McPander
For years, John McCain has told the story that, when asked by his Vietnamese captors to name the members of his squadron, he would instead name the starting line-up of the Green Bay Packers. But when telling the same story to KDKA poltical editor Jon Delano it was suddenly the Pittsburgh Steelers whose starting line-up was the one he recited. From his 1999 book Faith of My Fathers:
Demands for military information were accompanied by threats to terminate my medical treatment if I did not cooperate. Eventually, I gave them my ship’s name and squadron number, and confirmed that my target had been the power plant. Pressed for more useful information, I gave the names of the Green Bay Packers offensive line, and said they were members of my squadron. When asked to identify future targets, I simply recited the names of a number of North Vietnamese cities that had already been bombed.”
In 2005, when A&E ran the movie version of the book, McCain discussed this incident on CNN:
“That was the starting lineup of the Green Bay Packers, the first Super Bowl champions, yes,” McCain responded. But it’s — it was the best I could think of at the time.”
But when in Pittsburgh, do as the Pittsburghians do:
“When I was first interrogated and really had to give some information because of the pressures, physical pressures on me, I named the starting lineup, defensive line of the Pittsburgh Steelers as my squadron mates.”
“Did you really?” asked the reporter.
“Yes,” McCain said.
“In your POW camp?” asked the reporter.
“Yes,” McCain said.
“Could you do it today?” asked the reporter.
“No, unfortunately,” McCain said.
And he couldn’t have done it back then, either, probably, as since it was the Green Bay Packers whose line-up he used.
KDKA has the video.
http://www.hbo.com/generationkill/
Kool new mini series! log on Alen & be part of the action! I know you like to comment on this stuff.
as obama would say….BON APITETE
July 12th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Alan,
I hope we can count on your producers to dedicate a segment to these pandering comments by McCain. But I am not counting on it.
July 12th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
Don’t talk about his military service unless it’s a lie. Didn’t the Steelers suck in the late 60s? The Steel Curtain wasn’t until ‘74. McCain should know better than to bullshit sports fans. This is exactly what happened when Kerry called where the Packers played Lambert Field. Oh well, McCain has these gaffes several times a week and somehow gets a pass from the media. Alan and Olbermann do their part, but maybe after a whole summer of mistakes it will catch up with him. If Obama had said this, it would be a huge deal. Not from the Bullshit Express…
July 12th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
Non-issue, Alan! Who cares what the team is? Obama didn’t remember the camp his grandfather helped free in WWII…that was a non-issue too.
July 12th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
Yeah, it’s a non-issue. There has to be more important things to report on, like whinning about the economy.
July 12th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
Lets see, which side was it that leaked out the idenity of the female CIA agent? Was that the republicans? And they were not even being held captive or tortured by the enemy.
Sounds to me like if someone undercover withheld their evening cocktails, they would all spill the beans to our enemies.
July 12th, 2008 at 5:56 pm
I agree this particular issue is a non-issue, but this is in the same week with Phil’s gaffe and on Monday, McCain called Social Security a disgrace. I would think our grandparents wouldn’t think that. It’s several gaffes every week…
July 12th, 2008 at 6:18 pm
McCain has been right about EVERY issue.
He’s been on BOTH sides of every issue.
July 12th, 2008 at 6:28 pm
oh, God… can we not talk about sports, even when it’s directly connected to a political issue? PLEASE? i was trying to hang in there until Fury started writing about some “steel curtain” and football history and blah blah blah.
i don’t know what to think about this. it may have been pandering, but it was most likely a “senior moment”. i’m being serious, too. no joke intended.
July 12th, 2008 at 7:02 pm
I just read somewhere McPander’s divorce from wife #1 didn’t come through until after he married wife #2?
McPander? I think that makes him “McBygamist” instead. If he chooses to pair with Romney, we’ll need a scorecard to keep their pluralist marital policies straight.
Call me old fashioned but one wife at a time, please.
July 12th, 2008 at 9:07 pm
Republicans are the family values party. The more families they can accumulate, the more value they pile up.
July 12th, 2008 at 9:09 pm
Let’s not let that Phil Gramm thing fade away, all right?
With every 300 point drop day in the DOW, let’s hear again how well we’re all doing.
McBygamist adviser and lobbyist, Phil “Americans are whiners, let them eat cake” Gramm, should have a longer media shelf life than Preachers Wright and Jackson.
July 12th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
“Republicans are the family values party. The more families they can accumulate, the more value they pile up.”
‘MOUSE, YOU NEVER CEASE TO CRACK ME UP! LMAO
July 12th, 2008 at 11:58 pm
Crikey! I object on behalf of all the pandas being maligned by constant use of this “panda-ing” word!
I also object on behalf of all the Pittsburghians maligned by this “Steelah” football team name, for suggesting they are all thieves!
July 13th, 2008 at 1:25 am
We’re doomed whoever we get !!!!!!!!!
Can you imagine an Obama cabinet ?
And then Michele running the kitchen and laundry at the white house ! OMG !
July 13th, 2008 at 1:52 am
for goodness sake, jerry- i thought that you’d bought tickets for the obama train as part of your campaign to ‘vote the bastards out’. so why are you bitchin’ about him again?
July 13th, 2008 at 2:06 am
I had a dream about Sen. McCain and it wasn’t pretty. I saw him in that film, I think it was Dr. Strangelove, where he was riding the atomic bomb bareback down to his specified target. Don’t tell me that wouldn’t make a terrific campaign ad if McCain wasn’t so old he can’t remember his own thoughts. I’d call it “Yea ha!”
July 13th, 2008 at 10:35 am
Cecil Jones ,
I can see McCain in that part.
I always thought that William Kristol best personified
Dr Strangelove….even more than Dick Cheney!
July 13th, 2008 at 12:34 pm
Hell, Obama is half mcSame’s age and is making blunder after blunder. The latest being the bernie mac incident. With the poll numbers within the margin of error between Obama and mcsame, it’s obvious we made the wrong decision. If Obama can’t distance himself from a third term of McSame the democrat party is doomed.
Time for Hillary to save the country.
July 13th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
I am sure glad that Obama never panders for votes. He just takes all six sides on every issue.
July 13th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
“I had a dream about Sen. McCain and it wasn’t pretty.”
I’d blame it on the pizza.
July 13th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
what was the bernie mac incident? i can’t believe i missed that one.
July 13th, 2008 at 11:24 pm
It’s actually “Pittsburghers”.
Yeah, I know…
July 14th, 2008 at 3:33 pm