McCain in 2000: "I hate the gooks. I will hate them as long as I live."

[kaydee457 13]

Now back on topic here. McCain said the epthet. Now the liberals in this forum, lofty as they always tell us they are, want to hang their hat on a technicality- yes....he said and probably shouldn't! So what?

I think nearly everyone who has posted in this thread agrees that McCain was careless to have used that term, even if he was referring only to his captors. You just can't throw around a term like that--especially one so evocative of a horrendous, relatively recent conflict--and expect people to nod politely. Acknowledging this in no way dismisses McCain's experience. I imagine that he wishes he'd never said it.

And your friend Al Sharpton has nothing to do with this.

Al Sharpton mention was to express an analogy. I'm not retreating from what I said. The point was that the supposed people hurt by this egregious act are not complaining about it at all, but rather the liberals that purport to sit in judgement of all the rest of us time and again.

No, not "everyone in this thread" agrees he was careless but some have said that they give him a pass given the circumstances. It appears to be the liberals that project indignation over minutia that frankly is mostly irrelevant, and clearly most don’t care about.

It's been said many times in this thread that the majority of responders are willing to give McCain a pass except those that hang on to the only argument that they have; the technicality that he actually said it.....

Well, guess what? He did say it and it's been rehashed over and over....

What this really is about is to establish a platform for lefty types to pontificate to the rest of us as to how righteous they are, so as to maintain that delusional plateau they believe themselves to be perched upon...

Ever wonder why left leaning liberals are so hated in this country? This is exactly the reason…….

Edited February 1, 2008 by kaydee457

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Now back on topic here. McCain said the epthet. Now the liberals in this forum, lofty as they always tell us they are, want to hang their hat on a technicality- yes....he said and probably shouldn't! So what?

I think nearly everyone who has posted in this thread agrees that McCain was careless to have used that term, even if he was referring only to his captors. You just can't throw around a term like that--especially one so evocative of a horrendous, relatively recent conflict--and expect people to nod politely. Acknowledging this in no way dismisses McCain's experience. I imagine that he wishes he'd never said it.

And your friend Al Sharpton has nothing to do with this.

Al Sharpton mention was to express an analogy. I'm not retreating from what I said. The point was that the supposed people hurt by this egregious act are not complaining about it at all, but rather the liberals that purport to sit in judgement of all the rest of us time and again.

No, not "everyone in this thread" agrees he was careless but some have said that they give him a pass given the circumstances. It appears to be the liberals that project indignation over minutia that frankly is mostly irrelevant, and clearly most don’t care about.

It's been said many times in this thread that the majority of responders are willing to give McCain a pass except those that hang on to the only argument that they have; the technicality that he actually said it.....

Well, guess what? He did say it and it's been rehashed over and over....

What this really is about is to establish a platform for lefty types to pontificate to the rest of us as to how righteous they are, so as to maintain that delusional plateau they believe themselves to be perched upon...

Ever wonder why left leaning liberals are so hated in this country? This is exactly the reason…….

Bolding the words doesn't lend them authority. Still the manure salesman I see

[kaydee457 13]

Now back on topic here. McCain said the epthet. Now the liberals in this forum, lofty as they always tell us they are, want to hang their hat on a technicality- yes....he said and probably shouldn't! So what?

I think nearly everyone who has posted in this thread agrees that McCain was careless to have used that term, even if he was referring only to his captors. You just can't throw around a term like that--especially one so evocative of a horrendous, relatively recent conflict--and expect people to nod politely. Acknowledging this in no way dismisses McCain's experience. I imagine that he wishes he'd never said it.

And your friend Al Sharpton has nothing to do with this.

Al Sharpton mention was to express an analogy. I'm not retreating from what I said. The point was that the supposed people hurt by this egregious act are not complaining about it at all, but rather the liberals that purport to sit in judgement of all the rest of us time and again.

No, not "everyone in this thread" agrees he was careless but some have said that they give him a pass given the circumstances. It appears to be the liberals that project indignation over minutia that frankly is mostly irrelevant, and clearly most don’t care about.

It's been said many times in this thread that the majority of responders are willing to give McCain a pass except those that hang on to the only argument that they have; the technicality that he actually said it.....

Well, guess what? He did say it and it's been rehashed over and over....

What this really is about is to establish a platform for lefty types to pontificate to the rest of us as to how righteous they are, so as to maintain that delusional plateau they believe themselves to be perched upon...

Ever wonder why left leaning liberals are so hated in this country? This is exactly the reason…….

Bolding the words doesn't lend them authority. Still the manure salesman I see

No, but doesn't detract from the truth of the statements either......

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Surprised the more "experienced" among us weren't aware of this.

Interesting that you think it is an ok comment because McCain is "your man", but seemingly put yourself at odds with what the man actually thinks...

B U L L S H I T

McCain Apologizes for ‘######’ Comment

But leadership competence thrown into question

By Jason Ma

Less than 24 hours after stories ran about Sen. John McCain’s statement to reporters that he would continue to refer to his Vietnamese wartime captors as “gooks,” his campaign announced Feb. 18 that he would no longer use that term. Three days later McCain issued an official apology.

Several stories that ran last Friday quoted McCain as saying “I hate the gooks. I will hate them as long as I live… I was referring to my prison guards and I will continue to refer to them in language that might offend.”

But after APIs blasted his unabashed use of the highly derogatory term that has historically been used against Asians and Asian Americans, the campaign made an apology after annoucing that McCain would no longer use the racial slur.

“I will continue to condemn those who unfairly mistreated us,” McCain said in a statement released Feb. 21. “But out of respect to a great number of people for whom I hold in very high regard, I will no longer use the term that has caused such discomfort… I apologize and renounce all language that is bigoted and offensive, which is contrary to all that I represent and believe.”

ýWe hope that people understand that the senator was referring very specifically to the men who beat and tortured him for five and a half years in a prisoner of war camp,” McCain campaign spokesperson Dan Schnur said on Friday. “His language in no way represents his feelings toward the people in Vietnam or the Vietnamese American community.”

Nevertheless, observers predict that in the short-term, especially in a multiracial state like California, McCain could lose support from “better educated,” white Democrats and independents -- groups that he has actively courted in other states, according to U.C. Berkeley political science professor Bruce Cain.

Indeed, independent and Democratic crossover voters in New Hampshire accounted for his landslide victory in that state’s primary earlier this month and was the base of his support for his victory in the Michigan primary on Tuesday.

And despite losing the South Carolina primary, exit polls showed that 60 percent of the independents and 79 percent of the Democrats who voted in the Republican contest supported McCain.

But more than the effect McCain’s comments will have on his success in the California Primary next month, Cain questioned his leadership competence, especially in the area of foreign affairs.

Though the Arizona senator was pivotal in the normalization of diplomatic relations between the United States and Vietnam, his “######” comments -- added with his hard-line stances on China and rogue states -- raise concerns over how his experiences in Vietnam will affect his decision making if elected president, according to Cain.

“Why call them ‘gooks’? It’s kind of inexplicable to pick a term that indicates a whole nation,” he said. “It could have a deeper impact on foreign policy matters.”

Though the Asian American electorate in California is small, Cain said it is a swing vote and could still hurt McCain in the primary. Nevertheless, he said, “It’s a potential problem, but it’s not irreversible.”

Asian Pacific American Legal Center of Southern California executive director Kathay Feng said APIs in California made up from 8 to 10 percent of the voters in the 1998 gubernatorial election. But that share is still disproportionately lower than the estimated 12 percent of the state’s population that APIs control.

According to exit polls that Feng’s group conducted in 1998, 42.3 percent of API respondents said they were Democrats while 34.4 percent said they were Republicans. However, 20.7 percent of respondents said they had no party affiliation and another 2.6 percent were affiliated with other parties.

But rather than vote along party lines, said Legal Center research coordinator Dan Ichinose, APIs will vote based on the issues, adding to the community’s swing potential.

While Gov. George W. Bush’s campaign has made significant inroads into the Asian American community in California -- even forming a steering committee of more than 300 APIs -- there have not been similar efforts on the part of the McCain campaign to reach out to the API community.

“I haven’t heard about the McCain campaign on the radar screen” in the Asian American community, Feng said, adding that Bush’s name recognition and his father’s record of appointing Asian Americans to high posts during his administration accounts for much of Bush’s popularity now.

Schnur admitted that the Senator has not conducted much Asian American outreach during the campaign, saying that up until now, most of his resources and assets were devoted to states with critical primary elections like New Hampshire and South Carolina.

Cain acknowledged that had McCain used a racial slur to indicate African American or Latino individuals, it would have been the “kiss of death” for his campaign, ending the competition for the Republican Party nomination immediately.

But since McCain’s use of the word “######” was in a context in which people “could understand his anger,” he explained, the campaign has not been rejected by the general public.

Asked why news of McCain’s use of the racial slur has only recently received a lot of media attention, Cain said “the press has only now started to do their critical phase. It’s the natural cycle.”

And why did he agree to not use the phrase again... Criticism from the Asian American community.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

No, but doesn't detract from the truth of the statements either......

Whatever man - you've proven countless times that you're all mouth and no trousers.

Because there's nothing like saying you have something (experience). False advertising at its best.

At the very least you've proven that you don't have a very experienced wit.

[gabby4ever 1]

Go McCain !!!!!!

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Go McCain !!!!!!

He is probably one of the better candidates. Infinitely preferable to Hillary.

[gabby4ever 1]

one thing i HATE abot US...you "tickle" a person...a certain person, the next second you're a racist...gimme a f.....g break!!!!!!!!!! thats only an excuse cause some people are inferior to others and they are tryin so hard by proving otherwise with the racism #######...

and as for mccain, if someone would hold me hostage in a freakin prison and i would get out of it alive, you bet your a$$ im gonna call them whatever comes to my mouth!!!!!!!!!!!! so just for that, and not only, once again ,way to GO McCain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

one thing i HATE abot US...you "tickle" a person...a certain person, the next second you're a racist...gimme a f.....g break!!!!!!!!!! thats only an excuse cause some people are inferior to others and they are tryin so hard by proving otherwise with the racism #######...

and as for mccain, if someone would hold me hostage in a freakin prison and i would get out of it alive, you bet your a$$ im gonna call them whatever comes to my mouth!!!!!!!!!!!! so just for that, and not only, once again ,way to GO McCain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He has acknowledged on public record that it was not appropriate and that term he used carries implications beyond the small number of people he was aiming it at. Cheering the comment in the light of subsequent commetns he's made seems a little strange...

It wouldn't affect my voting for him, if I had a vote and were so inclined. I think he would be a good president - but I disagree with his stand on healthcare and taxation.

[garya505 2]

Racist is as racist does.

Sounds kinda like Forrest Gump, no?

[HAL 9000 96]

but I disagree with his stand on healthcare and taxation.

I think those two topics are pretty much most of what Americans would consider to be, beyond foreign wars, important in a Presidency. Too bad this one guy has centered his campaign around "making Security" a priority. I ask myself... who isn't concerned of security?

Intelligence is as intelligence does... the opposite of some of the fecal matter getting sloshed upstairs...

[garya505 2]

Go McCain !!!!!!

He is probably one of the better candidates. Infinitely preferable to Hillary.

That's why I think he'll beat Hillary, even Number 6 might vote for him.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

Go McCain !!!!!!

He is probably one of the better candidates. Infinitely preferable to Hillary.

That's why I think he'll beat Hillary, even Number 6 might vote for him.

Contrary to popular belief - I'm not a staunch Democrat. Even before I moved over here I naturally was opposed to Bush and his band of cowboys and (naturally) fell in with the opposition. I don't think the Dems perfect (or even ideal) by any stretch of the imagination - but I'd much rather someone moderate getting in (of either party) than the neocon crazies in the Bush adminstration. I think the Republican party will be doing itself a favor to close the door on that little lot - but I do think 8 years of a Bush presidency has damaged them in many respects. If they win this year - I hope they seriously clean house... McCain I think is the only Republican candidate who would do that - and I do respect him for standing up to Bush.

[Alex+R 0]

If they win this year - I hope they seriously clean house... McCain I think is the only Republican candidate who would do that - and I do respect him for standing up to Bush.

That's what we all used to think about McCain until he started appeasing Bush. Make no mistake, he's of Bush's club.

[Trumplestiltskin 5,791]

If they win this year - I hope they seriously clean house... McCain I think is the only Republican candidate who would do that - and I do respect him for standing up to Bush.

That's what we all used to think about McCain until he started appeasing Bush. Make no mistake, he's of Bush's club.

You mean on the troop surge?