Donald Trump is
refusing to apologize for comments he made Saturday that finally drew the ire of the press and his fellow Republican presidential candidates alike.
What did Trump say that was so over the line? Speaking of John McCain,
“He’s not a war hero,” said Trump. “He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren’t captured.”
Because Trump is Trump and always contradicts himself while standing by all sides of what he says, he also said Saturday that "If somebody's a prisoner, I consider them a war hero." But it was the "not a war hero" line that drew headlines and widespread condemnation among the Republican candidates, with
Marco Rubio saying "I do think it disqualifies someone from higher office,"
Jeb Bush calling the comments "slanderous," and Scott Walker saying Trump "needs to apologize." The traditional media has been aghast that anyone should say such things about John McCain.
This is what Donald Trump gets in trouble for. Not trashing immigrants viciously and repeatedly, not birtherism, not any of a long list of other awful, offensive, mean-spirited things he's said. The line that cannot be crossed does not involve people less powerful than Donald Trump, it runs directly in front of John McCain. There's also enormous hypocrisy here; the Republican National Committee issued a statement saying that "There is no place in our party or our country for comments that disparage those who have served honorably," but as Steve Benen points out:
... if Republican leaders want to argue that attacks on Americans’ military service are simply beyond the pale, perhaps party officials can take this opportunity to apologize to John Kerry, who was smeared by Swiftboat lies in the 2004 cycle – lies that were celebrated at the time by 2016 candidates like Jeb Bush and Rick Perry – and who saw the spectacle at the Republican National Convention of party activists mocking Purple Hearts. While they’re it, Republicans can express some regret for related smears directed at former Sen. Max Cleland (D-Ga.).
Don't hold your breath.