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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsFormer POW John McCain was nicknamed "Songbird" for alleged aerial info. he gave up. True or not
McCain was once attacked as he now attacks former POW Bergdahl. His defence is that there was no evidence he was a traitor, and he got to defend himself to the critics.
The hypocrisy runs deep when one is aware that McCain signed a confession in custody that he was a "black criminal"' under duress he claims.
"Lt. John McCain (H) also did radio broadcasts and more than 30 films for the Vietcong Military! I mean for gods-sake the Vietnamese (and his fellow POW's) called him SONGBIRD....since he was SINGING from the day he got there! Giving all our info up!!! After McCain was captured our the Vietnamese began shooting our planes down much more often...an increase of like 60% (thanks to songbird giving the routes, altitudes, etc)....which in turn caused America to stop flying missions over Vietnam...."
I post the allegations , the evidence, the defence and the contrarian viewpoint for fairness, as McCain seems unable to understand the term. Were there Congressional hearings just for him focused on his traitorous actions, because I do not think so.
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In his memoir Faith of My Fathers, McCain says that he initially offered the information because he was badly injured and afraid of dying. But, he wrote, "I didn't intend to keep my word."
When he was later interrogated, McCain gave his ship's name and squadron number and confirmed the target of his failed mission, he wrote. He also gave the names of the Green Bay Packers' offensive line and said they were members of his squadron.
Asked to identify future targets, he mentioned North Vietnamese cities that U.S. planes had already bombed.
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At one point, McCain broke down and signed a confession. But Timberg, the biographer, said McCain deliberately used misspellings, grammatical errors and Communist jargon to show he was writing under duress: "I am a black criminal and I have performed the deeds of an air pirate. I almost died, and the Vietnamese people saved my life . . . "
Day, a Medal of Honor winner who also is supporting McCain's campaign, said the flyer is "the most outrageous f------ lie I've ever heard."
The man behind the flyer is Gerard "Jerry" W. Kiley, 61, of Garnerville, N.Y., who says he served in Vietnam for about a year. He describes his group as a one-man operation unaffiliated with any political party or campaign. He says he opposes McCain because of the senator's efforts to normalize relations with the Vietnamese communist government and because, in his view, McCain has helped the U.S. government keep information about POWs classified.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/2008/jan/17/vietnam-veterans-against-john-mccain/no-evidence-mccain-was-a-traitor/
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)For a brief time during his captivity, he performed in a female impersonator show tunes review run by the camp officers. His act was "Suzy the Singapore Songbird", but they shortened it to the last word.
lumpy
(13,704 posts)beginning of his non-productive screwy tenure as a political 'leader'. Just shows how voter ignorance prevails in this country.
Fred Sanders
(23,946 posts)Because they got way too much invested in the opportunistic man who chose Palin in desperation and adopted her nihilistic approach to politics that poisons the body politic to this day.
edgineered
(2,101 posts)"Because of the seriousness of the charge, ... and the clear intention to harm McCain just days before a critical Republican primary, we find this claim to be Pants on Fire wrong.", sums it up quite nicely.
The seriousness of the charge and its timing are their reasons its wrong? What is wrong is obvious - this is typical Politifact, and has nothing to do with my own ill will toward McCain.
Fred Sanders
(23,946 posts)tell the truth.
Not guilty!
dsc
(52,172 posts)when you slice and dice that quote. You left out the absence of evidence which is a pretty big leave out.
Submariner
(12,512 posts)At 893 out 898 in Annapolis he would have been flying Air Force transport planes, not fighter jets. His lineage got him favoritism.
Today he should be found in the lawn equipment aisle at Home Depot selling get off my lawn signs.
truebluegreen
(9,033 posts)The A-4 Skyhawk was a small bomber, something that didn't sit well with him, I think.
It wasn't the first plane he lost; without the coattails he probably wouldn't have been flying at all.