Not My Idea of a War Hero?
John McCain died this weekend, a Senator for six terms, a two time Presidential candidate, a man who worked both sides of the aisle even after that was considered unacceptable, a man who was a prisoner of war in Viet Nam, a war he volunteered to serve in as pilot until his plane was shot down over Hanoi. Say what you want, the guy spent his entire life serving his country. We now have the spectacle of the current Prez of the United States refusing to pay any sort of homage to the man he declared wasn’t a war hero. Getting captured, he famously sniped, wasn’t his idea of a hero. Probably being killed makes you ineligible for honors too.
This is what constitutes leadership in America these days, the idea that government service is for leeches and suckers, that self-sacrifice is for losers, that John McCain was no role model in these narcissistic times. The flag that was flying half mast at the White House was raised half a day later, symbolism be damned. No statement honoring the man would be forthcoming. Bury the dead in the swamp at the back of the building, the Lilliputians are running things now.
I don’t know what Donald J. Trump’s heroes would look like. If there are any other than the man he admires in the mirror. I doubt he has any idea what the definition would include. And the folks who think HE’S one, well, they must not have much of a clue either. It’s a sad day for all of us. A country that cannot mourn for its best and brightest, that refuses to honor their sacrifice and their service, you tell me if that country is worth any of our loyalty. Today, after a tremendous backlash at raising the flag over the White House, our hero decided to lower it once more. Far as I’m concerned, he can keep it lowered until the day he leaves the building once and for all.
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Tags: Spitting on McCain's Grave, Trump is Trump's Only Hero
Ah, John McCain. What a baffling mess of contradictions there. I don’t understand the stubborn refusal to see the suffering of others that seems necessary to adopt the principles of a modern conservative. And recall, he gave us Sarah Palin. And then, on the other hand, he stood up for Obama, reached across the aisle, certainly had a code of honor that was not bounded by political battle lines. Am I a bad person for enjoying how much the spectacle of respect and honor being afforded to McCain on his passing is rankling Trump right now? He Googled himself, for heaven’s sake, before sunrise. Of course, with that and also the increasing revelations of his own wrongdoing and the Manafort trial, etc., he is going to be a dangerous man. He is going to want to take us all down with him.
Yeah, let’s not forget Sarah. But the man did serve 6 terms in the Senate, stood up to some withering criticism and despite Trump’s disavowal, actually was a war hero. John Kerry got a similar treatment with accusations that his Silver Star was phony. It takes some real class to attack a dead man the way Trump did, but it got the backlash it deserved. Love to have heard what Kelley and Mattis had to say to their commander in chief.