Why is McCain the best choice for President?

Guess we don't don't get no rebuttal from Devil about the pic I posted.

coalkirk wrote:I will not defend Bush's war record. However, all three of Kerry's purple hearts were for injuries so minor that he was never hospitalized or even serious enough to miss time on duty. I guess they were those "million dollar wounds" like Forrest Gump.

So exactly how serious does a war wound have to be for it to be considered a badge of honor displaying one's courage to put himself under fire in combat? I submit that it isn't the greivessness of the wound but the fact that he was in a position to be shot at & possibly killed at all, that makes one wound a very heroic badge of honor.....let alone three. Then, to have your poitical foe, who hid behind his mother's skirts counting his father's money, all his life belittle three purple hearts just really makes me sick!

Richard S. wrote:Guess we don't don't get no rebuttal from Devil about the pic I posted.

Not really sure I got your point in posting that FDR pic?? Sorry (I have a brain injury you know)

Well your statement was we have to consider the the persons "age, physical and metal state". The first two would apply to FDR as he was 60+ when he passed away shortly before the end of WW2 and the wheel chair is obviuosly a physical problem. As Stockingfull stated he wouldn't be elected today, considering he was the president that lead us out of the depression and through WW2 ...

The point is the talk about any physical limitations and the age of McCain is utter nonsense. Relatively speaking he's not very old and the physical problems he does have are not going to intefere in the excecution of his duties. If anything the capaign for the presidency itself will give you good idea how fit he is because its my understanding its quite grueling especially if you're doing double duty as senator like he is.

I'm not any more worried about McCain's arms or legs than I was about Bob Dole's right arm, or about Max Cleland's lack of them.

But I am concerned about both his melanoma and his mental status following his torture. Both could profoundly affect the Presidency he seeks.

I'm concerned about the mental status of a few forum members.

You mean like the ones still quoting Michaelangelo while deviating significantly from the path?

Richard S. wrote:Well your statement was we have to consider the the persons "age, physical and metal state". The first two would apply to FDR as he was 60+ when he passed away shortly before the end of WW2 and the wheel chair is obviuosly a physical problem. As Stockingfull stated he wouldn't be elected today, considering he was the president that lead us out of the depression and through WW2 ...

The point is the talk about any physical limitations and the age of McCain is utter nonsense. Relatively speaking he's not very old and the physical problems he does have are not going to intefere in the excecution of his duties. If anything the capaign for the presidency itself will give you good idea how fit he is because its my understanding its quite grueling especially if you're doing double duty as senator like he is.

OK...Now I get it.
You're right in that a person's age should not alone be disqualifying for the Presidency, but of course it is a very important factor for the voter to consider. (JFK & Obama were/are considered to young (inexperienced) by many, while R. Reagan was always kidded about being to old) When a candidate of fairly advanced age, starts to change long-held positions (torture, Bush'e tax cut, etc) & makes statements that his own campaign advisers chalk up to a "Senior Momment", then it is fair for the voter to worry about alzheimers, etc possibly setting in. As they say....... "Politics aint beanbag!"
While FDR was not young, he wasn't as old as McCain & hadn't exhibited any changes that the voter needed to worry about.....McCain has.
As far as physical problems, I don't think anyone seriously considers them a major factor for the Presidency. If we were looking for a good "Running Back" or "Linebacker" then of course they would be, but a President needs a good "mind" to be effective, not strong legs.
In the context of this thread, I think that pointing out Sen. McCain's physical problems is an attempt at humor in the same way that Saturdy Night Live always poked fun at President Ford for clumsiness. (Chevy Chase took 100's of "prat falls" in a good natured "jab" at Ford.
I don't think either case is "mean spririted" or hitting below the belt. Rather, it is something a public figure needs to expect & deal with. (R. Reagan was great at it: In one of his debates, against a far younger man(....maybe Carter??) said somehting to the effect that he was not going to hold his opponent's age against him...for being to young & inxperienced!)
I also disagree with the idea that FDR couldn't be elected today due to his polio. I think the right candidate would have very little problem overcoming a handicap like that.

stockingfull wrote:You mean like the ones still quoting Michaelangelo while deviating significantly from the path?

I am thankful you will not make the ultimate decision of my significant deviation from the path.

spc wrote:

stockingfull wrote:You mean like the ones still quoting Michaelangelo while deviating significantly from the path?

I am thankful you will not make the ultimate decision of my significant deviation from the path.

You should be, but you also ought to keep that path in mind as your hurl your personal judgmental language around here.

stockingfull wrote:

spc wrote:

stockingfull wrote:You mean like the ones still quoting Michaelangelo while deviating significantly from the path?

I am thankful you will not make the ultimate decision of my significant deviation from the path.

You should be, but you also ought to keep that path in mind as your hurl your personal judgmental language around here.

I feel your pain Sorry.

bksaun was wondering what TBI was & I gave it a quick description earlier in the thread, but since it is really the "signature" injury of the Iraq War & ABC anchorman Bob Woodruff's injury, I figured this would be a good spot to describe it in a little more depth.
TBI...or Traumatic Brain Injury is often called "The Silent Epidemic" becasue so many Americans have it (in varying degrees) & yet it has no visual signs & can be mistaken for many other physical & mental handicaps that exhibit similar symptoms. (It used to be referred to as "Head Injury" but now they call it TBI) It is very common in this country, usually as the result of motor vehicle accidents, or with children, bicycle accidents. What happens is this:
When your skull decelerates very quickly, as in my case when my head hit the windshield of a car (that reenactments suggest was traveling at around 30mph) your skull stops instantly but your brain, floating in fluid, keeps going until it slams into the inside of your skull bone. This is what causes most of the damage, & often times, death. If you survive the initial impact, which I was very lucky to do, your brain, like any other tissue will be bruised & often begins to swell inside your skull. I was lucky in that, while my brain was bruised, there was no significant swelling. Bob Woodruff, on the other hand had significant swelling which necessitated doctors to remove a portion of his skull to allow his brain's swelling to occur without being constrined within his skull...which would undoubtedly have killed him.
Another factor is what portion of the brain was injured? In my case, it was mainly frontal lobe damage, not sure about Bob Woodruff's. Damaged areas of the brain do not heal themselves.....they are dead. Significant injuy's are usually fatal or at least permanent for this reason but....the human brain has a magnificdent ability to "re-wire" itself & make new connections to bypass the dead areas to good areas that can learn the function once handled by the "dead" areas.
In my case, after I came out of my coma, I had to learn to walk, talk, eat & basicaly everything you learned to do as a baby. It is a very slow process, literaly taking years!
Many things can never be recovered, depending on which portions of the brain were killed. I used to play the guitar (Inot well G>) but I can no longer do the strumming with my right hand......I cant get back the coordination it takes. On the other hand, I can still play pool & ping pong like nothing ever happened! It's very strange to see what things have changed.
Common traits to most TBI survivors are:
1. Easily fatigued (I can go for about 3 hrs & then I "run into a wall"....I need to lay down)
2. Overwhelmed by information (example: If my wife asks me to pick up a particular kind of bread at the market, I'll "short-circuit" standing in front of the bread aisle. My brain just sees a "wall" of breads & I cannot try to sort it all out before I just lose patience & leave!
3. Lack of or lowering of inhibitions (many things I would have just thought of doing before, now I will actauly do)
(example: before the injury I may have thought of saying something not acceptable/pc in puiblic. Now I will just blurt it out)
4. Speech Impairment...It took me many years to regain my speaking ability & I will still have to slow down to think b4 I speak.
5. Smell & Taste---many TBI survivors lose them altogether or they are reduced
6. Short Term Memory--I can remember things from many years ago, but don't ask me what I had for lunch!
7. Balance. My balance is nowhere as good as it was b4 the injury. I could never attempt to stand on juyst one foot

There are many more symptoms but hopefully I have given you all at least a partial explanation of TBI, which so many of our returning Iraq vets have due to IED;'s & other roadside bombs.

Wow.

The brain is a mysterious and wonderful organ. And it is one which medical science, to say nothing of the general public, is just beginning to understand. My mother recovered from 3rd ventricle (that's the portion in the very center of the skull) brain surgery, done in the late '50's with "kitchen tools," and returned to obtain her Master's Degree and began a second career, which she pursued for nearly 30 years.

Your recovery is astounding, Richard; you are able to address complex issues in a calmer and more sensible manner than many here! Let's see how many of them are so base as to attempt to attribute your beliefs on such issues to your injury.

One thing's for sure, though. A brain disease, or disorder, or injury, is just as real as a wound or disease we can see. Whether it's an injury like your TBI, a disease like depression or epilepsy, or a psych disorder like PTSD, there are classic characteristics to each which require adjustment and/or management. Those things are just as real as the brace on a knee, or cast on an arm, or insulin or blood pressure medicine we'd take.

So, quite frankly, I don't know why it is such a problem to discuss the possibility that McCain has PTSD and, if so, what that may mean in the context of performing the duties of President of the United States. And the angry attempts of some here to bat that issue away are, to me, themselves diagnostic -- of the state of denial. We've never yet had a President who's endured torture and, while nobody disputes the heroism involved, that doesn't mean there have been no after-effects which ought to be of concern. The issue isn't going away until it's been addressed, plain and simple.

stockingfull wrote:Wow.

The brain is a mysterious and wonderful organ. And it is one which medical science, to say nothing of the general public, is just beginning to understand. My mother recovered from 3rd ventricle (that's the portion in the very center of the skull) brain surgery, done in the late '50's with "kitchen tools," and returned to obtain her Master's Degree and began a second career, which she pursued for nearly 30 years.

Your recovery is astounding, Richard; you are able to address complex issues in a calmer and more sensible manner than many here! Let's see how many of them are so base as to attempt to attribute your beliefs on such issues to your injury.

One thing's for sure, though. A brain disease, or disorder, or injury, is just as real as a wound or disease we can see. Whether it's an injury like your TBI, a disease like depression or epilepsy, or a psych disorder like PTSD, there are classic characteristics to each which require adjustment and/or management. Those things are just as real as the brace on a knee, or cast on an arm, or insulin or blood pressure medicine we'd take.

So, quite frankly, I don't know why it is such a problem to discuss the possibility that McCain has PTSD and, if so, what that may mean in the context of performing the duties of President of the United States. And the angry attempts of some here to bat that issue away are, to me, themselves diagnostic -- of the state of denial. We've never yet had a President who's endured torture and, while nobody disputes the heroism involved, that doesn't mean there have been no after-effects which ought to be of concern. The issue isn't going away until it's been addressed, plain and simple.

Thanks for your thoughts & I agree, the brain is a fascinating organ that we humans won't even begin to understand for 100's of years at the earliest. I am a very lucky man to have survived at all, let alone with so few physical defecits. I met alot of people in the hospital who were not so lucky. Many were in "vegetative" states that they will never recover from
so you always have to be thankful for what you have.
TBI doesn't really change your basic personality, or at least my injury didn't. I have always tended to be a liberal & always fascinated to learn new things. I still scuba dive, but now only on vacation in warm water due to laziness & age, more than any injury!
To be honest, I find it much easier to debate things online than in person as my verbal skills are not as quick as they once were and, I probably would just blurt out angry responses that online, I have the luxury of looking at & rethinking before I press the "Enter" key!
One thing I constantly do is re-read my posts & edit them quite often. Sometimes I kinda feel like this is cheating but it helps me get my points across.

One main point I want to make:
I have a good sense of humor, consider myself a very lucky man & have no reason to feel self-pity or to abide pity from others! My family regularly makes fun of me & alot of the things I have gone through are quite funny......So.....
I have no problem being kidded about my condition, which is really pretty damn good!! There is no need to tiptoe around the subject & nothing is out of bounds here!

This is why McCain is the best choice, he knows what he is good at & it ain't singing.