At the 2008 Republican Convention in Minnesota, I had the deeply humbling honor of meeting and interviewing Lieutenant Colonel Orson Swindle.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orson_Swindle
http://www.hunton.com/bios/bio.aspx?id=16727
While Colonel Swindle has had a distinguished career in the military and in government, he will probably be most remembered by many as the Vietnam prisoner of war that once shared a prison cell at the Hanoi Hilton with Senator John McCain.
One of the reasons McCain is so respected is because he has that difficult to define quality known as “gravitas.” Colonel Swindle has gravitas. Anybody can give a political speech. Colonel Swindle is a testament to a truly great human spirit. I cannot begin to fathom his strength of character and courage.
Colonel Swindle was escorting fellow POW Colonel Bud Day to an interview when I approached them. Colonel Day is 85, and while Colonel Swindle is not a young man, he and his wife kept a wall around Colonel Day to keep him from getting jostled by the crowd.
For those who have not heard the story, Colonel Day was brutally beaten and tortured, as were Colonel Swindle and Senator McCain. Colonel Day pleaded with John McCain to rebreak his arms and set them properly. McCain did not want to do this, but Colonel Day insisted. McCain broke his arms, and reset them using bamboo. Today Colonel Day has the use of his arms.
Regardless of political affiliation, true greatness is found in men like Colonel Swindle, Colonel Day, and Senator McCain. We are free because of them.
Below is my interview with Colonel Orson Swindle.
1) What are the most important issues of 2008?
OS: “This is about the Presidency. It is not America Idol. This is real, not imaginary.
Major issues in this campaign are education, the economy, and Social Security.
We need a leader to bring people together and get things done. John McCain is a leader.
John McCain has dozens of character representatives. I am one of them. People will put it all on the line and tell you what kind of man John McCain is. Name 5 people that are willing to do the same for Barack Obama.
John McCain is proven. He’s been tested. He has integrity. He is an intellectual. He offers loyalty. He has courage.”
2) Who are your 3 favorite political heroes?
OS: “Ronald Reagan. Ronald Reagan. Ronald Reagan.”
3) You spent 7 years as a prisoner of war. How did you get through it? How did you survive?
OS: “During the tough times…it was mostly tough times…you just hang on. That’s all you can do. You hang on. You don’t give up. You can’t give up. You are driven not to give up. It’s your sense of honor.
That, and you pray to God.”
4) How would you like to be remembered 100 years from now? What would you want people to say about Orson Swindle the person?
“He made a difference.
Ronald Reagan once said, ‘Most people spend their lives wondering if they made a difference. Marines don’t have to wonder.’
I’m a marine.”
I was too choked up to ask any more questions. I am in awe of the man.
I thanked him for his time and his service, but it was not enough.
Thank you again Colonel Swindle. God Bless you sir. I’ll tell you what I told John McCain when I met him, and what I tell every veteran I ever meet.
Thank you, and welcome home.
Welcome home sir.
eric
I’m surprised your such a fan of an ol’ Perot man.
JMJ
“Name 5 people that are willing to do the same for Barack Obama.”
Unfortunaly Obamas followers are willing to say anything so far to the point that he has taken on the image of another messiah.
The most popular argument and compliment towards Obama that I’ve come across at other blogs is that hes a constitutional lawyer and a community organizer.
Somehow that just doesnt seem to stack up against men like McCain, Day and Swindle.
Of course then what always comes next is the inevitable question.
“Does that make them qualified to lead our country “?
More so than anyone I would think.
Their experiences are not taught anywhere and no amount of tuition or instruction will ever give anyone that kind of knowledge, percerverance and dedication to their country.
When you couple that with years of experience in Washington in a variety of positions, leadership skills developed in the military as a commander I dont see how anyone could argue Obama against that.
Well, Obama never was a POW so we’ll never know how he’d fare in such a situation. I think it’s great that men like McCain and Swindle survived and were brave. That’s great. And yes, I suppose one could reasonably assume that these guys, given their backgrounds, might well make good stewards of the nation. But then, the same could be said of a man like Obama who, rather than take his Ivy League education and make a fortune like many of the heros of the Wall Street conservatives, hit the streets to vitalize our democracy on behalf of the urban working class. Really, it’s not so much apples and oranges as apples from different trees.
Just the same, “character” is more than just being a POW or a community organizer. Character is also in what one does and will do beyond. This race is not some patriotic popularity contest. This is about the direction of the nation. If you believe the nation would be better served by a laizzez faire republican then vote for McCain. If you believe that the nation would be better served by a progressive moderate democrat then vote for Obama. If race, or POW status, community organizing history, personal life, or some personality trait is your main concern, then do us all a favor and stick with the ballots on American Idol. Our democracy would be better off without you.
JMJ
“Character is also in what one does and will do beyond. This race is not some patriotic popularity contest. This is about the direction of the nation. ”
Yea, and McCain has much better character definitions for that direction.
“If you believe the nation would be better served by a laizzez faire republican then vote for McCain”
Thats just your opinion.
But their is no doubt about McCains past acomplishments and qualifications. Plus he showed not so “laizzez faire” decision making in choosing a partner.
“If you believe that the nation would be better served by a progressive moderate democrat then vote for Obama. ”
“Progressive”
What the hell is that ? Someone who found a parallel universe or found a new way to tie his shoes ?
Moderate ?
Yea right.
The guy is about as close as any candidate has ever come to being a marxist.
Hes all about bigger government, huge taxes and wealth redistribution on a GLOBAL scale.
And if you want to talk about laizzez faire politicians then you really oughta take a closer look at Biden.
Choices like that would send up a whole bunch of red flags if I was dem.
I’ve never seen any candidate make me think of American Idol as much as Obama.
Its the ultimate cult of personality.
I have to agree with you Jersey that elections SHOULD be about the direction you want the country to go but honestly I am skeptical that is ever the case.
Your characterizations of both candidates seem a little off. First off the whole term “progressive moderate” sounds like an oxymoron to me. Furthermore there is nothing in his history to suggest he is anything but a solid liberal.
I also don’t really but McCain as a laissez-faire republican. (personally I wish he was more of one) any more than George W. Bush was a small government conservative. (his education and medicare drug programs demonstrate that).
It never fails that no matter who runs we always here the same thing the republican is a stupid right wing zealot and the democrat is a brilliant moderate. Usually neither are the case. The last true moderate democrat nominated was probably John F. Kennedy.
Well, Parrot, Rudy Giuliani (I believe it was the first time he ran for mayor) ran as a “liberal republican.” Would you call that an oxymoron? TR was a colonialist progressive. Would you say that’s an oxymoron? Nxon and Ike both pursued many progressive agendas. Obama is both rathre progressive in his plans and has a track record of being rather moderate in his voting. So yes. He’s a moderate progressive democrat. I think it sums hime up pretty well.
McCain has always stood strong against regulation, taxation and keynesian spending. That makes him laizzez faire in my eyes. Seems pretty plain to me. And the medicare drug plan may seem progressive, but considering that the plan barred medicare from negotiating drug prices, it seems more to me to be a tax giveaway to big pharma and insurance – a wolf in sheeps clothing in the hen house.
All I’m saying is that it’s time we grow up and realize that personality politics is for morons. There are serious issues in the real world to consider when we vote for president. Having been a POW shouldn’t be considered with all that much weight. And even if you do consider that factor, there’s bad that comes with that good. When Swindle (an old Perot guy, ya’ know) said, “John McCain has dozens of character representatives. I am one of them. People will put it all on the line and tell you what kind of man John McCain is. Name 5 people that are willing to do the same for Barack Obama,” he left out the fact that the same could be said for the opposite – there are plenty of people from all sides who happen to think McCain is a little dumb and more than a little frightening nuts.
JMJ
“All I’m saying is that it’s time we grow up and realize that personality politics is for morons.”
Yea, so lets put Obama on the ticket ?
I am still trying to figure out why Liberals won’t be honest and admit they’re liberals instead of trying to say they’re progressives as if they mean it to be something else. I know they blame republicans for making it a dirty word but the truth is the word isn’t the problem it’s the policies it stands for that is the problem. Liberals have been trying to make conservative just as dirty a word the difference is conservatives say yes I am one and here is what I stand for. I say this even though I am probably not classified as a conservative as I support legal abortion, have no problem with gay marriage, think recreational drugs and prostitution should be legal and many other things the right does not agree with.
“Obama is both rathre progressive in his plans and has a track record of being rather moderate in his voting”
I have seen no evidence of this moderate voting record. Usually even when things pass with large margins in the Senate, Obama is on the short side voting no with the other die hard liberals. Why can’t you just be hones and admit he is an abashed liberal If you support that you should vote for him, but not try and pretend he is something he isn’t.
Parrot, a “liberal” by modern American standards is just another label for “civil libertarian.” A “progressive,” by the same standard, is just another label for “Keynesian.” You can be one the other or both, but they are not the same.
Get it?
And if you really looked at his complete voting record, including his days in Illinois, you’d see he is quite moderate. If you chose to just be ignorant and pretend to know otherwise, then fine. Sleep well.
And Eric, perhaps you might want to ask the good colonel about this: http://mobile.latimes.com/detail.jsp?key=168664&rc=top&full=1
“Records filed with the California attorney general’s office show that over the last decade, for-profit fundraisers for the non-profit kept more than 94 cents of every donated dollar. Yet donors could write off the full contribution on their tax returns.”
That “non-profit” is none other than Swindle’s Citizens Against Government Waste.
Nice.
JMJ
Jersey those definitions are not accurate.
Liberal has included civil libertarian (on some issues certainly not guns for example), Keynesian, pacifists, collectivists, socialists and communists to varying degrees. Progressives had real meaning early in the 20th century Teddy Roosevelt’s time but disappeared from the political discussion until recently when liberals wanted to pass themselves off as something else because they claimed Reagan had made it a pejorative.
Although by your definition I guess I am a liberal. Boy that is news to me
Parrot, you can stretch conservativism out to the KKK too, but that’s not a fair generalization. I was generalizing as you should’ve been able to tell. Modern American “liberals” are really just civil libertarians. Their views on other matters are all over the place. And modern American “progressives” are Keynesians and again their other views are all over the place. I think these are fair and relatively accurate generalizations.
JMJ
Part of conservatism may include the KKK, but they are a fringe group like the communists are on the left. But the term liberal is far more akin to Keynesians than merely civil libertarians. It is the belief that the state is responsible to take care of everybody. Hence the term “tax and spend liberal”, not “tax and spend Progressive.” Please a little intellectual honesty here. Liberals are the ones who brought us the no smoking laws, seat belt laws, helmet laws, gun control laws, and i haven’t even gotten in the environmental laws, political spending and speech limitations. Those are hardly positions I would call civil libertarian.
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