Well Said… “Here is a man”
Posted by Dirty Harry on Thursday, September 4th, 2008
trzupr writes in the comments:
I apologize in advance for the length of this. And, for a change, I will not make another vain attempt to be the biggest wise-ass on the block. But, I was moved tonight.
I was prepared to be disappointed. I was sure I would be. I was another “hold my nose and vote” McCain supporter who found the “maverick” (or, as one of the signs said: ‘mavrick’) persona tiresome. And, through the first half of his speech, I thought ’same old, same olllllld’.
And I was wrong.
It is remarkable how trial and tribulation can shape a man - how the ultimate test can shape the ultimate in character and redemption. The passion with which he told of his stay in the Hanoi Hilton, and how that experience shaped him, left me sure that I now know the man. It left me feeling - quite frankly - ashamed about my faulty judgments. Here is a man with whom I might disagree on this issue or that, but HERE IS A MAN. A man of conviction. A man of courage. A man of passion. A man of honor.
He will have my vote, with pride. More importantly, he will have my eternal gratitude - though that is but a small repayment. And he will have this, not because he was shot down, not because he was imprisoned, tortured, humiliated, broken, emaciated and all the rest of it. He will have my gratitude because this remarkable man had the courage to walk away from that experience determined to make the world better, willing to forgive his tormentors, and more certain than ever that peace, liberty and freedom are worth the sacrifice. And because, he knows - as only those who have been there know - that you do everything you are humanly able to do in order to look out for those who have chewed on the same dirt as you.
His opponent, I am certain, understands none of these concepts. These ideas would mean nothing to him. His supporters, I am sure, will react to this speech by continuing to belittle McCain for “exploiting his imprisonment”.
Well, screw you, you sorry sum-a-bitches. And God Bless you John McCain.
And
Thank you.
Filed in General |
Maxtypeon 04 Sep 2008 at 9:18 pm 1Well said,trzupr. Well said indeed.
Keiraon 04 Sep 2008 at 9:27 pm 2During the primaries I was like the old woman who said she’d pull the lever for McCain with one hand and flip the bird with the other.
I, too, was moved by the depth of devotion to this America (not an idealized America that he would usher in) he revealed towards the end of his speech. How he loved America not just as a place but for our ideas.
I’ll be punching my chads more cheerfully now.
Tink in Calion 04 Sep 2008 at 9:27 pm 3Thank you for that comment (and for posting on the title page, DH). I felt exactly the same going into tonights’ speech. Actually before tonight the only think I could specifically remember him saying was Bomb-bomb Iran (which kind of appeals to my snarky nature). However, tonight, I saw I man that that I knew would fight for me and for us until his last breath. It makes me well up just re-typing it. He may not always make the decision I agree with, but I believe that it is truly what he thinks is best for our country. And that I can believe in. Better than change anyday of the day of the year.
This week made me so proud to be a Republican again and gave me a litany of reasons that I can glady tell everyone.
amzarakon 04 Sep 2008 at 9:28 pm 4Good job, trzupr. A couple of years ago, I said I would never vote for John McCain. Now, I can’t wait to do it. I tear up every time I think about the story Palin told about him in the POW camp last night. His life story, with the right person behind the camera, will make a great movie someday.
Kiton 04 Sep 2008 at 9:34 pm 5As a proud McCain supporter I say this:
Told ya so!
David Marcoeon 04 Sep 2008 at 9:34 pm 6Trzupr has said it well and better than I did.
Tommy Von 04 Sep 2008 at 9:34 pm 7Every time I see him fail to raise his hands above his shoulders I think of what he has given this country.
That tugs at me every time.
Kiton 04 Sep 2008 at 9:35 pm 8Tommy V,
“Every time I see him fail to raise his hands above his shoulders I think of what he has given this country.”
Well said
Well said
Carolynon 04 Sep 2008 at 9:45 pm 9Trzupr - thank you.
You know, my sister hated McCain so badly that the day Romney was forced to drop out of the race, my sister called me in tears to say that she was NEVER going to vote for that sonofabitch McCain! Ever! And my sister is a strong woman who carries a grudge.
Tonight, she sent me an email after watching McCain’s speech. People - she’s changed her mind. She’s going to vote for him. And then she ended her email with words that I never believed could have come from a sister who was sobbing, literally sobbing, how much she hated him only a few months ago.
“I felt better about myself when his speech was done. Amazing.”
Damned right, that’s amazing. Trust me, folks, if you knew my sister, you would KNOW that’s amazing! And, my God, if McCain can do that to her, he can do that to this nation.
Oh, man, this is going to be some election!
God Bless America!
soulpileon 04 Sep 2008 at 10:03 pm 10Very well said, indeed! I think this must be how a lot of people feel tonight.
I can say that I had many misgivings about McCain. It was only when he picked Palin that my doubt began to slip and his speech tonight clinched it. No longer will I be voting against Obama. Instead, I will be voting for McCain!
JBon 04 Sep 2008 at 10:08 pm 11By conventional standards of political speechifying, it was an average speech…upto the last minute - and then everything that came before solidified into a boulder that just dropped you, with that rousing call through the shouting and cheering - a magical ending.
Tommy Von 04 Sep 2008 at 10:16 pm 12I had a friend leave a message on my machine that she went from Obama to definitely unsure after McCain’s speech.
She was very impressed.
The speech wasn’t flashy, but it resonated with a sincerity that I think Obama’s speech failed to reach.
I think the word is getting out that Obama may be more of a media creation than anything else.
Remember, this is really the first time the GOP has been able to communicate with the American public directly. It has always been through the MSM filter.
They had already seen that Palin was not who the media said she was. I think logic dictates that many would conclude that Obama is not who the media says he is as well.
trzupron 04 Sep 2008 at 10:17 pm 13Damn. And I thought I would be flamed! You are, to co-opt DH once again - truly magnificent bastards.
If you will grant me a personal moment…
My dad (also Stosh in da Sticks’ dad, by some strange coincidence) was the eldest child of Polish immigrants. He left school in the ninth grade, in order to help support his family in the midst of the Great Depression. And he did so because it was the right thing to do, not because he was hoping to win sympathy points.
He spent his entire life busting his ass, working shift work in the mills, raising 6 rambunctious, obnoxious kids. The one thing he taught us, above all, was that honor matters. Not that he ever said that. He didn’t. But we all knew that was what mattered to him - because that is how he lived his life - and we have all carried that lesson into our own lives.
I believe that you all get that. DH and Floyd and Rufus get that. Honor matters. Obama would have us believe that the only thing that matters is personal comfort and acquiescence in the name of something he believes is “peace”. Obama’s utopia is devoid of conflict, but it is equally devoid of principle. It is a world of the lowest common denominator.
McCain stands for something. His opponent stands for nothing. Hopefully that will make the difference in Novermeber.
(With love and gratitude to PFC Walter Trzupek. Born 12 January 1917. Died 23 June 1989).
Cheers,
Rich
Jillon 04 Sep 2008 at 10:18 pm 14My view of McCain from even a month ago is like night and day. I’m as excited as hell about this election. I think Obama has peaked and it’s all downhill, although I think he could do enough widespread voter fraud and cheat his way to victory (read Malkin’s posts on ACORN)….
I just can’t believe how the media get it totally wrong, time after time after time. There are many many people I will want to watch gleefully the day after McCain’s win and one of them will be CNN’s Jack Cafferty. He is so smug and arrogant and sarcastic he makes me sick.
The other day he asked Wolf, oh what did she say about the VP position recently? Oh yeah, she didn’t know what it entailed (or something like that)……he’s such a smartass. He couldn’t say one decent thing about her if it killed him.
I can’t wait till November 5th.
David Marcoeon 04 Sep 2008 at 10:24 pm 15If McCain/Palin win, then it will be the Tortured Screams of the Damned from the Kos Krazies and the Demented Underground.
amzarakon 04 Sep 2008 at 10:25 pm 16“although I think he could do enough widespread voter fraud and cheat his way to victory”
Jill, I’m afraid of the same thing. McCain’s gonna need a 4 or 5% margin to prevent that from happening.
Patrickon 04 Sep 2008 at 10:41 pm 17If I could really simplify things, what I got from McCain tonight was love of country, and somehow when I thought of Obama, what popped to mind was a few weeks ago when he said he felt embarrassed about Americans in front of Europeans because we can’t speak two languages. Seems like a reversal of the usual party stereotypes, where this time the democrat is the elitist.
Thudon 04 Sep 2008 at 11:20 pm 18As a Brit I am jealous that you have such Men and women as McCain and Palin…..they shame what passes for politicians in the rest of the west…Bravo.
wanketteon 04 Sep 2008 at 11:31 pm 19Rich. Lovely. And thanks for the story about your dad.
Carolyn — Give your sister a big ol’ hug and tell her she wasn’t the only one!
Thanks Harry for the thread.
And thank you Andy McCain, #1 in tonight’s fantasy pick.
Gideon7on 04 Sep 2008 at 11:46 pm 20‘Us’ Magazine has lost 5,000+subscribers in the past 48 hours since it published the Palin smear cover.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26549704/
Blackiswhite, Imperial Agent Provocateuron 04 Sep 2008 at 11:57 pm 21Well said. McCain is too modest to use it in such a fashion, but I am not afraid to say it out loud. The service, and time in Hanoi alone make him a better man than Obama is.
Blackiswhite, Imperial Agent Provocateuron 04 Sep 2008 at 11:58 pm 22If McCain/Palin win, then it will be the Tortured Screams of the Damned from the Kos Krazies and the Demented Underground.
IF???
David Marcoeon 05 Sep 2008 at 12:02 am 23I don’t feel like having my quote used by some deranged wingnut gloating in the wake of an Obama victory, so I’m hedging my words a little.
Vincent Wongon 05 Sep 2008 at 12:21 am 24Over on the convention thread, DH posted Michael Reagan’s quote about seeing his Daddy reborn as Sarah Palin that made my jaw drop while choking back tears at the same time. It felt like I was struck by lightning, since I have always liked the articles Michael wrote and never thought he would say something like that. Is there a clip anywhere of that remark?
Johnny Ed's Babyon 05 Sep 2008 at 5:11 am 25Rich:
I think we all know Sen McCain has done a lot of things that have pissed off Republicans. McCain Feingold was enough for me to support Fred and then Mitt in the primaries but when the dust settled the clear differences between the two parties was clear.
The thing about McCain is that he has been on the stage so long that a lot of people, especially in the press, have formed opinions on him and forgotten a lot of those things you list in your post. His speech last night reminded us of what McCain is made of.
He had my vote last week but it was as much against Obama as for McCain. Today I’m voting all McCain/Palin.
Thanks for the post.
Stephanieon 05 Sep 2008 at 5:21 am 26You know Mac drove us crazy on the Hill. Caused a lot of trouble and made my former Boss glad he was retiring…but in the last few weeks since the Obamapalooza and the shallow, silly, vacuous insane Personality Cult going on compared with the depth, the sincerity, and fierce patriotism of John McCain I realized again what made me support him so far back in 2000. This man has done everything this country has ever asked of him, he wears literally the wounds of his service. None of the people running on the other ticket can say any of that. None. They talk a good talk but a soft growing up, having things easy, merely worried about paying for an Ivy League education are not character builders. That isn’t powerful. Its mundane. We have seen it before.
And change? What change? Obama has never done anything to prove he is a reformer. He has never gone against a special interest group, or stood against his party. Somehow as a Republican I am seeing Country First as being a very Republican statement. We are the ones WE have been waiting for is the usual narcissistic fodder we come to expect from the Baby Boomers who vote left. McCain said he would change things its because he has done it before.
You know Mac is not Reagan. He just is who he is. He has been an anti establishment Republican his whole political career. I would rather have a man like that standing by me than a man who wallows in what he is rather than who he is standing above me.
Bobon 05 Sep 2008 at 5:50 am 27The pagans on the other side are going to have trouble finding a way to trash this man’s Christ-like passion and redemption.
JBon 05 Sep 2008 at 6:12 am 28She is the one we’ve been waiting for.
Piper Palin, that is.
Johnny Ed's Babyon 05 Sep 2008 at 6:51 am 29JB
Is Piper the biggest ham or what. I feel sorry for any kid that has to audition for the same part in the school play.
photomanon 05 Sep 2008 at 6:53 am 30I know this is extremely anecdotal but my youngest daughter is a high school senior and eligible voter whose friends were mostly Hillary supporters even to the point of attending rallies etc. (They will be voters in November) The buzz at school yesterday was all Sarah Palin and they can’t wait to vote for her.
Can’t wait to see the poll numbers although I doubt they will reflect the true amount of bounce for McCain/Palin
Also, those of you nervous about the polling, remember the Bradley Effect. Its not a good thing, but its out there.
steevyon 05 Sep 2008 at 6:57 am 31McCain still scares me with the enviro whacko stuff.I feel better with the way things have gone but he still hasn’t given up on that nonsense.
Fiftyfooton 05 Sep 2008 at 7:10 am 32McCain has with the aid of the left, been jamming his maverick finger in the eye of conservatives for decades. Last night he described his transformation in thinking as the result of his POW experience. I understand his motivations better now, I believe they are genuine. Yet, he will pull the party left, as he always has. He hasn’t changed. The people on this board have changed. Into willing sheep.
GMKon 05 Sep 2008 at 7:29 am 33I feel vaguely embarrassed for anyone who needed that speech to know who he was. I guess most people are pretty hormonal in the end. The facts of his service and the undeniable character of his acts as a prisoner, as well as his standing on principle and putting it before party (regardless of whether I agree with everything) made who he was perfectly obvious. The only thing on my mind when I was watching his speech last night was whether he’d be able to get it across to ordinary Americans who do not read much or pay much attention to the news or politics. I wasn’t sold; I already knew, and I’m shocked anyone else informed enough to be here needed any kind of push.
I’ve seen people I used to think of as ideological allies, not here but elsewhere on the web, go into sickening, hateful tirades at this man that were no better than the very worst shit I saw out of hippies in 2004. Why? Because of immigration. Raging, wild-eyed hatred that was more than willing to throw the same valor and patriotism out the window that they had lionized and demanded in 2004 and rightly took Kerry to task for failing to live up to it. I was disgusted. I still am. And if you failed to respect John McCain before last night, I’m ashamed for you, because you clearly lack much capacity to feel it for yourself. If you felt hatred and rage at this man six months ago, you are no better than the liberals as a human being. You may vote the right way, but you’re shit.
NeoConJedion 05 Sep 2008 at 8:15 am 34I’ve had problems with McCain’s legislation for years, but you have to admit that he was listening to the people when McCain/Kennedy was being debated. Some may call it political expedience, but I don’t — the results are the same.
Sure, McCain/Feingold and McCain/Lieberman still bother the hell out of me, but that’s the real world — you’re not going to have a dream candidate every election.
Although I’ve never had anything but the deepest respect for the man, McCain was my fourth choice to win the nomination. But now I am so happy at how things are playing out right now. Sarah Palin — who is clearly going to be the future of the conservative movement — may not have been thrust into the spotlight had Romney, Huckabee, or Guilianni emerged.
I believe in my heart that God has always watched over the American experiment, and I now I truly feel John McCain and Sarah Palin are THE leaders for this time.
Knowing McCain is willing to listen and back up on his positions — and NEVER doubting his courage and resolve — I have set all reservations aside, and will even be volunteering for the campaign to see that this man gets his deserved chance to lead this nation.
And let’s not forget the alternative: an ultra-radical left-wing champion, who has aligned himself with society’s MOST poisonous elements, and would like nothing more than to surrender America’s sovereignty and redistribute her wealth around the world.
This a DANGEROUS time, and I will be proud to have John McCain stand on that wall and be the standard-bearer for everything American.
Fiftyfooton 05 Sep 2008 at 8:53 am 35Wow. Step away from the McCain love for a second and you’re a raging, hateful, shit. I’ve been a Republican thirty years. And I didn’t even say I wasn’t going to vote for him.
Stephanieon 05 Sep 2008 at 9:10 am 36Hey Fiftyfoot you have no respect. I can say this ARMEY even when he disagreed with Mac respected HIM! GET IT? Dick Armey with his hardcore in your face libertarianism who was driven to distraction by Mac is all for MAC! WHY? BECAUSE REPUBLICANS HAVE SCREWED THE POOCH! AND ARMEY WARNED US! MCCAIN IS SAYING WHAT HE SAID! If you can’t handle the truth then remind yourself your acting like a leftist freak.
Fiftyfooton 05 Sep 2008 at 9:28 am 37Okay, okay. All done here.
soulpileon 05 Sep 2008 at 11:07 am 38I never felt any hatred or disrespect for McCain… I just didn’t like him for President until now. I needed convincing and now I’ve been convinced. That makes me a shit? And/or a sheep?
Thanks SO much.
I’m going into this election with my eyes open. McCain may not be perfect, but then again, no one is. At least now I’ve been given reason to vote FOR him (not just against Obama, as I’ve said before). I know who he is and in what he believes. That’s enough for me. I’m not a one issue voter. I’m voting for the person who I think is most capable of leading this country and of hopefully changing the face of politics. Doesn’t mean I have to fall lock-step in line with his views.
Stephanieon 05 Sep 2008 at 11:15 am 39No one is in lockstep with any candidate.
Sara comes closest to my views and Mac isn’t far behind.
I think one issue voters are selfish people. Truly. Prolifers, pro choices, greenieweenies, etc. Selfish. Like Soul said you have to put by your one issue and remember that there is more to this election than one issue. And Fiftyfoot Mac keeps his promises. This made us all crazy because sometimes he promised stuff that was harmful but he kept those promises. I admire that. YTou should to.
ANd for Sharon and Fiftyfoot………THOU SHALL NOT TRASH A FELLOW REPUBLICAN! That was Reagan’s philosophy. SHould be all of ours.
rightwingprofon 05 Sep 2008 at 11:49 am 40I am not quite so old as Johnny Mac, but close enough that I know what kind of man he is. I grew up around men like him, in the hilly countryside of the Ohio River Valley. My father, who served in WW2 and Korea, my grandfathers who served in WW1, our neighbor down the road who lost his leg in the European Theater, and I could go on, but I won’t. But it wasn’t the military service that made these men; they served because they shared the same kind of character John McCain has, and has always had.
I have usually kept my mouth shut on the blogosphere when people foamed at the mouth about McCain. A few times, I spoke up, but few listened. They didn’t want to hear. I think now, people are starting to listen.
You may not always agree with him. God knows, I don’t. But men of John McCain’s caliber are sadly rare these days. No elected official deserves as much respect and admiration as McCain. Yes, he’s grumpy (I consider that a feature, not a bug), he’s stubborn and hard headed, and he’s hot tempered. He’s also courageous, honorable, honest (sometimes to a fault), plainspoken and straightforward (see that last one), and highly principled. He’s an old fashioned man who lives for God and country. He hates corruption; McCain-Feingold came directly from his disgust with himself over Keating 5.
And make no mistake. If McCain’s principles are challenged, he will stand his ground and not give an inch, even if you happen to call yourself his “base.” He never has pandered, and he never will.
The liberals are fond of talking about role models, and they choose domestic terrorists and street thugs. Who is a better role model for our sons than John McCain, who has given his life to serve his country? If your son said, “I want to be like John McCain when I grow up,” would your heart swell with pride, or would you try to get him to want to be more like someone else because his politics jived more closely with your own?
There were candidates whose stances I preferred, but when it was obvious that McCain would be the nominee I breathed a sigh of relief. John McCain’s sense of duty and his principles have guided him, and will continue to do so if he wins the election.
Understand that I am ecstatic about Sarah Palin. I love her. But also understand that I’m proudly voting for the ticket, and I have no desire to flip the two around. Palin is the future of the party. McCain has already ushered it in, and will continue. McCain has more than earned our trust to elect him Commander-in-Chief. John McCain will always do what he believes is the right thing.
That goes a long way with me.
Fiftyfooton 05 Sep 2008 at 12:52 pm 41Well argued rightwingprof.
wanketteon 05 Sep 2008 at 9:01 pm 42Fiftyfoot, I’d appreciate that any sheep-calling be directed at specific people. Don’t you dare diminish me with generalities.
Besides — What do you care about the occasional Kool-Aid party? I’ve been loving the mood around here since last Friday, and I won’t allow you to kill my buzz.