"Now, bein' a POW doesn't qualify anyone to be president...

[Amerigo Vespucci]

...BUT IT DOES REVEAL CHARACTER. This is the kind of character that people from the beginning of civilization have sought in their leaders..."

[ingac70]

1. Leaders with PTSD are sought after? n/t

[Stand and Fight]

2. Precisely... And Johnny's character included:

Cheating on his wife and divorcing her once he got back! Some character! :eyes:

[Kutjara]

3. The kind of character that, until the modern era,...

...would have got the "hero" convicted of treason and torn apart by horses. Yep, ancient civilizations really idolized POWs who blabbed.

[Overseas]

4. JSM III seems to feel pretty darned confident that he won't be Swiftboated, doesn't he?

They are tossing around those POW-spirit comments so very freely. Tempting us to make the covertly known material about his service apparent to more people. A lot of that stuff is not too pretty. We don't like to speak ill of fellow citizens' military service. But bad things do happen. Planes do crash and spirits are broken. Our presidential nominee would not touch such material.

Many Democrats would refrain. More Democrats than Republicans have served in the military. At least that was the case when I was checking out the Chickenhawk lists in 2004. So we have been more respectful of military service and wouldn't dream of wearing band-aids to mock recipients of the Purple Heart. And that's why Democrats are far more generous regarding veterans' benefits. We respect their service not just in words but in deeds and dollars.

But my oh my they are stretching that tolerance tonight. McPowPow.

Let's hope it is just too damned hokey to the audience at home and backfires.