According to Bill Burton, Obama’s press secretary:
Last week, John McCain told Time magazine he couldn’t define what honor was.
Referring to the actual Time interview in question, you can read the exchange:
There’s a theme that recurs in your books and your speeches, both about putting country first but also about honor. I wonder if you could define honor for us?
Read it in my books.I’ve read your books.
No, I’m not going to define it.But honor in politics?
I defined it in five books. Read my books.
It’s clear McCain wouldn’t define honor in that Time interview, but it’s irresponsible and even dishonorable to suggest that his unwillingness to answer equates with an inability to answer. In fact, McCain’s reason for not defining ‘honor’ is his perceived over-abundance of answers.
Tags: Burton
September 10th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
change that “c” to a “w”!!! From couldn’t to wouldn’t
September 10th, 2008 at 11:18 pm
well done and useful site - thanks
September 11th, 2008 at 2:52 pm
You are right….he refused to answer the question that was asked. He obviously was not prepared to answer a question about something we should not have asked in the first place. How dare we question an “honorable man” on what Honor means to him. We should NEVER has him another question. He obviously is awesome enough to lead us to his ideas….even if he cant explain what they are.
This is not a lie. If you prove that he CAN define it, then it was a lie. However, with the evidence presented we can weigh the outcome in inability rather than refusal.
September 12th, 2008 at 5:23 am
I think it’s a fair question. McCain builds his persona and campaign around honor. Does honor mean running a clean campaign without Rove style swift boating? Does Obama exhibit honor at all? I think it’s a totally fair question. It would be like asking Obama about Hope or Change.
September 12th, 2008 at 5:36 pm
I think it can be challenged whether or not this is a lie.
September 14th, 2008 at 1:18 am
It seems likely to me that McCain wouldn’t define honor because he couldn’t. Don’t forget that he didn’t write his books, and may not have even read them.
September 14th, 2008 at 1:34 am
I think it might be a lie of you consider that McCain didn’t actually write his own books. If you notice, they all say “By John McCain, with Mark Salter.” Salter is his close aid, and he is the one who actually wrote the books, speaking on McCain’s behalf with McCain’s permission. So really, McCain didn’t define honor in those books, Salter did. I think the reason he didn’t answer is because he couldn’t remember what it said, and didn’t want to contradict “himself”.