Catholics Explore McCain's Supposed Racism Part II

I suppose this is related to another VOX NOVA post I commented on at Major Catholic Political Site Declares Latest McCain Ad RACIST!!!

Let me again stress that Vox Nova is a GROUP blog and there is differing opinion. However the very earnest Catholic that commented on my com box in the above post ,Michael J. Iafrate, who also has his personal blog here. has a new piece up called John McCain’s racism?

This involves in 2000 McCain calling his captors that tortured him GOOKS. Now what is left out of this was that just days later McCain apologized and again reiterated that it was toward the people that tortured him that he was referring too.

I am no expert on the word "gook" except I recognize it is not a very nice term. The fact that my Vietnamese refuge friend in the dorm who was from New Orleans used that term toward the Viet Cong is another matter. Or that have I seen it used in Vietnamese blogs comment sections by Vietnamese Americans toward each other , when they are not calling each other suspect Communists is again another matter.

The fact that John McCain did very well among Vietnamese American in the Republican primaries gives us a clue that Vietnamese American do not see him as racist. That they understood where perhaps he was coming from and knew racism was not at the core of his remarks.

In fact McCain in the Super Tuesday California Primary carried what is known as "little Saigon" in Orange Country against Mitt Romney by very comfortable margins. The Vietnamese Political leadership backed him too in that county that is one of the most important Vietnamese American commuties in the country

However and this is important. Though this supposed issue is getting some play in some areas(there was a slight uptick in it the last month) this will not be a issue that will be pressed. The Democrats and various leftist groups cannot press it because the facts do not only destroy the racism myth but suddenly explodes the more recent bizarre theme. That theme being McCain the crazed warmonger!!!!! That cannot happen especially among a youth vote that is living in ignorance about McCain history.

We see a tad of this in the comment sect of this post and the reaction here is typical what we see elsewhere

Commenter GK Alkon states in reply
"
Right.
But why the question mark?
And everyone should note McCain’s constant braying about Georgia, about how Georgia is the new Czechoslovakia (thus that Putin is the new Hitler), etc. One can condemn Russia (as has Obama) without ignoring the fact that Georgia initiated the conflict and is (also) run by nationalist xenophobic warmongers. But McCain and his neocon advisers (and he has them) want a new Cold War. Also, note that McCain’s foreign policy adviser is a paid employee of the state of Georgia.

Why is McCain so eager for war? Because he is a petty, sick, weak man who can only find meaning in war and violence. And because history shows that Americans often vote for candidates who bray about the “necessity” of war.

These theme being parroted by a certain age demographic mostly cannot be disturbed. So do not expect McCain's gook comment to get a lot of action.

If it did then people would learn a amazing fact. That McCain again took a amazing stand that at that time garnered much cruel criticism toward him, political risk , and made him embark no doubt on a personal journey through the most harrowing part of his life. That his major role in the normalization of relations with Vietnam.

This was the time that McCain came on my radar back in the early 90's. McCain was making trips to Vietnam on behalf of the BUSH I administration to bring peace. It is difficult to recall unless you lived through it how difficult that was. McCain along with Kerry gave Clinton political cover for enabling true peace with Vietnam.

If the "Gook issue" and charges of racism were raised then people would see the hearings where McCain was the lightening rod for groups opposing peace and reconciliation.

In fact they might read this nine page wonderful piece on McCain and Kerry A Friendship That Ended the War that is was written in The New Yorker in 1996. A must read. If people like the above commenter read this there would have to be some major soul searching on their opinions of McCain.

I sort of give Mr Iafrate a pass because I suspect he was too young to recall this time. No doubt if he read the articles and other he would be quite amazed that this man broke bread with his former enemies and even on one occasion with one of his former captors.

Mr Iafrate, if you look at his blog ,comes from a rather radical Catholic peace tradition. I do not subscribe to all its applications but it is legitimate in the Catholic World.. However I have to suspect if he KNEW what McCain did for years, often toiling alone in his party as the public face of this effort, he would realize that McCain was exhibiting some of the principles he extols on his blog. Again I cannot fault him for not being around during this important part of history. Needless to say the media does not cover it which is one reason I suspect this other information is not included in his post. It sort of answers the ? in his post

The Democrats, the Daily Kos's, the Democratic Undergrounds, and the powers that be that want a Dem in the White House cannot not let this major part of McCain's life interfere with the story of McCain the BLOOD LUST WAR MONGER.

If they did the gig is sort of up and people like earnest Catholics like Michael if informed would be looking past the sound bites. They might start considering the fact that the McCain family is helping to provide medical care for Children in Vietnam is not just some Campaign promo or smoke or mirrors.

So needless to say McCain is not racist. Racist do not do the things cited above. However it is a irony that this myth of the racist McCain will just enough under the radar so it can not be destroyed and thus destroy a much bigger myth and lie