McCAIN'S "CROSS IN THE DIRT" STORY ISN'T TRUE

*nhboy* ^(Premo) · 08-19-2008, 01:18 AM

"A Daily Kos diarist named rickrocket has determined that a story John McCain tells repeatedly, about a prison guard in Hanoi who drew a cross in the dirt one Christmas, bears a striking resemblance to an anecdote from Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's writings. It's been noted that McCain made no mention of this incident in a detailed account of his POW years that U.S. News published in 1973, and no one, so far, has found evidence of McCain telling the story before 1999 -- when his most formidable opponent for the GOP presidential nomination was a man who was making a concerted effort to court religious voters.

I just want to point out that there's a chapter specifically devoted to three Christmases of McCain's captivity in The Nightingale's Song, Robert Timberg's critically acclaimed 1995 book, which helped put McCain on the map as a political celebrity -- and the cross story does not appear. Nor does it appear anywhere else in the book.

The chapter is titled "'Tis the Season to Be Jolly." It says that on Christmas Eve 1968, a guard tried to compel McCain to attend a church service that was being staged for the benefit of visiting photographers. McCain decided "to ruin the picture," letting out a series of curses ("'Fu-u-u-u-ck you, you son of a #####!' shouted McCain, hoisting a one-finger salute whenever a camera pointed in his direction"). There's certainly no mention of a cross in the sand in this account."

No More Mister Nice Blog

Sonsie · 08-19-2008, 01:32 AM

Oh look! Another thread from a lefty blog! Color me surprised. This one was shat out by "No More Mr. Nice", a scintillating read I'm sure. You should really find better source material boy.

BuddyLee · 08-19-2008, 01:38 AM

Sounds pretty far-fetched.

*nhboy* ^(Premo) · 08-19-2008, 01:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sonsie

Oh look! Another thread from a lefty blog! Color me surprised. This one was shat out by "No More Mr. Nice", a scintillating read I'm sure. You should really find better source material boy.

Here you are.
Link

Sonsie · 08-19-2008, 02:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nhboy

Here you are.
Link

Ooooh, brilliant reply. Typically lame, with a bit of misogyny thrown in for effect. PMS! BWAHAHAA!! Good one! Original too. Keep patting yourself on the back boy.

*chernmax* ^(Premo) · 08-19-2008, 02:31 AM

Idiot post alert!!!

Lenny · 08-19-2008, 08:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chernmax

Idiot post alert!!!

Annoyboy still hasn't learned that his LINK should somehow support the title he elects for his posts. The LINK in this case is a single guy's assertion that the cross in the dirt story is false. But ANNOYBOY elects to accept this poorly derived assertion as proof the STORY ISN'T TRUE.

EDIT: See McCAIN'S "CROSS IN THE DIRT" STORY ISN'T TRUE as a vindication of my point.

*itsbob* ^(Premo) · 08-19-2008, 08:56 AM

They're digging deep, because all of the important llies that McCain has told have been proven to be true.

He was indeed shot down.. he was indeed wounded.. he was tortured.. he EARNED ever single one of his medals.. He DID refuse early release.. he is/was a hero.

Now they have to dig a lot deeper to find the inconsequential that nobody will take the time to prove fact or fiction.

You can't Swiftboat a Hero..

Lenny · 08-19-2008, 10:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by itsbob

They're digging deep, because all of the important llies that McCain has told have been proven to be true.

...while Obammy's lies continue to accumulate. Would like to see what's been added since April.

cwo_ghwebb · 08-20-2008, 07:59 AM

[i]t turns out that this episode probably never happened to Solzhenitsyn at all, and according to a Solzhenitsyn biographer it appears nowhere in his published writing. Columbia University professor Michael Scammell, the author of Solzhenitsyn: A Biography, says the episode “never happened,” and didn’t appear in Solzhenitsyn’s book, Gulag Archipelago, either.

This only solves a piece of the mystery, but it’s a key piece. It doesn’t necessarily rule out the possibility that McCain or his biographer, Mark Salter, picked up the tale that this happened to Solzhenitsyn elsewhere and embellished it for their own purposes.

But it takes one well-trafficked theory off the table: That McCain, a fan of Solzhenitsyn, picked it up straight from his works. More broadly, it also skewers once and for all the cherished right-wing falsehood that this happened to Solzhenitsyn at all.

TPM: Er, Solzhenitsyn never wrote about that cross story that McCain supposedly plagiarized

08-19-2008, 01:18 AM	#1 (permalink)
nhboy ^(Premo) Don't Tase Me, Bro! Member Since: Aug 2007 Posts: 4,908 Blog Entries: 16	McCAIN'S "CROSS IN THE DIRT" STORY ISN'T TRUE "A Daily Kos diarist named rickrocket has determined that a story John McCain tells repeatedly, about a prison guard in Hanoi who drew a cross in the dirt one Christmas, bears a striking resemblance to an anecdote from Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's writings. It's been noted that McCain made no mention of this incident in a detailed account of his POW years that U.S. News published in 1973, and no one, so far, has found evidence of McCain telling the story before 1999 -- when his most formidable opponent for the GOP presidential nomination was a man who was making a concerted effort to court religious voters. I just want to point out that there's a chapter specifically devoted to three Christmases of McCain's captivity in The Nightingale's Song, Robert Timberg's critically acclaimed 1995 book, which helped put McCain on the map as a political celebrity -- and the cross story does not appear. Nor does it appear anywhere else in the book. The chapter is titled "'Tis the Season to Be Jolly." It says that on Christmas Eve 1968, a guard tried to compel McCain to attend a church service that was being staged for the benefit of visiting photographers. McCain decided "to ruin the picture," letting out a series of curses ("'Fu-u-u-u-ck you, you son of a #####!' shouted McCain, hoisting a one-finger salute whenever a camera pointed in his direction"). There's certainly no mention of a cross in the sand in this account." No More Mister Nice Blog __________________ "The trouble with having an open mind, of course, is that people will insist on coming along and trying to put things in it" (Terry Prachett) The Pledge Disabled American Veterans The Marine Defense Fund Medical Aid for Iraqi Children
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08-19-2008, 01:32 AM	#2 (permalink)
Sonsie The mighty Al-Sonsie! Member Since: Sep 2007 Location: Ex-Waldorfian Posts: 2,233	Oh look! Another thread from a lefty blog! Color me surprised. This one was shat out by "No More Mr. Nice", a scintillating read I'm sure. You should really find better source material boy.
	[ Reply w/Quote ]

08-19-2008, 02:31 AM	#6 (permalink)
chernmax ^(Premo) ABC = All Barack Channel Member Since: Jul 2006 Location: Displaced New Yorker in Southern MD Posts: 7,781	Idiot post alert!!! __________________ EARN what you are WORTH
	[ Reply w/Quote ]

08-20-2008, 07:59 AM	#10 (permalink)
cwo_ghwebb No Use for Donk Twits Member Since: Jul 2005 Location: Costa Rica bound Posts: 6,204	Solzhenitsyn never wrote about that cross story [i]t turns out that this episode probably never happened to Solzhenitsyn at all, and according to a Solzhenitsyn biographer it appears nowhere in his published writing. Columbia University professor Michael Scammell, the author of Solzhenitsyn: A Biography, says the episode “never happened,” and didn’t appear in Solzhenitsyn’s book, Gulag Archipelago, either. This only solves a piece of the mystery, but it’s a key piece. It doesn’t necessarily rule out the possibility that McCain or his biographer, Mark Salter, picked up the tale that this happened to Solzhenitsyn elsewhere and embellished it for their own purposes. But it takes one well-trafficked theory off the table: That McCain, a fan of Solzhenitsyn, picked it up straight from his works. More broadly, it also skewers once and for all the cherished right-wing falsehood that this happened to Solzhenitsyn at all. TPM: Er, Solzhenitsyn never wrote about that cross story that McCain supposedly plagiarized __________________ I don't accept the false premise that I'm not the Messiah and I'm not infallible! - B.O.
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