Reprinted with permission from AlterNet.
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) attacked President Donald Trump without mentioning his name during an interview for C-SPAN3’s American History TV.
The senator was discussing the Vietnam War, in which he served as a Navy pilot and became a POW after being shot down, when he raised the issue of classist draft procedures in the United States.
McCain used Trump’s widely publicized reason for a medical deferment as an example of rich Americans buying their way out of military service.
“One aspect of the conflict, by the way, that I will never ever countenance is that we drafted the lowest income level of America. And the highest income level found a doctor that would say that they had a bone spur,” McCain said. “That is wrong. That is wrong. If we are going to ask every American to serve, every American should serve.”
Watch the exchange below.
TONIGHT – @SenJohnMcCain talks about the Vietnam War’s legacy on C-SPAN, at 6 & 10pm ET. pic.twitter.com/WnZT0n8Mcn
— American History TV (@cspanhistory) October 22, 2017
Chris Sosa is an associate editor at AlterNet. His work has appeared in Mic, Salon, Care2, Huffington Post and other publications. Previously, he was a campaign specialist and media spokesperson for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisSosa.
