| date: | Thu, Jan 29, 2015 at 3:46 PM |
| subject: | Fw: McCain: Michael Moore's 'Sniper' comments 'idiotic,' 'outrageous' |
McCain: Michael Moore's 'Sniper' comments 'idiotic,' 'outrageous'
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) took aim at Michael Moore on Wednesday, saying the documentary maker's comments on military snipers were "idiotic."
Conservatives have slammed the controversial filmmaker after he tweeted earlier this month that his uncle was killed by a sniper during World War II and "we were taught snipers were cowards." He mentioned snipers may shoot their targets in the back and "aren't heroes."
"Sometimes when I hear an idiotic statement like that from someone like Michael Moore I don't want to dignify it with a response because it's so outrageous," McCain, the Senate Armed Services Committee chairman, said in an interview with CNBC on Wednesday.
"That's like saying we should not use airplanes, we should not use tanks, we should not use any other weapon. What does he want us to do, go back to hand-to-hand fighting?" McCain said.
Moore's tweet caused a firestorm last week amid praise for the blockbuster hit "American Sniper," which tells the story of the late Chris Kyle. The Navy SEAL is credited with the most kills in American history, and the movie follows his work as a sniper during four tours in Iraq.
Moore defended himself in a Facebook post Sunday, writing that "only 'haters' of our brave young men and women would recklessly send them into harm's way for something that had absolutely nothing to do with defending the United States of America."
In a statement on Monday, McCain praised the controversial film, congratulating director Clint Eastwood and his cast for "an outstanding cinematic achievement."
"This film depicts with subtlety and compassion those brave few who serve our nation in uniform, their experiences in the horror of war, the burdens they often bear upon returning home, and the untold sacrifices of their families," he wrote.
"It is deeply regrettable that obsessive critics of U.S. foreign policy have sought to disparage this film and denigrate the memory of a noble American warrior," he added.
Asked Wednesday on CNBC's "Squawk Box" if he had seen the film, McCain said he hasn't yet but intends to "as soon as possible."
The Oscar-nominated film earned $200.1 million in the box office through Sunday and has been a hit among audiences, scoring a 7.7 out of 10 stars on IMDB and 72 percent approval on the Rotten Tomatoes review site.
McCain explained that snipers "save the lives of others of their comrades because they are able to neutralize or take out an enemy that's been destroying them."
The veteran lawmaker, who was held as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War, said regarding Moore's tweet that it was "a great disservice to say that about so many of our young men and women who are serving in the Marines, in the Army, and many of them are scout snipers, so it's almost insulting to them."
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