A fellow Vietnam War POW discusses John McCain’s history and character

A veteran who was a classmate of John McCain and a prisoner with him in Vietnam explains loud and clear that being a POW does not qualify McCain to lead our country.

Dr. Phillip Butler knew McCain as a fellow POW. Watch and listen!

“To see McCain resort to playing the POW card when answering legitimate questions, in my mind, cheapens that experience. And by cheapening his own experience in war, he degrades all of our experiences in war. He turns the horrific incidents we’ve all seen, touched, smelled, and felt into a lame excuse to earn political points. And it dishonors us all.”

– Brandon Friedman, a veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan

Email from Robert Greenwald of Brave New Films:

John McCain has been exploiting his prisoner of war experience every chance he gets. He has used this story to justify everything from not knowing how many homes he has to his healthcare plan to his marital infidelities to his taste in music. The McCain campaign is even using his POW story in paid ads. But now a veteran who was a prisoner with McCain in Vietnam is explaining loud and clear that being a POW does not qualify McCain to lead our country.

Dr. Phillip Butler knew McCain as a fellow POW. Watch and listen!

We are sure this video will draw an onslaught of right-wing attacks, but we bring it to you because it is our job to continue to convey the truth together and give these issues national attention. As Dr. Butler has said, McCain does not have the temperament to have his finger near the red button. Get this video to everyone you know: friends, family members, coworkers, and especially those who don’t share your political views. The video is designed to reach them. Get it on your social networking sites like Digg. And get it to every blog, newspaper, and TV station that has ever overplayed McCain’s POW story. It is time to fight back with truth!

The mainstream press has already begun to call out McCain for overusing his POW story. And it’s cut across all political persuasions.

• “Whether he’s deflecting criticism over his health-care plan or mocking a tribute to the Woodstock music festival, Senator John McCain has a trump card: the Hanoi Hilton. – Edwin Chen, Bloomberg
• “Noun, Verb, POW” – Andrew Sullivan, The Atlantic Monthly
• “The McCain campaign’s constant invocation of the candidate’s POW past is weird bordering on irrational…” – Ana Marie Cox, TIME
• “I think they are going to it way too many times.” – Howard Fineman, Newsweek

Remember how Joe Biden got the press to refer to Rudy Giuliani as “A noun, a verb, and 9/11“? Well, let’s actually take Andrew Sullivan’s lead here and get the media to boil McCain down to a similar phrase: “A noun, a verb, and POW.” Considering how often the McCain campaign invokes his POW story, isn’t that what they’re already doing?Yours,
Robert Greenwald
and the Brave New team

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McCain’s voting record against the troops

Veteran’s sites are saying that “McCain is not a friend of the military.”

What? How is this possible? Everyone knows that McCain is a military hero. He talks about his love for the troops all the time.

… John McCain skipped close to a dozen votes on Iraq, and on at least another 10 occasions, he voted against arming and equipping the troops, providing adequate rest for the troops between deployments and for health care or other benefits for veterans…

Yes, McCain talks pro-trooops, but words are cheap. What counts is how the wannabe president actually voted on bills that would, in real life, help troops, veterans and their families. Unfortunately, when McCain’s voting record is examined, it becomes clear that McCain has little regard for the troops, their safety, their post-war health and well-being, much less the fulfillment of the promises this country made to them in exchange for their service.

September, 2007: McCain voted against the Webb amendment that would have provided all troops in Iraq have at least as much time home and in training as in theater. (S.Amdt 2909, 2910, 2910; 9/19/2007, 5:30 pm)

May, 2006: McCain voted against an amendment that would have provided the VA with an additional $20 million for healthcare facilities. (S.Amdt 3704; 5/4/2006, 11:34 am)

April, 2006: McCain was one of 13 Republicans to vote against $430 million for VA outpatient care and facilities. (S.Amdt 3642; 4/26/2006, 5:55 pm)

March, 2006: McCain voted against increasing VA medical services funding. (S.Amdt 3007 to S.Con.Res 83; 3/14/2006, 4:22 pm)

March, 2004: McCain voted against establishing a VA reserve fund to treat veterans. (S.Amdt 2745 to S.Con.Res 95; 3/10/2004, 9:34 pm)

October, 2003: McCain voted to table an amendment that called for an additional $322 million in safety equipment for soldiers in Iraq. (S.Amdt. 1817 to S. 1689; 10/2/2003, 7:36 pm)

April, 2003: McCain voted to table a senate vote to provide more than $1 billion for National Guard and Reserve equipment in Iraq. (S.Amdt 452 to S. 762; 4/2/2003, 5:35 pm)

August, 2001: McCain voted against increasing the amount available for medical care for veterans by $650 million. (S.Amdt. 1218 to S.Amdt. 1214; 8/1/2001, 6:02 pm)

Oklahoma Vets: McCain doesn’t support the troops where it counts

New video exposes the truth about McCain’s votes — against the best interests of the troops on the ground, and returned veterans help with health care and education.

Oklahoma Vets and Jim Inhofe

Sen. Jim Inhofe has failed the troops time and time again. His lack of integrity is staggering. He has repeatedly voted against bills to provide the troops with adequate medical care, body armor and equipment, yet he claims ‘you won’t find a better record of support for our men and women in uniform.’ All it takes is a quick check of his voting record to see that he’s a fraud. That’’s why we made the video.

People in the film:

* Chris Ritter (Gulf War Vet) – US Navy (Ret), OK National Guard (Active)
* Nathaniel Batchelder (Vietnam Vet) – Specialist 5th Class, US Army (Ret)
* Miranda L. Norman (Iraq War Vet) – Specialist, Oklahoma Army National Guard (Ret)
* Col. (Ret) Katherine Scheirman – Medical Doctor, US Air Force