# Swift boating John McCain **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 11, 2008, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swift-boating-john-mccain/437107 "2008-02-11T02:53:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2008, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swift-boating-john-mccain/437107/1 "2008-02-11T02:53:57Z")
I found [this article](http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/february2008/020808_presidential_ambitions.htm) linked in a post over at the GunBroker forum: > [@](#): > > Remnants of the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth group that contributed to torpedoing John Kerry’s presidential ambitions in 2004 are set to derail John McCain’s hopes of becoming the Republican nominee by forcing the GOP to jettison the Senator and instigating a revolution within the party to return it to its conservative roots. > > \ > > “We hope to start a revolution within the Republican Party to cleanse it of all the left-leaning Republicans and McCain is a leftist if you look at his major activity,” he added, pointing out that McCain has direct links to the Clintons and would be no different than having Hillary in the White House. > > Sampley said that the move would consist of convincing around 10 per cent of Republicans to sign a pledge promising that they would not vote for McCain, and re-establish the real conservative roots of the Republican Party. > > \ ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2008, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swift-boating-john-mccain/437107/2 "2008-02-11T02:56:47Z")
Oh, my. This is classic. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2008, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swift-boating-john-mccain/437107/3 "2008-02-11T03:23:50Z")
In short: In order to save the party, we have to destroy it. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2008, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swift-boating-john-mccain/437107/4 "2008-02-11T03:24:08Z")
My parents are right-wing nuts, they contend that John McCain lived a life of luxury in the POW camp and was an informer who turned on his fellow prisoners. They also think he is a Manchurian candidate brainwashed by the Chinese to give them the United States. They get all this from hate radio, but I think the real reason the Republican establishment hates McCain is that he was instrumental in uncovering the extent of the Abramoff coruption. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ea666f/32.png) [@Two\_and\_a\_Half\_Inches\_of\_Fun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_and_a_Half_Inches_of_Fun)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2008, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swift-boating-john-mccain/437107/5 "2008-02-11T03:28:37Z")
[QUOTE=madmonk28] My parents are right-wing nuts, they contend that John McCain lived a life of luxury in the POW camp and was an informer who turned on his fellow prisoners. They also think he is a Manchurian candidate brainwashed by the Chinese to give them the United States. They get all this from hate radio, but I think the real reason the Republican establishment hates McCain is that he was instrumental in uncovering the extent of the Abramoff coruption. [/QUOTE] Which is just crazy. The North Vietnamese offered to release John McCain because his father was named Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Command (CINCPAC) and they wanted to use this as propaganda. John McCain refused and he continued to live in cavity for years. ---
**Author:** ![jaydotbeedot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/54ee81/32.png) [@jaydotbeedot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaydotbeedot)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2008, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swift-boating-john-mccain/437107/6 "2008-02-11T03:30:14Z")
When was the last time the Republicans have been this dysfunctional and… well, Democrat-ish? My memory only goes back to the 1970s, and I can’t recall anything like this. Goldwater in '64 maybe? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2008, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swift-boating-john-mccain/437107/7 "2008-02-11T03:34:21Z")
Sweet Jebus, Son of Og, what if it were true? Or even if plausible but circumstantial evidence could be found? And lets just say they apply the same rigorous standard of proof they applied to Kerry? The whole country will sound like microwave popcorn cooking, what with all the Pubbie heads exploding. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2008, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swift-boating-john-mccain/437107/8 "2008-02-11T03:44:20Z")
[QUOTE=Two and a Half Inches of Fun] Which is just crazy. The North Vietnamese offered to release John McCain because his father was named Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Command (CINCPAC) and they wanted to use this as propaganda. John McCain refused and he continued to live in cavity for years. [/QUOTE] According to my parents, and the right wing radio they listen to, McCain remained in captivity because he was having such a good time and because they were not done with his training. I should point out that the radio they listen to isn’t some nutty ham radio station only available to a few dozen people, it’s the same channel they listen to Rush on. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2008, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swift-boating-john-mccain/437107/9 "2008-02-11T03:45:39Z")
He’s a Cylon! ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2008, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swift-boating-john-mccain/437107/10 "2008-02-11T04:05:06Z")
Are \*\*Scylla \*\*and \*\*Sam Stone \*\*still around? It would be interesting to get their takes when the tables are turned. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2008, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swift-boating-john-mccain/437107/11 "2008-02-11T04:18:37Z")
‘Cleanse’? ‘Cleanse’? Jesus Peesus. ---
**Author:** ![vison](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/e47774/32.png) [@vison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vison)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2008, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swift-boating-john-mccain/437107/12 "2008-02-11T04:23:01Z")
Do you ever get the feeling that you’ve wandered through some portal into an alternate universe? I sure as hell hate to think this is the “real” one. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2008, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swift-boating-john-mccain/437107/13 "2008-02-11T04:32:25Z")
It all makes sense now. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2008, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swift-boating-john-mccain/437107/14 "2008-02-11T04:35:42Z")
[QUOTE=Two and a Half Inches of Fun] Which is just crazy. The North Vietnamese offered to release John McCain because his father was named Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Command (CINCPAC) and they wanted to use this as propaganda. John McCain refused and he continued to live in cavity for years. [/QUOTE] That was a very molar thing for him to do… ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2008, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swift-boating-john-mccain/437107/15 "2008-02-11T04:40:19Z")
[QUOTE=vison] Do you ever get the feeling that you’ve wandered through some portal into an alternate universe? [/QUOTE] Could be. I googled the first part of the quote after the snip, and it only shows up on the linked site. Could be a whoosh. Could be a parody. (Based on the posts I’ve seen on that forum, it could be. People there post all sorts of outlandish things.) ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2008, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swift-boating-john-mccain/437107/16 "2008-02-11T04:47:58Z")
[QUOTE=kaylasdad99] That was a very molar thing for him to do… [/QUOTE] **Kaylas** lives in California, it seems. There are not so many trees, I understand, but surely there are lamp posts? ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2008, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swift-boating-john-mccain/437107/17 "2008-02-11T04:50:49Z")
[QUOTE=kaylasdad99] That was a very molar thing for him to do… [/QUOTE] **kaylasdad99** wins the thread. Seriously, getting Huckabee or (it’s crazy but Romney only suspended his campaign, whatever that means) as the GOP’s nominee might backfire big time, especially if Obama is the Democratic nominee. McCain and Obama both appeal strongly to independents and swing voters and so the race will probably be close. Huckabee and Romney are both much further right and might have a very tough time if Obama picks up swing voters the way he has been. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2008, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swift-boating-john-mccain/437107/18 "2008-02-11T05:20:52Z")
My impression (and I admit to not knowing too much about it) was that the actual veterans involved in the swiftboat thang were glovepuppets with Pubby powerbroker hands well up their asses. If I’m right, these guys are yet to discover that, on their own, they are floppy irrelevancies. ---
**Author:** ![Kneepants\_Erasmus\_the\_Humanist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/54ee81/32.png) [@Kneepants\_Erasmus\_the\_Humanist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kneepants_Erasmus_the_Humanist)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2008, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swift-boating-john-mccain/437107/19 "2008-02-11T05:22:28Z")
[QUOTE=appleciders] **kaylasdad99** wins the thread. Seriously, getting Huckabee or (it’s crazy but Romney only suspended his campaign, whatever that means) as the GOP’s nominee might backfire big time, especially if Obama is the Democratic nominee. McCain and Obama both appeal strongly to independents and swing voters and so the race will probably be close. Huckabee and Romney are both much further right and might have a very tough time if Obama picks up swing voters the way he has been. [/QUOTE] Romney’s done. His campaign is “suspended” so that he can still pay staffers, bills, etc. I respect the hell out of McCain, and the idea of this really annoys me. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [February 11, 2008, 5:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swift-boating-john-mccain/437107/20 "2008-02-11T05:38:46Z")
I was unaware that Phred had joined the SwiftBoaters. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/swift-boating-john-mccain/437107.md?page=2)