Thursday, October 9, 2008

P.O.W. Presidents and Detainee Prime Ministers

We've all seen the videos by now. When confronted by questions he cannot answer, positions he cannot defend or the unfortunately unpopular privilege of his biography John McCain has and will always present as proof of his indisputable membership in club every-man his time as a P.O.W. in Viet Nam. As surely as the seasons will turn, the Buckeyes won't live up to their hype, and Democratic leadership will always shy from a fight, the genuinely tragic reality of his time in Viet Nam will always be presented as and reported as unequivocal proof that his motivations are beyond reproach and more importantly that follow up questions would be in poor taste. 

Two recent examples of the technique. When the editorial board of the Des Moines Register noted that John McCain had lived his entire life with federally funded healthcare and then asked if that disqualified him from understanding the difficulties of the private health insurance system he replied by not really answering the question and then noting that he had no health insurance while he was a p.o.w. When he could not remember how many houses he and Mrs. McCain owned his campaign reminded us that he only lived in one house for five and a half years.

Constant reference to this chapter of McCain's life is not a reflexive response to uncontrollable environmental stimulus, nor is it the punctuation mark on a well crafted argument. It represents a calculated tactic intended to create a shield of credibility. The intent is to establish a direct causal link between his experience as a prisoner of war and his motivations and his policy catalog. That is, because he was a P.O.W. he must be working in America's best interests, and because  American exceptionalism is the foundation of republican tribalism, being a P.O.W. will make him a good president.

All this is a lengthy bit if history to establish the appropriateness of the following question:

Which of the prisoners in Guantanamo who have been or will be release without charge does John McCain feel is most qualified to be Prime Minister of their country of origin?

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