On his recent stop in Pittsburgh, John McCain said on KDKA radio that he recited the names of the Steelers defensive linemen when he was asked under interrogation for the names of his squadron mates (”McCain's Mind No Steel Trap in Recalling Steelers,” July 12). He said, “When I was first interrogated and really had to give some information because of the pressures, the physical pressures that were on me, I named the starting lineup — defensive line of the Pittsburgh Steelers — as my squadron mates.”

Of course, it's untrue, and the sleaziest kind of pandering, because Mr. McCain was shot down in 1967, and the “Steel Curtain” didn't exist until 1972. He has repeated this story many times in different places, but in those instances, the Green Bay Packers were the ones who were named.

This is frightening to me, because this person is running for president, and to blatantly lie like that to Pittsburghers, to assume that they are not smart enough to notice, shows not only a complete lack of authenticity, integrity and judgment, but also calls into question his ability to govern.

There are plenty of reasons that a McCain presidency would be very bad for the Republic. Crap like this diverts attention from genuine differences in this election. I've (sadly, reluctantly) learned to expect the mass media to focus on dumb trivia. Please don't follow them there. Cover real issues. It's a wide-open frontier of news.

There are plenty of reasons that a McCain presidency would be very bad for the Republic. Crap like this diverts attention from genuine differences in this election. I’ve (sadly, reluctantly) learned to expect the mass media to focus on dumb trivia. Please don’t follow them there. Cover real issues. It’s a wide-open frontier of news.