I am curious, how would you have handled it...

Dari

Lifer
Oct 25, 2002
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You don't know until you're put in that situation. Plus, it depends on your view of death.
 

Fern

Elite Member
Sep 30, 2003
26,907
173
106
Originally posted by: ricleo2
I am very curious how anandtech readers think how they would have handled the same situation McCain was in.

I'm glad I never had to find out. I'm too old for military service now.

Fern
 

Lemon law

Lifer
Nov 6, 2005
20,984
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That is the second time at least that the same article got posted and its a damn long read. OK, granted, John McCain was irrationally defiant in a war the US lost because other US leaders had their head stuck up their ass in denial. Lesson to be learned, being a US fanboy or acting in denial of reality are worthless personality traits in terms of getting the desired results.

And we need smarter leaders who share the same goals but are not going to try military force as option #1 given the fact it generally backfires. A lesson McCain seems incapable of learning as we have again over extended ourselves in two very expensive foreign quagmires.
 

Craig234

Lifer
May 1, 2006
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Hopefully, by saying that we had no justification for murdering Vietnamese who wanted freedom and not going to the war. But what's your point? Bravery = right to presidency?
 

Lemon law

Lifer
Nov 6, 2005
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To Craig234,

Neither is my point. Yes granted, we lost only 58,000 US troops in Vietnam, while some 2 million Vietnamese died. But still, the result of letting North Vietnam win the ability to impose its will on the larger population MAY not have been a desirable goal either. But its was the end result. Wiser US leadership could have achieved Vietnamese reunification
without a total North Vietnamese victory. We could have aimed for a coalition government, economic aid, and now Vietnam might be a far more prosperous Asian Tiger and the killing fields of Cambodia might have never resulted. The former Burma might not be the mess it is today as its in a state of near civil war with a military dictatorship that cannot last.

As for Bravery=right to be President, not hardly in MHO. The best any real bravery got us were millions of dead, and the dead become instant pacifists.
 

Craig234

Lifer
May 1, 2006
38,548
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Lemon Law, sorry for my post accidentally making it look like I was asking you what your point was - I accidentally quoted your post, and was meaning to address the OP.
 

JEDIYoda

Lifer
Jul 13, 2005
33,981
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Originally posted by: Craig234
Lemon Law, sorry for my post accidentally making it look like I was asking you what your point was - I accidentally quoted your post, and was meaning to address the OP.

To which that is entirely what the OP was alluding to --- Bravery = right to presidency?
 

eleison

Golden Member
Mar 29, 2006
1,319
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0
Originally posted by: JEDIYoda
Originally posted by: Craig234
Lemon Law, sorry for my post accidentally making it look like I was asking you what your point was - I accidentally quoted your post, and was meaning to address the OP.

To which that is entirely what the OP was alluding to --- Bravery = right to presidency?

Bravery = right to presidency? problably not.. but what kinda person do you want to be president? A person who went to church for 20+ years and who by not denoucing the pastor, implicitly, condone the racist leanings of the preacher not to mention a person who seems to change his positions with whatever the polls say, OR someone who is brave.

Obviously, there is no "right to presidency"... i don't think thats the issue here. The issue here is what kinda a person is McSame and ultimately, with what you know, would you vote for him. Keep this answer to yourself. The OP i think is trying to give more info about McSame for the voters to decide with.. The thread is not really debating about "IF" McSame should be president.. only about what he did when he was younger. If someone whats to start a thread that asks, "Should we vote for McSame because he is a war hero?", that would be legitimate.
 

Red Dawn

Elite Member
Jun 4, 2001
57,530
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Well seeing that I'm not an Admiral's son I probably would have died from my injuries and neglect.
 

Fern

Elite Member
Sep 30, 2003
26,907
173
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I don't think his military service earns him any right to be President.

But I see a few benefits:

1. I think the Presidency is a stressful job. This guy knows stress.

2. I like the *honor* thingy. That can be helpful in terms of keeping the person from falling for temptations. I want them to do the *right thing*, not create BS excuses and/or lie about stuff. Some people, I won't mention the name, seem to think there is honor in what they can personally achieve and/or *get away with*. That's not what I'm looking for.

3. Many have said GWB and Rove etc didn't know what war was like, thus engage it too casually, too quickly. McCain does know what it's like. Same with "torture".

Fern

 

Dari

Lifer
Oct 25, 2002
17,134
38
91
Originally posted by: eleison
Originally posted by: JEDIYoda
Originally posted by: Craig234
Lemon Law, sorry for my post accidentally making it look like I was asking you what your point was - I accidentally quoted your post, and was meaning to address the OP.

To which that is entirely what the OP was alluding to --- Bravery = right to presidency?

Bravery = right to presidency? problably not.. but what kinda person do you want to be president? A person who went to church for 20+ years and who by not denoucing the pastor, implicitly, condone the racist leanings of the preacher not to mention a person who seems to change his positions with whatever the polls say, OR someone who is brave.

Obviously, there is no "right to presidency"... i don't think thats the issue here. The issue here is what kinda a person is McSame and ultimately, with what you know, would you vote for him. Keep this answer to yourself. The OP i think is trying to give more info about McSame for the voters to decide with.. The thread is not really debating about "IF" McSame should be president.. only about what he did when he was younger. If someone whats to start a thread that asks, "Should we vote for McSame because he is a war hero?", that would be legitimate.

What racist leanings?
 

Lemon law

Lifer
Nov 6, 2005
20,984
3
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Originally posted by: Red Dawn
Well seeing that I'm not an Admiral's son I probably would have died from my injuries and neglect.

No Red Dawn, there were plenty of other equally defiant US aviators and even though they were not admirals son's, they got equivalent treatment and were equally defiant. Almost all survived the experience but it was a multi year miserable existence.

Nor should we think for one mad moment that the Vietnamese people were not equally defiant. Stubborn and irrational resistance is a universal human quality and anything but a US monopoly.

( And edit in postscript to Craig234, explanation more than accepted and sufficient )
 

Fern

Elite Member
Sep 30, 2003
26,907
173
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Originally posted by: Lemon law
Originally posted by: Red Dawn
Well seeing that I'm not an Admiral's son I probably would have died from my injuries and neglect.

No Red Dawn, there were plenty of other equally defiant US aviators and even though they were not admirals son's, they got equivalent treatment and were equally defiant. Almost all survived the experience but it was a multi year miserable existence.

Nor should we think for one mad moment that the Vietnamese people were not equally defiant. Stubborn and irrational resistance is a universal human quality and anything but a US monopoly.

( And edit in postscript to Craig234, explanation more than accepted and sufficient )

If you'll read the whole thing, McCain explains that the Vietnamese wouldn't have wasted medical resources on him. He suffered sever injuries in ejecting from his plane. Sounds like until they figured out who he was, he wasn't gonna get any decent medical treatment.

Fern
 

Craig234

Lifer
May 1, 2006
38,548
348
126
Originally posted by: eleison
Originally posted by: JEDIYoda
Originally posted by: Craig234
Lemon Law, sorry for my post accidentally making it look like I was asking you what your point was - I accidentally quoted your post, and was meaning to address the OP.

To which that is entirely what the OP was alluding to --- Bravery = right to presidency?

Bravery = right to presidency? problably not.. but what kinda person do you want to be president? A person who went to church for 20+ years and who by not denoucing the pastor, implicitly, condone the racist leanings of the preacher not to mention a person who seems to change his positions with whatever the polls say, OR someone who is brave.

Obviously, there is no "right to presidency"... i don't think thats the issue here. The issue here is what kinda a person is McSame and ultimately, with what you know, would you vote for him. Keep this answer to yourself. The OP i think is trying to give more info about McSame for the voters to decide with.. The thread is not really debating about "IF" McSame should be president.. only about what he did when he was younger. If someone whats to start a thread that asks, "Should we vote for McSame because he is a war hero?", that would be legitimate.

You are probably right that his topic is only about McCain's younger days and not related to his candidacy for the presidency.

That explains why this is his 11th thread about different Vietnam figures' experiences, not his first such thread. Oh, wait.
 

PELarson

Platinum Member
Mar 27, 2001
2,289
0
0
I would have hoped I would have been stronger.

To have a affair and then leave your wife to marry your younger and richer mistress is really a show of a weak character!