McCain panders to Steelers' fans
In an interview with KDKA-TV (Pittsburgh) earlier this week, presumptive Republican presidential candidate John McCain told Jon Delano that he invoked the names of Pittsburgh Steelers' defensive linemen when he was a POW in Vietnam in 1967: "When I was first interrogated and really had to give some information because of the pressures, the physical pressures that were on me, I named the starting lineup -- defensive line of the Pittsburgh Steelers -- as my squadron mates."
The problem is that in his 1999 best-selling book "Faith of My Fathers," McCain wrote, "I gave the names of the Green Bay Packers' offensive line, and said they were members of my squadron." Using the names of Packers' players makes more sense; after all, Green Bay was the "Team of the 1960s." Meanwhile, the Steelers were so bad throughout the sixties that even the most diehard Pittsburgh fan couldn't have named the team's defensive linemen without looking them up in a media guide. It wasn't until the following decade that the Steelers developed the "Steel Curtain," which included household names like Mean Joe Greene, Ernie Holmes and Dwight White.
A campaign spokesman called the snafu an "honest mistake," but I'm guessing that McCain was deliberately engaged in some shameless pandering. Knowing that Packers' offensive linemen like Forrest Gregg won't win any votes in Pittsburgh, McCain simply substituted names that would resonate.
The problem is that in his 1999 best-selling book "Faith of My Fathers," McCain wrote, "I gave the names of the Green Bay Packers' offensive line, and said they were members of my squadron." Using the names of Packers' players makes more sense; after all, Green Bay was the "Team of the 1960s." Meanwhile, the Steelers were so bad throughout the sixties that even the most diehard Pittsburgh fan couldn't have named the team's defensive linemen without looking them up in a media guide. It wasn't until the following decade that the Steelers developed the "Steel Curtain," which included household names like Mean Joe Greene, Ernie Holmes and Dwight White.
A campaign spokesman called the snafu an "honest mistake," but I'm guessing that McCain was deliberately engaged in some shameless pandering. Knowing that Packers' offensive linemen like Forrest Gregg won't win any votes in Pittsburgh, McCain simply substituted names that would resonate.
Labels: Dwight White, Ernie Holmes, Faith of my Fathers, Forrest Gregg, Joe Delano, Joe Greene, John McCain, KDKA-TV, My 75 Years With the Pittsburgh Steelers and the NFL, Steel Curtain
posted by Anonymous at 3:46 AM
2 Comments:
This pander goes to the very core of the man and his campaign. Sen McCain's entire claim to credibiity is based on his time as Viet Nam Vet POW, his being a Maverick, his running the Straight Talk Express.
This lie strikes at all three. Why did McCain find it necessary to tell this lie? It now calls into question everything he has said about his POW experience. Is this why so many pages are missing from his military service record?
How does this untruth differ from the Bosnia story told by Sen Clinton and about which the media turned so viciously against her? Where is the media outrage here?
This shows that the McCain "Straight Talk" Express has clearly gotten stuck in the mud. It also shows that the Maverick McCain of 2000 exists no more. Instead we now have the Republican, Rove modeled, anything goes that you can get away with candidate McCain of
2008.
Shame on McCain!
vgirl1, Using the term, "Straight Talk" in connection with a politician is the epitome of an oxymoron.
I find the term, "pandering" a bit mild in relation to this story. What he did was beyond an egregious error. He flat out lied. He lost a considerable amount of the little bit of credibility he had.
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