It Only Felt Like Five Years

Media 45 Comments

Behold, ye lowly bloggers! Tremble before the awesome fact-checking powers of the Canadian Press!

His personal story – from his five months as a prisoner of war in Vietnam to his penchant for going against Washington’s status quo – helped earned him the moniker, the Maverick.

h/t WW
Update: SDA gets results!

Corrective: McCain spent five years as prisoner of war in Vietnam THE CANADIAN PRESS
ST. PAUL, Minn. _ The Canadian Press erroneously reported Thursday that
Republican presidential hopeful John McCain spent five months as a prisoner of
war in Vietnam. In fact, McCain was a prisoner of war in Vietnam for five
years.

45 Replies to “It Only Felt Like Five Years”

  1. Probably fact-checked by one of their in-house bloggers, while live-blogging somewhere. That is, doing neither very well.

  2. I know they have editors, they have a link to them at the bottom of the page.
    My question is why do they pay them?

  3. maybe 5 years as a prisoner of war , but 5 months as a prison camp organizer.
    McCain isnt a guy that needed to pad his resume with summer jobs thats for sure.

  4. like CTV’s Joy Malbon describing how unprepared Palin is for the VP job “afterall, she was just the mayor of a small town in Alaska”
    No mention of 20 months of being State Governor, of an 80% approval rating.

  5. Wow! They’re good.
    (However, I bet the CBC will bid them down to 5 weeks).
    BTW – anyone here from Montreal? Notice how the Op-Ed pages (including used-to-be-amusing Aislin)have become obsessively left over the past year?
    Notice how the smug, shallow, leftoid apologist Janet Bagnall couldn’t resist a smug, shallow, leftoid attack on Palin? Almost as a visceral reaction. Certainly no thought involved.

  8. I forgot to mention the Photoshopped “hot pictures” of Sarah [Google it], in addition to the continued Dem bloggers slagging of her.
    One blogger with a litany of Sarah’s petty faults included this: “She is enormously popular; in every way she’s like the most popular girl in middle school. Even men who think she is a poor choice and won’t vote for her can’t quit smiling when talking about her because she is a ‘babe'”.
    Leftogynists?

  9. Idiots!
    Even McLeans doesn’t take the USA seriously.
    Oh well, being a prisoner of war is an American Value, so it has no value in Canada.

  10. Years ago there was this not so good movie starring Michael J Fox in which he was a fact checker for some hoity-toity New York magazine who eventually got fired because his descent into drugs allowed a mistake to slip into the factually-pristine publication.
    These days it would seem that drugs are a prerequisite!

  11. Sent this email to the Toronto Sun.
    “As a subscriber to the Sun I am getting more and more perturbed at your obvious leftist tilt over the last few years. What happened to actual reporting of the news and unbiased columnists writing about it? Your columnist Lisa Van Dusen is so leftist as to be unreadable and it is not informative just anger provoking. She obviously, as a lefty, hates Sarah Palin and goes to great lengths to denigrate and belittle this person, dragging into her column every untrue accusation and rumour to do so. Palin’s carny narrative, her black go-go boots, calling Palin a Barbie doll, baby switching and Van Dusen slapping the state of Alaska in tearing down their governor and former Wasilla mayor is not objective reporting. Her hero, Obama, with his vast experience (sarcasm off) is trumpeted to the hills. I thought Van Dusen was your columnist to let us know what is happening in the United States not just a fellow traveller of the leftist media? She along with Greg Weston, Eric Margolis, Rob Granatstein and Marianne Meed Ward, who admitted in a email to me that she takes the Liberal position every time, are just some of your writers leading the leftward trend.
    As a reader of the Sun from day one I am finally getting to the stage of not reading your paper.”
    Her response:
    “For the record, I don’t hate Sarah Palin — I’m sure she’s a lovely person. I was referring to the sensational headlines about her in the specific context of pointing out that the last thing John McCain needs is sensational headlines about his running mate. As for my politics, I grew up in a Tory family (my father ran for the party twice, was executive assistant and biographer to John Diefenbaker), sitting on John Diefenbaker’s knee, and worked for Brian Mulroney as a press assistant when I was 21. Since then, my ten years in America exposed me to the issue of race relations in that country in a way that, admittedly, tends to inform my view that Barack Obama’s candidacy represents something more than the sum of its components, which are already considerable. Since I’ve had the privilege of expressing my opinions in the Sun, I’ve been pretty clear about that. I’ve also written about my affection and respect for John McCain over the years. Meanwhile, questioning Sarah Palin’s credentials isn’t necessarily a knee-jerk reflex of the left. The link below will take you to a conversation between longtime Republican strategist and former McCain advisor Mike Murphy and Republican icon and former Reagan speechwriter Peggy Noonan sharing similar observations.
    http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20080903/pl_politico/20576
    Thanks for taking the time to write and all the best,
    Lisa”
    I wrote back to her with this note:
    “Thank you for your response. I have reread your column and stand by my email and still say you were not in the least objective and wrote in a similar vein as Daily Kos and other vindictive sources. Your comments did not seem to me, as the reader, as referring to headlines but just attempting to trash Sarah Palin. Her credentials are pretty straight forward and you seem to support Obama just because he is black. As a follower of politics I listened to Mrs. Palin’s entire speech last night and she seemed to be a decent person with a history of public service. Your writing is typical of the left with very little substance of what Palin is like as a person just destroy her as she represents a different view point than your leftist brethren. You say you were brought up as Tory but reading your columns in the Sun I never would have guessed that. They do not seem objective just biased.
    Peggy Noonan’s full text, which I had read, did not reflect her feeling that Palin was not a good choice at all. Mike Murphy is a hypocrite as he praised Palin in earlier dissertations.
    As I have stated I used to enjoy the Sun as it had columnists representing various views but now I have stopped reading several of your columnists like Margolis or Meed Ward as what is the point as every column eventually becomes a hate-Bush or anti-American rant. In my opinion the media has become extremely left wing biased, lazy and full of errors with the CBC even reporting that Palin’s daughter bore her fifth child despite this being disproved several days ago. You don’t want to report the news, you want to make the news. Is it any wonder Harper refuses to bother with the media. I now get most of my information from blogs like Small Dead Animals.”

  14. This is a setback for women,……
    “In his stirring speech last week, Obama urged America not to “make a big election about small things”. Yet here we are, discussing not Sarah Palin’s record or programme but Jesus, guns, and ……… “the uterine activity of her family”. This is a setback for women,…… but it is also a setback for America itself.”
    We stand on Gaurdian for thee: Jonathan Freedland
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2008/sep/03/uselections2008.palin
    Oh Johnny you write like you look.

  17. “columnists like Margolis or Meed Ward as what is the point as every column eventually becomes a hate-Bush or anti-American rant”
    Meed Ward used to write an interesting column about ethics, religion, etc., at least it was different. Then she ran for the Liberal part in Burlington and the effect was toxic, but maybe she was always eager to shed her ideals and start climbing the greasy pole to the land of cushy jobs and government appointments. It’s disgusting to see a person chuck their integrity out the window and makes you wonder why it was so easy, particularly for a person who wrote little sermonettes about ethics and such.

  18. I wrote a letter to the editor, as I am sure others have. I think they were confusing John Kerry’s entire length of service with McCain’s imprisonment.

  19. Van Dusen just came off as bitter and, inter alia, she parrotted one of the looney left memes about Palin being a would-be book burner. All Palin had done, in her duties as mayor, was query the town librarian about whether the library had a policy on banning any books, no mention of whether it was Huckleberry Finn, Harry Potter or I Have Two Dads. The librarian said no, not policy, library worked from generally accepted reading lists, etc. The librarian was later laid off in a wider cutback of town employees. No story.

  20. i think mr. mcain is either a socialist or senile. palin will look like a fool if she accepts his ultimate platform. the woman has potential as a politico if she can in any way stay conservative.

  22. “”””” I think they were confusing John Kerry’s entire length of service with McCain’s imprisonment.”””””
    Hahahahahaha
    good one
    and as far as the TO sun goes, I’v noticed since the teachers pention fund bought in, they took a huge left turn, and mant of the good right and centreist pundits vacated.

  23. Where did Ms. Brautigam do her journalism degree? Where was her editor, for crying out loud?
    Senator McCain and many of his supporters mentioned his YEARS spent incarcerated as a POW in North Vietnam, not to mention the biographical video shown just before McCain’s speech. ‘Seems Tara wasn’t listening or watching.
    On the other hand, she’s part of the whatever generation: five months? five years? who cares?what’s the difference?
    Whatever [shrug].

  24. Lisa Van Dusen. Would she be any relation to Julie Van Dusen, aka Dusn’t (like conservatives), of CBC fame?
    Why oh why is the Canadian press just full of nepotism? ‘Seems like the only people getting jobs are family members of already established journalists.
    Yuck. No wonder our MSM is in such a mess: information incest doesn’t make for intelligent, informed, or well turned out copy.

  25. My wife must work for the Canadian Press. She says it was only 10 minutes but I swear it was an hour.

  26. Dave (@ 4:14): I’ve done some sleuthing and have discovered a few things about Ms. Van Dusen:
    * columnist on US politics and foreign affairs for more than a decade, first from Washington for the Ottawa Citizen and, since January 2008, for Sun Media covering the US presidential elections.
    * from 1997 to 2000, she worked on the news desk at United Press International in Washington, then at Associated Press in New York
    * spent a year at ABC as international news writer for the late Peter Jennings
    * began her journalism career at 19 in Ottawa’s Parliamentary Press Gallery and, at 21, was press assistant to Prime Minister Brian Mulroney. (How do you START your journalism career in the PPG and, at 21, become press assistant to Brian Mulroney unless you’ve got some pull?)
    TA-DA (Drum roll):
    * She spent January, 2008, volunteering in South Carolina for Barack Obama’s presidential campaign
    http://lisavandusen.com/
    ‘Nuff said.

  27. David, I’m sure there are lots of these types of allegations. People often misinterpret this conversation/letter to their own end, believing what they want.
    We have no confirmation of this. In any event, it’s hardly a serious matter – simply fodder for those anti-religious bigots with an axe to grind.
    These things do happen when someone is in an exectutive/command position, such as mayor, governor or president.
    It’s easy to appear squeaky clean when you’ve never been in executive position. Frankly, it’s evidence that they haven’t done much in the way of real leadership.

  28. “Idiots!
    Even McLeans doesn’t take the USA seriously.
    Oh well, being a prisoner of war is an American Value, so it has no value in Canada.”
    You’re missing this one John V. This is a direct slam at the Khadr/guantanamo issue based on the statement by Steacey of the Cdn human rights commission, that freedom of speech is an American concept and as such he doesn’t give it any credence in Canada.

  30. Lisa Van Dusen used to have a regular feature in the Sun called ‘Eye on America’, wherein she would bash Republicans and worship Dummycrats. It would have better been called ‘View from the DNC’. She does the same thing now only less frequently and without the title on top of her tripe. If she did indeed spend time as a volunteer for Barry O! it is reprehensible of the Sun not to mention this when they present her ‘expert’ political ‘analysis’, and deceitful of her not ever to have mentioned it in her columns.
    Skip, I’m fairly sure John V knows the origin of his quip.

  31. Thanks BATB for that information. Love the internet, you can run but you can’t hide. I will be sure to mention this tiny omitted fact about her working on his campaign. This is the stuff these MSM snakes used to get away with.

  33. Re the former mayor of wa-silli‘s experience [as the hush,hush,Don’t tell] Governor:
    From the Wall Street Journal: (http://tinyurl.com/6aqt3k)
    “…By February 2007 she’d released her requirements for pipeline bidding. They were stricter, and included only a $500 million state incentive. By May a cowed state house—reeling from scandal—passed her legislation.
    The producers warned they would not bid, nor would anyone else. Five groups submitted proposals. A few months before the legislature awarded its license to TransCanada this July, Conoco and BP suddenly announced they’d be building their own pipeline with no state inducements whatsoever. They’d suddenly found the money.
    Mrs. Palin has meanwhile passed an ethics law. She’s tightened up oil oversight. She forced the legislature to rewrite the oil tax law. That new law raised taxes on the industry, for which Mrs. Palin is now taking some knocks, but the political background here is crucial.
    The GOP machine has crumbled. Attorney General Renkes resigned. Mr. Ruedrich was fined $12,000. Jim Clark—Mr. Murkowski’s lead pipeline negotiator—pleaded guilty to conspiring with an oil firm. At least three legislators have been convicted. Sen. Ted Stevens is under indictment for oil entanglements, while Rep. Don Young is under investigation….”
    No executive experience, apparently… I think one of her first duties should be to require an ethics bill for the commercial users of the public airwaves, or goodbye licence…

  34. Its getting to late for the MSM to get an ambulance for the mortal wounds self inflicted.
    DOA, as we watch the death twitches of this over weight behemoth.

  38. Enkidu: “If she [Lisa Van Dusen] did indeed spend time as a volunteer for Barry O!…”
    Check out this link:
    http://lisavandusen.com/
    It’s Van Dusen’s OWN Web site, LisaVanDusendot.com, with a bio at the bottom of the page. Do you think she’d lie about this? ‘Seems she’s mighty proud of said fact.
    Definitely, a disclaimer is in order, from both her and the Sun. ‘Any bets as to how long it takes!?

  39. Most thinking Canadians realize their press is at best superficial in scope and decidedly left wing. I dispair at the total lack of serious political discussion in this country. While I have concerns about the Conservative Party, the fact that the Liberals and NDP even receive consideration is very scary!

  40. “Trailer Park, that is the greatest line evar!”
    I owe it all to Wells’ shiny forehead.

  41. I recommanded to act mature and be relistic to facts and not excited when you hear any news
    think what is important for Canada and do not dance with US sing and songs or bleive quickly
    Prison of war
    it depends for what war you are talking about
    Vitenam
    IS really war in Vitenam is fair war or not
    McCain went to war he was in army he MUST go it was not based on his choice in those year
    now if he got arrrested and went to prison
    again as we see this war and prison of war
    for VIETNAM war as the realy Hero for USA country
    I do not bleive people really see or liked Vitenam war and how much Democrate lose their life and oppose with taht and all hipi and so on
    next issue is waht is with you Canadian
    since when prison of war for Viteman is too much
    value for Canadain
    since Afgan war?
    I can belive how much you prasie this nonsense
    I am really sorry for Mr. McCain standing in prison but still that was not qualified him for
    presidency
    you saying he stay 5 years in prison while war in Vitenam was lengthy and unfair and some one kept him by force gain taht was not his choice
    Now back to presidency issue and qualificaiton
    are you telling me any nonsense war and any
    prison of war is need to become PM or president
    then we should expect taht Muslim
    Khadar who spend 7 years as teenger only for guilt of take pictur with deadbody parts unfairly in US , in result we can predict in future he may in age 72 Afganstan shouuld choose him for presient too how about Canada he thinsk he is Canadain too that is ridiculs I believe
    you peope miss the main issue we can understand McCain has some experince as he is senator of United state all of said is not major qualification or may used agains him as well
    who knows he may get crazy in this age like to reveng all world in war because he was in prison for 5 years or choose the woman she send her onlys on to war too then we should expect to see more war from them nonsense war is not always solution for every thing but only fight for reveng of past or not listen to your order Ha!
    5 years prison of war this is show how bad and lengthy war of VItenas was and as Kenndy said
    ” if any person in prison al people are remain in USA are not free” or we may say Kenndy has big mouth and talk so much that is reason could not udnerstand hate inside two sides of his countreis and he should say instead
    ” if we can not give freeedom to all otehr peopleas long as we may see other prison of war or other prison still suffer in jail”
    you should understand what the war it and why you fight for and what you gain or expect to get and if really Iraq is war for victory or only war to clean the evil they started already and blamed Muslim for republicna coruption and asked new Palin repulican to clean tehir corruption Ha!

  42. I don’t know what has happened to the Sun chain? Particularly the Edmonton Sun has become intolerably socialist Liberal. Half the columnists could be NDP members. I used to read them religiously, not any more. In fact if I read an article from that paper once a month now its to much. They only have the likes of Mindelle Jacobs, Lyn Cockburn, Kerry Diotte almost daily with no conservative back up. Even the imports from other papers are pro-HRC & anti-Harper. The Calgary Sun is a little better off, but not by much. Most of the writers mock conservatives regularly. Jacobs sometimes wonders out of the man hating spiel once in a while with a good relevant article, but she’s mainstream feminist all the way.
    Even the editorials now sound like they originated in Toronto. Lisa Van Dusen is just another left wing hard case trying to sound objective. Unfortunately she can‘t keep the rancor out of her prose. Canoe is becoming more socialist by the month. I wonder who now really runs them? The best evidence for this is the Edmonton Journal, though still loony is becoming indistinguishable from the SUN in context with content.
    JMO

  43. many of us have been following the sun’s slide to the left. i have written them a few times about it. the standard line is we are just giving other viewpoints. sure.

  44. For future reference, remember the hack “journalist’s” name TARA BRAUTIGAN.
    TARA BRAUTIGAN is not only guilty of getting the facts wrong, but she is guilty of not knowing a very broadly known fact about John McCain the war veteran and hero. And this is after McCain has been in the public eye for the better part of the last decade.
    TARA BRAUTIGAN is not only a bad “journalist”, she must ALSO be in a coma.

  45. “Trailer Park, that is the greatest line evar!”
    For my next trick, I think I will give McCain a 5 point boost over Obama in the Gallup poll.
    Then, I will marry Shaidle in a private hot tube ceremony with us both covered to our chins in Jumbo Shrimp.

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