Who am I? Why am I here?

[ezfla]

I am out of ammo on that question

[jensen220]

This was a funny statement, and I knew as soon as he said it that the late night people were gonna have a field day with it. That aside, let's not forget that this man won the Congressional Medal of Honor as a Vietnam P.O.W.. Read up on his story about what he did that earned him that honor. It will put the whole "Who am I, why am I here?" thing in perspective.

[kendraj33]

GREAT MOMENT...Questions were asked by him in a funny sarcastic tone...due to the fact that he was being completely left out of debate...GOOD AND FUNNY COMMENT...

[kendraj33]

Saw this...from what I recall...he asked these questions from a funny sarcastic point of view...he was not at all being included in the debate...that is why he was asking, "Why am I Here...???..."...LOL...GREAT MOMENT THAT BROKE THE TENSION...

[b017ni3]

@mjwatts1983 - wait, was that the date of the last republican debate?

[b017ni3]

@mjwatts1983 - am I missing something? what is it about 11-9-11 that makes it such a significant date?

[JZuldo]

Isn't this the same question most of us ask ourselves? I don't see why people are laughing but should stop and ask themselves this question. Who am I and why am I here?

[Marc3c]

Probably the only time a candidate for high office ever spoke honestly to the American people.

[bjr43]

LOL. That was embarrasing. He did pretty bad in the debate from what I've read.

[sd31263]

"In kind, there are many on the right I dislike. Many."

Funny you didn't mention any of them. Guess you didn't have enough space, what with listing everything on the left you despise. One might infer from this that you're being more than a little disingenuous.

[zenmachinefilms]

People mock this, but while he may have not been a smooth speaker, if you look at his background the man was a true war hero, and had Perot been president I would not have minded Stockdale as VP because of his vast experience making sound decisions in demanding situations.

Medal of Honor, four Silver Stars, two Bronze Stars, two Purple Hearts. Look the guy up, watch the Jim Leher interview. He was a great man.

[ballsabouncing]

I've watched this about ten times now and I still laugh.

[tvnutboy]

GRIDLOCK!!!

[12161euclid]

i think he was serious.

[Ken5244]

Funny how leftists don't get that Stockdale was making a joke. They view this as him acting stupidly.

Yet conservatives & independents totally understand the self-deprecating joke and it doesn't have to be explained to them. Hmmm ....

[ArtD42]

@Ken5244 Funny how you have to resort to putting down an entire group of people in order to make yourself seem smarter. Ask yourself if you would get pissed at someone who would say something similar but switch around "conservative" and "leftist." If you would - and you should - then you shouldn't be saying something like that in the first place. Have some basic decency and respect for other people's views.

[Ken5244]

@ArtD42

Your accusation that my comment was allegedly "an attempt to make myself seem smarter" is false (& odd). My comment had nothing to do with me caring how other people see me. I'm not the subject here.

You ask if I would "get pissed" if the same criticism were leveled at conservatives. It'd depend on the nature of the criticism. That said, it's understood by intelligent & HONEST people that when a person criticizes "leftists" or "conservatives," they don't mean every single one.

[ArtD42]

@Ken5244 Maybe I'm wrong about this, and in which case, I apologize, but the broader implication was something along the lines of "leftists are stupid" or "leftists don't understand humor" or "leftists don't understand Admiral Stockdale." The point is that you made a degrading statement when it clearly wasn't necessary. Hopefully you've learned by now that political views don't define a person's character.

And you have to make a differentiation between goals and means. (Con't...)

[Ken5244]

@ArtD42

As for the first possibility you mentioned ("leftists are stupid"), what other conclusion would you come to? There are comments in this thread, and there were MANY MANY comments at the time, from leftists who didn't get that he was making fun of his lack of notoriety. Then there were the leftists that did 'get' the joke, but they dishonestly tried to portray him as a dunderhead for their sheepish followers that DIDN'T get the joke. So, some were stupid & some were dishonest, right?

[ArtD42]

@Ken5244 I don't respect Nazis' views, because one of their end goals is to annihilate non-Aryans from the face of the earth. But democrats, republicans, independents, almost all want the same basic goals - a healthy, equal society, a prosperous economy with good working conditions, a nation safe from violence domestic or international, etc.. The specifics are beside the point - you've got to respect that person and their views, to some extent, when you both really want the same country.

[Ken5244]

@ArtD42

Sorry it's taken so long to reply. I've been extremely busy the last several days.

Let's start with the broader implication of my first post (per your mention). Of the three possibilities you mention, the first and third applied, to some extent, in my mind. Let's start with the third: What % of leftists, would you guess, knew of his heroism and, more importantly, would have viewed his distinguished military career positively vs. calling him as a "war monger"? Be honest.

[Ken5244]

@ArtD42

Re torture, I understand your distinction between the act itself and the views of people that might advocate it for well-intentioned reasons. Not quite what I was driving at, but you covered that in your Nazi example (which I agree with). My point being that neither you nor I have to "respect others' views." Quite the contrary -- I don't respect the views of the KKK, or the Black Panthers, or Marxists, or Charles Manson, or countless other slimeballs. I would hope you don't either.

[Ken5244]

Lastly, I respectfully disagree that Dems, Repubs and Independents all want the same noble goals for our country and we just disagree re how to go about it. Now, if the entire citizenry were represented by the likes of you and I, on both sides respectively, then maybe. But if you think your noble goals are shared by the current prez, Farrakhan, Soros, Stern, Trumka, Sunstein, Ayers/Dorn, the SEIU, ACLU, etc., then you're kidding yourself. In kind, there are many on the right I dislike. Many.

[Ken5244]

@ArtD42

As for having respect for other people's views, do you believe all people's views deserve respect? This is not a rhetorical question -- I'm interested in your answer.

[ArtD42]

@Ken5244 For example, I don't respect torture, but, to some extent, I respect people's ideas that we can torture, even though I believe that's immoral - that doesn't mean I don't respect that person and their desire to ensure a nation's security, I just adamantly disagree in their way about doing it and think they're incredibly misled in torture's ethicalness, if that's a word.

[JosephusBlowesus]

Isn't this the fool who mocked Gore by saying we don't need much water pollution controls cause it would make the ponds & rivers too pure & then the fish will die? In deference to him, I think he suffered some serious head &/or psychological trauma in Viet Nam.

[oldhacks]

brilliant. simply brilliant.

[VisionofOrion]

I got a kick out of this...it was just what was on everyone's minds. I thought it was funnier when he fell asleep. (Dont blame him those things are so boring)

Politicians are politicians. sometimes people want to blur the lines with a sound business man or a war hero and it just dosent work.

[tannerutah]

A true American Hero anyone who doubts this is probably a communist or a cross dresser or both he who understands does not need to speak he who thinks he understand needs to convince him or her self by their own words. RIP Admiral James.

[FungusMossGnosis]

@tannerutah

As a communist cross-dresser, I love Admiral Stockdale. I love Phil Hartman even more.

[brianclough]

Only goes to show it's always better to keep military men out of politics. And for the major decisions to be made by elected officials, instead of the military deciding on the course of action that needs to be done. The execution is the domain of the military, not the policy or decision making. And yes, Adm Stockdale was a great soldier.

[savemyplaylist]

@brianclough are you fucking high? You think Clinton and Gore did a better job than Perot and Stockdale would have?

---

They accurately predicted the serious problems of debt and hollowing out of American jobs we face today. Clinton just stood by and let the US crumble. How could you be any more wrong? Do us all a favor and never vote again.

[iloveyoumyorange]

k then

[pratttan]

HAHAHAHAHAH *claps hands together like the big mouth guy in family guy*

[SkeeterVT]

I loved Admiral Stockdale's opening line. It accurately captured what was on the minds of most Americans at the time. Few knew who Stockdale was -- and he knew it, so he played that to his advantage.

[soundslikepuget]

I should clarify - I posted this video because it has historical significance in modern American political history.

I am not seeking to make a comment about Admiral Stockdale's intelligence, nor his politics.

This quote often comes up in Political conversations. I felt it important that the clip be available on youtube because it is historically significant.

[9661GottaRun]

@soundslikepuget thank you for your clarity on posting Admiral Stockdale. He was in fact a smart man and served this country with distinction.

[brainiacgames]

It is so revealing that incredibly qualified, even over-qualified, people are routinely rejected in favor of provably unqualified people who simply have better public-speaking skills or are more photogenic; and the people who engage in that mentality are generally the type who incessantly moan about the 'low IQ' of their fellow citizens.

[lancerooke]

Admiral Stockdale was certainly a great person, but he was not great in a debate, nor did he have a grasp of common thinking. He was trying to begin by asking a profound and metaphorical question but instead came across as a loony-tune. It's unfortunate, because he was not, in reality, loony at all. He was a brave and intelligent man, and quite sane.

[workingstiff76]

Admiral Stockdale only had a few days to get ready for this debate and probably had no outside preparation help unlike the other two candidates. You can understand this response if you know who he is, but sadly most people didn't. Admiral Stockdale was a much more intelligent man than either Gore or Quayle and has a graduate degree in international relations. He was the greatest hero of the Vietnam war era and the next aircraft carrier should be named after him.

[J12X]

Very well said. Not quite cut out for that kind of forum, but any President would have been wise to have Admiral Stockdale by their side to advise them during an international crisis.

[swixican]

Read his medal of honor citation you morons!!!!!!!!

[averyj]

medal of honor citation ≠ adequate speaker

[greeniem]

get his pee wee outta your mouth!

[DJCrack420]

that was a lame joke...

[NoGuff]

Thus began the epic fail.