71 Questions For John McCain

Here are 71 questions that the media should ask John McCain.  Some are softballs, some are very basic, some are questions in which the answers are obvious.  While there is some leading here and there, the questions are by and large FAIR and FACTUAL.

I'll immodestly claim that there's more facts and journalism after the flop about JOhn McCain than what you've seen in 10 years from CNN, NBC, Fox, ABC, and CBS combined.  But that's for others to assess.

1.  Do you think the American economy is better off now than it was 8 years ago?  Explain why or why not.

2.  Define for us specifically what events need to happen in Iraq in order for American troops to withdraw from this country.

3.  In 2004 Republicans insisted that Teresa Heinz Kerry, the wife of presidential candidate John Kerry, release her tax returns.  Should Cindy McCain release her tax returns so the voters can examine whether or not your votes corresponded with her financial interests?

4.  In 1992, 3 of your staff members and two Arizona journalists witnessed you calling your wife Cindy a trollop and a cunt after Cindy made some derogatory remarks about your balding head.  Did you ever apologize to Cindy for using such foul language?  If so, what did you say?

5.  Did Iraq or Saddam Hussein have anything to do with the attacks on September 11, 2001?  Yes or no.

6.  Two days after September 11, 2001, Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell said that America got exactly what it deserved on 9/11.  Why did you actively seek the endorsement of these two men after they made these anti-American comments?

7.  Barack Obama supports tax policies that would put more money into the hands of working families while only raising taxes on the top 2%.  For the past 8 years, George W Bush has done the opposite by taking money from the middle class and giving it to the super rich.  Do you prefer the Obama approach or the Bush approach?

8.  During high school you were nicknamed McNasty by your classmates.  How did you get the nickname McNasty?

9.  While in the Navy you were nicknamed Reverse Ace by your peers.  Why were you nicknamed Reverse Ace by other midshipmen?

10.  After Osama Bin Laden attacked America on September 11, 2001, George W Bush decided to ignore Osama Bin Laden and invade Iraq for oil.  Why did you support George W Bush's decision to ignore Bin Laden and invade Iraq?

11.  Sean Hannity, a neo nazi white supremacist who runs scam concerts exploiting military families, who once said that preventing Nancy Pelosi from being speaker of the House is worthy dying for, is one of your biggest supporters.  Hannity's closest media ally is Ann Coulter.  How does it feel to know that an extremist such as Hannity supports you for President and will you condemn Sean Hannity for his 20 year history of bigotry and hate?

12.  For over a year you solicited the support of John Hagee, who calls for the Jews destructions, who blames the Holocaust on Jews, said Hurricane Katrina was god's way of punishing the citizens of New Orlens for their sinful life, and who once referred to the Catholic Church as the Great Whore.  Why did you solicit the support of John Hagee when all these comments were known prior to your solicitation?

13.  You received a 0% rating from the League of Conservation Voters.  Do you care to explain these votes on the environment that earned you this rating?

14.  Who was your bookkeeper when you were under investigation during the Keating Five Scandal?

15.  What are the similarities and differences between Shia and Sunni in Iraq?

16.  Should the Republican Party platform include a provision that bans abortion in the case of rape, incest, or when the mother's life is in danger?

17.  How much time do you spend in each of your 8 homes?

18.  In 2004, the Republican Party insisted that John Kerry's wife release her tax returns.  Should the same standard be applied to your wife, especially when your votes have contributed to her increased wealth?

19.  Two days after 9/11, Rush Limbaugh said that in order to believe that 9/11 was an act of God, he would need to know that all the people who died on 9/11 were abortionists and civil libertarians.  Do you want Rush Limbaugh's endorsement in 2008 or will you denounce Rush Limbaugh for this and thousands of other hateful and bigoted remarks?

20  When fellow citizens were dieing in New Orleans, you and George W Bush were laughing and celebrating at a birthday party for you.  Do you think this was appropriate?

21.  Is waterboarding torture?

22.  Back in 2000 you described Jerry Falwell as an agent of intolerance.  In 2006 you then gave the commencement speech at Falwell's university and praised Falwell.  Would you consider this a flip flop?

23.  You were once for the Confederate flag and against the Confederate flag.  What is your position today on the Confederate flag?

24.  Did you campaign for the Republican nomination in 2007 and 2008 by flying on a corporate jet for a reduced rate owned by your wife Cindy's business interests?  If yes, do you think this was proper?

25.  The US government signed the Geneva Convention.  Do you think America should be bound by that agreeement?

26.  How many of the 19 hijackers on September 11, 2001 came from Iraq or Iran?

27.  Will you release your medical records in full for 2006, 2007, and 2008?

28.  Why did you vote against a GI bill for soldiers returning from Iraq?

29.  Senator, you opposed the Equal Pay Act for women.  Why do you believe that women should not be paid the same as men for the same job?

30.  George W Bush has said that he will do anything to help you win his Third Term.  Do you really want George W Bush's support in 2008 considering that history will remember him as the worst President in America's history?

31.  You once said that you are for the right of gay couples to have a civil union.  You also once said that you are against the right of gay couples to have a civil union.  What is your position today?

32.  Do you believe it is proper for taxpayers to spend millions of dollars bailing out a company like Bears Stearns when ordinary small business owners who go out of business never receive such a subsidy?

33.  Do you believe creationism should be taught in science classes in public schools?  If yes, whose version of creationism would be taught?

34.  You once said that you wanted to expel 3.2 members of Moveon.org from this country.  Do you really think it is American to simply expel 3.2 million citizens merely because you disagree with their viewpoint on an issue?

35.  Has the national debt increased or decreased under George W Bush's presidency?  By how much?

36.  What was the value of the American dollar against the Euro prior to George W Bush being President and what is the value of the American dollar against the Euro today?

37.  In March of 2005 you voted against closing 11 billion dollars worth of corporate loopholes when that money would have been invested in education.  Do you care to explain this vote?

38.  How often do you watch Fox News in a given week?

39.  Do you think America should abide by the Kyoto Treaty?  If not, what changes would you like to see implemented?

40.  In 2004 you said that Aung Sun Sui Kyi and the people of Burma would rule themselves one day.  In 2008 you hired a man to run the GOP National Convention who was also the CEO of DCI, a group that lobbied on behalf of the military junta of Myaanmar/Burma.   Can you explain why you hired this man?

41.  In 1999 you said that Nafta has had an "unambigously positive effect on the United States."  Do you still believe that to be the case in 2008?  

42.  In 1998 you criticized Bill Clinton when he tried to go after Osama Bin Laden.  Why did you side with Osama Bin Laden back then instead of the President of the United States?

43.  In 2007 you said that 527s need to be eliminated.  Will you condemn and reject any 527 that tries to run ads in 2008 on your behalf?

44.  In 2007 you voted against giving the citizens of the District of Columbia a seat in Congress.  Why do you oppose equal rights for the citizens of the District of Columbia?

45.  Do you believe that HMO bureaucrats and insurance bean counters should be making medical decisions or are these decisions best left in the hands of doctors and patients?  Explain.

46.  A few months ago your own mom said that you can't unite the Republican Party.  You think you can.  Who is right, you or your mom?

47.  In 2007 you said that you look to Reagan, Teddy Roosevelt and Eisenhower as models.  Why isn't the name George W Bush on that list?

48.  Which candidate running for President in 2008 of either party had more lobbyists working for him or her than any other candidate?

49.  Who did you vote for for President in the 2000 general election?  Who did Cindy vote for?

50,  You once said that you would follow Osama Bin Laden to the gates of hell.  Why then have you opposed following Osama Bin Laden to the hills of Pakistan for the past 7 years?

51.  A few months ago you starting singing Bomb Bomb Bomb Bomb Bomb Iran to the tune of the Beach Boys.  Could you sing for us a 30 second edition of your song for this audience?

52.  Why did you vote against emergency funding for the victims of Hurricane Katrina?

53.  You once said that "Chelsea Clinton is ugly, her father is Janet Reno."  Why do you have such a nasty temper?

54.  When talking about Asians, you said, "I hate the gooks."  You also opposed the MLK Holiday, one of only a few members of Congress to do so.  You also are supported by Chuck Norris, who wants to kill Hispanics allegedly crossing the Mexican border.  Are you running for President of the United States in 2008 or head of the KKK in 1928?

55.  When Strom Thurmond was over 90 years old, you got angry with him and got into a physical altercation in which you knocked Strom Thurmond down on his butt.  Why would you hit a man in his 90s?

56.  Are you still associated with Richard Quinn?  If yes, please describe the extent of this association.

57.  Rod Parsley, whom you called your spiritual advisor, is on record as saying that it is the mission of the United States to destroy Islam.  Do you agree or disagree with Pastor Parsley's assessment of Islam?

58.  Have you ever used the F word at Senate colleagues in your career?

59.  If government health care is so bad, then why have you chosen to accept it for the past 50 years first as a son of an admiral and second as a member of Congress?

60.  Recently you attended a Conservative Political Action Conference where you were introduced by George Felix Allen Jr., a white supremacist who refers to dark skinned people as macacas and who kept a noose in his work office.  Why didn't you denounce George Felix Allen Jr. for his bigotry when you had the chance to do so?

61.  You once said, "At the smallest provocation I would go off into a mad frenzy, and then suddenly crash to the floor unconscious. When I got angry I held my breath until I blacked out."  Have you ever attended anger management classes?

62.  Going back to the Keating Five scandal, you justified your corruption by saying, "I did it for no other reason than I valued Keating's support."  Isn't this another way of saying that you are simply a politician for sale who will sell themselves out to the highest bidder?

63.  You once denied global warming exists.  You've also said that global warming does exist.  Does global warming exist?  If yes, what do you believe causes global warming?

64.  What are 3 recent Supreme Court decisions of the past 8 years that you agree with the most?  Whare are 3 Supreme Court decisions of the past 8 years that you disagree with the most?

65.  Mr. McCain, in October of 1993, you said the following:  

There is no reason for the United States of America to remain in Somalia. The American people want them home, I believe the majority of Congress wants them home, and to set an artificial date of March 31 or even February 1, in my view, is not acceptable. The criteria should be to bring them home as rapidly and safely as possible, an evolution which I think could be completed in a matter of weeks.

 How is this any differnt from what Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have urged for Iraq?

66.  Do you think George W Bush did everything possible to prevent 9/11 from happening?  If no, what do you think should have been done differently?

67.  Who are 3 current foreign world leaders that you admire most?

68.  Gas prices were slightly more than a dollar when Bill Clinton left office, today gas prices are over four dollars.  Do you think Bill Clinton and democrats are to blame for this nearly $3 a gallon gas price increase of the past 8 years?

69.  Karl Rove donated the maximum $2300 to your campaign during the primary.  Why did you keep this money and not return it to him?

70.  What jobs have you held in the private sector since the age of 21?

71.  If you could take 3 votes back in your career and do them all over again, what 3 votes would they be?

72.  

•  tipjar

  by davefromqueens on Tue May 13, 2008 at 04:50:45 AM PDT

•  you dont wear a flag pin always.. are u a patriot

  my question but good list!

  by njhoo on Tue May 13, 2008 at 04:56:20 AM PDT

•  You're kidding, right?

  Nobody expects answers to even one question from McCain.  

  That was the problem with the eminent domain question.  He didn't answer the question that was asked.  

  McCain is not able to conceive that the government serves a public purpose, since he assumes that government rule and the public interest are in conflict.

  by hannah on Tue May 13, 2008 at 04:58:53 AM PDT

  •  of course I don't expect answers

    nor do I expect the likes of Timmeh Shrill Russert to ask the real questions.

    But these are some of the questions that could or should be asked.

    by davefromqueens on Tue May 13, 2008 at 05:00:08 AM PDT

    •  Thus, one additional question, for the media

      Why don't you ask John McCain questions like this?

      by A Mad Mad World on Tue May 13, 2008 at 05:01:57 AM PDT

    •  Question #72:

      The reasons you and Bush/Cheney gave for invading Iraq were all fabrications.  You started the war; why do you keep maintaining that there will be "chaos" if Americans troops withdraw, when the American Military is obviously caused the violence in Iraq to begin with?

      by leonard145b on Tue May 13, 2008 at 05:18:40 AM PDT

      •  The answer to that one is easy--

        because American special forces have been fomenting mayhem ever since the newly installed government in Iraq proved no more keen to have a long-term U.S. military presence and give us basing-rights as Saddam Hussein was.  
        Since the bases on the eastern side of the Indian Ocean basin were abandoned to the Vietnamese, the only practical alternative was on the west.  Saudi Arabia didn't work out.  Yemen and Kuwait are, for some reason, not large enough or perhaps too distant from the area of interest (China and Russia).  The containment of a "rising China" and a "re-emerging Russia" has been the objective all along.
        For a while, it seemed that a space-based missile defense would be practicable, but that idea has now been debunked.  Besides, China has demonstrated that it can shoot down satellites whenever it wants.  So, the only alternative, if you're going to defend against missiles that have already taken off, is to have boost phase interceptors (hit them before they climb into the stratosphere) and that means taking off less than 50 seconds after lift-off. Which means they have to be pretty close and can't be undersea.  So, Iraq seems ideal and McCain seems to remain convinced that eventually the mayhem will convince the Iraqis to cry uncle and let us stay there.
        Never mind that it's unlikely that Russia and China will agree to our unfettered presence on the southern edge of Asia.

        by hannah on Tue May 13, 2008 at 05:35:12 AM PDT

    •  My suggestion would be to edit these down

      Some of them are far stronger than others, while others seem partisan and weak.  But I am curious, why did his classmates call him "reverse ace"?  because he was a bad pilot?

      by arthura on Tue May 13, 2008 at 06:01:28 AM PDT

      •  he crashed 4 planes in training

        and McCain hated the nickname Reverse Ace

        His classmates hated him and the easiest way to get under his skin while he was in the Navy was to call him Reverse Ace.

        Walk up to him jovially and call him Reverse Ace.

        by davefromqueens on Tue May 13, 2008 at 06:08:28 AM PDT

        •  is reverseace.com available?

          it is!

          Somebody grab it...

          by OWCH on Tue May 13, 2008 at 06:44:06 AM PDT

•   Random questions on Supreme Court rulings.

  It would take research to see just which ones he had been interested in.  Would be interesting if he had made speeches on some and couldn't remember.

  by maybeeso in michigan on Tue May 13, 2008 at 05:09:10 AM PDT

•  The problem with asking McSame a question

  is that his answer changes from one minute to the next.

  by ryan81 on Tue May 13, 2008 at 05:13:27 AM PDT

  •  you are too kind

    usually takes him about 20 seconds to flip flop within the same question.

    by davefromqueens on Tue May 13, 2008 at 06:07:14 AM PDT

•  I can't see a single question

  listed that he would be able to answer without LIEberman whispering in his ear.  Good thing for him the Media isn't interested in questions with substance.

  by phatcat cane on Tue May 13, 2008 at 05:14:32 AM PDT

•  Excellent list

  Hotlisted for the wingnuts in my family. (I'm not sure they even have the heart to play the comparison game this year, which is even better.) I would love a version with specific linky goodness for the more obscure specifics, like Quinn and Parsley, denying global warming, the Reagan/Teddy Roosevelt/Eisenhower quote, and his mom's (!) remark.

  by CJnyc on Tue May 13, 2008 at 05:26:33 AM PDT

•  Would Love to see McCain answer these questions

  in a debate.  

  by Paddy999 on Tue May 13, 2008 at 05:36:13 AM PDT

•  STOP THIS RIGHT NOW!

  http://www.thingsyoungerthanmccain.com/

  You do realize that after question #3, John will ask those fateful questions, those rhetorical questions asked by H Ross Parrot's running mate? "Who am I and why am I here?"

  by question #14, he will have lost his temper.

  by question #26, he will have called his wife a C***

  by agnostic on Tue May 13, 2008 at 05:44:16 AM PDT

•  Answer to #70

  He got a sweetheart big-money job working for his father-in-law who launched him into politics.

  The father-in-law, who ran the beer distribution business that Cindy McCain inherited, had an extensive career in organized crime and got the business as a mob payoff.

  by CA Libertarian on Tue May 13, 2008 at 06:15:21 AM PDT

•  Have you had sexual relations with another woman?

  Since you were married to Cindy?

  Did that include any lobbyists?

  You admitted that - after being married to Cindy - you found out that both of you had lied about your ages.  Did she also lie about the source of her inherited wealth being her father's ties to organized crime, or did you know about that from the start?

  by CA Libertarian on Tue May 13, 2008 at 06:20:12 AM PDT

•  # 72 Do you believe Mr. bush has been a good to

  great President? If so, why, if not, why not? This coming election is all about whether America will have another 4 years of hell. For for the dems to win, it must be continuously framed as such. The closer McNasty is pinned to w, the better the dems chances of victory.

  by brjzn on Tue May 13, 2008 at 06:53:01 AM PDT

•  I think one of our biggest campaigns has

  to be getting the media to be equally critical of John McCain, however, I have some problems with several of your questions.

  Quite a few of them are worded in a wing-nut frame, except obviously with the opposite political view. I think it's important for us to not lower ourselves to that level. We need to retain logic. Perhaps I am in too much of a "legal" mind when analyzing these though, and not enough of a political one?

  Personally, I have a problem with the question asking him to release his medical records in full for the past 3 years. I understand that voters have a right to know if he has any serious health problems, but everyone should have a right to keep their medical records private. Of course I realize that Senator McCain probably doesn't think that all others have this right of privacy. The doctor-patient relationship should not be one that can be scrutinized by every cable news channel and arm-chair pundit.

  by natalie902 on Tue May 13, 2008 at 07:06:12 AM PDT

  •  valid point

    In general I totally agree with you about the privilege and if it is your position that such records are always private, even for candidates running for President, then I can respect that position even if I believe that when you run for President, voters have a right to know of the overall health and mental capabilities of that candidate, Democratic or Republican.

    by davefromqueens on Tue May 13, 2008 at 07:34:17 AM PDT

•  Questions

  I think that while yes/no and 'trivial pursuit' questions are a valid way to get definite answers, they do not provide as much data as open-ended ones. It is clear to many of us what the answers are for the former classes of questions; it is also clear to many of us that McCain has altered his responses over time.

  However, the right of a person to alter his responses over time is a given; more interesting is the reason for which he has done so.

  I think that with a bit of work and some editing, this list of questions can be converted into a truly formidable meme. You, sir, have done a great service to the nation.

  by autolycus on Tue May 13, 2008 at 08:39:45 AM PDT

  •  thank you

    Appreciate it.

    When asking questions or deposing someone, you often have to go with the flow.  Some people need yes/no, others need plenty of rope to hang themselvess.

    It is a mixture of both.  Many of my questions are eminently fair.

    by davefromqueens on Tue May 13, 2008 at 08:41:55 AM PDT