# Is John McCain psychologically capable and qualified to be President? No. **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [February 1, 2008, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-john-mccain-psychologically-capable-and-qualified-to-be-president-no/435827 "2008-02-01T05:44:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![AdmiralCrunch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6f9a4e/32.png) [@AdmiralCrunch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AdmiralCrunch)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2008, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-john-mccain-psychologically-capable-and-qualified-to-be-president-no/435827/61 "2008-02-02T06:46:45Z")
I think we’re all overlooking an even bigger problem with McCain. He could have be brainwashed by the Vietnamese to answer to their beck and call upon hearing a secret whistle that only one man posesses. Just think, our country would be at mercy of an eldery vietnamese communist! On the other hand, I have it on good authority\* that John McCain plans to bomb the everloving shit out of Vietnam within his first month of office. He’s still pissed. \*This message paid for by the Mitt Romney Office of Libel. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2008, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-john-mccain-psychologically-capable-and-qualified-to-be-president-no/435827/62 "2008-02-02T06:53:45Z")
[QUOTE=alterego] We don’t yet issue psychiatric evaluations to presidential nominees. But don’t you think that if he didn’t have PTSD he would have let his doctor present that fact to the public? [/quote] No, I don’t think that he would have a psychological evaluation just so he could prove to the public that he doesn’t have PTSD. I don’t think it reflects poorly on him that he hasn’t acted to refute that pseudo-diagnosis. ETA: Denying that he has PTSD out of the blue - since few people say he has it - would raise a lot of suspicions and allay few concerns. It would make his mental health fair ground as a topic for debate, which would not help him. > [@](#): > > People who are saying swiftboat are going under the assumption that he’s not insane and it’s slanderous to say he is. Seems like a fair assumption to me, without convincing reason to think otherwise. It’s plausible that he may have PTSD, but so far I’ve seen nothing convincing. > [@](#): > > The reality of the situation is that people don’t usually come out of this situation mentally healthy. It would be shady to raise this suspicion if he had a 50/50 chance of having PTSD. That’s not the case. Survivors are usually unstable. I’m not convinced of that either, based on what’s been posted so far. ---
**Author:** ![rwjefferson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a6a055/32.png) [@rwjefferson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rwjefferson)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-john-mccain-psychologically-capable-and-qualified-to-be-president-no/435827/63 "2008-02-03T01:52:34Z")
John McCain is not psychologically capable or qualified to be President because he knows only less tyranny than torture. Yet psychologically or not, I am sad to confess that John McCain does not seem to understand liberty or democracy. I am Its r~ ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-john-mccain-psychologically-capable-and-qualified-to-be-president-no/435827/64 "2008-02-03T02:10:29Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] I lack grandiosity and intolerance. I also lack any history of addiction. [/QUOTE] Then what are you doing on _this_ board? ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-john-mccain-psychologically-capable-and-qualified-to-be-president-no/435827/65 "2008-02-03T02:15:35Z")
There are plenty of people with quick tempers who never experienced trauma or even combat. Don’t read more into stories about his personality than they warrant. It isn’t his temper that worries me. It’s his ability to hold grudges after his temper cools down that worries me. But then, compare that to Romney, who we got to see in action for four years close up here in Massachusetts - you won’t find many pols more petty-minded or casually vindictive than he is, or with less actual commitment to any purpose broader than his own aggrandizement. What’s \*his \* excuse? McCain has a fine grip on reality, and seemingly a good understanding of himself. His main opponent and the main he hopes to succeed, not so much. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-john-mccain-psychologically-capable-and-qualified-to-be-president-no/435827/66 "2008-02-03T02:23:12Z")
[QUOTE=AdmiralCrunch] I think we’re all overlooking an even bigger problem with McCain. He could have be brainwashed by the Vietnamese to answer to their beck and call upon hearing a secret whistle that only one man posesses. Just think, our country would be at mercy of an eldery vietnamese communist! [/QUOTE] That’s absurd. The Commies would ask him if he’d like to play a game of solitaire, not blow a whistle. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-john-mccain-psychologically-capable-and-qualified-to-be-president-no/435827/67 "2008-02-03T03:15:31Z")
[QUOTE=The Flying Dutchman] There was another war hero by the name Sir Winston Churchill, who suffered a recurring mental illness that he described as a “black dog”. Turned out to be one of Britain’s most revered prime ministers. [/QUOTE] Raging alcoholic, too, all the time he was PM. ---
**Author:** ![Gozu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gozu/32/6615_2.png) [@Gozu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2008, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-john-mccain-psychologically-capable-and-qualified-to-be-president-no/435827/68 "2008-02-03T20:48:41Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] [Dry Drunk Syndrome](http://www.minnesotarecovery.info/literature/drydrunk.htm) Sound like anybody we know? [/QUOTE] I know I have flaws but it’s not nice of you to point them out to everybody ☹ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-john-mccain-psychologically-capable-and-qualified-to-be-president-no/435827.md?page=3)