in the United States have revealed that John McCain's 19-year-old son, Jimmy, has been serving in Iraq, prompting a furious response from the Republican presidential contender's aides after months of effort to keep his son out of the public spotlight.


Mr McCain has repeatedly refused to make political capital from his son's service, despite having put support for the war in Iraq and national security at the heart of his campaign for president. But a tacit pact with the US media has begun to break down, and details are emerging of L/Cpl Jimmy McCain's military service, his childhood interest in war memorabilia and his experiences patrolling Anbar province in Iraq.

L/Cpl McCain has attended few of his father's campaign events and has been introduced at fewer, although he has accompanied him on at least one private visit to meet the family of a serviceman killed in the war.

When Senator McCain visited Iraq last year and shared a Thanksgiving dinner with troops, there was no press coverage of the fact that he was dining with his son and his unit. And he has kept to his code of silence even when pressed by the media. Asked about his son on Fox News recently, he replied: "We really never talk about our sons. We have two sons in the military but we never talk about it, if that's all right. I am so proud of both of them."

Jimmy McCain enlisted in the US Marines two years ago, at an age so young his mother had to fill consent forms for his medical examinations, and spent his Iraq tour in what was by then a largely subdued area, making house-to-house patrols and handing out footballs as gifts to residents.

In common with the British Royal Family, which gathered the press together to agree a news blackout when Prince Harry served in Afghanistan earlier this year, the McCain camp has argued that coverage could make his son a target.

However, with Jimmy McCain's tour over in February, the Washington gossip sheet The Hill last week and The New York Times over the weekend printed their own investigations. The newspaper, though, agreed not to publish recent photos. A spokesman for the senator said: "The McCain campaign objects strongly to this intrusion into the privacy of Senator McCain's son. The children of presidential candidates in this election cycle should be afforded the same respect for their privacy that the children of President Bush and President and Senator Clinton have been afforded."

Jack McCain, who is two years older than Jimmy, is set to graduate from naval college next year, making it possible that John McCain could become the first sitting president since Eisenhower to have a son serving in a war zone. That may present unprecedented security concerns after any inauguration, but before that it will play heavily in the presidential campaign where the war in Iraq will be a fissure between Mr McCain and his rival, whether it be Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama, both of whom have demanded an immediate withdrawal of troops. The issue will be pushed to fore again this week when General David Petraeus, the US commander in Iraq, reports to Congress on the "troop surge", saying the military needs more time to assess security before committing to troop reductions.

Democrats have criticised Mr McCain for saying the US should stay in Iraq for 100 years if necessary.

I'm not a huge McCainiac, but I kinda admire him for not trying to make any political hay out of his son's choice to be in the military. Of course, this has pretty well nixed any chance of Jack serving in Iraq.

[Lonestar]

This is common knowledge dude. In fact, I'm almost positive I mentioned it on the board several months ago.

[Losonti Tokash]

First I've heard of it.

[Warsie]

This is common knowledge dude. In fact, I'm almost positive I mentioned it on the board several months ago.

ditto. He mentioned it occasionally but not much that some of his sons were in Iraq/the military.

[Zwinmar]

heh, a rich dude who's son actually joins the military. Not only joins, but is enlisted. Not something you see with people who think they are a 'natural aristocracy.'

[Pelranius]

Well, Scalia's son was in Iraq for a while at least. (Not sure if he's still there)

Jim Webb's son is/was also there.

[MPC2163]

My wife's best friend is a Marine and was in Iraq with McCain's son. He thought it was pretty cool to be serving with someone who had important parents.

[Anguirus]

My McCain respect-o-meter has actually experienced an uptick for the first time since about 2003.

[Napoleon the Clown]

I have to admit, I respect how McCain is handling that. I honestly think it's a wise move, on his part. He's not trying to profit off his son serving, and I don't know that there are many politicians out there who would do as he is doing. I'd imagine most would try to use their child's choice to try and make themselves look good.


Though I still won't vote for McCain. Having some amount of ethics doesn't change that I disagree with him on issues I find important.

[Plekhanov]

Its not quite news, but I was certainly surprised to hear about it.

I'm not a huge McCainiac, but I kinda admire him for not trying to make any political hay out of his son's choice to be in the military. Of course, this has pretty well nixed any chance of Jack serving in Iraq.

Why would he personally seek to? By staying quiet about it personally whilst setting his proxy mouthpieces out to make hay about it instead allows him to look principled fully benefiting from his son serving there.

[Mr Bean]

Its not quite news, but I was certainly surprised to hear about it.

I'm not a huge McCainiac, but I kinda admire him for not trying to make any political hay out of his son's choice to be in the military. Of course, this has pretty well nixed any chance of Jack serving in Iraq.

Why would he personally seek to? By staying quiet about it personally whilst setting his proxy mouthpieces out to make hay about it instead allows him to look principled fully benefiting from his son serving there.

You think him so callow as to sacrifice his own son for political gain? Make no mistake high ranking people's sons and daughter's have served in Iraq, but we aim to keep such things quiet as if Al-Q or the Sunni's or Shiti's discover where such a person is serving they will definatly go after that person because the death of John McCain's son is a much better PR and a fund-raiser than "we shot up some American's and mortard the green zone once or twice."

Think Prince Harry, as long it's not generally know then he's in just as much danger as anyone else, once it is know then the shit generally hits the fan. It won't in this case until where McCain's unit is stationed is broadcast.

[Havok]

Its not quite news, but I was certainly surprised to hear about it.

I'm not a huge McCainiac, but I kinda admire him for not trying to make any political hay out of his son's choice to be in the military. Of course, this has pretty well nixed any chance of Jack serving in Iraq.

Why would he personally seek to? By staying quiet about it personally whilst setting his proxy mouthpieces out to make hay about it instead allows him to look principled fully benefiting from his son serving there.

What, so you think that McCain wants to sacrifice his son to get into the White House. Are you really that fucking stupid?

[Ubiquitous]

Its not quite news, but I was certainly surprised to hear about it.

I'm not a huge McCainiac, but I kinda admire him for not trying to make any political hay out of his son's choice to be in the military. Of course, this has pretty well nixed any chance of Jack serving in Iraq.

Why would he personally seek to? By staying quiet about it personally whilst setting his proxy mouthpieces out to make hay about it instead allows him to look principled fully benefiting from his son serving there.

I was wondering how long it would be before someone came into this thread and suggested that McCain potentially having his son killed in combat was actually a front for his political gains. I just didn't expect it to be so soon!

[Rye]

Its not quite news, but I was certainly surprised to hear about it.

I'm not a huge McCainiac, but I kinda admire him for not trying to make any political hay out of his son's choice to be in the military. Of course, this has pretty well nixed any chance of Jack serving in Iraq.

Why would he personally seek to? By staying quiet about it personally whilst setting his proxy mouthpieces out to make hay about it instead allows him to look principled fully benefiting from his son serving there.

That's a bit harsh. I have no love for McCain and am actually surprised he didn't capitalise on it earlier, but the way you say it, if he says nothing and someone else says something, he's doing it to look good, if he says something, he's saying it to look good. He can't win, there.

I'm also not sure why everyone else is reading "McCain's willing to sacrifice his son" into your comment. The army would likely do a Harry if anyone found out where he was and just bring him back instead of leaving him to be a bullet magnet, and McCain would still retain "honour" for having let his kid go to a warzone he helped create. There's less chance of the "sacrifice" of his son here than a normal trooper, because in all likelihood, the son will be brought back sooner for security issues.

Seriously, where are you people getting your idea that McCain would be sacrificing his kid if he did what Plek said? If he did leak it to a proxy to say it for him, he's practically bought his kid a home ticket.

[Havok]

Don't be retarded Rye. McCain doesn't want a ticket home for his son. He is PROUD that his kids are in the military and are serving their country. However, there is no way in fucking hell he wants his son as a special target so that he may have to go through what he did.

The way Plekhanov is putting it, that McCain told aides to go put his son in more danger than he already is by painting a target on him, by using him as a political tool... "allows him to look principled fully benefiting from his son serving there.", is fucking ridiculous.

[Rye]

The way Plekhanov is putting it, that McCain told aides to go put his son in more danger than he already is by painting a target on him, by using him as a political tool... "allows him to look principled fully benefiting from his son serving there.", is fucking ridiculous.

What a load of shit. The way Plek put it, McCain told his aides to show that his son was fighting on the front lines so that McCain himself looked like an honourable war-obsessed freak. Once such news got out into the media, his own son would be brought back just like Harry was. They wouldn't keep him out there as a fucking bullet magnet, so he wouldn't be put in any extra danger, just dismissed early.

[Havok]

Why would he personally seek to? By staying quiet about it personally whilst setting his proxy mouthpieces out to make hay about it instead allows him to look principled fully benefiting from his son serving there.

Bullshit. He said NOTHING about trying to angle for his son coming home. Just benefiting from him serving there. Chewie, who Plekhanov, was responding to. commented on Jack McCain probably not going out in harms way IF McCain became President.

Plekhanov version: Go announce to the media that my kid is fighting in a warzone. It will make me look good for the election.

[TithonusSyndrome]

You think him so callow as to sacrifice his own son for political gain?

McCain may not be a soulless monster, but his record on torture and eagerness for the Apocalypse doesn't make it a foregone conclusion that he's a decent human being moved by the sanctity of human life. It's probably another thing altogether with respect to his own children, but I wouldn't place bets so confidently myself.

[Slacker]

McCain may not be a soulless monster, but his record on torture and eagerness for the Apocalypse doesn't make it a foregone conclusion that he's a decent human being moved by the sanctity of human life. It's probably another thing altogether with respect to his own children, but I wouldn't place bets so confidently myself.

Hasn't he pretty much gone on record as being completely opposed to the Bush administration's stance on torture and promised to pretty much shut down Gitmo immediately if he was elected?

[Mr Bean]

[


Hasn't he pretty much gone on record as being completely opposed to the Bush administration's stance on torture and promised to pretty much shut down Gitmo immediately if he was elected?

McCain might be on the record as anti-torture but he sure as hell voted FOR every pro-torture resolution!

As I say every time this comes up, McCain's voting record is diametrically opposed to his political statements.

[Zixinus]

Seriously, where are you people getting your idea that McCain would be sacrificing his kid if he did what Plek said?

I'll go on a limb here: because he's a politician?