D'Amato says McCain too traumatized to think clearly

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

via Think Progress:

Fox Guest: We Should Ignore McCain Since He ‘Was So Traumatized’ By P.O.W. Experience

Last night on the O’Reilly Factor, former New York Senator Al D’Amato (R) and Bill O’Reilly debated Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) insistence that the U.S. follow the Geneva Conventions in its treatment of all detainees. D’Amato said McCain should receive “a pass on this” because he was “so traumatized by the events that took place” during his captivity in the Vietnam War. The trauma, D’Amato argued, put McCain in such a mental state that he was not in “a position to consider the impact of what his restrictions would do.” Watch it here.

* * *

I heard the same argument in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq when chickenhawks would argue that Vietnam vets in Congress had been so traumatized by their experiences in the war that they shouldn't take part in the debate -- unless they agreed with *, of course.

[Erika]

1. I love to see a Republican meltdown

It's amazed me however, how the chicken hawks viciously attack those who served. All the chickenhawk right wing talk hosts who never served are into calling Nam vets cowards.


Fascinating.

[aquart]

3. Same as they call other people "fascists."

Take the loaded gun and point it at someone else. Never mind the bullet has their name on it.

[oncall247]

29. What amazes me more is that those who served never seem to point out

that their attackers are people who never served. They just seem to take it on the chin and keep trying to talk logic to people. That simply doesn't work. McCain needs to yell sometimes and say something like, "look you cowardly bastards who took every opportunity to avoid serving your country, shut the fuck up! You don't know what you are talking about. You were never a prisoner, you were never on the battle field, you were never even in the service behind a desk."

[aquart]

2. D'Amato no longer capable of logical progression in thought?

Yes, Al, dear. Torture traumatizes. The trauma lasts a lifetime. Thank you for making our point.

We do not want our soldiers traumatized. If we traumatize other people's soldiers, they will happily, viciously, braggingly traumatize ours.

Cause and effect. At what age are children capable of understanding that fire burns and therefore must be avoided? My sister learned that putting your hands on a hot stove door gets you a visit to the emergency room at age two. Is D'Amato not up to that?

[Blackthorn]

4. Hehe. Exactly. I suspect the irony was lost on him.

[Erika]

5. D'Amoto is a joke

I don't know why McCains stays GOP, they've slandered him so dirtily.

[Ignacio Upton]

7. I'm surprised that D'Amato is resurfacing

Ever since he was unseated by Schumer in '98 he's mostly kept to himself. My theory is that he will try to take over the state GOP after it implodes in November. Pataki will be gone and D'Amato will try to step in to play kingmaker like he did when he was Senator Pothole.

[ClintonTyree]

16. Senator Pot-Hole.........

I believe he was called. The people of New York had enough of his sleazy business dealings and gave him the boot. It's probably a good thing for D'Amato or he'd be n the same position as "Duke" Cunningham or DeLay are in right now.
This blows the, "absence makes the heart grow fonder", metaphor right out of the water. Go crawl back into your hole Al. No one cares what you think anymore. Figures he'd be a guest on O'Lielly's show. Does O'Lielly EVER have anyone of substance or importance on his pukefest?

[JI7]

6. where did he suddenly crawl out of

hadn't heard of him in a while.

[Bucky]

8. Great points, Al! Also, ignore Lindsay Graham; he's just a lawyer.

And that Warner guy? Pfff! He used to be married to a liberal Hollywood actress--we know where his sympathies lie.

[blogslut]

9. I once saw D'Amato

...on Nightline. He was arguing against choice for women. His argument? He made up a scenario of a woman who was pregant but would abort her child because she had to give a speech during the time when she would be showing. That's when I decided old Al was an idiot.

[Crunchy Frog]

22. All woman who have experienced either pregnancy or childbirth

are obviously so traumatized by the experience that they can't possibly think clearly on the subject of reproductive freedom. Therefore their views should be dismissed out of hand in public debates on such matters. Only men can be truly objective when it comes to female reproductive issues.

[Justice]

10. Gee, do you think the reaon for that is because he was TORTURED??

[izzie]

11. Can not use that. Look at all the Christians who were tortured in

history and the far right Christians are all for it. So if you or your group were tortured you think it was great. From their point of view any how. Come to think of it the Christians have been on both sides of it. Doer and doee. I guess I had better rethink this. That point does not hold us. I guess I will have to just keep my reason it is not the human thing to do and bad for the country.

[BootinUp]

12. D'Amato is always called to duty when they need a slug. n/t

[annabanana]

13. This is the SAME SLUR they swifted McCain with

during the primaries last time around. Same one. And yet he goes back for more.

[Crunchy Frog]

24. Somebody on here posted that the reason he's not raising his arms

in that picture is that he can't, due to permanent damage he sustained as a result of "stress positions" used on him during his time as a POW.

The mere fact that he's hugging the chimp like that is a clear indication that he has some serious problems though. Probably unrelated to his military service.

[Hubert Flottz]

14. What combat did D'Amoto defend America in?

Where was it that he put his know it all ass on the line?

Edit...

http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/1998/states/NY/S/alfonse.damato.html

Another expert chickenhawk who had his freedom and liberty won for him and handed to him, by guys like McCain.

[sarcasmo]

15. Saw this on K.O. the other night and couldn't believe the insanity of this

Statement. If you don't agree they label you crazy, or an appeaser. I will lay claim to being both crazy and an appeaser.

[baldguy]

17. There's a reason Chuck Schumer beat this criminal.

Why does the GOP think that leaving their disgraced politicos in the wilderness for a few years will somehow cleanse them?

[sendero]

18. Something for those who think...

.... that this "opposition" is just Kabuki theatre.

I don't think it is, I think some Republicans have a limit on how much damage they are willing to sit by and let Bush** do.

[KharmaTrain]

19. Aren't There Some Potholes That Need Filling?

Wanna bet old Al never served in the military.

Wanna bet old Al is getting a nice paycheck from Faux for being a stand-by hatchet man?

Didn't his 15 minutes end around 1996?

Now all we need is Dan Quayle's opinion on torture...that's gotta be worth a good laugh...and count on Faux to get it out there.

[Crunchy Frog]

20. Disgusting.

While we here often talk about Democrats eating our own, the lockstep Republican party is much, much worse in that respect.

Any Republican who deviates even slightly from the party line gets hit with unbelievably slimey character assissinations.

I have little regard for McCain, but I can't deny that he knows what he's talking about in matters relating to POW/detainee treatment, and I'm glad that he at least seems to be taking some kind of stand. Who knows how long it will last, but right now I'm glad for anybody standing up in any way at all to Bushco.

Whatever I may think of McCain, the spectacle of a bunch of lily livered chicken hawks denigrating the service of a man who suffered so much in the line of duty, makes me sick.

So I guess the new line is that people who actually have experience in war, combat and as POWs are uniquely UNqualified to take part in the public discussion concerning these matters.

Fuck all of the neocon chickenhawks.:grr:

[warrior1]

21. Wouldn't that

prove McCains point you pin head.

[fed-up]

23. Torture traumatizes-that's why its ILLEGAL n/t

[niallmac]

25. I'll bet if every son and daughter were subject to the Draft

that this country would not even consider defying the Geneva Conventions.
Ah well such is not the case.
Rich religious bigots in expensive suits vote for war
and bribe our less advantaged kids away from education
and peace to die for their whims.

[Stinky The Clown]

26. This is the same line they ran against him in South Carolina in 1999

And is the same shit that he heard just before he gave Bush a blow job.

Republicans: Eat your own, pick your teeth, have a coffee .... repeat.

[Lerkfish]

27. republicans have no sense of irony

[FlaGranny]

28. Or decency. n/t

[Nikki Stone 1]

30. McCain is in EXACTLY the position to consider the impact of trashing the

Geneva conventions.

I love it when people who have no war experience eviscerate those who do. Max Cleland, anyone?

:sarcasm:

[Jacobin]

31. What's D'Amato's excuse for being an idiot?

[Virginia Dare]

32. So they're dredging up a slimeball out of Roves book of...

dirty tricks.

When McCain ran against Lord Chimpyface in the 2000 primaries they started a whisper campaign that McCain was looney from his years as a P.O.W.

Nothing original here, just the same old evil shit they've been pulling for years.

[Avalux]

33. What's that saying? "Fool me once........"

McCain has been smeared before by Rove's dirty tricks; but then got all chummy with Bush again. I don't like McCain, but what he went through as a POW is something none of us will ever be able to comprehend. For the Republicans to start a whisper campaign like this against him is reprehensible. I hope he finally wakes up and tells them all to go to hell (I won't hold my breath though).