Yes, the military has a Code of Conduct during wartime, but one also has to put certain things into perspective. I'd like to ask the individual of the last comment, if he/she was ever in the military and, if so, was he/she ever been a POW in North Viet Nam or anywhere else. If this individual really knew anything about the Code, they would know that under interrogation captured military personnel should evade answering further questions to the utmost of my ability. There's a world of difference between what you see on CSI or Law & Order and what John McCain went through during his years as a POW. As a member of the U.S. Army for over 21 years, who knows a little more about the Code of Conduct, I kindly ask the individual who posted the previous comment to become more educated about the matter rather spout off at the mouth. One should also remember that Sen. McCain's father was also the Pacific Commander during the timeframe of his capture, so whether he asked for it or not, would determine some of the medical care he received. The North Vietnamese tried to use John McCain as a bargaining chip, which proved to be unsuccessful. If you want to criticize, maybe you should join the military and really learn what it's all about. Hooah!
Belittling Palin?
A McCain-Palin TV ad accuses Obama of being "disrespectful" of Palin, but it distorts quotes to make the case.
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Summary
The McCain-Palin campaign has released a new TV ad that distorts quotes from the Obama campaign. It takes words out of context to make it sound as though the Democratic ticket is belittling Palin:
The ad says "they said she was doing 'what she was told.' " But the Obama adviser who's being quoted didn't accuse Palin of meekly following orders. What he actually said is that she made a false claim about Obama's legislative record and added, "maybe that's what she was told."
It says "they lashed out at Sarah Palin; dismissed her as 'good looking,' " But "they" didn't lash out at all. Obama – who is the one pictured – didn't say anything like that. The only one the McCain campaign quotes is Obama's running mate, Biden, and he actually offered the remark as a compliment. Biden said the "obvious" difference between Palin and himself is "she's good looking."
The ad says Obama was "disrespectful" when he accused Palin of "lying" about her record. But the truth is Palin's claim to have "said no" to the "bridge to nowhere" is indeed a dubious one, as we and many have pointed out.
Analysis
The new McCain-Palin ad "Lashing Out" begins like an earlier ad we criticized, with its reference to Barack Obama's celebrity, but then goes down new paths of deception. It takes quotes from news organizations and uses them out of context in an effort to portray Obama and his running mate, Joe Biden, as unfairly attacking Sarah Palin and making sexist remarks. We've long been a critic of candidates (Obama included) usurping the credibility of independent news organizations and peddling false quotes, and this ad is particularly egregious. We found it airing in Denver on Sept. 10, as recorded by the Campaign Media Analysis Group, a unit of TNS Media Intelligence.
Hey, Good-Lookin'
McCain-Palin Ad: "Lashing Out"
Narrator: He was the world's biggest celebrity, but his star is fading. So they lashed out at Sarah Palin. Dismissed her as good looking. That backfired. So they said she was doing what she was told. Then desperately called Sarah Palin a liar. How disrespectful. And how Governor Sarah Palin proves them wrong every day.
The ad says Obama and Biden "lashed out at Sarah Palin. Dismissed her as 'good looking.' "
That's misleading. The reference is to a report of Biden joking that one of the differences between Palin and him is that "she's good looking." But the report cited in the ad doesn't characterize Biden's remarks as dismissive. Instead, ABC News' Jake Tapper and Matt Jaffe describe a moment when Biden "ham[s] it up" for the crowd, with one woman telling Biden that he's "gorgeous." The Democratic candidate then says he'd like to end "on a serious note."
Here's the quote in context:
ABC News, Aug. 31, 2008: "From our perspective the whole deal is how does the government help you get back up without getting in the way?" Biden asked. "There's a gigantic - gigantic - difference between John McCain and Barack Obama, and between me and I suspect my vice presidential opponent. And that is that - "
The crowd laughed.
"Well there's obvious differences," Biden said, beginning to ham it up. "She's good looking," he said, laughing. "You know there's obvious differences. But there's a whole lot -- "
A woman shouted: "you're gorgeous!" to Biden.
"Where's that person?" Biden asked. "Who said that? Who said that? Would you say that again for my wife?"
"You're gorgeous!" the woman yelled.
"Oh, I tell you what, would you make sure Jill hears that?" Biden joked. "You know what I mean? I just want to make sure she hears that. I haven't heard that in a long, long, long time. And hanging out with this lean, young-looking guy is making me feel pretty old, you know what I mean?"
Biden continued his riff. "I thought I was in pretty good shape til I hung out with this guy, you know what I mean?"
"Joe's looking good," said Obama.
"Yeah, I'm looking good alright, I tell you what," Biden said. "But look, folks, let me end with, on a serious note here. On a serious note -- I was a pretty good football player, man," he said to Obama "We oughta talk a little bit after this. Okay? --But look, on a very serious note ..."
He then continued with his very serious note.
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