Execution Day: July 7, 1865 The four condemned Lincoln assassination conspirators (Mrs. Surratt, Payne, Herold, Atzerodt) with officers and others on the scaffold at Fort McNair. July 7, 1865 The Republican candidate for President, John McCain, and his Vice Presidential nominee, Sarah Palin, have run a campaign of bluster, neglect, and obfuscation. In a sense, the two are taking a political party forged in the conflicts of a civil war and in their actions are conspiring to erase its memory as a party of liberty and justice. It is fitting that Rolling Stone magazine has just published an article, Make-Believe Maverick , that finds a post-Vietnam McCain attempting to find his way at Fort McNair in Washington DC. For it was here that condemned Lincoln assassination conspirators were hung on the scaffold on July 7, 1865. Make-Believe Maverick A closer look at the life and career of John McCain reveals a disturbing record of recklessness and dishonesty By Tim Dickinson From Rolling Ston e:...