John McCain: Still a POW

The election of John
McCain may well condemn us all to the war ethic he and his supporters cannot

seem to leave behind.

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John McCain's 5 years as
a POW at the "Hanoi Hilton" are familiar lore to Americans. 

While the Viet Nam War
was notoriously an egregious act of Yankee imperialism, those who carried out
its mission are strangely exempt from common standards of integrity.  In John McCain's case, he has built a
political career on re-framing the Viet Nam War through the lens of captivity
and torture, his ultimate test of patriotism. 

By so doing, McCain has
demonstrated a failure of intellectual honesty. 
The greater service to one's country might be the use of one's influence
to correct its wrongs.  That is the true agency
of "Change."

In the interest of
glorifying his own sacrifice, however, John McCain has become the consummate war
hawk and has carried over this failure of intellectual integrity to America's repeat performance in Iraq.

In that sense, John
McCain remains a POW – prisoner of his own imperialistic worldview.  Consider the career path of another
fellow-POW.

Dr. Philip Butler, a
graduate of the United States Naval Academy
and former light-attack carrier pilot, was shot down over North Vietnam,
where he spent 8-yrs as a POW.  He was
awarded 2 Silver Stars, 2 Legion of Merits, 2 Bronze Stars and 2 Purple
Hearts.  After his release in 1973, he
became a Navy Organizational Effectiveness consultant and completed his Navy
career as a professor of management at the Naval
Postgraduate School
in Monterey, CA. 

He now serves as a peace
and justice activist with Veterans for Peace.

Dr. Butler warns of
McCain's explosive temper and suggests that he is exaggerating his imprisonment:[1]  "I Spent Years as a POW with John McCain.  His Finger Should Not Be Near the Red
Button."

John McCain was tortured
for 2 of his 5 years of imprisonment, while Dr. Butler was tortured for 4 of
his 8 years of imprisonment.  While
McCain certainly suffered both physically and emotionally, he is not the hero POW but only one of many who
were exploited for political propaganda purposes.

McCain was awarded a
Silver Star and a Purple Heart for heroism and wounds in combat.  As further award, his heroism has been
parlayed by the citizens of Arizona
into a successful political career.  It might
be said that McCain received the award of US Senator for his bravery and now
seeks to receive the award of President of the United States. 

At what point do we stop awarding
John McCain for undergoing what was experienced by 600 other POW's in Viet Nam?  The answer is in the "Peter Principle" – at
that point at which he has risen above the level of his competency.

Below is Dr. Butler's list
of medals awarded to Viet Nam POW's.  Politics
aside, by the standards of our military McCain's heroism may have been somewhat
less heroic than that of others:

            8 Congressional Medals of Honor

            42 Silver Crosses

            590 Silver Stars

            958 Bronze Stars

            1,249 Purple Hearts

Butler points out that POW survivors are dying off at a
greater rate than their non-POW contemporaries now in their 60's and 70's.  The injuries and malnutrition that they
experienced are "coming home to roost."  Butler feels that at 72
years of age, McCain's prospects for survival are not good, raising the
haunting specter of a President Palin, POW of the Christian Right.

Dr. Butler goes further
to say:

 

I
can verify that John has an infamous reputation for being a hot head.  He has a quick and explosive temper that many
have experienced first hand…

 

It
is disappointing to see him assume and support Bush's war in Iraq, stating
we might be there for another 100 years…

 

McCain
is not a maverick.  His voting record is
far to the right.  I fear his nominations
to the Supreme Court and the consequent continuing loss of freedoms, especially
regarding moral and religious issues…

 

Senator
McCain is a remarkable man who has accomplished enormous personal
achievements.  He is a man whom I am
proud to call a fellow POW who "Returned With Honor."…John McCain is a good man
but not someone I will vote for in the upcoming election.

The election of John
McCain may well condemn us all to the war ethic he and his supporters cannot
seem to leave behind. 

Is integrity best
reflected in the stoic suffering of patriots, or is it in the lonely protest of
people of conscience?  If the latter, the
fight for truth and justice will continue long after this election has been
relegated to history.

[1] http://www.alternet.org/election08/95825/?page=entire