POWn'd, You Lose!
By Bill W. Thursday Aug 28, 2008 7:30pm
Even after all of the criticism that John McCain has received recently for repeatedly citing his experience as a POW as an illogical excuse for everything from his extramarital affairs to his rule-breaking to having so many more homes than most people have pairs of shoes that he can't keep track of them (as if his having been a POW 35 years ago has somehow inoculated McCain from any criticism whatsoever for any thing he does) his campaign sure wasn't kidding when they responded by letting it be known that it had only just begun to exploit his POWness.
In an interview with KDKA radio in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, John McCain POW-POW-POWed when asked about charges that he's an elitist who's out of touch with the American worker on kitchen-table issues.
McCain: [I]n all due respect my friends, I know what it's like to not have a house, I know what it's like not to have a kitchen table. I know what it's like not to have a table or a chair. For five and a half years, I sat in a cell with nothing but concrete floor and three boards to sleep on.
The argument goes something like this: John McCain, as a former POW, can't be out of touch with the average working stiff. He totally understands ordinary folks' financial hardships (obviously) because he was a POW. Is any of this making sense to you? No, me neither. And it's not just the McCain campaign itself that wants to beat you over the head with the fact that McCain must be impervious to any criticism simply because he was a POW. The South Carolina GOP has also hopped on the POW-talk express with perhaps the most POWerful ad ever:
Download | play 
Download | play
Okay, this has gone way past ridiculous already, and it seems it's not going to stop until November. Everyone knows John McCain was a POW, and everyone with a brain knows that having been a POW is not a valid excuse for cheating on your wife or for saying something stupid, nor is it a blanket policy qualifier for the office of the Presidency.
There ought to be some simple way to put an end to this kind of nonsense, and DKos' Georgia10 is on it:
Most of you are familiar with Godwin's Law, the notion that if you rely on Hitler or Nazi comparisons in a debate, you automatically lose that debate.
The general election has brought us The POW. The POW is used frequently by the McCain camp and Republicans to deflect from valid criticism of John McCain's politics and policies [...]
As with Goodwin's Law, the utterance of "POW!" this campaign season is a surefire sign that it's game over for the Republican trying to defend John McCain. After all, if you can't respond with substance, but rather have to resort to raising an issue McCain himself has previously said shouldn't be exploited in a campaign, you're pretty much backed into a corner.
So what should we dub this diversionary tactic? McCain's Law? POW'd? ..(read on)
Georgia10 is right. A Godwin's Law for the POW tactic sounds like a really good idea if we can come up with a uniformly and popularly accepted term and make it stick. A simple non-scientific sharing of opinions among us here at C&L seemed to favor POWn'd. What do you think?
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Probably the most juvenile thing I've ever seen on this site.
[pow]Nothing to see here![/pow]
During this period he speaks of, he had a house, a wife and family. They stood by him the whole while.
When he came back he dumped them.
So much for being a POW.
Bastard.
I'm surprised he didn't pick an inmate from GITMO for a running mate.
Senator, why did you cheat on your wife?
"As a POW I didn't get any p*ssy. Therefore I'm entitled to as much as I want and those who want to question it are free to do so"
My God, he's laying it on thick ain't he?
the reason he became a pow was because he's a screw up.
My dad (who was in his 70's when he passed away over 20 years ago) told me he met a couple of his great uncles when he was a boy.
They had been POW's at Andersonville - the Confederate Prison for Union POW's.
He said their having survived Andersonville was certainly a testimony to their survival skills, but equally certainly cast in doubt their personal ethics.
Boy, its like Rudy invoking 911, or W claiming executive privilege, and its just as spineless.
Theres no end to this, but go ahead John, keep playing that card. I cant wait for the veterans groups with more integrity to come forward and ask him if he will stop trivializing prisoners of war.
Watch. It will happen before November if he keeps this up.
OK, the REAL reason why McCain chose Palin is this.....
SHE HAS A DOWN SYNDROME BABY THAT SHE KNEW SHE WOULD HAVE AND DID NOT ABORT. In other words - when you see her holding this cute baby next week at the convention - the inference is going to be that Democrats would have KILLED THIS BABY through abortion. The only way McCain is going to win this is to bring out the base, the only way to bring out the base is to get them riled up over abortion or gays, or both. Start counting the number of times they bring this child up. She already talked about it today, and I quote...
"An outspoken anti-abortion Republican, Palin has spoken out about her fifth child, who was diagnosed in utero with Down syndrome.
"We knew through early testing he would face special challenges, and we feel privileged that God would entrust us with this gift and allow us unspeakable joy as he entered our lives," the Republican National Committee quoted her as saying. "We have faith that every baby is created for good purpose and has potential to make this world a better place. We are truly blessed."
So, McCain is the ultimate scum bag using a down syndrome baby to get elected. Start telling every Republican you know this is why he has chosen her - once this story is realized, its the end of him.
If he studied harder and finished at the top instead of the bottom of his Naval Academy class he might would have been able to fly outta harms way I'm just saying. Besides, was he really shot down? Did anyone find the plane and examine it for shell holes? Maybe he crashed it and being an Admirals boy the GOP made the being shot down thing up for PR purposes? Stranger things have happened, afterall these are the same people who came up with the Jessica Lynch and Pat Tillman tall tales to support their cases.
They key to being a POW is to surrender.
"This is a story... you might not know about"?
REALLY? Ya mean there are actually people who still don't know what a POWtastically POWrific POW McPOW is?
Pat Ukaleley @ 10:
Honestly, what kind a moron goes ahead after the headsup and brings a DS baby into this world? It's outrageously irresponsible.
And what kind of a dimwit thanks her invisible sky-pixie for such a "gift"????
Pat Ukaleley @ 10:
Good thing the kid wasn't diagnosed as having Iraqi or Palestinian syndrome. Those are the ones the Republicans kill.
Chuck @ 14:
People like this probably think that cancer is also a gift from their Jebus.
So, about this POW thing. I think that McCain is spitting in the faces of other POWS with his claims about his POWness... as if it's an excuse to do shitful that he's done. And, it makes the inference that being a POW excuses you... and that paints all POWs with a badge of dishonor so stinking that he needs to be called on it BY ANOTHER POW!!
shitful=shitful things...
Well, at the very least for McCain, the Palin pick will most assuredly see many "progressives" cashing in their soul. You know, like Chuck at No. 14.
Aside from that, what are the odds these days that McCain completely blows a gasket during the debates?
This might be mildly off-topic, but if you'll excuse me I'm drunk again. Yet I think mcgramps choosing sarah plain and tall convinces me how I'll vote this November.
I'm now in the FISA voting, Iraq war budgeting holy-roller Barack Obama's side, even though I wanted to vote for Socialist Brian Moore.
mcgramps ploy not only trivializes the election, but unfortunately might work.
Good thing I'm not running for high public office; that would be like people voting for Christopher Hitchens with a Texan twang.
Okay, I'm kidding, I don't seem to have a Texan twang, some folk think I'm foreign born because I couldn't care less for the Dallas Cowboys or Nascar, and speak like a machine gun.
Could you imagine a candidate not carrying a Bible, but in a darkened room lit only by flickering candles, intoning odd chants, and exotic names to the fumes of incense?
No, I'm not Catholic either.
He brings up the POW thing constantly because it's the only knife in his drawer. Other politicians, over the course of 30-odd years, would have developed career skills (eg, "working a room," public speaking, organization), relationships, etc. McCain hasn't had to do nearly as much of that, hasn't really had to extend himself the way most people do as they mature--his POW experience has uniquely cleared a path for him in public life (and possibly in private life as well). It's pretty much a reflex by now.
I'm wondering if when Salim Hamdan goes back to Yemen if he'll get to be their President, seeing as he spent 5 + years as a POW.
i for one am tired and bored to death of
his and the gops use of his pow status.
it does not make for any credentials for
presidency. and now they will start
shoving this woman down our throats.
she has been in office less than two yrs
and already has allegedly abused her
power of position. what a f#cking bitch!
she looks like tina fey from SNL and
she sounds like Fran from THE NANNY.
PLEASE i don't want to listen to her
fingernails-on-chaulk-board-voice. yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee !!!!!
Prisoner Of W.
Wait, McCain was a POW?? Man, he sure kept that quiet!
Criticize McCain, and you hate the military.
Criticize Palin, and you hate women.
This is the McCain campaign in its entirety. Nothing more. Nothing less.
Fantastic!
Red Headed Step Child @ 26:
Ding-ding-ding!
most importantly, the SCLM will play this ad for mcKeatingFive so he won't have to fork over any campaign dollars for real advertising.
They'll frame it something like:
Seriously. I'm watching Larry King tonight. Carville and some McCain spokeswoman is on. Carville lays out why Palin is completely unqualified to be VP, and the spokeswoman's immediate response is "your being demeaning to women."
Palin is a tool. nothing more, nothing less. Okay, maybe a lot less.
Nothing but a broken record....just like the repug party is....BROKEN!
If being a POW is the only answer McPOW can come up with for every thing he does wrong and says wrong then he can't be trusted to run the country. When he calls Putin's wife a c*nt is he going to say he has the right to do it because he was a POW for 5 years? Or if he goes after somebody physically at a negotiating table are they going to let him get away with it because he was a POW? McSame does not have the temperament to be POTUS.
Canuknotusa @ 1:
I don't know. I thought your "get over yourself" comments a few threads down was whole orders of magnitude more juvenile and extremely ill-mannered. When did you turn into a troll?
Peter G @ 32:
He's been one all along.
Chuck @ 14:
She was, what 44, when she had her fifth child. Women giving birth after 40 run an especially high risk of Down's syndrome babies. That's probably why she was tested for it. I remember my mother becoming pregnant at 38 with a change of life baby and being warned and tested but luckily my brother was healthy.
Maybe the idiots who walked around with the purple heart band aids can show up with POW band aids this year.
For a party who has so much 'respect' for the military, they sure do show respect in a strange way.
put mccain on a polygraph and then give him a drug test. he's on my dime and i have some questions about missing funds.
Every war has it's share of heroes, and an abundance of POWs. Most of them don't think that qualifies them to be president.
14 Chuck Says: Pat Ukaleley @ 10:
“An outspoken anti-abortion Republican, Palin has spoken out about her fifth child, who was diagnosed in utero with Down syndrome.
“We knew through early testing he would face special challenges, and we feel privileged that God would entrust us with this gift and allow us unspeakable joy as he entered our lives,” the Republican National Committee quoted her as saying. “We have faith that every baby is created for good purpose and has potential to make this world a better place. We are truly blessed.”
Honestly, what kind a moron goes ahead after the headsup and brings a DS baby into this world? It’s outrageously irresponsible.
And what kind of a dimwit thanks her invisible sky-pixie for such a “gift”????
Wow. kinda harsh, don't you think?
McSongbird sung like a Canary.
http://www.alternet.org/election08/95825/i_spent_years_as_a_pow_with_joh...
No honor here. Just a bunch of yellow bellied left wingers crying as usual... Wanting to make changes through hard working peoples wallets!!!
further info:
http://www.newtotalitarians.com/McCainSangLikeACanary.html
Peter G @ 33:
Sorry - I kinda thought a Mario Bros. take on McCain's campaign might be considered by some to be, um,... juvenile.
... guess that makes me a 'troll'!
abarts @ 39:
Not when you take a moment to consider the quality of life this unfortunate child will have. And what happens to him once mom and dad are gone?
"So the next time Barack Obama talks about one of John McCain's homes,remember this one".
Jeez pal lighten up.It was a joke you douche bag.
Canuknotusa @ 43:
Not really. On it's own that's merely a matter of taste. Your other comments on the Buchanan thread frankly leaves me puzzled. Do you think Canadians are any less self-involved. It seems we'll be having an election shortly and that will surely offer an interesting comparison. I suspect there won't be a lot of difference. Every single party will be playing the nationalism and patriotism cards. How are we different? It's actually the style of your criticism that irked me. You don't normally issue generalized insults at all Americans (or USians as you said). So what's the beef?
dejah @ 17:
I don't know about fellow POW's, but he has been criticized harshly by fellow vets:
justabill @ 47:
http://www.military.com/opinion/0,15202,164859_1,00.html
Katie Couric, Jay Leno, now Pittsburgh radio.....practically word for word the same answer. This guy is really "straight talk". That's what we'll be seeing at the Repub convention, that's what we'll be seeing especially in the debates: pre-scripted, memorized, oft-used talking point answers. Tested on focus groups and intended also to make Obama look hesitant when Obama actually trys to answer a question honestly. Hey, Obama just needs his own set on 20-30 second soundbite answers for these things. And I'm serious.
At least McCain wasn't tortured when he was in prison. He may have been subjected to some enhanced interrogation, however....
Pfhreak in ARG @ 48:
Well, there you go. Thanks. :^)
You guys are pretty disgusting when it comes to mocking mccain's pow status. As for him using it all the time, sure he over does it a bit at times, but that doesn't validate the personal attacks on his pow status and questioning if he really had a rough time there because he was an admirals son, the friggen guy cant lift his arms up past his chest for god sakes.
powed will never catch on. Just call it "mccains law". It will totally frame anything he says from then on.
Chuck @ 44:
harsh, maybe, but also consider that the DS testing in-utero has a false-positive rate around 50%. millions of expectant mothers take this test and have to consider the possibility of early termination, she probably just figured It Couldn't Happen To Her.
Someone ask me today who I was going to vote for? I said Obama, you would have to be an idiot to vote for a republican after the crap these guys have done.
One guy there said hey watch it that's my party. I said are you stupid enough to vote for mcsame for pres? He said no. He could be lying republicans do that a lot.
It's easier to take the cowards way out. But that is republican in nature itself.
POWn'd may not be good - too many people would not get the reference, too, uh, internet-y. McCain's Law, however, is absolutely perfect. All people know the 'Law' reference: Godwin's Law, Moore's Law, heck, Murphy's Law. There you go. It would be easy to attach the definition to the phrase. People would say, what's McCain's Law mean? It means that all criticism is deflected by references to 'concrete floors,' similar to how a reference to Col. Klink or his superiors violates Godwin's edict.
"Mr. McCain, how exactly are you going to rescue desperate middle class voters by continuing to rape and pillage them financially, feed their tax dollars to your campaign donors, and consider them insured if they have an ER room within ten miles of their primary residence. Oh wait, sorry, my mistake, these folks only have one residence. So anyways, your answer"
"Look here Mr. Hotshot reporter, when that sam hits your tailpipe and you spend the next five years sleeping on a concrete floor, you understand a tough economy [insert cognitive dissonance here]. So I feel the pain of the American people, y'know. Just think, if you can, for a moment how it was for me to spend five years with no Ferragamos. No. freakin. Ferragamos, man. So you know I understand true suffering."
Boom. Violation of the Law. Ten demerits.
Hmmm. By this logic there are a whole mess of future presidential candidates sitting in Guantanamo right now...
doogie @ 52:
I think what's disgusting is his use of his POW status as an excuse for anything. If he were only using it in a biographical way as a campaign crutch that would be one thing, but blatantly bringing up he was a POW whenever he's questioned about his infidelity, his breaking the rules, his numerous dimwitted gaffes, charges that he's elitist/out of touch, as if having been a POW is somehow an excuse for anything, which it isn't. That's what's offensive. Highly offensive, and every single time he does it between now and Nov there will probably be a post on it.
@ 52
I repeat: http://www.military.com/opinion/0,15202,164859_1,00.html
He mocks his own POW status by shamelessly abusing it.
jsacto @ 55:
Yeah, but Godwin, Moore, Murphy, were the geniuses who created the law, not the subject (in this case, a moron) that the law applies to.
POWn'd is a clever variation of the most popular gamer slang reference there is, pwn. or pwn'd in this case, whereby you got your ass handed to you by an opponent. You didn't just lose, you were PWN'D! For anyone under 30 (I'm over 40, so it's not just limited to gamers and younguns) it's part of normal everyday vocabulary.
"that's not skin cancer...that's ...a zit!...how dare you! i spent 5 years in a pow camp without a stridex pad and no i didn't clog the damn toilet...how many times do i have to tell you people when i was a pow i didn't even have a toilet so how the hell could i clog one?"
With this POW logic it must mean that anyone who has spent time in Gitmo or in prison would make better presidents than anyone who hasn't.
Here's my idea for an ad based on this them. I don't have the equipment or ability to make it myself, so I offer it here in the hopes that someone will take the ball and run with it:
Intro: Theme music from old Batman TV show
Clip: John McCain talking about a subject, mentions his P.O.W. experience.
Cut: P.O.W.! splashes onto the screen a-la the old Batman fight scenes (with appropriate sound effect of course).
Clip: John McCain in another speech, mentions P.O.W. again.
Cut: P.O.W.! again
Clip: Another John McCain P.O.W. reference.
Cut: well, you get the idea...
The only thing lacking is a clever punch line to sum it up at the end. Maybe something about stale re-runs?
What excuses and explanations does he use when speaking to other P.O.W.s? What do they have to say about his reluctance to mention the subject?
If you're still trying to decide on a name for this tactic, please consider "Stockdale Syndrome". Of course, only those who remember James Stockdale and his performance in the VP debate in 1992 will get the reference. (No disrespect meant to James Stockdale, I honestly felt sorry for him during that debate)
Chuck @ 16: Pro Choice is about choice, not abortion. I'v always been pro choice, but when I was told my baby might have Down's, after quite a bit of agonizing, I decided I'd still have it. Later, the amnio test showed she was fine, and aside from her love for Anime cartoons, she still is.
Pat Ukaleley @ 10:
you hit the nail on the head. it was pretty obvious that he was pandering on her anti-choice reputation but because i don't think like a republican it never occurred to me to have any response to the fact of her child's disability than to say "yeah, now how about we have a national discussion about the disgraceful lack of support services for regular families who have down syndrome and other disabled children!"
i'm not making any bets on mccain ever being called on this. this country has become truly pathetic.
Cflames17 @ 41:
we so-called yellow bellied left wingers are hard working people. like you maybe.
but you sound scared, like your money is short. it's a story most of us share: 68% of american families earn less than $50,000/year (and more than half of that 68% earn less than $25,000/year); fewer than 6% earn more than $150,000/year;less than 1% earn the astronomical amounts spent by people you see on tv, or john mccain -- google "household income in the united states" if you don't believe me).
hey, cflames, let me tell you a secret:
under obama's tax plan you would actually pay less in taxes (unless of course you don't pay any at all because you are desperately poor or you are in that top 5%). in fact, your wallet would have more money PLUS you'd get some quite wonderful changes to go along with that. like the possibility of better healthcare, or when you drive over a bridge you don't fear it's going to collapse for lack of maintenance, or if your employer creates a hazardous condition and you are injured, you are not tossed aside like an old shoe.
seriously, check out obama's web site or read other information available. and find some accurate information about what a mccain presidency would look like. have you flourished over the past 7+ years of george bush? do you really want another four years of the same?
i think you and your wallet should do yourselves a favor and educate yourself, then decide who you're going to vote for in november.
when it comes down to brass tacks, this election should be about bread-and-butter issues. don't let the numbskulls distract you with fright talk about stuff that has nothing to do with getting up in the morning, finding something to eat, working and coming home and going to sleep, because that is in fact what the republicans are threatening to take away from you finally.
that and your ability to complain about it.
Ken @ 50:
Good thing I read the entire thread... I was about to make the same point.
I'd *love* to have this question asked of McCranky: Were you tortured by the Viet Cong, or were they just using "aggressive interrogation techniques"?
Since he supported Bush's legislation, he must think that he wasn't tortured. Oops, forgot, it's only torture when it's not being carried out by Americans (or their proxies).
With his record of crashing jets I don't think we'll have to worry about him trying to pull a Commander Codpiece stunt.
But, When he continues Bush's record of shredding the Constitution we won't be able to criticize him because he's a former POW. Same when he bombs Iran. You can't criticize him for that because he's a former POW. Anything he does as President can't be criticized because he's a former POW.
If you're sick and tired of hearing about it now, think how it's going to be if he actually wins.
Pat Ukaleley @ 10
Seriously? You got the reports to back that up?
Who knew Jesus was a Flintstone?
And McCain is Bam-Bam!
POW POW POW!
RE: Ruthless People #5
omg, that's fu*ckin' hilarious!
I think that post #13 is on to something: McPOW's law.
Also, I will be a little indelicate here, every time I hear McPOW excuse himself with his POW experience it is like someone farted. The reaction is to stop, take a quick breath, and OMG he has done it again! He has turned his experience of suffering into a fart. Maybe that is appropriate from an old ...
McCain has become a tragically comic mockery of his own experience. And he has done this to himself.
Well, finally I get it! McCain thinks of middle class and below Americans as POWs, and rightly so, because that's what we are, prisoners of the Republicans War machinery. That's why he understands us so well.
Red Headed Step Child @ 26:
This is powerfully right. One may think it is too simplistic, but in order to grasp the attention of the sort of ignorant, those who see only by way of their religions and those who see only by ways of their fanatical, red necked views.
I think I'd go with POW-WOWd!
It Has that OMG-you've-got-to-be-kidding-me-not-again feel to it, as in being "WOW'd" by his suffering.
Plus it brings up hokey images of Native American's in faux greeting saying, "HOW?"
And references to going on the "Warpath" which is all he knows!
To use in response: " Oh you're not going down that PowWow Warpath again are you?"
In Reagan-esque fashion: " THere you go again on the POWWOWWarpath!"
Or interrupting the story and saying," Going down that old "POWWOW Warpath" is not an answer to the question, sir, nor does it excuse you from having an answer!"
I only have these questions concerning McCain's POW experience, "Why is the media letting him get away with the use of his being a POW, when I made tapes for the North Vetnamese stating "I am a black war criminal and I have preformed the deeds of an air pirate" (Wikipedia, page 9 of 61, dated 2/28/2008)? Why did McCain, in violation of the Code of Conduct, give "his ship's name, squadron's name and the attack's intended target" (Wikipedia, page 8 of 61, 2/28/2008)? during the Korean War he would have been openly branded a "turncoat" and booted out of the service. The finally question is, What is the media afraid of and why is large portions of his Wikipedia bio been changed since 2/28/2008?
just question
"Is any of this making sense to you?"
I know! I know! He's trying to say that being a working man living under a Republican President is like being a POW?
What bothers me about the claim of no "kitchen table" as a POW is as follows:
1 McSame never bothered to THANK his first wife for being strong through her own ordeal while dealing with his being a POW
2 McSame never bothered to THANK his first wife for maintaining a home for his children so he would have an intact family to come home to
3 McSame never bothered to THANK his first wife for making sure 'HE HAD A KITCHEN TABLE" as well as a home to when to come home to instead of WHINING about not having one as a POW...what the heck is he thinking?
4 McSame shows his appreciation by 'deserting' her for a "BETTER KITCHEN TABLE", if that isn't the upmost of being an elitist, oh well.....
5 McSame should publicly THANK his first wife for being strong sitting at the "KITCHEN TABLE ALONE" all the years he was a POW.
What he really should say with honesty is that he chose a much bigger,nicer,more modern kitchen table with money under it.
meohmy @ 78:
He thanked her, by suing her for a million dollars.
daniel @ 53:
MCSAME'S LAW
john mccain was an honorable Ameircan
JOHN MCSAME IS A PANDERING SCUMBALL
they ain't the same person
Someone over at Huffpo apparently stole my line (that we probably won't hear):
John McCain: a noun, a verb, POW
and added another snarky one that we probably won't (and shouldn't) hear:
Sarah Palin: a noun, a verb, Downs Syndrome baby.
McCain was a POW , so what ? He was bombing Vietnamese in their thatch huts and rice paddies , F'd up and got shot down , captured and thrown in a POW camp ! So he's a HERO ? What bullshit ! Hey McCain tell us again , you were a POW , right ?
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