John McCain Can't Tell The Difference Between Autism And Down Syndrome, And Doesn't Care

John McCain managed yet another confused and angry debate performance on Wednesday night that will give the fact checkers days and days of work sorting out all the confused facts and other nonsense. One of the most silly of which was McCain's claimed new-found passion for autism. McCain claimed that Sarah Palin's young son suffers from autism. The truth is that he has Down Syndrome.

In his 26 years in Washington, McCain has never proven any real commitment to those with special needs. By contrast with his background as a civil rights lawyer, Barack Obama has championed the rights of many persons including those with disabilities and his campaign website features a detailed platform of providing both funds as well as legal reforms to remove educational and employment barriers to the handicapped and disabled.

The fact of the matter is that John McCain doesn't know the difference between autism, Down Syndrome, or any other major disability or challenge that many American families face or has ever proven any great commitment to these persons ever. If anything McCain has often voting with the Republican majority that killed funding to many special needs programs.

In fact, one organization, the Children's Defense Fund Action Council rates McCain as the worst U.S. senator for the needs of American children. McCain couldn't bring bring himself to impose a small tax on the murderous tobacco industry to pay for children's health care when he voted against the SCHIP bill for example. And McCain was often too cowardly to take a position on killing the funding for many other issues involving children and instead "present" on a number of critical issues in his recent senate career. McCain didn't want to go on record hurting the needs of the disabled or other children with special needs, so instead took the coward's way out by an unusually large number of "present" votes because he knew that he was running for president and it would look better on paper than a series of "no" votes, such as McCain's cowardly pandering to the tobacco industry which is directly responsible for causing a number of serious health problems for infants and small children including SIDS, asthma, ear infections, respiratory infections, pneumonia and cancer.

It is no wonder that McCain cannot tell the difference between autism and Down Syndrome. Unlike Mr. Obama who has a clear record of support for those with disabilities and other special needs, McCain simply doesn't care that one disability is any different than any another. Autism only came up in Wednesday night's debate so that McCain could help to obscure his shabby little record in regards to 26 years of neglecting the needs of children and those with disabling conditions in Washington.

McCain's sudden claimed concerned for those with autism was purely political in nature. There was nothing genuine about it. John McCain's 26 years in Washington on children's issues is his real record, not some phony new found concern for children that he suddenly picked up on the way to the debate studio.