McCain’s POW past is core, but not only, claim to presidency

McCain’s POW past is core, but not only, claim to presidency

Sparingly used Vietnam history always inspires GOP crowds



MONTGOMERY, Ala.— Recalling his military past may be key to U.S. Sen. John S. McCain 3rd’s political future.

Declining in the polls and struggling with fundraising, the Republican presidential candidate and U.S. senator from Arizona draws an appreciative response from audiences when he recounts his Navy pilot days and the fortitude of some of his fellow POWs during the 6-1/2 years he spent in a North Vietnamese prison.

Vietnam is hardly the centerpiece of McCain’s campaign; it’s part of his biography and, as such, is an element in a broader narrative he is trying to paint of an experienced leader.


McCain routinely brings up Vietnam as he discusses the challenges in Iraq and he often recognizes veterans in each audience he addresses. He typically only tells his war stories when the opportunity presents itself, such as when he was campaigning this spring in Sioux City, Iowa — hometown of Bud Day, one of his fellow prisoners of war in Hanoi.

McCain did the same in a recent visit to Mike Christian’s home state of Alabama, holding Republicans spellbound at a recent state GOP dinner.

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