IS JOHN McCAIN FIT TO BE PRESIDENT?

Before we begin, let's get one thing straight. I have no admissible evidence that John McCain is guilty of anything that would bar him from the White House. Not from his actions when he was in Vietnam or since he came back, and he is entitled to the same, though not greater, presumption of innocence as any citizen.

But when a man offers himself to be the President of the United States, the people should have a right to be certain that that man is who and what he says he is. To know the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth before they're asked to vote for him. Before they're asked to give an ordinary man the keys to the most extraordinary power on Earth. That's what the Presidency represents and ideally, only a man of unimpeachable character, courage and wisdom should ever sit behind the Oval Office desk.

The aim here is to talk to those of you who put the future of the Republic above the success, failure or even the reputation of any individual. It is not to trash John McCain.

I'm guided by the principle that in these monumentally changing and dangerous times, the need of our people to know the truth is more important than the need of any organization or individual to keep it hidden.

Or as a famous Vulcan philosopher once said as he gave his life for his friends, "The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few... or the one." At least when it comes to the Presidency.

That's why the reaction of some bloggers to a recent article by Dr. Jack Wheeler was puzzling.

Wheeler made the argument that an anti-communist contact he has in Russia has knowledge that casts suspicion on the Senator's claim (in his campaign ads) that his war record is the preeminent reason that he should be President.

The stories are not new, many vets over the years have said that things are not as they seem. They include the late Col. David Hackworth, who said in 2000 many (though not all) of the medals McCain received violated the Navy's procedures for awarding them.

More importantly, Wheeler claimed that the records are in the possession of the CIA (where they came to us from Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union and among other things, proved after fifty years that Alger Hiss was a Soviet agent) and that they will be used by the minions of the Democrats to destroy McCain if it even looks like he might win.

Wheeler said the records, and those of his debriefing should be released ASAP so that if the charges are true we have time to recover and stall the ascent of Hillary or Barack with a better candidate.

For this Dr. Wheeler was savaged by a number of blogs, including the usually reliable Captain's Quarters, who called Wheeler disgusting, pathetic, gutless and a revolting piece of work. The one question no one bothered to ask is: what is the possibility that there might be some truth to the information?

Another blogger called Wheeler an "asshat". What the hell does that mean anyway? As an aside, I move that the word "asshat" be thrown into the same toilet we used to flush "gravitas". Do I hear a second?

Wheeler's credibility is the heart of the question. So who is this man?

Dr. Jack Wheeler is a larger than life character, no doubt about it, with flaws and pimples. But Wheeler is also the youngest Eagle scout ever (age 12), a fierce anti-communist and patriot, a "geopolitical expert" and according to the Wall Street Journal and NSA people who were there, the man who had the insight and gave the initial presentation that eventually led to the Reagan doctrine and the fall of the Soviet Union.

That would make the contribution of Dr. Jack Wheeler to his country at least as great as any politician, including John McCain. Frankly, I don't think Mr. Morrissey and his fellow attackers of Wheeler's character know their "asshat" from a hole in the ground.

Like all of us, McCain's character is flawed. A "maverick" defies his leadership to fight for what he believes, but does he cross to the other side to assault free speech? Open the borders to who knows whom, and break his word to his fellow Senators, a common charge according to Wheeler. I don't think so.

All that has not stopped his ascendancy. That is why he must release his de-brief records and the GRU-Soviet translations of McCain's interrogation, if they exist. To do any less would leave the American people without the information they need to make an informed decision.

To those who argue they should remain secret because they are classified, what could possibly harm America today by the release of 35 year old prison records, especially if they do back McCain's status as a war hero?

The way I see it, far greater harm could come from NOT releasing them if Wheeler is right.

We, as Conservatives, had no problem in'04 calling for John Kerry to release his records, not because of his politics, but his character and the fact that he traded on his service as a reason to vote for him. "Reporting for duty" anyone?

McCain, in his campaign ads, has used footage of his captivity to bolster his candidacy. That should, just like Kerry, open him up to reasonable questions about that service. Even heroic status does not earn a man a lifetime exemption from criticism or examination. Shall we shy away from that examination because he says he's one of us or does being consistent still matter?

One other thing gives me "cold chills up my spine" about a McCain Presidency. And unlike Senator Cochran, it will not go away in two weeks. Even if we assume that John McCain served with honor, was tortured, and is not guilty of any of the charges Wheeler says the record contains, Thomas Eagleton was removed from consideration because he had once had a "nervous breakdown" or some other mental "difficulty". How damaging to a man's mind is five and a half years of torture and deprivation? For an average citizen the question is irrelevant, but for a man seeking the highest office in these times, it may be more important than any other.

Release the records. If all is as it should be which, by the way, Jack Wheeler told me personally he hopes is the case, I would humbly say to John McCain, "Johnny, I'm sorry I doubted you".

Is John McCain fit to be the President? I don't know. But it is of vital concern to the American people that we have all the relevant information before we elect him to office.

Senator McCain, release your records.

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