Inside Story - Pennsylvania votes - 21 Apr 08 - Part 2

On Tuesday, voters in Pennsylvania will have their say in who they think should be the US presidential candidates. Most of the attention is focused on the ongoing battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Inside Story asks what the results in Pennsylvania will mean for the Democratic party nomination.

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News & Politics

Tags:

• aljazeera
• inside
• story
• US
• elections
• hillary
• clinton
• barack
• obama
• pennsylvania
• presidential
• nomination
• democractic

[jammoexii]

And I can only guess that the people whom he murdered, yes murdered, EACH suffered much more. I'd even argue that the thousands of people whom he took loved ones from suffered more than he did.

And about MY morality (irrelevant, but whatever)? I swear right now that I would take any of the above options - exile, prison, or even a bullet to the face - rather than engage in the sorts of things John McCain was being asked to do - and is proud of.

[jammoexii]

...coming up here, through taking prison, or through suicide, which would have been far more moral. He didn't do any of this - he did what he did and was and is incredibly proud of these horrible atrocities.

These make him a sick man. They make him a horrible person who shouldn't be considered a normal functioning member of any society, much less a leader of a country. And he's certainly not a hero, just because of his suffering. Everyone suffers. ...

[jammoexii]

...conscious that he was being asked to engage in acts, the consequences of which I can only guess were the horrible, burning and bleeding deaths of hundreds of people, either civilians (often) or at "best" people engaged in what I think is the quite legitimate defence of their country against illegal imperialist aggression, however bloody and horrible IT might have been. It seems the latter is the case, as is the fact that he surely knew he could have gotten out of it - through deserting or...

[jammoexii]

The actual intricacies of international war crimes are one thing, but of course international law, theoretically, should be the bare minimum on which all states can agree. That hasn't stopped your country (and too a much lesser degree mine) from violating them repeatedly.

The violation of law isn't the point though. It's the actual attitude toward the actions, and their consequences. John McCain was either unspeakably ignorant, far too unaware of the world to be president, OR he was fully...

[jammoexii]

- Soldiers have a duty under international law to refuse unlawful orders.

- The WORST McCain would have gotten for refusing orders would have been prison - and he ended up there anyway. (Ha.)

- The notion, frequently brought up, that only people who have done this are allowed to comment on its morality, is simply absurd. You can use the same logic for any atrocious act.

- McCain wasn't a victim of "orders" - he was a happy participant. He speaks about his crimes with glee, nevermind remorse.

[banzaibuckaroo]

War is NOT a soldiers fault! war is the result of failed political policies. It is don right cowardly and disrespectful to blame soldiers who act in accordance to their duties. So you know, I am an american, and a veteran, and the day you are forced to take a life because youre told to, tell me what it does to your head. Let me know how you cope, especially when clowns like you think you have the answers.

[jammoexii]

Firstly, I'm not an American.

Secondly, I despise the politics of both, even though the Democratic side is marginally better.

But thirdly: yes, war is the soldiers' fault, to a degree, and it's even more their fault if they don't later show remorse. Whether or not you condemn them as normal people who have committed normal homicide, it's certainly not "heroism", and when a person doesn't regret it, but actually hates the gooks and thinks it was just, that's completely intolerable.

[willywonka1207]

Once again, I'm a democrat & not a fan of McCain. But don't confuse McCain's war record w/ his political record. John Kerry was in Vietnam too but I voted for him in 2004. Did you vote for Bush in 2004 because John Kerry killed innocent Vietnamese also? If you don't like McCain's politics, i understand (he's got some pretty shitty policies). but you disrespect soldiers by saying war "stains you forever". War is not the soldier's fault. politicians start wars & force US soldiers to kill.

[jammoexii]

Who gives a shit if he was tortured? I mean, it's unfortunate, but unfortunate things happen to criminals and murderers all the time. The Vietnam War was a vicious and intolerable war of aggression and colonialism. Boldface: John McCain killed people. People defending their country from illegal external aggression. It was completely unacceptable and immoral, and will stain him forever. Moreover he hasn't at all showed remorse.

[willywonka1207]

I'm voting Democratic. But McCain WAS in a Hanoi prison camp where he was tortured for years. The Vietnamese offered him early release from POW Camp because McCain's father was a high ranking Navy Commander (later became an admiral), but McCain refused release because the Military Code of Conduct has a "1st in, 1st out" policy for POW's. So McCain stayed behind. Say what you want about his crappy politics, but he was a war hero.