From the New York Times:
In an interview in his home state, West Virginia, on Monday, Senator Jay Rockefeller, a Democrat, told The Charleston Gazette that Mr. McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, could not relate to the everyday concerns of people on issues like health care.
According to the article, Mr. Rockefeller said:
“McCain was a fighter pilot, who dropped laser-guided missiles from 35,000 feet. He was long gone when they hit. What happened when they (the missiles) get to the ground? He doesn’t know. You have to care about the lives of people. McCain never gets into those issues.”
Look, I’m no fan of John McCain, but what Senator Jay Rockefeller said went way over the line.
#1 - The Navy did not have laser-guided missiles in the 1960s.
#2 - You don’t drop laser-guided missiles, they are rocket powered.
#3 - You don’t drop laser-guided anything from 35,000 feet.
McCain was almost killed on July 29, 1967, when he was at the epicenter of the USS Forrestal fire. McCain escaped from his burning jet and was trying to help another pilot escape when a bomb exploded; McCain was struck in the legs and chest by fragments. The ensuing fire killed 134 sailors and took 24 hours to control. As Forrestal headed for repairs, McCain volunteered for additional duty on the USS Oriskany.
John McCain was flying his 23rd bombing mission over North Vietnam, when his A-4E Skyhawk was shot down by a missile over Hanoi. McCain fractured both arms and a leg, and then nearly drowned when he parachuted into Truc Bach Lake in Hanoi. After he regained consciousness, a mob attacked him, crushed his shoulder with a rifle butt, and bayoneted him; he was then transported to Hanoi’s main Hoa Loa Prison, nicknamed the “Hanoi Hilton”.
In March 1968, McCain was put into solitary confinement, where he would remain for two years.
Jay Rockefeller, on the other hand, worked for the Peace Corps in Washington, D.C. after college.
Senator Rockefeller and his fellow Democrats apparently believe that you hate humanity as evidenced by volunteering to conduct air campaigns against America’s enemies. In fact, Senator Rockefeller (D-WV) comes close to considering you war criminals.
McCain is a military hero. Rockefeller is a panty-wearing, bed-wetting Socialist.
McCain was engaged in low-level attack on a heavily defended power plant in Hanoi when he was shot down. Rather than dropping bombs from the relative safety of 35,000 feet, McCain and his comrades were willing to put their lives at great risk in order to hit specific, high-value targets without the assistance of guided munitions.
Senator Rockefeller’s statement is an insult to all the men and women who are serving or have served in America’s military. Had Senator Rockefeller served himself, he would appreciate and understand that most who have been to war emerge with a much deeper concern for humanity than they otherwise might.
Rockefeller doesn’t have enough honor, respect, and manhood to be able to shine McCain’s combat boots.
Since his disgusting remark, and after the media pounced on his words, Rockefeller has issued an apology. But it’s too little, too late, and I highly distrust the honesty in his apology. He makes me want to puke.
