October 27, 2008

"I've been tested." Bullshit!

Posted by: Andoni

"I want to tell you one thing, my friends, I've been tested. I've been tested."

Am I the only person in the world who hears these words and wonders what the hell he's talking about?

McCain's claim came up most recently after Senator Joseph Biden told a group of supporters that a President Obama would be tested by our adversaries in the first 6 months of his administration, just as President Kennedy had been tested by the Cuban Missile Crisis.

McCain jumped on this statement and said he would not have to be tested in this manner. He claimed that he was already tested because he was there during the Cuban Missile Crisis and was already tested. What McCain is referring to, and what none of the corporate media has examined or questioned, is that he was merely a navy pilot during that crisis. He was based on an aircraft carrier, that carrier was sent to the waters near Cuba, and he was ready with his plane to attack Cuba. Is this equivalent to the test the leader of the free world faces in a major crisis? When the leader of the free world is confronted by crisis such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, he must analyze the options, and then make a decision that affects the entire country, if not the world. Is that how McCain was tested when he was sitting in his plane on that aircraft carrier? I think not! McCain was merely following orders.

There is not equivalence here. McCain was in the navy on his aircraft carrier, his aircraft carrier was ordered by the president to the waters near Cuba, and McCain was ordered to be ready. McCain did not have to make any decisions. All he had to do was follow orders, as any good soldier does. Is it being tested when you follow the orders of your superior? To do anything else, he would have been court-martialed. So, I don't see how this scenario relates in any way to a new commander in chief being tested by a foreign adversary. McCain was not in charge, McCain made no decisions. His claim on this is bullshit.

So when was McCain tested? During his 5 and 1/2 years as a prisoner of war in Hanoi? Sure that was tough, but that test was one of personal survival skills, not a test of the administrative, intellectual and decision making skills that a president must have. And if you want to get technical, did McCain pass that test with flying colors? I would argue not really. During his time there he signed many confessions and participated in propaganda films against the United States. I would have probably done the same. However, there is no correlation between surviving in a POW camp for 5 years and the administrative, judgment and intellectual skills needed to be a good president.

You might argue that McCain refusing to accept early release because his father was an admiral was a test and he passed that. Maybe so, but I would counter that "first in, first out" is a Commandment in the military and McCain knew very well that if he went afoul of that, he would never make admiral, something that he still aspired to at that time. But most importantly, again, that type of test (following an established, routine military Commandment) is nothing like the test that a president must face when a never seen before or experienced before crisis arises.

"I've been tested" rings even more hollow when you consider McCain's conduct during this presidential campaign. His has been a campaign with no direction, no backbone, and complete disorder. He failed the test when he chose Sarah Palin as his running mate. He really wanted Senator Joe Lieberman because he felt Lieberman was the best choice for the country. However, he did not go to bat for Lieberman and instead, allowed himself to be bowled over by the right wing religious base of his party. On this test that is more relevant to the decisions a president makes, he was tested ........and failed!

Also, in the recent economic crisis, McCain did not measure up as a tested leader. He lurched from position to position and could not chart a clear direction for his campaign, his party or the country. Again, this was a test more analogous to what presidents need to do in crises.......and once again, he failed!

McCain's statement, "I've been tested" is all bullshit. In the early years it had nothing to do with skills needed to be commander in chief. And most importantly, in recent months in situations that do have relevance to being president, McCain failed miserably.