There is a note of seriousness here, however, and one that I would hope will warrant repeating. McCain's sketchy accounting of his houses, cars, marriages, and musical tastes aside, there is a darker and more cynical reality at play; one particularly revealing where his character is concerned. Over the last 2-3 years, there has been a single, uniquely-justifiable opportunity for McCain to have drawn upon his POW experience; one that he unfortunately chose not to exploit. When the issue of the Bush White House-ordered torture of terror suspects came to a head, McCain could have masterfully played the POW card to make a commanding and effectual statement in opposition to torture. John McCain’s personal POW story would likely have been sufficiently compelling to rally the American public against the Bush White House and its Justice Department lackeys in opposing torture of suspected terrorists. The gravity of McCain's own horrific internment may have trumped any ideological justification attempted by the likes of Cheney, Addington, or John Yoo. McCain, himself partially-disabled by effects of physical torture, had both the authenticity and the moral authority to speak out about this most un-American of practices. Despite his perfunctory comments at the time, McCain kept the magical POW card concealed up his sleeve, presumably for later use. Instead of demonstrating true leadership, McCain opted to play the role of "faithful servant" and thus, sold his soul for purely political purposes, i.e., to ingratiate himself to the Conservative Republican establishment at which he had thumbed his nose for so long. What better way to convince them that he could be trusted than to betray the legacy of his own captivity and torture and those alongside whom he had long suffered.
Herein lies McCain’s greatest hypocrisy. By "trotting out" his POW experiences for less-worthy purposes, but yet, deliberately choosing not to invoke them in the cause of fighting human injustice, McCain has, in effect, forever deflated their value in the minds of many. Whatever was, at one time, perceived to be uncommonly-special about McCain, has been squandered in the name of raw political ambition. Even the most craven of opportunists sometimes has a conscience. However, in this case, it appears that McCain would rather dishonor his own sacrifice, and that of his comrades-in-arms, than lose a political campaign.
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