McCain's Own Disability

The issue of McCain's own disability surfaced when he released his 2007 tax return and disclosed a tax-exempt annual pension of $58,358. Campaign staff told the Los Angeles Times this was a "disability pension," explaining that he was "technically disabled" and "tortured for his country -- that is how he acquired his disability." The campaign further explained that McCain was "retired as disabled because of his limited body movements due to injuries as a POW." McCain's disability pension is 100 percent tax-exempt based on the seriousness of his disability.

Mary Lynne Kelley, a member of the Michigan Commission on Disability Concerns, wrote in the Detroit Free Press that "McCain Should Show More Courage on Disabilities." Kelley states: "For a man with a disability who has received a disability pension for many years, disability issues rarely come up in McCain's campaign. McCain has never spoken on the campaign trail about his disability or identified himself as having a disability, but rather takes great pains to describe his vigorous health."

While McCain is a veteran, his commitment to veterans issues is questionable at best. Did you see that Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) gave him a D+ when they scored his voting record? (Obama got a B+.) And for someone who is disabled himself, his record on disabilities is practically non-existent.