With all this talk lately about Obama's character and such, I decided to look a little further into McCain's background. Obviously I knew he was a POW (that doesn't make him a "hero" to me but I digress) but I didn't know he was an adulterer and philanderer. Once a cheater, always a cheater.

I had assumed he had been married before, but I didn't know the details. You all may know all this already, but I didn't. It appears that during the 5 years he was a POW his first wife, Carol, diligently waited for him back home. During that time she was in a major car accident. When he came back home he learned his wife was a different person and the accident "left her 4 inches shorter and on crutches, and she had gained a good deal of weight."

Reportedly, he begins to engage in extra-marital affairs, some with subordinates. He subsequently goes to Honolulu for a military reception and meets a 25 year old named Cindy who was the daughter of Jim Hensley, a wealthy politically-connected figure and the third-largest Anheuser Busch distributor. He spoke with her throughout the evening and "when it came time to leave the party, I persuaded her to join me for drinks at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. By the evening's end, I was in love." Over the next year he's involved in an adulterous relationship with Cindy. He then divorces Carol and a month later marries Cindy.

In an interview with Robert Timberg, McCain's first wife attributes the divorce ". . . more to John turning 40 and wanting to be 25 again than I do to anything else."

And then we have the New York Times story that broke back in February of this year suggesting McCain was getting it on with a telecommunications lobbyist, Vicki Iseman, which McCain subsequently denied.

I appreciate McCain's service to the country, but just because he was a POW for 5 years does not make him uniquely qualified for the Oval Office. On the other hand, just because he is an adulterer does not necessarily mean he's not qualified for the Oval office. (I thought Bill was great!) But if people are going to bring up "character" I think we need to know about both men.

http://www.usvetdsp.com/mcaindiv.htm

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv...ain/photo6.htm

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/0...a_n_87692.html

I wouldn't even bring this shit up, but why is Obama fair game and no one's talking about the geriatric prick?

What teeming cesspool of anti-American hatred shall we liberate today?

I don't want an angel to be President. I want a competent civic leader / administrator, who understands policies.

Just as having been a POW does not make one a hero, I would suggest that similarly, being an adulterer, philanderer, womanizer, or 'bailer' on a marriage... does not imply one wouldn't be a good leader.

I'd rather elect an adulterer/womanizer/philanderer who can govern well, than a faithful husband with a spotless private life who is a clueless or incompetent leader.

I should hope that my inability to resist humping every female leg in sight wouldn't disqualify me outright (in the mind of the citizenry) for becoming the greatest Supreme Court Justice this nation would've ever had. See, if I'm doing my job exquisitely well, then it shouldn't matter that I'd be wearing absolutely nothing under my black robe (except generous amounts of lavender-scent-infused almond oil), so that I can flash Antonin Scalia when the other Justices aren't looking.

Same should go for McCain & Obama. Can they govern well? Do they understand policy issues? If so, then who cares about their private life? I don't.

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Nothing to see here. . . . Move along.

I completely agree.

In my original post I wrote: "I appreciate McCain's service to the country, but just because he was a POW for 5 years does not make him uniquely qualified for the Oval Office. On the other hand, just because he is an adulterer does not necessarily mean he's not qualified for the Oval office. (I thought Bill was great!)"

I'm just pondering why everyone seems to be fair game but McCain. It seems the press has given him a free pass on the character issue - and so has the American public. More of a curious observation on my part.

Which job performance are you referring to?

What teeming cesspool of anti-American hatred shall we liberate today?

Reagan was one of the most beloved of recent presidents, and his marital and family history wasn't exactly pristine or angelic, either.

In the whole spectrum of choosing a candidate, people tend to be fairly forgiving of extramarital affairs in the past, certainly more so than they are of anything current.

Then again, people are well aware that JFK cheated on his wife while in office, and still, he is held in very high esteem historically.

The New York Times ran with a story a few months ago during the primary that some people thought would submarine McCain, linking him with a female lobbyist, and it blew over within 24 hours. I'm not sure no one's talking about McCain--they do--and both sides will consider the private lives of the others fair game, to an extent. There is still a fairly "hands off" rule as to how far they'll go.

And whether it's fair or not, clearly even in today's political climate a heterosexual extramarital affair is less likely to submarine a career than a homosexual one, and soliciting a prostitute is far more damaging to a politician than run-of-the-mill adultery. If drugs are involved, it makes a sticky wicket indeed.

Here's my own two cents on the John McCain situation. People who are already Republican or Independent in much of America will just see him (rightly or wrongly) as a "good old boy" who served his country, took some hits, and married well (think beer).

Those who are opposed to McCain already will find arguments to support their opposition in his personal life.

Those on the fence will weigh all that against whatever they see as Obama's flaws or liabilities.

Never hold discussions with the monkey when the organ grinder is in the room.--Winston Churchill

Did you miss the big New York Times hubbub earlier this year?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/21/us...mccain.html?hp

Never hold discussions with the monkey when the organ grinder is in the room.--Winston Churchill