The LA Times in a story by Staff Writer Ralph Vartabedian questions John McCain’s ability to serve as President and Commander in Chief based on the fact he draws a disability pension from the Navy for injuries he received as a 5 year POW during Vietnam.
This is not the first story Mr. Vartabedian has written about Senator McCain and probably won’t be the last. He wrote about Senator McCain’s return to duty after Vietnam as a Navy flyer in a story published April 18, 2008 entitled “John McCain returned from Vietnam determined to lead,” and also one on May 19, 2007 entitled, “McCain’s age, demeanor work against candidacy.”
Now the LA Times is not known for unbiased reporting but Mr Vartabedian does try to balance his stories with only a few snide comments. As a Staff Writer I am sure the tone of his stories is dictated by his superiors, but his comments about a disabled veteran being qualified to serve as President are to say the least naïve and short sighted.
I too am a disabled veteran. John McCain could easily out walk me, but I was unaware that the President of the United States required a jock. Most jocks I know are just egotists who were blessed with good musclature and reflexes. I would hope the job of President would require more cerebrial activities and less physical ones. Steven Hawkings is severly disabled but he is a highly intelligent person should we tell him he can’t be “all that he can be?”
In my opinion my mind is still sharp even though I physically can no longer jump from airplanes, run ten miles or pass a physical training test. Mr. Vartabedian insinuates that disabled veterans are a burden on society, that they should only get disability pensions if they don’t work. His implication is that this country owes veterans nothing if they can still find employment outside the military.
I respectfully disagree. Veterans are a unique group of men and women. I believe most would volunteer regardless of their disabilities if this great Country called on them. I know I would!
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April 23rd, 2008 - 8:30 pm
You should have mentioned FDR. I believe McCain is in better physical shape than he was considering he had polio.
April 24th, 2008 - 11:13 am
[...] Vartabedian writing in the LA Times (found via Fort Hard Knox) put together a pretty low attack on Senator John McCain using his collection of a [...]
May 13th, 2008 - 1:15 pm
Journalism of this nature needs to be exposed and repudiated. And our veterans voices need to be heard.
Every member of our military needs to vote this year. The previous administration proved repeatedly its disrespect for the men and women in uniform, and from what we’ve seen, the current candidate may prove worse.
Please continue your good work.
June 7th, 2008 - 9:08 pm
I think you miss the question that should be asked (and so did the LA Times for that matter). Why is Senator McCain getting a $58000 disability pension. I dont question that he qualifies for a pension as an 06 with 22 years of service but why the disability status (that tax free status saved him $18000 on his 2007 Federal Tax bill)? The injuries that support his disability presumably came during his time in Vietnam. When he returned from Vietnam a Navy Flight Surgeon apparantly certified that he was 100 percent capable of returning to active flight status. So how and when did he go from being 100 percent capable of flying military aircraft to being 100 percent disabled in his pension status? Was there some kind of additional injury that occurred (did he hurt himself chasing tall blondes around odeur tables in Hawaii).
Only one of two (possibly three) things can be true.
One or more Flight Surgeons certified him to return to flight status when he was not physically fit (which means they lied).
Somebody certified him to qualify for a 100 percent disability status on his Navy Pension when he had previously been fit enough to fly multi-million dollar military aircraft after returning from Vietnam (which means they lied)
Or he sustained some additional injury during the last three years of Service that qualified him for a disability status on his pension income.