Make-Believe Maverick

A closer look at the life and career of John McCain reveals a disturbing record of recklessness and dishonesty
BY TIM DICKINSONPosted Oct 16, 2008 7:00 PM

At Fort McNair, an army base located along the Potomac River in the nation's capital, a chance reunion takes place one day between two former POWs. It's the spring of 1974, and Navy commander John Sidney McCain III has returned home from the experience in Hanoi that, according to legend, transformed him from a callow and reckless youth into a serious man of patriotism and purpose. Walking along the grounds at Fort McNair, McCain runs into John Dramesi, an Air Force lieutenant colonel who was also imprisoned and tortured in Vietnam.

McCain is studying at the National War College, a prestigious graduate program he had to pull strings with the Secretary of the Navy to get into. Dramesi is enrolled, on his own merit, at the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in the building next door.

There's a distance between the two men that belies their shared experience in North Vietnam — call it an honor gap. Like many American POWs, McCain broke down under torture and offered a "confession" to his North Vietnamese captors. Dramesi, in contrast, attempted two daring escapes. For the second he was brutalized for a month with daily torture sessions that nearly killed him. His partner in the escape, Lt. Col. Ed Atterberry, didn't survive the mistreatment. But Dramesi never said a disloyal word, and for his heroism was awarded two Air Force Crosses, one of the service's highest distinctions. McCain would later hail him as "one of the toughest guys I've ever met."

On the grounds between the two brick colleges, the chitchat between the scion of four-star admirals and the son of a prizefighter turns to their academic travels; both colleges sponsor a trip abroad for young officers to network with military and political leaders in a distant corner of the globe.

"I'm going to the Middle East," Dramesi says. "Turkey, Kuwait, Lebanon, Iran."

"Why are you going to the Middle East?" McCain asks, dismissively.

"It's a place we're probably going to have some problems," Dramesi says.

"Why? Where are you going to, John?"

"Oh, I'm going to Rio."

"What the hell are you going to Rio for?"

McCain, a married father of three, shrugs.

"I got a better chance of getting laid."

Dramesi, who went on to serve as chief war planner for U.S. Air Forces in Europe and commander of a wing of the Strategic Air Command, was not surprised. "McCain says his life changed while he was in Vietnam, and he is now a different man," Dramesi says today. "But he's still the undisciplined, spoiled brat that he was when he went in."

(READ ALL)

John Cleese on Sarah Palin

Hillary Sent Me.

No on Prop. 8 PSAs spoof Mac vs. PC commercials

With new poll data showing that Proposition 8 (which would re-ban gay marriage in California) is suddenly gaining momentum, celebrities like Molly Ringwald and Margaret Cho have joined the fight for marriage equality by starring in PSAs that spoof the popular PCs vs. Mac commercials.

Watch all four very funny videos, and then send them to everyone you know in California — intelligent humor really is the best weapon!

WATCH ALL

Lesbian video from AfterEllen.com

Clinton nixes idea of serving on Supreme Court

Posted: 02:11 PM ET

From CNN Ticker Producer Alexander Mooney

Clinton said she is happy being a senator from New York.

(CNN) — It’s a question that arose even before Hillary Clinton abandoned her presidential bidfour months ago: What's next for the junior senator from New York?

Definitely not a spot on the Supreme Court, and likely not a bid to be Senate Majority Leader or President of the United States, she told Fox News Tuesday.

Asked directly about rumors she may have her eye on the bench, Clinton said there was “zero” chance of that happening: "I have no interest in doing that," she said, laughing.

Speculation mounted it may be a possibility after Lawrence Tribe, a constitutional law expert at the Harvard Law School who is advising Obama's campaign, said last spring he thought Clinton may be a good fit for the high court.

"I certainly think that Senator Obama's inclination to look for people of broad experience, people whose deepest values and whose empathy with others makes them wise human beings as well as expert lawyers, would mean he wouldn't rule out people such as Senator Clinton just because they don't have judicial experience," he told the National Journal.

Others in the chattering class have said a run for Senate Majority Leader, replacing Sen. Harry Reid, is much more likely, given Clinton's success in the chamber and the respect she has forged there. Many also speculate Clinton still harbors presidential ambitions, and could run in four or eight years depending on if Barack Obama is elected.

Watch: Clinton back on the trail

But speaking to Fox Tuesday, Clinton said the chances she pursues either of those options are "probably zero."

"There's an old saying: Bloom where you're planted. And I've always loved that," she said. "I love being in the Senate. I ran for president because I thought we had to make drastic changes given what I viewed as the damage that the Bush administration had done here at home and abroad. Now I'm going to work very hard with President Obama to repair that damage."

Tina Fey On Sarah Palin: "If She Wins...I'm Leaving Earth"

Tina Fey told TVGuide she'll be "done" if John McCain and Sarah Palin win the election next month.

The "SNL" veteran who has come back to play the Republican Vice Presidential candidate (and whose own show, "30 Rock," is still nowhere to be seen), said, "We're gonna take it week by week. If she wins, I'm done. I can't do that for four years. And by 'I'm done,' I mean I'm leaving Earth."

Fey also said it's a busy but exciting time for "SNL."

"Election time is always good for [SNL] and this is a bonkers election," she said. "And that lady is a media star. She is a fascinating person, she's very likeable. She's fun to play, and the two bits with Amy [Poehler], that was super fun," Fey says.

For the full story, pick up the October 20th issue of TV Guide, plus the following week's issue (October 27th) featuring TV Guide's cover story on 30 Rock's Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin.

I love Donna Brazile. Listen to her talk about Obama and the back of the bus.

At this weekend's New Yorker Festival, Donna Brazile had some frank words on the "If I Were Running This Campaign" panel, with Donna Brazile, Alex Castellanos, Ed Rollins, Joe Trippi, and moderator Jeff Toobin. According to NYer fest blogger Justin Vogt, when Toobin asked Brazile for some closing thoughts she definitely had a few.

Rednecks for Obama

Betty White calls Sarah Palin a "Crazy Bitch" on Craig Ferguson

Hillary

In a passionate speech introducing Joe Biden at a campaign rally in Scranton, Pennsylvania this afternoon, Hillary Clinton gave a strong endorsement to Barack Obama by celebrating the end of the Bush administration, shouting:

"Make no mistake about it. We've done it before and we will do it again. America will once again rise rise from the ashes of the Bushes."

(WATCH VIDEO)

Aussies welcome Soldier Home.

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2008/10/mental-health-2.html

This is so sweet. Almost made me cry too. Maybe I'm just too emotional this week. ;-) This is why I love Aussies (and have two of them)

Almost made ME cry: CN Plaintiffs React to Same-Sex Marriage Ruling

click link to view

Connecticut joins the wave of change.

Connecticut now joins California and Massachusetts as the third state to end the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage with the Connecticut Supreme Court ruling to uphold the freedom to marry in Kerrigan and Mock v. the CT Department of Public Health.

Vote NO

Wedding Presents

With my wedding coming up in 10 short days... please consider contributing to keeping it legal longer than a few weeks. 

NO on Prop. 8  CRITICAL: Two polls show we’re losing Letter from Geoff Kors: Our opponents have raised $25.4 million so far. They are using this war chest to broadcast lies 24/7 and up and down the state of California. Now polls show the lies are working. Yesterday’s CBS 5 poll shows that: “…likely California voters overall now favor passage of Proposition 8 by a five-point margin, 47 percent to 42 percent. Ironically, a CBS 5 poll eleven days prior found a five-point margin in favor of the measure's opponents.” This is crunch time. With less than a month before the election, we must get on the air now to answer these lies and swing votes back to our side.  And the ONLY way to do that it to raise more money. The generous $15.8 million that our supporters have given isn’t enough. Not whenthe other side has nearly $10 million more than we do and the fundraising gap is growing.   More info

Mavericks in Washington

Alec Baldwin Imitates Sarah Palin

Actor and activist Alec Baldwin appeared on "Real Time with Bill Maher" Friday night. At several points during his sitdown, in which he was joined by CNN's Christiane Amanpour and comedian Garry Shandling, Baldwin winked at the camera and put on an accent in imitation of Sarah Palin. On the show, which first aired live Friday night, much of the discussion was about the previous night's vice presidential debate.

WATCH

(wouldn't you LOVE to be sitting at THAT roundtable??)

On Sarah Palin

But, did you see the debate last night? Big ratings. And the big headline today is that she exceeded expectations. Which is like saying Andy Dick only drank half a bottle of Woolite. She - she kept saying that she represents "Joe Six-pack." You know what, sweetheart? If you get elected, Joe is going to need a lot more than a six-pack. He's going to be "Joe Prescription-Drug-Pack." – Bill Maher

I thought she won the first half hour, for sure, hands down. I think obviously Biden came back quite strong, and the polls all say that he won overall. She did the very clever thing of looking at the camera and talking directly to the people. – Christiane Amanpour

I thought she won the first two hours of that thing. I thought it was sort of endless... you have to give her credit because they took out the talent competition of the debate right before she went on. She was going to ice skate. – Garry Shandling

On Joe Biden

This is how I think he prepared for her, Bill: I think he watched tapes of how Johnny Carson used to deal with Charo. Is that about right? I salute Joe Biden- because she was this close to saying, "Cootchie-cootchie" at some point. – Garry Shandling

On McCain

No, he's getting desperate. His strategy for the next debate on Tuesday, is after he shakes hands with Obama, he's going to pretend his wallet is missing. – Bill Maher

John McCain cannot be saying, "We're winning the war in Iraq" at the same time we're going bankrupt. That means we're losing, because everybody has forgotten the connection - the planes hit the building - was an economic attack, am I correct? And if we didn't spend X-trillion into this war, we might be able to handle the housing issue. So anybody who says we're winning the war in Iraq, and the Treasury Secretary is saying we're two days from being bankrupt, excuse me! There's a lie going on here. – Garry Shandling

On President Bush

No, that's a fair and actually important question. If there was less terrorism, real democracy in the Middle East, genuine continuing stability; if some of the economic problems were solved. But, I - I think the economic crisis is - that we've only got a whiff of it now. As you noted, the rescue-bailout package passed today, and the stock market went down. What would have happened if it had not passed? So, we're in - in really serious economic trouble. And, you get into some of the numbers on this, and it is very scary. – Bob Woodward

On the Bailout

What do you think about, that the Congress today, they put $140 billion of pork on top of this bill? That's like an ambulance driver comes to your house and picks you up - you have a heart attack - and says, "You know, on the way to the hospital, can we stop and grab a drink at my friend's house?" – Alec Baldwin

Are they still calling it "bailout," because first it was a bailout; then they were rescuing me—now I think they're raping me. I don't know, what's the order? How does that go? – Garry Shandling

Well, look, in Japan, they didn't move quickly enough in the early nineties, and that was considered a failure. There was paralysis. And it took the better part of ten years, if not more, to get Japan back on track. So, a lot of people who are looking from around the world are sort of praising the flexibility and the speed with which the U.S. government stepped in and did something. And both candidates have basically likened it to battlefield first aid. One called it a tourniquet, the other one called it - you know, "stop the bleeding." – Christiane Amanpour

A little song for a rainy day

Brigitte Bardot: Sarah Palin Is "A Disgrace For Women"

French film legend-turned-activist Brigitte Bardot took a swipe at Sarah Palin on Tuesday, saying the US vice presidential candidate was a disgrace to women.

"I hope you lose these elections because that would be a victory for the world," Bardot wrote in an open letter to Republican John McCain's running mate in the November vote.

"By denying the responsibility of man in global warming, by advocating gun rights and making statements that are disconcertingly stupid, you are a disgrace to women and you alone represent a terrible threat, a true environmental catastrophe," wrote Bardot.

The screen icon from the 1960s, who now heads an animal rights foundation, went on to assail Palin for supporting Arctic oil exploration that could jeopardize delicate animal habitats and for dismissing measures to protect polar bears.

"This shows your total lack of responsibility, your inability to protect or simply respect animal life," Bardot wrote.

In a final salvo against Palin, the 74-year-old ex-star picked up on Palin's depiction of herself as a pitbull wearing lipstick and said she "implored" her not to compare herself to dogs.

"I know them well and I can assure you that no pitbull, no dog, nor any other animal for that matter is as dangerous as you are," Bardot wrote.

Funny but careful.. lots of language

Get the latest news satire and funny videos at 236.com.

Get the latest news satire and funny videos at 236.com.