John McCain: Hero or Nero?

John McCain. War Hero? Many Navy veterans don't think so. They believe that he threw that away in 1967. How so? Well let me begin a bit earlier in his naval service, and consider that attempts to subject McCain to a Courts Martial was squelched by high brass because his father had recently been promoted to Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Naval Forces, Europe. Wait, there's more. His grandfather commanded Task Force 38, Halsey's primary weapon in fight against Imperial Japan. 

McCain was believed to have had at least one affair with the wife of a deployed Naval Officer, and he flaunted it openly. The charge? Conduct unbecoming a Naval Officer. Any other officer would have been disgraced and forced out. Throughout his Naval service, McCain used his family reputation to avoid consequences of reckless and bad behavior. He was widely disliked among his fellow officers and pilots. He was considered to be a marginally skilled pilot and was usually dead last on his squadron's greenie board (rating for carrier landing proficiency).

McCain in 1964. It is amusing to note that his

 combination cap is at least two sizes too small.

McCain was a central figure in the disaster aboard USS Forrestal, where 134 sailors died. Quickly transferred to another squadron and carrier, McCain was not generally welcomed.

His story after being shot down has been polished up considerably. To this day, more than a few of his fellow POWs despise McCain for collaborating with his captors in exchange for medical care and better treatment. Surely, this was not out of character for McCain. He made multiple radio broadcasts for the North Vietnamese, some of which were recorded and are available to listen to on the web. McCain's book on his war experiences contains more bullshit than the Chicago stock yards. Contrary to McCain's claim, no POW ever saw him tortured, and the former Vietnamese commander of the prison says that he was never tortured. McCain is reported to have cooperated.

Let's just skip ahead to recent history. His loss to Obama in the 2008 election was devastating to his massive ego. His choice of Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential running mate is widely thought to have been a crushing blunder. McCain's support for the rebels in Libya and Syria were huge errors in judgement, when one considers that most of the groups he supported morphed into what we call ISIS. His bad decision making cost him dearly. Although many thought that he should have been indicted, McCain escaped the Keating Affair with a rebuke for his very "poor judgment". 

McCain's open hatred for Trump has been his motivation for a number of vile things he has done and said since Trump announced his campaign. He's a very angry man and a leading "never Trump" politician.

Last evening's healthcare vote was his latest back stab to the President, his party and the American people. I suppose that treasonous behavior comes easy to McCain.

I hope, sincerely, that his career goes away as soon as possible. His sell-by date has long since passed. His brain cancer is, I believe, just karma... Reaping what he has sown. At his core, he is a mean-spirited and vengeful troll. I won't miss him for a second.