McCain’s judgment and veracity as an aviator

McCain lied to the Navy about two out of three of his peacetime crashes. The LA Times focuses on his lack of judgment rather than his self-serving mendacity or the common view in the Navy that except for his status as the scion of admirals he would never have graduated the Naval Academy, and that, if he had, his wings would have been taken away, probably after the second crash.

The LA Times reports Navy conclusions that McCain demonstrated poor judgment in his three peacetime crashes.

What the Times does not highlight is that McCain almost certainly lied about the causes of two of the accidents. In each case, McCain blamed engine failure. Conclusive evidence shows the engine operated normally in one; in the other there was no technical evidence to suggest engine problems.

A fair conclusion is that McCain’s propensity for the self-serving untruth, on display in the current campaign, has deep roots in his personal history.

Moreover, for the Palinistas who oppose elites who are supposedly handed things on silver platters, the Times does not focus on the likelihood that this flying performance would have grounded any pilot not protected by McCain’s status as the scion of Admirals.