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2013년 11월 25일 월요일

About 'largest accounting firms 2013'|week ending Sept 29







About 'largest accounting firms 2013'|week ending Sept 29








American's               have               long               honored               (Vietnam               notwithstanding)               the               soldiers,               sailors               and               airman,who               serve               or               have               served               during               times               of               war               or               peace.

Equally,               Americans               loath               those               who               dishonor               their               country               through               any               number               of               unforgivable               acts               from               treason               to               acts               of               malfeasance,               misfeasance               or               nonfeasance               while               serving               the               public               interest.

Most               of               us               know               someone               who               served               with               honor.

They               display,               or               put               away,               their               medals               went               on               with               their               lives               with               little               fanfare               or               notoriety.

Many               have               come               home               with               severe               disabilities               but               push               on               with               their               lives               in               ways               that               we               all               admire.
               George               Washington               and               Dwight               D.

Eisenhower,               were               both               pushed               into               the               public               spotlight               and,               against               their               desires,               went               on               to               serve               as               Presidents.

Both               chose               experienced               people               as               their               vice-president.

Washington,               chose               John               Adams,               and               Eisenhower,               selected               Richard               Nixon.

Both               Vice               Presidents               went               on               to               be               Presidents.

But               neither               Washington               nor               Eisenhower               had               to               politicize               their               individual               war               records               since               their               exploits               were               well-known               and               honored.
               Exploiting               the               Medal               of               Honor
               But,               what               happens               when               a               man               wants               to               be               President               but               his               War               record               is               less               than               stellar.

If               he               is               foolish               enough               to               put               himself               in               that               position               he               must               distort               and               re-create               the               image.

That               is               what               John               McCain               has               done.

To               explore               how               this               is               done               one               might               turn               to               former               Air               Force               colonel               and               Medal               of               Honor               recipient               George               "Bud"               Day               for               lessons               in               distortion.
               For               three               months,               in               1967,               Day               and               McCain               shared               a               POW               cell               in               a               Vietnamese               village               but               for               years               Day,               83,               has               shamelessly               been               waving               his               Medal               of               Honor               at               political               events               in               support               of               McCain's               political               ambitions.

Day,               who,               according               to               veteranTed               Sampley,               claims               to               be               the               most               decorated               serviceman               since               Gen.

Douglas               MacArthur,               with               more               than               70               medals,               is               McCain's               leading               front               man               and               apologist.

More               recently               Day               has               been               used               to               deflect               criticism               of               McCain's               character               for               collaborating               with               the               enemy               during               his               captive               years.
               Day,               who               is               constantly               introduced               as               "a               famously               heroic               Medal               of               Honor               winner,               who               when               cued               steps               before               the               cameras               and               declares               that               any               accusations               against               McCain               accusing               him               of               collaboration               with               the               enemy               as               "the               most               outrageous               f--king               lie               I've               ever               heard."               But,               then               he               adds               that               any               actual               collaboration               was               "technically               is               not               a               actual               violations               of               the               Military               Code               of               Conduct."               Day's               qualification               is               a               distortion               of               military               code               on               such               things.
               When               Day               is               called               to               serve               he               uses               his               Medal               of               Honor               to               weigh               in               on               any               controversies               surrounding               McCain.

In               previous               elections               Day               was               critical               of               Kerry               declaring               that               by               bringing               up               his               Vietnam               service               Kerry               had               "opened               up               his               character               as               a               war               hero"               for               criticism.

Day               said,               "Kerry's               character               is               not               only               fair               game,               it               is               the               primary               issue."               The               same,               of               course,               is               true               for               Day               and               McCain.
               The               vast               majority               of               medal               winners               down-play               their               awards               for               reasons               best               stated               by               Maj.

Gen.

Patrick               Brady,               who               was               awarded               the               Medal               of               Honor               for               actions               on               Jan.

6,               1968,               near               Chu               Lai,               South               Vietnam.

Brady               said               following               the               Medal               of               Honor               ceremony:               "I               was               awarded               the               Medal               of               Honor,               but               my               fellow               soldiers,               who               supported               me               in               the               actions               and               took               the               time               to               write               it               up,               earned               it.

I               wear               it               for               them.

They               own               my               medals.

And               every               Medal               of               Honor               recipient               and               hero               I               know               believes               as               I               do.

Medals               should               be               a               sign               of               patriotism,               a               symbol               of               sacrifice,               support               and               defense               of               a               great               nation.

The               highest               form               of               patriotism               is               service               to               our               youth;               heroes               also               wear               their               medal               for               them               to               signal               the               importance               of               courage.

Heroes               do               not               use               their               medals               for               personal               political               gain.

As               I               said               they               are               not               theirs               to               use."
               Nonetheless,               Day               continues               to               flaunt               his               metal               as               a               qualification               to               be               used               in               defense               of               McCain               especially               over               accusations               of               collaboration.

Yet,               according               to               Sampley               "on               his               (McCains)               fourth               day               of               captivity,               he               felt               he               was               going               to               die               if               he               did               not               get               special               medical               treatment               so               he               offered               the               communists               "military               information"               in               exchange               for               taking               him               to               a               hospital.

In               addition,               Sampley,               referring               to               U.S.

Government               documents,               reports               that               "after               being               told               that               McCain's               father               and               grandfather               were               American               admirals,               the               Vietnamese               rushed               the               seriously               injured               McCain               to               Gai               Lam               military               hospital,               a               medical               facility               normally               unavailable               to               treat               U.S.

POWs,               since               they               believed               that               McCain               was               from               a               "royal               family,"               they               considered               him               a               "crown               prince"               who               would               when               finally               released               return               to               the               United               States               to               an               important               military               or               government               job.
               The               Hanoi               Hilton
               While               being               treated               in               the               hospital,               McCain               made               a               series               of               propaganda               statements               for               the               communist               including               at               least               one               television               interview               during               which               he               gave               specific               military               information               pertaining               to               his               mission.

McCain               was               quoted               in               the               communist               press               as               describing               the               number               of               aircraft               in               his               flight,               information               about               rescue               ships               and               the               order               of               which               his               attack               was               supposed               to               take               place.

Six               weeks               after               he               was               shot               down,               the               Vietnamese               transferred               McCain               from               the               hospital               to               a               POW               camp               called               "The               Plantation."
               While               McCain               needed               care               to               recover               from               his               injuries,               it               is               highly               unlikely               that               he               was               every               tortured,               as               he               claims,               and               certainly               not               at               "the               Plantation."               According               to               Ted               Guy               and               Gordon               "Swede"               Larson,               McCains               senior               ranking               officers,               they               doubt,               although               they               could               not               prove               it,               that               he               was               tortured               as               he               claims.

According               to               Larson               and               Guy               "no               prisoner               was               beaten               or               harmed               physically               in               the               Plantation               Camp."               He               (McCain),               to               the               best               of               our               knowledge,               was               not               physically               abused               in               any               way.

No               one               was               in               that               camp.

It               was               the               camp               that               people               were               released               from."
               Phung               Van               Chung,               70,               who               was               a               Communist               Party               official               at               the               time,               claims               McCain               was               quickly               singled               out               for               softer               treatment,               adding:               "I               found               out               he               was               the               son               of               an               American               admiral,               so               the               top               people               wanted               to               keep               him               as               a               live               witness               so               they               could               use               him               for               negotiations."
               Yet,               McCain               was               awarded               a               Silver               Star               for               resisting               "extreme               mental               and               physical               cruelties               inflicted               upon               him               by               his               captors."               However,               it               appears               that               he               was               actually               in               the               hospital               making               propaganda               statements               for               the               enemy               in               exchange               for               medical               treatment.

It               remains               highly               unlikely               that               there               was               any               maltreatment               after               that               stay.
               Certainly,               American's               have               the               greatest               sympathy               for               all               military               personnel               who               are               injured,               disabled               or               killed               in               military               action.

That               is               unquestionable.

However,               distorting               ones               record               for               political               gain               is               not               something               to               be               admired               and               such               exploitation               does               not               make               one               a               "hero,"               a               term               too-often               applied               to               McCain.
               McCain,               and               his               advocates,               constantly               remind               people               of               his               five               and               a               half               years               being               tortured               in               "The               Hanoi               Hilton,"               which               was,               in               fact,               the               Plantation               prisoner               release               center.

Even               more               disturbing               is               the               extent               to               which               he               has               used               his               political               power               to               cover               up               his               treatment               by               the               communists               at               the               expense               of               other               Prisoner               of               War               (POW)               and               Missing               in               Action               (MIA)               personnel.
               Derailing               POW               and               MIA               Inquiries
               In               December               1978,               Vietnam               invaded               Cambodia               complicating               relation-building               between               the               United               States               and               Vietnam.

At               that               time,               President               Ronald               Reagan               continued               to               enforce               trade               embargo's               imposed               on               Hanoi               in               1975               and               barred               normal               ties               as               long               as               Vietnamese               troops               occupied               Cambodia               along               with               any               chance               of               POW               or               MIA               accounting.

Any               efforts               to               improve               relations               remained               closely               tied               to               United               States               willingness               to               honor               its               1973               aid               commitment               to               Vietnam               and               to               Hanoi's               failure               to               account               for               the               whereabouts               of               more               than               2,400               MIAs               in               Indochina.
               Since               the               Paris               agreements               in               1973               until               mid-1978,               the               Vietnamese               had               routinely               stressed               the               linkage               between               the               aid               and               MIA               issues               calling               for               a               full               accounting               for               unreturned               American               POW/MIAs.
               Unfortunately,               beginning               in               mid-1978,               Hanoi               dropped               its               insistence               that               the               MIA               and               aid               questions               be               resolved               as               a               precondition               for               normalization               But               in               1985,               Hanoi               did               permit               the               joint               United               States-Vietnamese               excavation               of               a               B-52               crash               site               and               did               return               the               remains               of               a               number               of               United               States               servicemen               between1985               and               1987.

Vietnamese               spokesmen               also               claimed               during               this               period               to               have               a               two-year               plan               to               resolve               the               MIA               question               but               failed               to               reveal               details.
               1989,               former               congressman               John               LeBoutillier               wrote               that               Republicans               had               intentionally               held               back               the               truth               about               hundred's               of               POW's               in               Vietnam               in               order               to               appease               a               handful               of               super-conservative               Republicans               who               wanted               Vietnam               isolated.

LeBoutiller               argued               that               normalizing               relations               with               Hanoi               was               necessary               to               obtain               a               full               accounting               of               MIA's               and               POW's.

In               part,               he               felt               that               the               time               was               right,               since               the               Soviet               Union               had               collapsed               and               it               would               allow               the               U.S.

to               reassert               economic               and               diplomatic               power               in               that               part               of               the               World.
               In               mid-summer               1991,               the               U.S.

Senate               created               the               Select               Committee               on               POW/MIA               Affairs               and               charged               it               with               conducting               a               no-holds-barred               investigation               into               the               long-festering               matter               of               American               POWs               reportedly               still               held               captive               by               the               Communist               North               Vietnamese               and               Pathet               Lao.
               Following               months               of               negotiations               between               the               committee               and               the               George               H.

W.

Bush               administration,               committee               intelligence               investigators               were               finally               able               to               obtain               the               postwar               intelligence               files               relating               to               live               POWs.

Committee               investigators               spent               some               2,700               man               hours               vetting,               analyzing               and               crosschecking               the               postwar               intelligence.

They               found               a               blend               of               human               intelligence               (HUMINT);               intercepts               of               secret               enemy               radio               traffic               (SIGINT),               and               images               taken               by               unmanned               reconnaissance               drones               and               U.S.

spy               satellites               (IMINT).

The               committee's               intelligence               investigators               told               the               senators               intelligence               information               indicates               that               the               North               Vietnamese               and               Pathet               Lao               had               held               back               hundreds               of               POWs               from               release               for               Operation               Homecoming               in               1973.

Obviously,               they               concluded               many               servicemen               were               still               alive               in               captivity               during               the               late               1980's               and               early               1990's.
               In               early               spring               1992,               committee               investigators               began               secret               briefings               to               Senators.

McCain               was               upset               for,               at               least,               two               reasons.

First,               because               of               the               intense               public               interest               in               the               subject               and               second               because               Texas               businessman               and               longtime               POW               advocate               H.

Ross               Perot               had               entered               the               presidential               race               alleging               that               President               Bush               was               not               doing               enough               to               bring               POWs               home.
               By               late               May               01               1992,               national               polls               showed               Perot               in               first               place,               President               Bush,               in               second               place,               and               the               presumptive               Democratic               nominee,               Governor               Bill               Clinton,               in               third.

The               attention               to               the               POW               issue               was               certainly               upsetting               to               McCain.
               McCain,               because               of               his               experiences,               was,               by               default,               the               most               powerful               and               influential               member               of               the               Select               Committee.

From               the               beginning,               McCain,               his               chief               of               staff               Mark               Salter,               allies               from               the               Committee               and               the               Bush               administration               worked               to               ridicule,               attack,               discredit,               retouch               photos,               manipulate,               and               "cherry-pick"               the               intelligence               in               order               to               destroy               its               value               and               keep               the               matter               of               live               POWs               from               becoming               an               issue               in               the               1992               election.
               During               that               spring               and               summer               of               1992,               McCain               and               the               other               members               of               the               committee               were               briefed               on               some               925               human               intelligence               (HUMINT)               reports               that               investigators               deemed               plausible,               and               credible.

These               were               selected               from               thousands               of               reports               the               U.S.

government               had               received               from               human               sources               who               had               testified               that               they               observed               or               had               been               told               or               had               otherwise               learned               about               American               servicemen               in               captivity               after               Operation               Homecoming.
               Many               of               the               reports               corroborated               one               another               as               to               location,               time               and               circumstance,               thus               providing               "independent               source,"               confirmation               of               American's               being               held               in               the               same               area;               in               the               same               town               or               village,               and               at               the               exact               same               prison.

However,               McCain               and               Salter               questioned               the               credibility               of               the               information               and               declared               that               all               925               sources               were               either               (1)               lying,               or               (2)               confused               about               what               was               actually               seen.

Not               one               report,               McCain               and               Salter               declared,               related               to               American               POWs               trapped               in               Indochina               after               Operation               Homecoming.
               Fortunately               for               those               interested               in               the               POW/MIA               issue,               former               North               Carolina               Congressman               Bill               Hendon               and               Elizabeth               Stewart,               whose               father               is               missing               in               northern               Vietnam,               make               a               compelling               case               that               the               U.S.

knowingly               left               hundreds               of               POWs               in               Vietnam               and               Laos               in               1973.

They               claim               that               every               presidential               administration               since               then               has               covered               it               up.

According               to               them,               the               main               reason               for               the               cover               up               is               the               billions               in               war               reparations               demanded               by               the               Vietnamese               and               promised               by               Henry               Kissinger               and               Richard               Nixon               at               the               Paris               Peace               talks.
               Unfortunately,               for               McCain               and               Salter,               had               to               deal               with               the               massive               amount               of               intelligence               as               reported               by               Hendon               and               Stewart.

One               of               the               first               issues               for               McCain               and               Salter               was               the               signals               intelligence               (SIGINT)               of               a               half-dozen               or               so               postwar               Pathet               Lao               radio               transmissions               that               where               heard               describing               how,               when,               where               and               why               they               were               holding               or               moving               American               POWs               from               one               point               to               another               inside               their               country.

When               analyzed               carefully               by               committee               intelligence               investigators               and               cross-checked               with               the               HUMINT,               it               was               clear               that               the               intercepts               confirmed               that               that               over               100               American's               were               being               held               inside               Laos.

McCain's               and               Salter'               discredited               the               SIGNIT               as               false.
               But               soon,               McCain               and               Salter               had               to               address               image               intelligence               (IMINT)               from               postwar               satellites               showing               missing               pilots'               names,               their               official               secret               four-digit               authenticators,               secret               USAF/USN               escape               and               evasion               (E&E)               codes               laid               out               on               the               ground               by               servicemen               indicating               they               were               alive.

However,               veterans               familiar               with               the               IMINT               reports               said               that               airman's               names               and               authenticator               codes               were               seen               etched               into               a               rice               paddy               near               a               known               Prison               camp               in               northern               Vietnam               on               June               5,               1992.

However,               they               had               been               photo               shopped               out.

In               addition               they               report               that               other               such               images,               on               prisoners               along               Route               4               in               northern               Laos,               has               been               photo               shopped               out               as               has               information               about               another               Air               Force               pilot               laid               out               beside               a               jungle               road               in               northern               Laos.
               McCain's               position               was               that               the               12               x               37               feet,               four-digit               authenticator               codes,               adjacent               to               prison               camps,               along               side               24               x               19               feet               secret               E&E               images               were,               according               to               McCain               and               Slater"were               either               "naturally               occurring               shadows               on               the               ground,               or               information               copied               from               an               envelope               by               some               unknown               Laotian               boy.
               Maverick               or               Bully
               Col.

Earl               Hopper,               (Ret),               former               chairman               of               the               board               of               the               National               League               of               Families,               has               criticized               McCain               for               "never               turning               a               finger               to               help               any               of               the               POW-MIA               families."               Hopper,               a               Vietnam               veteran               and               father               of               MIA               Lt.

Col.

Earl               P.

Hopper,               Jr.,               lost               over               North               Vietnam               in               1968,               contends               that               at               a               minimum,               66               men               were               left               behind               when               McCain               and               the               other               POWs               were               released               in               1973.

Former               N.C.

Congressman               Bill               Hendon               puts               the               number               much               higher               and               says               that               McCain               undermined               every               effort               to               get               the               federal               government               to               acknowledge               that               men               were               left               behind.

As               McCain's               political               aspirations               grew               his               antipathy               towards               families               of               POW's               and               MIA's               grew               intense.
               According               to               veterans               and               family               members               "John               McCain               failed               to               provide               one               positive               contribution               to               the               families               that               fought               along               side               the               first               Mrs.

McCain               for               close               to               six               years               to               bring               home               those               who               were               known               to               be               captured               by               the               Vietnamese."               Further               reports               were               getting               back               to               interested               Veterans               and               POW/MIA               families               that               McCain               was               actually               working               against               them               in               their               effort               to               obtain               accountings               from               the               Pentagon.

And,               according               to               them,               as               they               began               to               raise               questions               McCain               became               more               aggressive               and               hostile.
               For               example,               during               a               congressional               hearing,               attended               by               the               family               of               MIA               Air               Force               pilot               Col               David               Hrdlicka,               McCain,               barged               into               the               hearing,and               in               a               fit               of               anger,               assaulted               the               airman's               wheel-chair               bound               mother               (Jane               Gaylord)               by               shoving               her               wheelchair               into               her               niece               and               forcing               both               of               them               against               a               wall.

As               McCain               retreated               towards               an               elevator,               the               airman's               wife,               Carol,               raised               a               large               photo               of               the               missing               Airman               and               shouted               that               she               had               clear               proof               that               her               husband               was               still               alive               in               captivity.

McCain               did               nothing.

A               later               suit               by               the               Hrdlicka               family               was               dropped               under               pressure               from               McCain               allies.
               In               1991McCain               was               verbally               slapping               around               Tracy               Ursry,               the               Minority               Staff               chief               investigator               for               the               Senate               Foreign               Relations               Committee,               over               legislative               inquiries               on               POW/MIA               Issue.

Testimony               shows               that               McCain,               in               his               hostile               questioning               of               Ursry,               was               pursing               an               agenda               to               support               his               pressuring               of               President               Clinton               to               re-establish               trade               with               Vietnam               and               give               up               a               full               and               accurate               accounting               of               missing               servicemen.
               Testimony               shows               that,               in               1992,               McCain,               as               chairman               of               the               Senate               Select               Committee               on               POW/MIA's,               would               continually               interrupt               witnesses,               argue               with               and               ridiculed               testimony               given               by               various               governmental               employees,               and               family               members.

In               one               such               confrontational               rant,               on               November               11,               1992,               McCain               brought               Mrs.

Dolores               Apodaca               Alfond,               sister               of               a               missing               Air               Force               pilot,               to               tears.

As               she               pleaded               with               the               committee               to               keep               looking               and               reconsider               overhead               satellite               images               of               apparent               distress               symbols               alleged               to               be               made               by               U.S.

POWs.

Further               she               asked               the               committee               to               reevaluate               airborne               data               from               motion               sensors               dropped               along               the               Ho               Chi               Minh               trail.

Those               testifying               alleged               that               the               sensor               data               contained               "no               less               than               20               authentication               codes               that               corresponded               to               the               classified               authenticator               numbers               of               20               U.S.

POWs               who               were               lost               in               Laos."               Only               military               personnel               would               know               how               to               manually               enter               authentications               into               the               sensor               pods.
               McCain               had               not               planned               to               attend               the               committee               meeting               but               when               he               heard               that               Mrs.

Apodaca               Alfon               was               to               speak,               he               rushed               into               the               room               and               confronted               her.

Red               with               anger               and               his               voice               loud,               he               accused               her               of               making               "allegations,"               that               were               patently               and               totally               false               and               deceptive."               Making               a               fist,               he               shook               his               index               finger               at               her               and               said               she               had               insulted               an               emissary               to               Vietnam               sent               by               President               Bush.

He               said               she               had               insulted               other               MIA               families               with               her               remarks,               and               then               added,               through               clenched               teeth:               "And               I               am               sick               and               tired               of               you               insulting               mine               and               other               people's               [patriotism]               who               happen               to               have               different               views               than               yours."               McCain               continued               to               beat               her               down               verbally               and               also               shout               down               other               participants               who               were               pleading               that               MIA/POW               investigations               continue.

But               the               dye               had               been               cast.
               Three               weeks               earlier,               on               Oct.

23,               1992,               in               a               ceremony               in               the               White               House               Rose               Garden,               President               Bush               -               with               John               McCain               standing               beside               him               -               said:               "Today,               finally,               I               am               convinced               that               we               can               begin               writing               the               last               chapter               in               the               Vietnam               War."               Two               months               later,               the               McCain               committee               shut               down.
               By               Feb               3,               1994,               as               Andrew               Glass               reports               President               Clinton               lifted               the               U.S.

trade               embargo               against               Vietnam.

He               cited               Hanoi's               cooperation               in               helping               American               forensic               teams               and               in               July               1995,               Clinton               established               full               diplomatic               relations               with               Vietnam.

In               making               that               decision,               Clinton               said               "he               had               been               advised               by               Sen.

John               McCain               (R-Ariz.)               on               the               issue.
               The               military               has               been               keeping               track               of               soldiers               missing               in               combat               since               the               Mexican               War,               and               in               2003,               the               Pentagon               expanded               the               number               of               full-time               personnel               dedicated               to               the               recovery               effort               to               more               than               400.
               While               communications               and               technology               has               improved               the               Pentagons               ability               to               account               for               POW's               and               MIA's,               those               advances               cannot               overcome               political               malfeasance,               misfeasance               or               nonfeasance.

McCain               has               been               in               Congress               since               1982,               and               his               conduct               on               the               issue               has               been               far               from               stellar               and               suggests               a               man               trying               to               hid               something,               no               matter               the               cost               to               his               fellow               service               men,               their               families               and               the               Nation.
               Hiding               the               Record
               In               1989,               11               members               of               the               House               of               Representatives               introduced               a               measure               they               called               "The               Truth               Bill."               calling               for               the               declassification               of               all               reports               pertaining               to               live               sightings               of               Americans               still               declared               missing               in               action.

The               bill               was               bitterly               opposed               by               the               Pentagon,               and               got               nowhere.

It               was               reintroduced               in               the               next               Congress               in               1991,               and               again               failed.
               In               1991,               McCain               succeeded               in               countering               "The               Truth               Bill,               and               on               December               5,               1991,               Congress               enacted               50               USC               §435               as               Public               Law               102-190.

Commonly               referred               to               as               the               "McCain               Bill,."               The               statute               requires               the               Secretary               of               Defense               to               make               available               to               the               public--in               a               "library.

However,               it               actually               created               a               bureaucratic               and               restrictive               maze               from               which               only               a               fraction               of               the               available               documents               could               emerge.

It               became               law.

So               restrictive               are               the               provisions               that               it               allows               the               Pentagon               to               categorize               and               withhold               intelligence               information               of               MIA's               and               POW's               from               the               public               and               deny               access               to               otherwise               unclassified               records.

The               bill               is               so               restrictive               that               a               request               for               information               about               Americans               missing               in               the               Korean               War,               and               declared               dead               for               the               last               45               years,               have               been               denied.

.
               Among               the               many               reasons               that               McCain               wanted               to               halt               the               release               of               POW               information               is               to               hide               access               to               his               own               Pentagon               debriefing,               conducted               after               he               returned               from               Vietnam.

His               record               is               now               classified               and               closed               to               the               public               under               the               McCain               statute.
               According               to               Sydney               Schanbert,               Vietnam               veterans               and               former               POWs,               have               fumed               at               McCain               for               keeping               these               and               other               wartime               files               sealed               up.

His               explanation,               Schanbert               says               "is               that               no               one               has               been               proven               still               alive               and               that               releasing               the               files               would               revive               painful               memories               and               cause               needless               emotional               stress               to               former               prisoners,               their               families               and               the               families               of               MIAs               still               unaccounted               for.
               However,               as               Schanbert               reminds,               returned               prisoners               reveal               information               during               their               debriefings               about               other               prisoners               believed               still               held               in               captivity.

"               What               justification               Schanbert               asks,               "is               there               for               filtering               such               information               through               the               Pentagon               rather               than               allowing               access               to               source               materials?

For               instance,"               Schanbert               says,               "debriefings               from               returning               Korean               POWs,               formerly               available               to               the               American               public,               provided               both               citizens               and               government               investigators               with               important               information               about               other               Americans               who               went               missing               in               that               conflict."
               McCain's               justification               seems               to               disregard               the               tremendous               emotional               drain               that               most               families               of               missing               men,               endured               and               they               want               to               be               assured               that               the               government               is               doing               its               absolute               best               to               rescue               their               loved               ones.
               The               McCain               bill               simply               provoked               the               POW/MIA               communities               and               family               members               to               work               with               concerned               legislators               to               craft               the               1995               Missing               Service               Personnel               Act,               which               in               1993               combined               the               laboratory               and               recovery               operations               into               a               single               command,               the               Joint               POW/MIA               Accounting               Command,               which               is               now               run               by               an               admiral               and               has               an               annual               budget               of               $54               million.
               Original               language               in               the               Act               would               make               the               receiving               of               MIA               information               the               responsibility               of               the               Theater               Commander's,               thus               making               them               responsive.

However,               in               1996               McCain,               weaken               the               reporting               language               by               making               the               Cabinet               secretary,               not               the               Theater               Commander,               the               recipient               MIA               reports               from               the               field.

Essentially               this               took,               a               responsible               commander               out               of               the               information               loop,               and               pushed               the               information               closer               to               Washington               where               he               could               control               it.
               McCain               also               struck               certification               requirements,               and               enforcement               penalties.

Whereas,               the               original               Act               provided               criminal               penalties               for               anyone               destroying,               covering-up               or               withholding,               from               families,               any               information               about               missing               personnel.

McCain               erased               the               penalty               sections.
               McCain's               watering               down               of               the               statute               simply               passed               the               cost               and               increased               the               anxiety               of               resolving               questions               about               missing               personnel               to               their               families.

Take               the               case               of               Marine               Corporal               Greg               Harris,               one               of               over               1,700               unaccounted               for               Vietnam               POW's               who               family               members               have               continued               to               argue,               litigate               and               otherwise               search               for               information               in               order               to               bring               him               home.
               In               addition,               the               lack               of               penalties               in               the               Missing               Service               Personnel               Act,               allows               military               case               officers,               and               others,               to               cover-up               facts               involved               in               specific               cases.

For               example,               Corporal               Harris's               case               analyst               covered-up               reports               that               confirmed               his               captivity.

Covering               up               facts               in               the               government               is               not               new,               but               allowing               such               actions               to               continue               is               irresponsible               in               a               legislator.
               The               Man               Who               Saved               John               McCain
               On               October               26,               1967,               Mai               Van               On               ran               from               the               safety               of               a               bomb               shelter               at               the               height               of               an               air               raid               and               swam               out               into               the               lake               where               Lieutenant               Commander               McCain               was               drowning,               tangled               in               his               parachute               cord               after               ejecting               when               his               Skyhawk               bomber               was               hit               by               a               missile.
               McCain               is               enveloped               in               the               image               of               selfless               heroism,               yet               the               real               hero               in               the               McCain               story               is               a               humble               Vietnamese               peasant.

William               Lowther               reports               that,               "in               an               extraordinary               act               of               compassion               at               a               time               when               Vietnamese               citizens               were               being               killed               by               US               aerial               bombardments,               he               pulled               a               barely               conscious               McCain               to               the               lake               surface               and,               with               the               help               of               a               neighbor,               dragged               him               towards               the               shore.

And               when               a               furious               mob               at               the               water's               edge               began               to               beat               and               stab               the               captured               pilot,               but               the               peasant:               Mai               Van               On               drove               them               back."
               Lowther               reports               that               On's               widow,               Bui               Thi               Lien,               said               that               her               husband               felt               that               McCain               had               forgotten               him.

"Mr               McCain               would               be               dead               if               it               weren't               for               my               husband.

He               would               never               have               returned               to               his               family               and               he               wouldn't               be               in               the               presidential               race               today,               On's               wife               is               reported               as               saying.
               McCain               failed               to               mention               Mr.

On               in               his               1999               autobiography,               Faith               Of               My               Fathers,               which               laid               the               ground               for               his               first,               unsuccessful               run               for               president               in               2000,               McCain               wrote               about               his               1967               rescue,               but               did               not               mention               Mr.

On.
               What               followed,               according               to               McCain,               was               five-and-a-half               years               of               torture               and               brutal               beatings               as               a               prisoner               of               war;               thus               giving               a               steely               edge               to               his               candidacy               by               establishing               him               as               a               true               American               war               hero.
               But               the               story               is               at               odds               with               the               version               uncovered               by               Vietnam               veteran               Chuck               Searcy,               who               lives               in               Hanoi               and               is               in               charge               of               the               Vietnam               Veteran               Memorial               Fund.

In               1995,               Mr               On               gave               me               a               letter               he               wanted               me               to               deliver               to               McCain,               said               Searcy.

"It               said:               'I               am               the               guy               who               pulled               you               out               of               the               lake               and               I               have               followed               your               progress               over               the               years.

I               wish               the               best               for               you               and               your               family               and               I               hope               some               day               you               will               be               president               of               the               United               States.'               Searcy,               sent               the               letter               to               McCain's               office.

It               came               back               with               a               response               from               an               assistant               saying,               "Mr               McCain               isn't               interested               in               these               fanciful               stories."
               Certainly,               there               were               a               lot               of               false               claims               about               saving               McCain,but               Searcy               did               confirm               that               On               was               the               key               rescuer.

Searcy               met               McCain               in               1995,               during               a               veterans'               reunion               in               Washington,               and               told               him               the               On               story               and               McCain               did               agree               to               meeting               with               him               and               did               so               during               a               1996               visit               to               Hanoi.
               Searcy               reports               that               On               raced               up               to               McCain               and               kept               repeating               his               name               as               he               embraced               him,               and               through               an               interpreter,               Mr               On               recounted               the               events               of               that               day               as               McCain               listened.

"He               launched               into               a               very               emotional               description,"               said               Searcy.

On               reported               dthat               they               saw               the               parachute               come               down               and               land               in               a               lake.

However,               the               villagers               were               afraid               because               they               knew               it               was               an               American               pilot.

However,               On               grabbed               a               bamboo               log               and               threw               it               into               the               water               and               jumped               in               after               it               One               of               On's               neighbors               joined               him               and               the               two               of               them               swam               out               to               the               parachute               and               found               McCain               with               both               arms,               and               one               leg               broken.

He               had               sunk               to               the               bottom,               but               they               pulled               him               out               of               the               lake.
               When               they               got               to               the               bank,               a               couple               of               men               attacked               McCain,               breaking               his               shoulder               with               a               rifle               butt               and               stabbing               his               leg,               before               Mr               On               stopped               them.

McCain               ,               according               to               Searcy,listened               but               without               response.

He               just               nodded,               said,               'Thank               you               very               much,'               and               gave               Mr               On               a               little               Senate               seal.

It               was               the               kind               of               thing               you               buy               in               the               souvenir               shop               in               the               Senate               basement,               Searcy               said.

But               Mr               On,               according               to               his               wife,               treated               the               gift               as               if               it               were               the               Congressional               Medal               of               Honor.
               Nearly               three               decades               later,               a               Vietnamese               government               commission               confirmed               that               On               was               indeed               the               rescuer               and,               in               a               1996               meeting               in               Hanoi,               McCain               embraced               and               thanked               Mr               On               and               presented               him               with               a               Senate               memento.

From               that               brief               encounter               to               his               death,at               the               age               of               88,               Mr.

On               never               heard               from               McCain               again.
               When               Mr               On               died               in               2006,               an               email               was               apparently               sent               to               McCain's               office               requesting               a               message               of               condolence               for               the               family.

There               was               no               response.
               A               Loyal,               Loving               True               Husband?
               Cindy               McCain               introduced               her               husband               to               the               crowd               at               the               Republican               National               Convention               as               a               "Loyal,               Loving               True               husband,"               and               indeed               he               may               be,               but               he               has               not               always               been.
               While               McCain               was               imprisoned,               on               Christmas               Eve               1969,               his               first               wife,               Carol,               according               to               Robert               Timbert               in:               "The               Nightingale's               Song,"               was               in               an               auto               accident.

She               had               been               thrown               through               her               car's               windshield.

Her               pelvis               and               one               arm               were               shattered               by               the               impact               and               she               suffered               massive               internal               injuries.
               When               McCain               returned               to               America               in               1973               he               first               met               President               Richard               Nixon               and               then               saw               his               disfigured,               permanently               crippled               wife,               who               was               4               inches               shorter,               walked               awkwardly               with               a               pronounced               limp               and               had               gained               a               good               deal               of               weight.
               Carol               McCain               (née               Shepp)               had               been               a               beautiful               swimwear               model               from               Philadelphia               when               she               met               McCain.

They               married               in               1965,               but               today               she               is               seldom               seen               and               rarely               written               about               despite               being               mother               to               McCain's               three               eldest               children               and               the               woman               who               faithfully               stayed               at               home               looking               after               the               children               and               waiting               anxiously               for               news.
               Sharon               Churcher               reports               that               Shepp-McCain,               who               now               lives               in               a               Virginia               Beach,               Va.

Bungalow,               has               recently               spoke               about               her               1980               divorce               and               McCains               marriage               to               Cindy               Lou               Hensley,               18               years               his               junior               and               the               heir               to               an               Arizona               beer               brewing               fortune.

According               to               Churcher,               the               Shepp-McCain               feels               her               marriage               ended               ended               because               McCain               didn't               want               to               be               40,               he               wanted               to               be               25.
               Some               of               McCain's               acquaintances               are               less               forgiving,               according               to               Chrucher.

They               portray               the               politician               as               a               self-centered               womanizer               who               effectively               abandoned               his               crippled               wife               to               'play               the               field'.

They               accuse               him               of               finally               settling               on               Cindy,               a               former               rodeo               beauty               queen,               for               financial               reasons.
               McCain               was               then               earning               little               more               than               $45,000               a               year               as               a               naval               officer,               while               his               new               father-in-law,               Jim               Hensley,               was               a               multi-millionaire               who               had               impeccable               political               connections.
               Although               privileged,               McCain               was               rebellious               and               hung               out               with               a               group               of               young               officers               who               called               themselves               the               'Bad               Bunch'.

His               primary               interest               was               women               and               his               conquests               ranged               from               a               knife-wielding               floozy               nicknamed               'Marie,               the               Flame               of               Florida'               to               a               tobacco               heiress.

Churcher               says               Carol               had               moved               on               with               her               life               and               when               McCain,               at               28,               was               reintroduced               to               her,               she               was               married               to               an               Annapolis               classmate               and               had               two               children.
               Timberg,               also               an               Annapolis               graduate,               says               of               McCain               that:               "He               was               28               and               ready               to               settle               down               and               he               loved               Carol's               children."               The               couple               married               and               McCain               adopted               Carol's               sons.

Their               daughter,               Sidney,               was               born               a               year               later,               but               domesticity               was               clearly               beginning               to               bore               McCain               who,               Timberg               says,               "wasted               no               time               before               he               was               out               on               the               town               partying.

While               Executive               Officer               and               later               as               Squadron               Commander               of               a               Navy               training               unit,               McCain               used               his               authority               to               arrange               frequent               flights               that               allowed               him               to               carouse               with               female               subordinates               and               "engage               in               extramarital               affairs.".
               In               1966               McCain               requested               combat               duty               in               Vietnam               and               was               assigned               as               a               bomber               pilot               on               an               aircraft               carrier               in               the               Gulf               of               Tonkin.

He               was               shot               down               over               Hanoii               on               his               23rd               mission.
               When               McCain,               his               hair               turned               prematurely               white               and               his               body               reduced               to               a               skeleton,               was               released               in               March               1973,               he               told               reporters               he               was               overjoyed               to               see               Carol               again.

But               friends               say               privately               he               was               'appalled'               by               the               change               in               her               appearance.

At               first,               though,               he               was               kind,               assuring               her:               'I               don't               look               so               good               myself.

It's               fine."But               already               the               McCains'               marriage               had               begun               to               fray,               and               he               was               carousing               with               women,"               Timberg               says.
               He               met               the               Cindy               Lou               Hensley               in               1979               at               a               cocktail               party               in               Hawaii.

Over               the               next               six               months               he               pursued               her,               flying               around               the               country               to               see               her.

Then               he               began               to               push               to               end               his               marriage,               which               Timberg               says               devastated               his               children               and               surprised               his               current               wife.

He               married               Ms.

Hensley               in               1980               and               immediately               moved               to               Arizona               where               his               father-in-law               gave               him               a               job               and               introduced               him               to               local               businessmen               and               political               power-brokers               who               smoothed               his               passage               into               the               U.S.

House               of               Representatives               and               eventually               the               Senate.
               Buying               a               Senator:               The               Abramoff               Connection.
               On               the               stump,               McCain               without               mentioning               the               Arizonia               power-brokers,               and               his               wealthy               father-in-law,               talks               about               his               work               tackling               the               excesses               of               the               lobbying               industry               to               bolster               his               reputation               as               a               "maverick"               reformer.
               "Ask               Jack               Abramoff               if               I'm               an               insider               in               Washington,"               McCain               often               contends.

"You'd               probably               have               to               go               during               visiting               hours               in               the               prison,               and               he'll               tell               you               and               his               lobbyist               cronies               of               the               change               I               made               there."
               Abramoff               is               now               serving               five               years               and               10               months               in               prison               on               fraud               charges               in               the               purchase               of               a               Florida               casino               cruise               line,               and               recently               Washington,               DC.,               U.S.

District               Judge               Ellen               Huvelle               sentenced               him               to               an               additional               four               years               in               prison               for               conspiracy               in               connection               with               a               public               corruption               case.

He               admitted               trading               luxury               golf               junkets,               expensive               meals,               skybox               tickets               and               other               gifts               for               political               favors.

The               scandal               shook               Pennsylvania               Avenue               from               the               White               House               to               Capitol               Hill               and               contributed               to               the               Republicans'               loss               of               Congress               in               2006.
               McCain               critics               have               seized               on               news               that               scandal-plagued               conservative               political               strategist               and               Abramoff's               former               partner,               Ralph               Reed,               is               helping               McCain's               campaign.

"On               the               campaign               trail,               John               McCain               likes               to               brag               about               chairing               the               Senate               Indian               Affairs               Committee               that               investigated               criminal               lobbyist               Jack               Abramoff's               role               in               the               Republican               culture               of               corruption,"               but               that's               only               part               of               the               story               when               it               comes               to               lobbyists.

.
               Reed               is               the               former               executive               director               of               the               Christian               Coalition               and               currently               a               principal               of               the               political               consulting               company               Century               Strategies.

H               e               was               a               key               operative               in               past               George               W.

Bush's               in               the               South               Carolina               Republican               presidential               primary               in               2000               and               he               is               especially               close               to               Karl               Rove.

Not               long               after               Century               Strategies               started,               Rove               reportedly               helped               Reed               land               an               Enron               contract               worth               at               least               $300,000               to               help               build               support               for               energy               deregulation.
               Although               McCain               chaired               the               Indian               Affairs               committee,               while               attacking               Abramoff               and               several               prominent               Republicans               he               also               went               out               of               his               way               to               spare               his               congressional               colleagues.
               Although               McCain               has               long               bragged               of               his               role               in               the               Abramoff               investigation,               he               let               Tom               DeLay               and               the               other               members               of               Congress               who               were               doing               Abramoff's               bidding               completely               off               the               hook.

The               sole               exception               was               Rep.

Bob               Ney,               who               is               now               serving               time               in               prison,"               said               Melanie               Sloan,               Executive               Director               of               Citizens               for               Responsibility               and               Ethics               In               Washington.

"Sen.

McCain               knew               what               his               colleagues               were               up               to,               he               chose               to               take               the               easier               path               and               give               them               a               free               pass."
               The               committees               350               page               report               explored               layers               of               corruption               that               had               allowed               Indian               tribes               to               part               with               tens               of               millions               of               dollars               in               search               of               political               favors.

But               it               did               not               include               the               names               of               prominent               U.S.

Senators               with               Abramoff               ties,               such               as               Conrad               Burns               and               David               Vitter,               or               for               that               matter               Bush               strategist               Karl               Rove,               who               accepted               gifts               from               and               met               with               Abramoff               clients.
               However,               while               the               report               pushed               for               greater               transparency               and               accountability,               towards               the               end,               McCain               and               the               other               authors               seemingly               put               the               onus               for               change               not               on               Congress               itself,               but               on               the               tribes               that               Abramoff               bilked.

"Although               the               Committee               does               not               believe               that               additional               federal               legislation               is               required               to               address               Abramoff               and               Scanlon's               misconduct,"               the               report               reads,               "it               does               recommend               that               tribes               consider               adopting               their               own               laws               to               help               prevent               similar               tragedies               but               notes,               however,               that               it               is               not               recommending               that               Congress               enact               legislation               mandating               tribes               to               enact               laws               dealing               with               these               subjects..."
               What               McCain               fails               to               say,               when               it               comes               to               collecting               money               or               lobbyists               is               that               he               has               accepted               more               than               $100,000               in               donations               from               employees               of               Greenberg               Traurig,               the               firm               where               Abramoff               once               reigned.

Those               donations               include               several               thousand               dollars               from               registered               lobbyists               who               represent,               or               have               represented,               several               businesses.

They               include:               NewsCorp,               Rupert               Murdoch's               media               empire               (including               Fox);               Spi               Spirits,               which               fights               with               the               Russian               government               for               the               rights               to               the               Stolichnaya               vodka               brand               name.

Donors               also               include:               El               Paso               Corp,               a               major               energy               company,               General               Motors,               and               the               Essential               Worker               Immigration               Coalition,               a               trade               association.
               All               told,               McCain               has               received               more               than               $400,000               from               lobbying               firms,               according               to               the               Center               for               Responsive               Politics.

And               among               his               major               fundraisers,               59               have               been               identified               as               lobbyists               by               the               non-profit               organization               Public               Citizen.
               McCains               close               association               with               lobbyists               and               political               savvy               fundraisers               may               or               may               not               be               illegal               but               each               association               creates               an               unstated               obligation               thus               diminishing               the               politicians,               often               stated,               "Maverick"               status.
               Lies,               Lying               and               more               Liars
               Both               McCain               and               his               running               mate,               Sarah               Palin,               lied               to               the               public               during               the               Republican               National               convention.

Unfortunately,               people               have               become               so               accustomed               to               untrue               assertions               that               it's               become               a               national               pastime               for               political               speech               writers               and               high               paid               advertisers.
               Paul               Abrams               was               right               in               remembering               that               "no               one               has               so               negatively               impacted               the               lives               of               the               American               people               as               has               Karl               Rove.

Rove,               was               behind               the               election               of               George               W.

Bush,               and               is               implemented               in               several               White               House               misadventures               to               further               his               goal               of               a               permanent               Republican               majority.

In               doing               so,               he               has               destroyed               the               American               political               dialog               as               one               can               see               in               the               current               lies,               lying               and               liars               that               inundate               the               news               media.
               Each               day               too               many               in               the               mainstream               media               report               political               lies,               lying               and               liars               as               "news"               instead               of               pointing               out               how               profound               the               stakes               for               the               entire               world               are               when               politicians               engage               in               Rove               practices.
               Not               all               commentators               ignore               political               lying               but               there               are               consequences               when               they               aggressively               pursue               the               truth               during               "news"               events.

Take               the               recent               case               of               MSNBC               commentators               Keith               Olbermann,               and               Chris               Matthews,               who               have               been               removed               from               "news"               reporting               after               their               work               at               both               the               Republican               and               Democratic               conventions.

Their               pursuit               of               the               truth,               and               critic               of               Republican               strategy               resulted               in               allegations               of               bias               from               the               McCain               campaign.

The               campaign               filed               letters               of               complaint               to               the               NBC               news               division               about               its               coverage.

It               was               a               breath               of               fresh               air               to               see               Olbermann               and               Matthews               attack               the               Rove               tactic               of               "winning               at               any               cost,"               through               attacks.

Unfortunately,               NBC               found               the               truth               to               hard               to               take.
               The               McCain               campaign               follows               the               Rove               strategy               of               using               emotion,               mockery               and               outright               lies               to               counter               rational               thought               which               the               news               media               too               often               picks               up               and               reports               as               "straight               news."
               In               the               Democratic               primaries               Obama               called               out               the               Rove               tactic               thus               bringing               it               to               peoples'               consciousness               the               distortions,               rather               than               leaving               it               buried               in               the               emotional               side               of               the               brain.
               The               Rove               strategy,               and               those               associated               with               it,               including               McCain               and               Palin,               need               to               be               exposed               and               not               only               by               the               Democrat's               and               the               likes               of               Olbermann,               Matthews               and               Rachel               Maddow               but               by               every               serious               and               thoughtful               citizen.
               The               Rove               Republican               strategy,               cannot               be               dismissed               as               simply               "stupid,"               it               must               be               taken               very               seriously               and               exposed               for               what               it               is,               lies,               lying               and               a               total               disrespect               for,               law,               order               and               democracy.
               Fact               checking
               Factcheck.org               checked               the               accuracy               of               McCain's               speech               accepting               the               Republican               nomination               and               noted               the               following:
               McCain               claimed               that               Obama's               health               care               plan               would               "force               small               businesses               to               cut               jobs"               and               would               put               "a               bureaucrat               ...

between               you               
               and               your               doctor."               
                              In               fact,               the               plan               exempts               small               businesses,               and               those               who               have               insurance               now               could               keep               the               coverage               they               have.

               
                                             McCain               attacked               Obama               for               voting               for               "corporate               welfare"               for               oil               companies.

               In               fact,               the               bill               Obama               voted               for               raised               taxes               on               oil               companies               by               $300               million               over               11               years               while               providing               $5.8               billion               in               subsidies               for               renewable               energy,               energy               efficiency               and               alternative               fuels.

               
                                             McCain               said               oil               imports               send               "$700               billion               a               year               to               countries               that               don't               like               us               very               much."                              But               the               U.S.

is               on               track               to               import               a               total               of               only               $536               billion               worth               of               oil               at               current               prices,               and               close               to               a               third               of               that               comes               from               Canada,                              
                              Mexico               and               the               United               Kingdom.

               
                                             He               promised               to               increase               use               of               "wind,               tide               He               called               for               "reducing               government               spending               and               getting               rid               of               failed               programs,"                              but               as               in               the               past               McCain               failed               to               cite               a               single               program               that               he               would               eliminate               or               reduce.

               
                                             He               said               Obama               would               "close"               markets               to               trade.

               In               fact,               Obama,               though               he               once               said               he               wanted               to               "renegotiate"               the               North               American               Free               Trade               Agreement,               now               says               he               simply               wants               to               try               to                              
                              strengthen               environmental               and               labor               provisions               in               it.

               
                              Further               factchecks               reports               that               McCain's               acceptance               speech               to               the               Republican               National               Convention               was               couched               more               in               generalities               than               in               specifics,               offering               fewer               factual               claims               to               check               than               we               found               in               other               speeches               to               the               gathering.

Factcheck               found               some               instances               where               the               nominee               strained               the               truth.

Insurance               claims.

McCain               mischaracterized               Obama's               health               care               plan:               McCain:               His               (Obama's)               plan               will               force               small               businesses               to               cut               jobs,               reduce               
               wages,               and               force               families               into               a               government               run               health               care               system               where               a               bureaucrat               stands               between               you               and               your               doctor.


                              The               claim               that               "small               businesses"               would               have               to               "cut               jobs,               reduce               wages,"               runs               counter               to               Obama's               actual               proposal.

Obama's               plan               would               require               businesses               to               contribute               to               the               cost               of               insurance               for               employees               or               pay               some               unspecified               amount               into               a               new               public               plan.

His               proposal               specifically               says,               "Small               businesses               will               be               exempt               from               this               requirement."               And               it               offers               additional               help               to               small               businesses               that               want               to               provide               health               care               in               the               form               of               a               refundable               tax               credit               of               up               to               half               the               cost               of               premiums.

               
                                             Furthermore,               McCains               claim               that:               Obama's               plan               would               "force"               families               into               a               "government-run               health               care               system."               
                              Obama's               plan               mandates               that               children               have               coverage;               there's               no               mandate               for               adults.

People               can               keep               the               health               insurance               they               have               now               or               chose               from               private               plans,               or               opt               for               a               new               public               plan               that               will               offer               coverage               similar               to               what               members               of               Congress               have.

Obama               would               also                              
                              expand               Medicaid               and               the               State               Children's               Health               Insurance               Program.

His               plan               certainly               expands               government-offered               insurance               (McCain's               doesn't)               but               it's               not               a               solely               government-run               plan,               as               McCain               implied.

               
                                             McCain:               My               health               care               plan               will               make               it               easier               for               more               Americans               to               find               and               keep               good               health               care               insurance.


                              Fair               enough.

But               McCain's               plan               wouldn't               do               nearly               as               well               as               Obama's               One               comparison,               by               the               nonpartisan               Urban-Brookings               Tax               Policy               Center,               finds               Obama's               would               reduce               the               uninsured               by               18               million               people               in               its               first               year,               compared               with               a               1               million               reduction               under               McCain's               plan.

TPC               made               various               assumptions               about               the               plans               to               fill               in               details               each               proposal               lacks,               so               those               numbers               aren't               definitive.

We               await               more                              
                              comparisons               from               other               experts.

               
                                             McCain               attacked               Obama               for               supporting               "corporate               welfare"               for               oil               companies.

Both               Parties,               including               McCain               and               Obama:               Passed               the               corporate               welfare               bill               for               oil               companies.


                              The               bill               McCain               is               talking               about               is               the               2005               energy               bill,               which               actually               raised               taxes               on               the               oil               industry               overall               -               by               about               $300               million,               according               to               the               nonpartisan               Congressional               Research               Service.

               Obama               favored               the               2005               $5.8               billion               (over               11               years)               bill               since               it               contained               tax               incentives               for               renewable               energy,               energy               efficiency                              
                              and               alternative               fuels.

               McCain               voted               against               it               on               the               grounds               that               the               $2.6               billion               it               contained               for               oil               and               gas               incentives               was               too               much,               even               though               the               bill               also               took               away               $2.9               billion               from               the               industry,               for               a               net               tax               increase               of               $300               million.

Describing               such               a               complex               measure               as               "corporate               welfare"               is               misleading.

               
                                             McCain               proposes               to               cut               the               corporate               rate               for               all               companies               -               oil               included               -               and               that               would               result               in               an               estimated               $4               billion               cut               for               the               five               largest               U.S.-based               oil               companies,               according               to               the               Center               for               American               Progress               Action               Fund.

               Obama,               promises               that               he'll               strip               oil               companies               of               "tax               breaks"               to               the               tune               of               an               amount               yet               to               be               determined.

               
                              Factcheck               also               found               other               exaggerations               in               McCain's               claims               about               his               plan               for               energy               independence.

McCain:               We               are               going               to               stop               sending               $700               billion               a               year               to               countries               that               don't               like               us               very               much.


                              In               fact,               the               U.S.

doesn't               pay               nearly               that               much               for               oil               from               hostile               nations.

According               to               the               Energy               Information               Administration,               the               U.S.imported               4.9               billion               barrels               of               oil               in               2007.

At               today's               prices,               that               works               out               to               about               $536               billion,               still               a               hefty               chunk               of               change,               but               considerably               less               than               $700               billion.

More               important,               that's               what               we               pay               to               all               exporting               nations,               not               just               those               that               "don't               like               us               very               much."               We               note               that               32               percent               of               U.S.

oil               imports               came               from               Canada,               Mexico               and               the               United               Kingdom.

                              McCain               also               made               sweeping               claims               about               green               energy               that               aren't               actually               backed               up               by               his               policy               proposals:               McCain:               We               will               attack               the               problem               on               every               front.

...We               will               increase               the               use               of               wind,               tide,               solar               and               natural               gas.

We               will               encourage               the               development               and               use               of               flex               fuel,               hybrid               and               electric               
               automobiles.McCain               has               been               quite               specific               about               his               proposals               to               clear               the               way               for               building               45               new               nuclear               power               plants,               opening               offshore               areas               to               oil               drilling               and               spending               $2               billion               a               year               for               so-called               "clean               coal"               technology.

He               has               also               proposed               a               $300               million               prize               for               developing               the               first               practical               plug-in               electric               car,               although               General               Motors               already               is               working               on               that               and               is               aiming               for               delivery               of               the               Chevrolet               Volt               by               2010,               prize               or               no               prize.

McCain               has               also               proposed               a               $5,000               tax               credit               for               consumers               who               purchase               zero               emission               vehicles.


                              But               when               it               comes               to               power               from               wind               and               tide,               McCain's               words               are               blowing               in               the               breeze.

His               energy               plan,               which               he               calls               the               Lexington               Project,                              
                              proposes               no               new               spending               for               renewable               energy               programs.

Instead,               he               proposes               to               "rationalize               the               current               patchwork               of               temporary               tax               credits,"               but               hasn't               said               what               he               means               by               that.

As               we've               written               before,               spokespeople               for               the               wind               and               solar               industries               are               unsure               what               this               actually               means               Finally,               we'll               note               that               McCain               himself               told               supporters               at               a               July               town               hall               meeting               that               he               doesn't               think               that               renewable               energy               is               likely               to               be               "as               much               of               the               solution               as               some               people               think.

                              McCain               repeated               his               vague               promise               to               make               spending               cuts:               McCain:Reducing               government               spending               and               getting               rid               of               failed               programs               will               let               you               keep               more               of               your               own               money               to               save,               spend               and               invest               as               you               see               fit.

However,
               McCain               has               not               said               which               programs               he               considers               to               be               "failed               programs."               He               thus               makes               the               spending               cuts               sound               less               painful               than               they               will               be               should               he               fulfill               his               previously               stated               promise               to               balance               the               federal               budget               by               2013               while               also               making               all               Bush               tax               cuts               permanent               and               adding               new               cuts               of               his               own.


               McCain               repeated               his               promise               to               eliminate               "earmarks"               from               federal               spending               bills,               saying:               "the               first               big-spending               pork-barrel               earmark               bill               that               comes               across               my               desk,               I               will               veto               it."               
                              The               fact               is               that               earmarks               amount               to               only               $16.9               billion               in               the               current               fiscal               year,               according               to               the               Office               of               Management               and               Budget.

Meanwhile,               the                              
                              deficit               is               expected               to               be               more               than               $200               billion               in               2009.

And               McCain's               tax               cuts               will               add               billions               more               to               future               deficits               unless               offset               by               spending               cuts,               which               he               so               far               has               not               been               willing               to               identify.

               
                                             McCain               said,               "I               will               open               new               markets               to               our               goods               and               services.

My               opponent               will               close               them."               
                              McCain               may               be               alluding               to               Obama's               threat               earlier               this               year               to               pull               out               of               the               North               American               Free               Trade               Agreement               if               Mexico                              
                              and               Canada               won't               open               the               deal               to               renegotiation.

Obama               said               at               a               Democratic               primary               debate               in               Cleveland               in               February:               I               will               make               sure               that               we               renegotiate.

...

I               think               we               should               use               the               hammer               of               a               potential               opt-out               as               leverage               to               ensure               that               we               actually               get               labor               and               environmental               standards               that               are               enforced.

That's               far               from               a               threat               to               "close"               markets               to               U.S.

Exports.

'                              An               expert               from               a               pro-trade               group               agrees.

"It's               a               stretch               to               take               the               heated               comment               from               the               Cleveland               debate               to               pull               out               of               NAFTA               if               it               wasn't               revised               as               indicative               of               a               protectionist               policy,"               Jeffrey               Schott,               a               senior               fellow               and               trade               expert               at               the               Peterson               Institute               for               International               Economics,               told               FactCheck.org.

"In               any               event,               the               position               on               NAFTA               has               since               been               clarified."                              Obama               has               said               he               thinks               it's               unwise               to               repeal               the               trade               deal,               because               to               do               so               "would               actually               result               in               more               job               loss               ...

than               job               gains."               And               in               a               June               interview               with               Fortune               magazine,               he               stated               that               he               didn't               plan               on               pulling               out               of               NAFTA.

"Sometimes               during               campaigns               the               rhetoric               gets               overheated               and               amplified,"               he               said.

               It's               true               that               McCain               has               been               a               stronger               advocate               of               free               trade               agreements               than               Obama,               who               supported               the               trade               deal               with               Oman               in               2006               and               one               with               Peru               in               2007               but               opposed               the               one               with               Central               America               and               another               with               Colombia.But               saying               he               would               "close"               markets               is               nonsense.

               
                              Finally,               Factcheck               notes               that               McCain               and               the               Republican               delegates               applied               a               different               standard               to               the               Republican               nominee's               lofty               rhetoric               than               they               did               to               Obama's.

McCain               drew               applause               with               this               line:               McCain:               We               must               use               all               resources               and               develop               all               technologies               necessary               to               rescue               our               economy               from               the               damage               caused               by               rising               oil               prices               and               restore               the               health               of               our               planet.


                              The               previous               evening,               however,               McCain's               running               mate,               Gov.

Sarah               Palin               of               Alaska,               ridiculed               Obama               for               using               similar               high-sounding               words:               Palin:What               does               he               actually               seek               to               accomplish               after               he's               done               turning               back               the               waters               and               healing               the               planet?

That               crack               drew               jeers               and               laughter.

               
                              Perhaps               Republicans               see               a               distinction               between               "healing               the               planet"               and               "restoring               the               health               of               our               planet,"               but               it               escapes               me.

Sources               Abrams,               Paul,               "The               McCain               Strategy               Is               Vintage               Karl               Rove,               the               Media               Loves               It,               and               the               Obama               Camp               Is               Not               Taking               It               Seriously               Enough,"               at:               http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paul-abrams/the-mccain-strategy-is-vi_b_116648.html
               Apuzzo,               Matt,               "Abramoff               gets               4               years               prison               in               corruption               scandal,"
               http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gMZw4dYnLxr5AKkDn0bKGqH0epYAD9305V3O1
               Blogspot.com               "Gregory               J.

Harris,               USMC               POW               Vietnam,"               at:               http://gregoryjharris.blogspot.com/
               Carper,               Thomas               R.,               "Congressional               Papers,               http://www.lib.udel.edu/ud/spec/findaids/carper/series/personal.htm
               Churcher,               Sharon,               "The               wife               U.S.

Republican               John               McCain               callously               left               behind,"               at:               http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1024927/The-wife-John-McCain-callously-left-behind.html
               Congressional               Budget               Office.

"CBO's               Baseline               Budget               Projections,"               March               2008.
               Congressional               Research               Service.

Oil               and               Gas               Tax               Subsidies:               Current               Status               and               Analysis.

Washington:               GPO,               2007.
               DTIC,               "The               McCain               Bill"               50               usc               §435               as               Public               Law               102-190,"               at:               http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/general_info/mccainbill.htm
               DTIC,               "Defense               Prisoner               of               War               Missing               Personnel               Office,"               at:http://www.dtic.mil/dpmo/Mar%2008.pdf
               Easton,               Nina.

"Obama:               NAFTA               not               so               bad               after               all."               Fortune               Magazine,               18               June               2008.
               Elliott,               Philip.

"Obama               says               rivals               have               failed."               The               Associated               Press,               9               Oct.

2007.
               Knowles,               David               "Fact-Checking               McCain/Palin,"               at:               http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/factchecking_mccain.html
               Glass,               Andrew,               "Clinton               ends               Vietnam               trade               embargo               on               Feb.

3,               1994,"               http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0208/8259.html
               GOP               Convention               Spin:Lieberman               and               Thompson               make               misleading               claims               about               Obama               on               Day               Two               of               the               party               in               St.

Paul.
               GOP               Convention               Spin,               Part               II:               Palin               trips               up               on               her               facts,               and               Giuliani               and               Huckabee               have               their               own               stumbles               on               Night               3               of               the               Republican               confab.
               Guy,               Ted               and               Larson,               "Swede"               Gordon,               quoted               from               the               The               Phoenix               New               Times:"Two               Former               POWs               Say               They               Doubt               McCain               Was               Physically               Abused,"               and               quoted               at:               http://www.usvetdsp.com/mcianhro.htm
               Hendon,               Bill,               Steward,               Elizabeth               A:,               "The               dramatic               history               of               living               American               soldiers               left               in               Vietnam,               and               the               first               full               account               of               the               circumstances               that               left               them               there...,"               at:               http://www.enormouscrime.com/thebook.html
               Hendon,               Bill,               Stewart,               Elizabeth               A.,               "An               Enormous               Crime:               The               Definitive               Account               of               American               POWs               Abandoned               in               Southeast               Asia,"at               http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0312385382/interworpartners:
               Hendon,               Bill               and               LeBoutillier,               at:               http://www.usvetdsp.com/aug08/mccain_unfit.htm
               Hit               the               Brakes               "An               Obama               ad               running               in               Michigan               claims               McCain               didn't               support               loan               guarantees               for               the               auto               industry.

In               fact,               he               does               support               them.
               Jackson,               Brooks               with               Novak,               Viveca               Novak,               Robertson,               Lori               ,               Miller,               Joe               and               Kolawo,               Emi               "Factchecking               McCain               at:               http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/factchecking_mccain.html
               Knowles,               David               "Fact-Checking               McCain/Palin,"               at:               http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/factchecking_mccain.html
               LeBoutiller,               John,               "Vietnam               Now:               A               Case               for               Normalizing               Relations               with               Hanoi,"               at:               http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0275932788/interworpartners
               Lowther,               William,               "Hero               John               McCain               betrayed               the               Vietnamese               peasant               who               saved               his               life,"               at:               http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-542277/How-war-hero-John-McCain-betrayed-Vietnamese-peasant-saved-life.html
               Maddow,               Rachel,               "The               Rachel               Maddow               Show,"               at:http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/
               Matthews,               Chris,               "Countdown               with               Chris               Matthews,               at:               http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036697/
               McCain,               John,               "Faith               of               My               Fathers:               A               Family               Memoir,"at:               http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0061734950/interworpartners
               McCain,               John               S.,               Salter,               Mark,               "Worth               the               Fighting               For:               A               Memoir,"               at:               http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0375505423/interworpartners
               Obama,               Barack.

"Plan               for               a               Healthy               America."               BarackObama.com,               accessed               5               Sept.

2008.
               Obama,               Barack               "Remarks               for               Sen.

Barack               Obama:               AFL-CIO."               2               April               2008.

www.barackobama.com
               Obama,               Barack.

"Why               I               Oppose               CAFTA."               Chicago               Tribune,               30               June               2005.
               Office               of               Management               and               Budget.

"FY               2008               Appropriations               Earmarks               Summary,"               28               January               2008.
               Olbermann,               Keith,               "Senator               is               acting               like               a               child,               needs               immediate               attitude               adjustment,"               http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26271658/
               OpenSecrets,               Center               for               Responsive               Politics,"               John               McCain               (R)               Arizona,               at:               http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/summary.php?cid=N00006424&cycle=2008#bli
               PolitiFact.com               from               St.

Petersburg               Times,               "McCain               teams               up               with               old               rival,               scandals               notwithstanding,"               at:               http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/statements/624/
               POW/MIA               Policy               and               Process,               "Hearings,               before               the               Select               committee               on               Pow               and               MIA               Affairs               at:               http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/pow/senate_house/pdf/hear_11_91.pdf
               Sampley,               Ted,               "Bud,               "Col               Bud               Day,               (Ret)               Politicizing               the               Congressional               Medal               of               Honor;               his               Medal               of               Honor               and               the               McCain               campaign's               abuse               of               our               nation's               highest               award               for               valor,"               at               http://www.usvetdsp.com/may08/day_bud_moh.htm
               Schanbert,               Sydney,               "The               War               Secrets               Sen.

John               McCain               Hides               Former               POW               Fights               Public               Access               to               POW/MIA               Files,"               at:               http://www.vvof.org/mccain_hides.htm
               "Spot               Prices,               Crude               Oil               in               Dollars               per               Barrel."               U.S.

Energy               Information               Administration,               accessed               5               Sept.

2008.
               Stein,               Sam,               "McCain               Received               $100,000               From               Firm               Of               Abramoff               Notoriety,"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/02/12/mccain-received-100000-_n_86245.html
               Stelter,               Brian               "MSNBC               Takes               Incendiary               Hosts               From               Anchor               Seat,"               at:               http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/08/business/media/08msnbc.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
               Tapper,               Jake.

"Obama               Knocks               Clinton,               but               Wouldn't               Ax               NAFTA."               ABC               News,               24               Feb.

2008.
               The               Federal               Research               Division               of               the               Library               of               Congress,               "Country               Studies:               The               United               States               (Vietnam)               at:http://countrystudies.us/vietnam/62.htm
               "The               Lexington               Project."               JohnMcCain.com,               accessed               5               Sept.

2008.
               The               New               York               Times.

"Transcript,               the               Democratic               Debate               in               Cleveland."               26               Feb.

2008.
               Timbert,               Robert,               "The               Nightingale's               Song,               at:http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0684826739/interworpartners
               U.S.

Senate,               "Gimme               Five,               Invesitagion               of               Tribal,               Lobby               Matters,               Final               Report,               Before               the               Committee               on               Indian               Affairs,               http://indian.senate.gov/public/_files/Report.pdf
               "U.S.

Imports               by               Country               of               Origin."               U.S.

Energy               Information               Administration,               accessed               5               Sept.

2008.
               Word               Press,               "The               Measure               of               The               Man,"               at:               http://powwarrior.wordpress.com/2008/02/02/the-measure-of-the-man-why-john-mccain-doesnt-measure-up/






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