UPDATED: McCain: Those Accusing Me Of Bergdahl Flip-Flop Are 'Lying'
Last edited Fri Jun 6, 2014, 09:18 AM - Edit history (1)
Source: TPM
CAITLIN MACNEAL JUNE 5, 2014, 4:42 PM EDT
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) on Thursday disputed accusations that he changed his tune on prisoner exchanges and Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl after the soldier was released from the Taliban.
In February, McCain told CNN's Anderson Cooper that he would be "inclined to support" a prisoner swap to bring Bergdahl home, but has since come out in opposition to the exchange for the soldier's release.
On Thursday, McCain clarified that in February, he said his support for a prisoner swap depended on details.
"The details are unacceptable and for anyone to accuse me, therefore, of saying that I'd support any prisoner swap under any circumstances is lying," he told CNN's Jake Tapper.
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Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/mccain-bergdahl-flip-flop-lying
~ UPDATE ~
June 6 at 6:00 am
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The Pinocchio Test
We fully appreciate that the details of a prisoner exchange are important, and McCain certainly made that caveat clear. But since the deal was announced, he has suggested that the question of trading the Taliban Five for Bengdahl was a surpriseand thats certainly not the case. These five men were always part of the prisoner swap, so that is not a detail that can be in dispute. Indeed, only a day after The Washington Post revealed a deal was in the works to trade the five men for Bengdahl, McCain appeared on television with what was billed as a new position.
McCain is on a bit stronger ground when he objects to a one year stay in Qatar. The length of the detention was not clear in February, though the former detainees will remain longer in Qatar (to mid 2014) than was contemplated under earlier proposals (end of 2014.)
But what is the point of a prisoner swap if the released prisoners are not at some point going to be free? By the very nature of such a deal, an experienced lawmaker (and former POW) like McCain should expect that the Taliban Five would have been able to go free eventually.
McCain may have thought he left himself an out when he said his support was dependent on the details. But then he cant object to the most important detailthe identity of the prisonersthat was known at the time he indicated his support. McCain earns an upside-down Pinocchio, constituting a flip-flop.
An Upside-Down Pinocchio
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact-checker/wp/2014/06/06/did-john-mccain-flip-flop-on-the-bergdahl-deal/?
monmouth3
(3,871 posts)abakan
(1,819 posts)Doesn't he?
Kelvin Mace
(17,469 posts)records what he is saying.
randys1
(16,286 posts)VanillaRhapsody
(21,115 posts)Skittles
(153,150 posts)lying piece of shit
Sheldon Cooper
(3,724 posts)Shut the fuck up, grandpa.
Arthur_Frain
(1,849 posts)John is 77. I would never want to denigrate the service he's done in uniform, or the time he spent as a POW. But there comes a time when you should just hand the reins over to someone a little more flexible.
Why is it that once in power, unless there are serious health problems, the only way these guys leave the house/senate is boots first? Me, I did my bit for king and country, and now I'm enjoying the good life. What? Is he just so caught up in the ideology that he can't let go? Is that the problem with all of them, and why "term limits" don't work?
Or is it just the cash flow John? Greed gotten the better of you and you never met a lobbyist you could say no to?
Submariner
(12,503 posts)and his also an Admiral father died soon after retiring from the Navy. His mother is in her 90s, and back in the late 90s I heard McCain saying he would not retire because he would have nothing to do and didn't want to replicate his granddad or dad's demise.
Coming in at 893 out of a class of 898 at Annapolis, and never making Admiral, and failing to win the presidency twice, I'm afraid has given him the resolve to be a big PIA until he dies in office.
yurbud
(39,405 posts)alsame
(7,784 posts)how TV works, does he?
onenote
(42,700 posts)Kelvin Mace
(17,469 posts)prisoner swaps as long as it is his as being swapped out.
Cha
(297,158 posts)Tarheel_Dem
(31,233 posts)frylock
(34,825 posts)BumRushDaShow
(128,895 posts)Uncle Joe
(58,355 posts)a major sticking point with the Taliban in negotiating a peace treaty.
Thanks for the thread, DonViejo.
uwep
(108 posts)He was a prisoner also and many of his fellow POW's were not very nice about the comments they made. I have several articles that support many of the negative comments. The difference is that he was the son of an admiral and was given preference by the press and the north Vietnamese. Just shut up your mindless platter. I have never thought much of this guy, but he was an American prisoner of war and held in captivity. Some have said that because of the information he gave some paid the price with their lives.
MrScorpio
(73,630 posts)davidpdx
(22,000 posts)He exaggerates his own importance due to his huge ego problem.
Zambero
(8,964 posts)It pretty much speaks for itself.
albino65
(484 posts)within the parameters of his particular reality. He has problems with his memory, but that suits his constituency. They're not very bright.
Spitfire of ATJ
(32,723 posts)Justice
(7,185 posts)She ran the whole tape with Anderson cooper's interview with McCain.
Dawson Leery
(19,348 posts)elias49
(4,259 posts)"Al Qaeda slash Taliban" What a douche.
SunSeeker
(51,550 posts)AtheistCrusader
(33,982 posts)davidpdx
(22,000 posts)Maybe you should suspend your campaign to deal with that since you clearly can't do two things at once. Oh that's right, you already lost!
Vinca
(50,269 posts)Paladin
(28,254 posts)Pathetic old war junkie.....
Arkana
(24,347 posts)Jefferson23
(30,099 posts)AKing
(511 posts)olegramps
(8,200 posts)He would have been kicked out Annapolis, which he got into only because his grandfather and father were admirals. He was a lousy pilot. When he discovered that his wife was paralyzed he divorced her and hooked up with drug addict that bought him a congressional seat. He voted against nearly every veteran assistance bill that his lousy party has opposed. He is a just a lousy piece of crap just like every Republican in congress.